After finally convincing the wife that it was time to invest in a new bike, she has finally given me the green light to start looking for a new weapon of choice…
so far for what i want out of my riding i’m looking at either a Specialized Enduro Evo or a Commencal Meta AM 2.
Apart from the obvious difference being that the Evo has more travel but the Meta will be lighter due to it being air sprung…has anyone already got one of these bikes and be willing to provide some more info on how the bikes actually ride i.e. how it rides up and down hill, how good is the suspension and quality of components etc.
I’ve managed to source the bikes at 2 different retailers who can offer me a good deal on the bike but i’m yet to swing a leg over either.
If anyone can help me out here i’d be very grateful…
p.s.
wifey is in for a bit of a shock when she sees the price tag…hehehe!!

I have an evo and reckon its a pretty good bike. The suspension is really good for the price, componentry is effective rather than bling, the angles are pretty good and it is not as hard to pedal as you might imagine. I would definately buy another.

I spent a lot of time in France this year and rode it everyhere, early in the year XC and AM with a lot of climbing and then in the bike parks when I broke my bigger bike.

Looking at the spec of the meta, the spesh looks abetter deal. But, the springs are pretty soft so someone heavier than say 75kgs will deffo need to replace them with something stiffer.

Hope that helps

Planning on riding in anything other than dry, conditions? Worth taking into account Commencal’s shocking approach to mud clearance

The stumpy evo is worth looking at to.
But i’m biased.
150mm of travel, slackand low

Should you not compare the Meta SX to the Enduro? That’s more of a like for like comparison.

Planning on riding in anything other than dry, conditions? Worth taking into account Commencal’s shocking approach to mud clearance

My wife has one & it’s no better or worse than any bike I have had.

My wife has one & it’s no better or worse than any bike I have had.

You honestly think this sort of design is ok:

IMAG0408 by mark_penman, on Flickr

I can kinda understand on DH bikes where you might[/might] be able to hose down after each run (my V2 Commencal fills like a bucket), but not on all day machines

I didn’t say it was ok, I did say it’s no worse than any other bike i’ve ridden or friends have.

Maybe we’re lucky in a sandy soil area but we don’t get thick, sticky mud like that, ever 🙂

Hob Nob – i would have considered the Meta SX but the price seems to be out of my “allowed” budget.

i’m torn between the two as they both seem to have their good/bad points…now a friend of mine has thrown another suggestion into the hat to make things worse (he has one and i completely missed it!)…the Trek Remedy 8 as its within my budget and looking at the latest spec it looks good….now i really dont know which one to go for…
looking forward to booking a test ride for all 3 though!!
wifey now knows how much i’m planning on spending and i was more shocked than she was as she didnt bat an eyelid!!

I’d snap up that Transition Bandit in the classifieds – £2k or less, bargain!

DrP

META.

Having spent a week doing mixed riding in the Bavarian / Austrian Alps I can say hand on heart the Enduro Expert EVO is awesome. It was slower up the hills than some of the other guys but they were all running a more uphill friendly setup but where I really beat them was on the downs.

You will never be first up the hill on an EVO but if you enjoy the downs, then seriously consider it. Also doesnt mind big jumps too much which I was impressed with. Wasnt so impressed with my landing though 😆

mu3266 – how good is the xfusion fork that comes with the Evo?
i’ve read that is supposed to be as good as the Fox forks that come with the Remedy and Meta. is it as good as they say it is?

The Enduro if it were money.

Seriously, check the Stumpjumper EVO out too. More in line with the Meta AM and a seriously good bike. 2012 versions may be getting money off at this time of year.

stumpy evo would be ideal but i’m not too keen on the fork….as i’m a fairly aggressive rider i’d need a more robust fork…

What’s wrong with a Fox 34? (2013 bikes?)

The Meta comes with a Fox 32 as standard.

I’ve just built my Meta AM up. Bit heavier than the Nomad it replaced, but this bike actually fits me (stupid odd Santa Cruz frame sizing!).

how good is the xfusion fork that comes with the Evo?

