Commençal Meta TR 2023: my owner review

In January 2024 I bought a Commençal Meta TR in size small directly from the company’s website. I am 170 cm tall with a 77 cm inside leg, and Commençal recommended small from those measurements. This is an independent owner account: I received no discount from anyone. I had not reviewed my earlier bikes simply because I had not felt this enthusiastic about them.

Before discussing the bike in the photographs, it is useful to explain how I arrived at it and what kind of riding I enjoy.

My bikes over the previous three years

The Stumpjumper Evo Pro Carbon 29 was supposed to be the answer, but it did not suit me. The particular version I owned had a very low bottom bracket — 328 mm — before changes in the following model year. It was long and slack, with a character often described as sluggish. On the rocky Alpine terrain I enjoy, uphill and downhill, frequent pedal strikes eventually became intolerable.

I then bought a used 2018 Rocky Mountain Altitude 27.5 and converted it to a mullet. A test ride had seemed promising, but the size-large frame’s seat tube was too long for me. On steep technical ground the saddle kept getting in the way. It was a wonderful, fast bike, but that interference became a real problem.

What kind of rider am I?

I like pedalling uphill and enjoying demanding descents. My ideal bike is somewhere between trail and enduro. My rides often involve 700, 1,000 or 1,500 m of ascent, sometimes more. I enjoy Alpine outings, bike parks and local trails. My Instagram photographs give a sense of my riding.

Choosing the Meta TR 29

I chose a coil-shock build because I already owned an air shock I could also use on this bike. Unable to test it first, I studied the geometry. It looked balanced, with a steep seat tube suggesting a good pedalling position and an excellent component selection.

The Commençal brand appealed to me, and the riders I saw using the bike seemed close to my own approach. I liked the description “mini-enduro”.

Buying from the Commençal website

Support answered my questions promptly. I felt I was speaking to people who cared about their bikes. My order shipped the next day, a Friday, and arrived the following Thursday: roughly five working days from Andorra to Valtellina in my case.

Choosing aluminium and putting weight in perspective

These were the arguments that helped me relax about aluminium versus carbon:

1. An 85 kg rider on a 15 kg bike gives a 100 kg total. Even assuming a whole kilogram more for aluminium, that is one per cent of the combined mass. These are rounded examples, not a measured frame comparison.
2. I felt that tyre pressure, wheels and drivetrain condition could matter more to my experience than that frame-weight difference. This was my purchasing reasoning, not a controlled performance test.
3. I had broken two carbon frames: an Epic chainstay and an enduro frame with a manufacturing fault near the head tube. Those experiences made aluminium feel reassuring, rather than proving it cannot fail.
4. I also liked the prospect of aluminium’s recyclability and environmental characteristics. A universal environmental comparison would require a proper lifecycle assessment, which I have not performed.

First ride impressions

For the first ride, I hoped simply to find a comfortable climbing position and begin getting used to it. I had come from good bikes, so I did not expect a revelation.

Instead, the climbing position felt immediately right. I felt able to press on the pedals effectively. Downhill, I usually concentrate on reminders such as staying relaxed, standing tall and looking ahead. On this bike, after two corners I found myself singing “That’s What Friends Are For” by Dionne Warwick.

I sang through the descent and enjoyed myself. The simplest description is that everything felt easier to me.

After a few more days

I use Strava. On familiar local climbs, my times on the new Meta TR were very encouraging, often personal bests. Enthusiasm may have played a part. On descents, some first attempts also produced personal records.

These are my own impressions and recordings, not a comparison test under controlled conditions. That is enough from me — see you out riding!

Graziano