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Andi talks us through a bike check of his personal Commencal Meta AM 29 SRAM Edition bike, that he uses for longterm tests. This custom build bike features a pair of the all-new 2021 Fox 36 Root Beer suspension forks, the only Funn Equalizer stem out there, Crank Brothers Synthesis alloy wheels, the latest SDG Bel Air saddle and a pair of 30th Anniversary Nukeproof Horizon pedals.
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0:02
hey everyone and become cigarette
0:04
magazine I'm out in the woods just
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around the corner from my house to take
0:08
a look at this no it's not a new bike
0:10
but it's my personal bike this is a
0:12
common Sal meta a.m. - 9 tremble dishin
0:16
2019 that's its full title but as you
0:19
can see it's not quite a SRAM edition
0:21
bike now because I've made a few changes
0:23
to it so yeah if you've been following
0:25
single track where you have you've been
0:27
following single track for the past year
0:29
you will have seen that it at a first
0:30
look on the comments are meta a.m. to
0:32
now from Edition last year when it
0:34
arrived and I was absolutely buzzing
0:36
because I do like a comments aisle and I
0:38
love this bike now since then we've done
0:41
a full test on it in single track
0:43
magazine the printed magazine you can go
0:45
and check that out
0:46
and now I still have the bike and I use
0:48
it as my long-term test I can I use this
0:50
platform because I've got on so well
0:53
with this chassis I understand the
0:55
suspension I understand how it feels and
0:57
how it's meant to feel that I use this
0:59
as my test bed for a lot of other
1:01
components now as you can see I have
1:03
changed quite a bit from stock so as you
1:06
can probably tell the SRAM Edition bike
1:08
came with a full complement of SRAM kit
1:11
so originally this came with a rock
1:13
Chuck's lyric fork it had spank wheels
1:16
on it it has the GX eagle group set
1:18
still and it had a few other bits and
1:20
bobs but I've changed them over time so
1:22
I can test those parts on a bike that I
1:25
know trust and understand so one of the
1:27
first things that you guys are gonna
1:28
look at and be thinking yeah that's new
1:30
it's the fork the fork on this is a fox
1:34
36 20 21 fork yet it's a fork from the
1:38
future and it's that Marmite root beer
1:41
brown color
1:42
I say Marmite I like it a lot of guys
1:45
don't like it's a bit of a 50-50 split
1:47
but it is a special edition limited
1:50
edition colorway as their heritage fork
1:52
other Fox 36 colours will be orange
1:55
matte black gloss black so if you don't
1:57
like the brown that's sorry root beer if
1:59
you don't like the root beer that's cool
2:01
there are other colours too but I've got
2:03
the root beer and I've got it on this
2:04
bike
2:05
yeah it doesn't quite match the SRAM red
2:07
but it looks alright I'm happy with it
2:09
this is a 160 ml travel fork
2:13
the new VVC compression and rebound
2:16
adjustments on there it has the new axle
2:19
design on there too plus the air bleeder
2:21
ports you can check out more info
2:23
information on the fox 36 and the fox 38
2:25
on singletrack world and on youtube now
2:28
another change that i've made up for us
2:30
to this bike is the stem the stock stem
2:33
on a comments our meta m29 SRAM edition
2:35
that's a long name is a alpha component
2:39
stem and that's comments our own brand
2:41
in fact I still use the Alpha handlebar
2:44
because I really like the feel of it now
2:47
the stem that I've changed to is a fun
2:49
equalizer stem and this is an all new
2:51
brand new stem so new that I'm the only
2:55
person in the world with one so what
2:57
makes the equalizer so special is that
2:59
it can be ran either way around so if
3:01
you if you run it like I'm running it
3:03
now it has a 10 millimeter rise if you
3:06
spin it around it has a 10 mil drop why
3:08
is that important well sometimes some
3:10
bikes come from the factory in the box
3:12
with a really short steerer tube and no
3:15
spacers then you don't have much wiggle
3:17
room in height yes of course you can
3:19
change the handle bar but the equalizer
3:21
stem gives you that option of changing
3:23
the stack by 10 millimeters either
3:26
dropping it or raising it now the
3:28
equalizer stem that I have is the black
3:30
and silver version there are lots of
3:32
colors so fun like to do tons of colors
3:34
they're blue purple orange red and lots
3:37
and lots of other colors that you can
3:38
choose from they also do different
3:40
lengths as well I've got a 35 mil stem
3:43
on here for an also do a 42 and a 50 and
3:46
they also do clamps for 35 ml bars and
3:48
31.8 I've got the 31.8 on here which
3:51
worked well with my alpha bars now
3:53
connected to those bars normally it
3:55
would be a set of alpha lock-on grips
3:57
but I've changed them to these gusset s2
4:00
extra-soft lock-on grips which I got a
4:03
core bike earlier in the year so they're
4:05
on there now they feel pretty good a
4:07
little bit narrower than like you tend
4:09
to use I've been using Berg tech grips a
4:12
lot recently and I like that chunky feel
4:14
so I'm just getting on with ease just
4:15
figuring out whether I like them on up
4:17
but the actual compound feels really
4:19
really good
4:20
now another component that I got from
4:23
Core bike but I completely forgot about
4:25
because it was put in the back
4:27
and shop behind my chair are these nuke
4:29
proof horizon 30th anniversary edition
4:32
flat pedals they're super super shiny
4:36
there is forged flat pedal that a CNC
4:40
machine and as you can see they're super
4:42
super shiny they look amazing tons of
4:44
really nice sharp little pins in there
4:46
to keep my feet locked on and they've
4:48
got sealed bearings throughout so they
4:50
should last a long time
