I need reasons not to buy one of the complete build ones. Only one so far is that its a direct sale so don’t know if it will fit me properly, but I’d need an XL anyways, because I’m huge!

Other than that, I can’t say the ‘weight’ would bother me as I could lose 3 stone before I should be complaining about bike weight.

Can only find reviews saying how good value it is. How it climbs better than the V3 and how its still lovely when pointed down. Somebody help, the bank account can’t take it…

No help I’m afraid.

Along with the YT Capra it is regarded as the ‘best in breed’ with regards to trail bikes that are biased towards the descents….there are better all rounders; Trek Remedy or Giant Trance for example…but neither go down like the Capra or Commencal apparently do.

Price is just an added bonus, it’s a great bike.

I’ve always enjoyed building bikes from frame only purchases but machines like the V4 mean I’ll probably just buy a complete bike as my next FS as I’m struggling to pick holes in the build these bikes come with nowadays.

If you’re a suspension-o-phile and don’t like linkage activated single pivots?

If you pedal a lot?

I cant help your bank balance ether, climbing wise it is every bit as good as they say it is, coming down it is a typical Commencal, it just flies, buying one was absolutely the right decision for me.

Hora’s got one.

Buy one, you won’t regret it. Unless there’s a problem, as customer service/after sales is piss poor!!

Has he really? I seem to remember him being a fellow tall chap.

chiefgrooveguru – Member

Hora’s got one for now.

FTFY. 🙂

Anyone got one with the BOS suspension ?
Is it worth it over the rockshox?
On an al a carte build it’s not as expensive as u may think.
Also anyone got any pics of an xl, seen a few on the web but not really any good pics of a stock build one.

It pedals really really well. The BOS Vipr shock is impossibly to blow the marker off/quite firm so polar opposite of a Fox Kashima jobbie (with big volume spacer) that I had previously on a SC.

Personal preference but the black is better than the loud Police road traffic division jacket yellow..

Plus price ATM £870(?) For BOS/frame/headset?

What’s it like on pebbles Hora? My V3 is not bad 😀

Along with the YT Capra it is regarded as the ‘best in breed’ with regards to trail bikes that are biased towards the descents….there are better all rounders; Trek Remedy or Giant Trance for example…but neither go down like the Capra or Commencal apparently do.

Of course…. the Trance is not a stable mate of the Capra or Commencal, although the Commencal (as well as the Mojo HD3) is perhaps a better all-round bike than the Capra. The Capra is a 65 degree head angle, 170mm bouncy borderline DH bike that weighs 28-30lb. The trance is a 140mm trail bike, a comparable bike would be a Nomad, a Giant Reign, a Mondraker Dune, an Orbea Rallion or a GT Sanction. All of which have their positives and negatives in comparison to the YT. These aren’t trail bikes, they aren’t far off the downhill bikes I used to ride in terms of handling.

IMO the Commencal looks a fair bit easier to live with than the YT as an all day bike used for trail centers etc as well as uplifted Alpine/Scottish stuff.

I fear what its like on pebbles 8)

Buy It!

I went full a la carte. Bos Kirk is an absolute stunner, would recommend!

Tom, that’s why I said 140mm bikes like the Trance are better all rounders and bikes like the Capra are biased towards downhill.
They’re still trail bikes, AM bikes or whatever we’re calling them this week!…it’s great that people have the choice between 140mm bikes and 160/170mm bikes in similar price brackets, decide on the riding you do and choose accordingly.
Obviously stuff like the Nukeproof Mega AM, Nomad and V4 occupy a different spot on the spectrum to bikes like the Trance etc but you see them all on uplift days, Enduro races and hacking round trail centres.

I’m still loathe to use the term mini-DH to describe bikes like the Capra as it seems insulting to pure DH riders and their bikes, having had a go recently on an Empire AP-1 downhill bike (which funnily enough has the same 65 degree HA as a Capra) the two types of bike couldn’t be further apart.
Sure modern long travel FS bikes tackle stuff that was the preserve of DH rigs 10 years ago and they share similar geometry in some ways…but DH development hasn’t stood still either and they’re now coming with super long wheel bases, 62-63 degree HA’s and a lightness and stiffness that is hard to find elsewhere.

As good as stuff like the V4 and Capra is I’d still pick a dedicated DH sled to ride down the Fort William course!….the other two are still trail bikes, extreme end of the spectrum granted but trail bikes nonetheless. If I lived in Scotland or near the lakes I’d get one but I split my time between South Wales and the South East so a shorter travel trail bike suits me better.

As I said in a previous thread, these are great days, you no longer have to buy boutique stuff to get a bike that works, you no longer have to choose short travel or long…there’s usually something perfect in the middle for the riding you do, mismatched travel bikes fill the gaps when someone can’t quite decide what they need/want and prices have never been lower…I’d have a garage full if I could afford them!

Been scoping this bike for a couple of weeks now, I’m more leaning towards the trail version though.

Seems good value for money by today’s standards.

I’ve been following a topic on pinkbike- everyones over the moon with theirs but there are question marks over the longevity of the Commy’s own wheels- maybe they just need retensioning after a few rides in a couple of occassions or they aren’t up to the sustained abuse that riders happy with their bike can deal out?

I’ll have a dig for the topic.

