It's not the absolute poppiest bike on flatter terrain, but add some speed and a sculpted takeoff and it's a different story. Don't get me wrong, it's still a big bike, but always felt like it was working with me - I didn't need to fight it to get it to do what I wanted. There's plenty of travel for dealing with chunky sections of trail, but there's a level of support and snappiness that makes it an absolute blast when it's time to get airborne. The Meta's 140mm of rear travel helps it stand out from longer travel enduro bikes, in a good way. The Meta doesn't really need any more material added to its frame, but I'd love l to see a version with adjustable chainstays in order to allow riders the option to alter the ride characteristics. The flip side is that every once in a while the rear wheel would lose traction a little sooner than I'd expected. The Meta's 435mm chainstay length is on the shorter side when paired with the 490mm reach of the size large, which helps make it easy to snap the back end around tight turns, or pop off the lip of bigger jumps.
It may look like a big beast of a bike on paper, but I found it to be much more maneuverable than those numbers suggest. I wouldn't think twice about taking it to a bike park, doing an enduro race or three, or tossing it into the back of a truck for some rowdy DH shuttle laps – it has an aura of solidity that makes it feel right at home when gravity takes over. The Meta TR loves to go fast, no matter if that's on a rough, chunky trail, or something a little smoother, ideally with plenty of berms and big jumps. If TR no longer stands for trail, Turbo would be a worthy substitute. That didn't bother me in the slightest, especially once I figured out what this bike could do on the descents, but it's worth remembering that with the new geometry and additional travel, that TR acronym probably doesn't stand for trail anymore.
#Commencal meta tr 29 race 2020 full#
That blue lever is easy to reach (once I got used to the new position compared to the previous generation X2), and since it's not a full lockout there was still plenty of traction to keep the rear wheel stuck to the ground.Īt the end of the day, the Meta TR's climbing manners are still more in line with what I'd expect from an enduro bike compared to a more traditional trail bike.
I did make use of the climb switch to gain extra support on longer ascents on smoother terrain.
There's plenty of anti-squat to keep if from going too deep into its travel, which makes it a relatively calm climber. I'd put the Meta TR in the middle of the road when it comes to climbing efficiency. It is possible to have too steep of a seat tube angle – I thought the 80-degree angle on the Privateer 161 I recently reviewed was borderline excessive – but the Meta TR's position was comfortable even on the relatively flat three mile pavement / gravel spin that leads to my local trails. That upright, centered position also makes it easier to remain seated while climbing, rather than needing to stand up and lean forward, or to balance precariously on the nose of the saddle.
#Commencal meta tr 29 race 2020 free#
It creates a centered position that makes it easy to keep the front wheel weighted, free from any wandering, and it virtually eliminates any worries of looping out on extra-steep climbs. It's not light, or particularly nimble, but the 78.6-degree seat tube does an excellent job of hiding the bike's length. The previous Meta TR impressed us with its no-fuss climbing manners during the Value Bike Field Test, and that sentiment carries over to the new version.
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