4:51
so once lockdown is over and we can
4:53
start hammering the trails properly I'll
4:55
be able to give you a test review of
4:57
those as well now another change that
4:59
I've made is the saddle now there was
5:01
nothing wrong with the fabric saddle
5:03
that came on this bike in fact it's one
5:05
of my favorite saddles of all time but
5:07
when SDG said can we send you the Bel
5:09
Air 3 yeah well yeah I'm gonna try it
5:12
so the bela saddle has been in
5:13
production for 15 years and believe it
5:16
or not I think chips has every single
5:19
Bel Air saddle ever done so all those
5:21
cool GT special edition saddles from way
5:24
back in the day I think he's got them
5:26
and they're all Bel Air's this is the
5:27
Bel Air mark 3 it's a design to look a
5:30
lot like the original saddle but there's
5:32
a been a ton of changes in there it's
5:34
got a lightweight composite base it has
5:37
a new alloy rail system it has this new
5:40
rubberized edges on the side so if you
5:42
do get in a crash
5:43
it isn't gonna rip and I've been on one
5:45
ride on it again a cross-country ride
5:47
cuz no not at this time of year but
5:49
because of the lockdown but so far so
5:51
good it's very very comfortable it is a
5:53
shorter saddle than my fabric but it's a
5:55
very very comfortable saddle alright
5:57
other changes that I made to this bike
5:59
it from stock out of the box the
6:01
comments are Messer m-29 SRAM Edition
6:03
comes with spank wheels and spank wheels
6:06
are really really good but chrome
6:08
brothers sent over this set of synthesis
6:10
alloy wheels for me to try now if you go
6:12
back in time and search through
6:14
singletrack WorldCom you'll find that I
6:16
reviewed a set of carbon fiber synthesis
6:18
wheels earlier last year I think those
6:21
carbon wheels are tuned they have a
6:23
special layup front and rear different
6:26
spoke count front and rear and also
6:28
different rim widths front and rear - so
6:31
you can get a comfier front wheel and a
6:33
more direct and stiffer rear wheel for
6:36
sure all pink if that's your kind of
6:37
thing but this is the alloy version
6:39
obviously
6:40
they can't change the layup but you just
6:42
still get that different spoke count you
6:44
still get the different rim design and
6:45
they're still front-and-rear specific
6:47
obviously but the rims also a
6:48
front-and-rear specific so it will be
6:51
testing those in due course as well now
6:53
those wheels are shot in V tire tires
6:56
now I've been running the V tie tires
6:58
all the way through winter so I've got
7:01
on well with these I know how they feel
7:02
the V tire flow snap rear tire is a 2.35
7:08
width is a top 40 compound so it's super
7:11
super sticky and it's got a pretty fast
7:13
rolling a tread pattern despite it
7:15
looking so aggressive the front tire
7:18
though is a full-on downhill tire it is
7:21
a 2.5 inch width it's called the V tire
7:24
flow snap WCE top 40 and that's the
7:28
full-on World Cup downhill tire that if
7:30
the World Cup was on now you would see
7:32
the propane factory team and the brigade
7:35
factory team racing that tire now
7:38
because we're taking easy in this
7:41
lockdown situation and we're just doing
7:42
cross-country rides I'm a bit overtired
7:44
to be honest I need something faster
7:46
rolling and lighter weight so I will be
7:48
swapping these out I'll probably go for
7:49
a skies or something because they still
7:51
offer amazing grip but they are a little
7:53
bit faster rolling they are and I am
7:56
obviously running tubeless and I think I
7:58
have stands in the front and Petey's in
8:01
the rear because I'm testing that as
8:03
well
8:03
alright other changes that I've made to
8:06
this bike are oh yeah the granite design
8:09
stash tool it's not really a change it's
8:11
a bit of an add-on so you will have seen
8:13
that I've tested this on single track
8:15
world already it's a cool little tool
8:17
that hides in the top of your steerer
8:19
tube now I like this for two reasons
8:21
obviously it's a really handy tool to
8:23
have on the trail and you can make some
8:25
tweaks you can raise your saddle if it's
8:27
too low you can make some fixes on the
8:28
trail too but I like it as a reviewer
8:31
because it means when I get a ton of
8:32
different Forks in I don't have to keep
8:34
finding staff angle nuts and knocking
8:36
them in and it's just a bit of a faff so
8:39
having the stache granite tool makes it
8:42
really easy I don't need to use a staff
8:44
angle nut to get the head set compressed
8:47
properly I can use the the system that
8:49
holds the tool in place instead and it
8:51
means I've got this cool tool on the
8:53
trail as well so that's it this is my
8:55
common cell matter am too now SRAM
8:57
addition as you can see lots of
8:59
different changes things have not
9:01
changed obviously the SRAM GX Eagle
9:03
drivetrain the chain set although I did
9:06
change it because I had a massive crush
9:08
last year and I bent one side but don't
9:10
tell comments all that and the code
9:12
brakes they had not been changed either
9:14
so obviously at this time we can't do a
9:17
full review on any of this I will be
9:20
getting out and do cross-country rides
9:21
but one flock down is over will be
9:23
smashing the trails testing all this kit
9:25
out and letting you guys know how it all
9:27
handles if you've got any questions
9:29
about my comments I'll meta em - now
9:31
SRAM addition you've got any questions
9:33
about the Fox 36 the grips the seed the
9:36
tires the wheels anything you've got a
9:38
question about this on my unique shorts
9:40
let me know in the comments below and I
9:43
will do my best to answer them as
9:44
quickly as possible if you enjoyed this
9:45
video give me a thumbs up don't forget
9:47
to subscribe and I'll see you all soon
9:49
bye bye
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