I cannot comment on fox but, the fork feels quite like older marzocchis. IMO thats a good thing. It tends to be pretty plush for the majority of the travel and ramps up a bit at the end.

In terms of reliability. I bought my evo in January I rode it a lot in all sorts of situations and it went for a service a week ago.

Why do you even need to ask… META!!!

what i want is a bike that is a mix of all three really..but i think its going to come down to spec/fork choice…all my bikes use marzocchi’s and i love the burly feel they have and i’m concerned the fox forks may feel flexy compared to what i currently have and i’ve always used shimano for transmission duties so i’m not sure what to expect from the SRAM drivetrains on the EVO and META…
i better get a move on and book a test ride on all three…

juan – where i ride gets very muddy so i’m a bit concerned about the long term durablilty of the suspension considering where the shock is located….what are your thoughts on this?

In Dirt’s review of the Meta SX they said they weren’t concerned about the placement of the shock affecting its durability. Or something like that

ianv – thanks for the advice…i’d prefer a burley fork as my current bikes are running marzocchi forks and i love the fact that because of the thick stanchions they steer superbly…i’m a bit concerned that the 32mm wide stanchions on the fox forks would feel a bit flexy in comparrison…

Regarding your questions, of course its personal preference regarding the forks, but also a balance of performance and weight.

I ride with a couple of guys who use 150mm 32’s & they are flexy, no doubt about it. They don’t hang around though. One has gone through 2 CSU’s under warranty now because of them unbonding. He’s not doing anything huge, just rides a lot & fast.

I put 36’s on mine, just because I plan on using it for everything, so wanted something a bit bigger on the front.

I can’t comment on the SRAM drivetrain on the specific bikes, but having used the 10spd SRAM stuff I don’t like it so run Shimano on mine.

Regarding the shock placement, Commencal sell a shock/mudgaurd if you are worried about it. I made one on mine out of an old Neogaurd. Works fine.

There are also some very good deals on the Meta at the moment…

Hob Nob – thanks for the wise words…you managed to articulate what was in my head which didnt get translated properly via my fingertips!! 😆
i know my LBS would do me a very good deal on a META which may bring it back within budget, but i love the amouont of travel on the EVO and that fact that the XFusion fork apparently performs similarly to a marzocchi fork…as for the SRAM kit i can always change back to Shimano when it wears out…
having said that i may have to see if i can get the bike specced with a burlier fork…if it falls within budget then i’ll have it!! 8)

The x fusion is not burly as the 66, but its going to be more rigid than a 32mm fork.

Echo Hobnobs thoughts above re Fox. Surrey Hills riding saw my 32 150mm floats go back to mojo twice before i sold them because of bonding issues and that terrain should not be a major test of an all mountain fork!

I’ve got a Pitch, it’s not either of the ones you want but here’s my 2p.

Spesh OEM stuff is crap, not rubbish, not Ok, not even ‘it’ll do until I get time to upgrade it’ good.

The rear hubs went in a couple of rides, the freehub not long after.
GXP BB lasted minutes
Headset is still there out of shear lazyness on my part but has 4 settigns, straight on, left, right and a bit more right it’s that nothcy.
Forks always felt constipated
Shock blew up twice
Saddle was uncomfortable (like sitting on an overly padded sofa, with a solid rail under your arse)
Drivetrain was spec’d so far down i think the cassette had Brunell’s stamp on it, well it certainly weighed like it was made of cast iron anyway.
Stem was wobblier than jelly
Bars were OK i suppose.
Cranks matched the cassette.
errrrrrrrr………………..

Basically assume Spesh will have cut every corner, then cut it again until the paper is practically round.

juan – where i ride gets very muddy so i’m a bit concerned about the long term durablilty of the suspension considering where the shock is located….what are your thoughts on this?

Problem easily solved by using a chainstay protector. Not the stuff sold by commencal. A chainstay protector. It is very good at keeping the mud out. Plus the fact that it’s a soft material means, it moved and the mud tend not to stick on it.

HTH