Bike Review:

Commencal Meta V5

All the bike without the price

The Commencal Meta V5 is an all-mountain trail bike designed for riders seeking versatility and performance. With 150mm of rear wheel travel paired with a 160mm fork and 29-inch wheels, it’s built to tackle a wide variety of trails, including the rugged terrain of Squamish.

Geometry:

With a slacker head angle and a longer rear end, it offers improved confidence on steep descents while maintaining responsiveness for quick maneuvers. The slightly more upright riding position enhances comfort on longer climbs, making it suitable for diverse trail conditions. Additionally, the updated design includes optimized reach and stack measurements, allowing for a more natural riding posture. 

Descending:

When it comes to descending, the Meta V5 excels. The suspension remains active even under heavy braking, providing confidence on steep and rough trails. The low standover height makes it playful and easy to maneuver, while the slacker head angle adds stability. Riders will appreciate its ability to soak up bumps while maintaining control.

This has a similar effect on cornering and while the flex in the rear end is noticeable it still had a more confident feel than the new Stumpjumper 15 with those lightweight wheels. 

Who’s This Bike For:

Any trail rider on a budget or not, if Commencal can fix that creaking. It doesn’t have all the modern features like inframe storage, and the press fit bb isn’t something I expect to find on current bikes, but I do like that its ready for a 200mm rotor without and adapter and the geometry is about as up to date as it gets. It’s the all mountain trail bike for riders with a bit rougher terrain but don’t want to go full enduro.

Final Thoughts:

Commencal assured me they have a solution for the creaking in the form or spacers for the rear end. They just hadn’t had the time to install. 

That’s good to hear, but it a bit suspect that the bike was going out in this kind of shape and seems to imply it’s not an easy fix.  

Bike prices have gotten gnarly and if Commencal can iron out the issues the Meta V5 is an outstanding value. I loved the way the meta rode but cannot stand a creaky bike. 

Commencal claimed they had fixed the issue on the Meta SX so I’m keen to give that a go and I’ll get back to you. 

Check out other 29er trail bikes