Edit: http://www.pinkbike.com/forum/listcomments/?threadid=163599&pagenum=7#commentid5875697

As good as stuff like the V4 and Capra is I’d still pick a dedicated DH sled to ride down the Fort William course!….the other two are still trail bikes, extreme end of the spectrum granted but trail bikes nonetheless. If I lived in Scotland or near the lakes I’d get one but I split my time between South Wales and the South East so a shorter travel trail bike suits me better.

I really don’t agree with this, to me, the new 1200mm+ wheelbase 170mm bikes are all but DH-light bikes in name. They are still too big and too bouncy for the majority of riders for general trail riding and the riding technique you have to employ to get the most out of them is the same as that of a fully blown DH bike. They don’t pedal any better than my 2008 170mm SX Trail, they just weigh 5lb less.

In fact, I’d be tempted to race a Reign on all English and a few of the Welsh DH tracks if I plonked a 170mm Fox 36 on the front and an offset bushing in it to slacken it out further.

That Empire AP-1 is 60mm+ shorter in the wheelbase and taller than the Reign I have coming!

I ended up buying one… Got what looked like the last of the awesome spec Essential model

Pics and thoughts please to follow? 😀

Pics will follow. Providing that I end up with the spec I ordered, it seems I might have bought the last one of that spec and size. Basically it was that good a deal, I’m not confident I’m going to get what I ordered!

I’ve ordered a load of heli tape and plan to do a homemade invisiframe, since they don’t seem to do one for the V4.

For future peeps looking into getting one: Pinkbike did a review

Cheers for that 🙂

Re the stays- I don’t see the problem tbh. I’ve heal rubbed almost every frame that I’ve owned if I haven’t protected the stays asap.

I’ve not noticed any interface – I wear flats and I’m size 10. I think its testers trying to find something at all to say ‘but’- because there isn’t anything else to fault is there.

The only things about this I would caution are the following observations

1. welcome to the world of consumable BBs. BB92 don’t last, don’t expect them too, luckily they are cheap. Having tried a few versions, I’d just buy Shimano and put up with having to change them pretty frequently.

2. I’m not convinced that semi integrated Headsets are a good enough solution on LT bikes. I had for a while; a PP Shan (PP is a company set up by a couple of ex-commencal designers) and I was forever tightening the SI headset lower, also the absence of an effective seal is something you need to consider for your maintenance routine.

On the BB- how long would you say? I seem to have gotten through regular Shimano BB’s every few months as the local gritstone gets in oneside and toasts it.

Is it something you can ‘warranty’ on? I’ve never bothered before but circa 3-4 new BB’s a year is daft.

I’m not a component destroyer, my stuff lasts and lasts, I’ve had a external Hope BB last 3 years and 2 bikes…

In 2 years of owning the Shan it “ate” (and I use the term advisedly) 3 BB, all of which fell apart when I removed the cranks. At the time I was riding mostly in the Chilterns and almost never in bad weather. They never fell apart in use, or stopped, or creaked, but once they’re done, they’re done. Keep a spare set all the time.

The Headset fared a little better, it was a “every 3rd ride” drop and re-grease, and “every other ride” stop and re-tighten. I think they’re fine for roadies, just not great for mountain bikes.

Does the V4 still have that odd BB design (for added strength or something) where you either have to buy a press fit and cut off the central tube or buy the expensive XTR cups which appear difficult to get hold off in the UK?

What do owners think of the seat angle? I had a Meta 5 which was a bit too slack for me, felt like the BB was too far forwards.

Scamper – No, the standard bb92 bb will now fit , i’ve put a hope ceramic one in mine. Also fitted a hope pick and mix E 2 headset.

Scruff – had a meta 5, the v4 is better in every way, the body position feels more central to me?

Quick cautionary tale.. 3 months since my initial warranty claim and agreement from Commencal to replace the wheels, I am yet to receive anything. They have now stopped even replying to emails. I’ve been perfectly polite throughout the whole process, even when they asked a month ago for me to resend pictures and video of the faults, despite already previously viewing these and accepting the claim as valid. Patience is wearing thin…

Also, from other forum threads it seems I’m not the only one having issues both with the wheels and Commie customer service in general.

they saved money somewhere, guess it was the wheels and dont agree with their take on carbon either.

Im happy with no carbon

just seems they decided to not offer a carbon version rather than let the customer decide.

In general, I much prefer the feel of carbon bikes but I would still have bought the alloy frame due to budget constraints.

mate has one, first thing he did was get new wheels. Nice bike but built to a price point. So you up grade wheels and dropper and that means you bought cheap paid twice. Think your right about the frame then build up.

TBH for +£240 you can get decent wheels from superstar?

Anyone running it with 150mm pikes?
The commencal geometry charts are based on a 150mm pike but with all their sales being 160mm forks, just wondering if anyone with 160 up front would think that dropping to 150 would reduce the BB height too much causing too many pedal strikes….just seems really odd to sell the bike with a different length fork than the geo charts are based on.

I don’t really want 160 up front and would much prefer 150 with 140 at the rear TBH but the value is pretty amazing and i’d be coming from a Meta SL with 150mm fox 32s.

also torn between specing the kirk and Monarch plus. The Kirk is meant to be great but any comments on the Monarch plus? I’m looking for a shock that provides a lot of rear support and not ploughing through its travel.

Pawsy_Bear – Member
just seems they decided to not offer a carbon version rather than let the customer decide.

Won’t get into the recent standards war then.