@@wurst656 The good old Enduro magazine article lol. They are the only reviewers who had an issue with a size large. All the other reviewers say the bike absolutely rips (even in a size large) and have been setting PR's on all their trails, even on the climbs. Even people on the Commencal subreddit that have the L and XL don't have any problems with it being unbalanced? Seems more like an Enduro magazine issue and not a bike issue. I'm 5'9" 32 1/2 to 33 inch inseam and I ride a size medium. You thinking of getting one?
I’ve been riding the same bike since buying new in 2020 but the signature with fox shocks. Amazing bike does everything, I agree with Henrys main points, a bit more reach and slightly shorter chain stay are the things I always think about when riding it. I swapped the stock 50mm stem to a 35mm, which lost me some reach but sharpened up the steering a bit to overcome the high stack.
So, had mine for a year. Made a bunch of changes over the year. First tires (personal preference), grips and pedals. Next a less stiff bar (Chromag OSX). Bigger rotor up front (220) as well as metal pads in the XT brakes. Then a short dropper, as in shallower depth in the seat tube so that I could get full extension. Went with the One Up at 170mm. Seat tube is too long……. Lastly I made it a Mullet. Got a WRP link to go 27.5 and it is way better. No rear tire rub. Better maneuverability. Which pretty much gets you to this year’s Meta MX. If they would just make a shorter seat tube the bike would be great.
just been watching and listening very hard, very technical. i have the exact same meta. what do you think of putting a 27.5 rear wheel but keeping the same linkage. whould that make it better? merci
Hey just bought a used meta power (haven’t received it yet) I confused about Henry’s comment about wishing it was a 185 reach. I thought just prior to that they said that the bike pitched you a bit forward (sometimes), because of the longer chain stay and shorter reach. Wouldn’t a 185 reach have you even more forward? Also if that is the case for matching the rear to the front better can you just get away with a longer stem to correct it? Thanks
I'm sure i'll draw disagreement, but why do bike companies forget how to do geo the second they make an e-bike? Review after review after review places commonly appreciated size L geometry at ~ 480 reach, 442 chainstay, 78* STA, 63.6* HTA.... add.. subtract... fine... but keep it balanced and match the intent of the bike. Want to go up in reach? Fine, but balance the chainstay out too, and be sure it matches the mission/intent of the bike. Want to go down in reach? Fine. But don't do 470Reach/455Chainstay. Keep the seat tubes short. Why is this such rocket science when it's time to roll out a new product? You know who didn't have any issues putting out good geo numbers from day 1? Marin.
How many E-bikes are sold to rental fleets at mountain resort towns like Mammoth and spend 90% of their life on asphalt? That’s where I see most of them.
Rattle can be tolerated. But I've had two instances of crank failure on the left from E13. Seeing quite a few others encountering same on forums... Like seen on the Kenevo SL, it really kills your trust in the kit overall!
I swear company's will make an amazing bike and then when they are about they are about to press "done" they accidentally add 20 or 30mm to the seat tube. Like why would you want a longer seat tube, they aren't any advantages are there?
These 165lb guys are complaining that some of these 55lb bikes only have a 200mm rotor on the back when 180+ lb riders never cared about 200mm rotors on the back of their 40lb DH bikes...
Nice bike. You made a comment on the paint finish and I agree, it's crap. I have the 21 Meta AM Team with the same black and white colour scheme. It's 2 months old, and while I have frame wrapped the vulnerable bits, I haven't wrapped the whole frame. It's showing micro scratches very easily, mainly because Commencal, clearly in an effort to save a dollar,seem to have not bothered to put any clear coat on the frame. I don't know of any vehicle manufacturer that would dare to do that, so why would a MTB company do that?
I have a META tr 29 2021. And i think the Paintjob is pretty solid. Sure there are microscratches but 1st They can be removed by polishing 2nd mountainbikes are normally abused with mud and sand, add some rubbing and chafing and you get scratches. Cant imagine this will be better on any other bike. By the way, what car are you riding. Would love to know what car has such a good paint.
@@alexanderpauli1087 My other bike is a 2020 Meta TR 29 and it has clear coat. It doesn't scratch as easily and shows not nearly the wear that the AM does even though it is an older and more used bike. . Clear coat is there to help protect the paint. It doesn't eliminate the scratches entirely but helps minimise them and does not show up the micro scratches like the paint without clear coat. BTW I have a Landcruiser 4x4vehicle that does a lot of off- roading and it certainly does not scratch as easily as the AM Meta, its paint job is specifically more robust for off roading. I had my last Landcruiser from new for 16 years and the paintwork was in good (some scratches so not perfect) condition even after numerous big bash trips in the Australian bush. My AM after two months is showing more comparative wear than the Landcsuiser after 16 years. The motor industry introduced clear coat to help protect the paintwork from UV and scratches. The AM also seems to have a real cheap paint. If they were serious about making the paint look good and resilient to scratches and dings then they would use an Epoxy based paint but this is of course more expensive. Anyway, horses for courses, you are entitled to your opinion. All I know is that if the next bike I want to buy has the same poor quality paint job I will not buy it. It is that terrible that I could do a better job buying a can of Aerosol paint from the local hardware store and applying it. While I don't really care too much about scratching the bike as that is part of riding on trails, I certainly don't expect the wear to be accelerated by a poor paint job that has very visible scratches after simply sitting on the top tube or brushing against the bike with my pants. I might add though that, other than the paint job, the Meta AM is an awesome ride.
@@marcelknop1 I got the am few weeks ago and just wrapped the entire frame for $180. Seen the white and black demo am at the commencal shop in Sydney and how the paint was a bit scuffed so thought I’d just wrap it as I got the gun metal one. Loving the bike though. Got my son the 26inch did the same to his as could tell it would happen. Though he had a specialised before and that paint chipped so easily it was disgusting.
i dont know if this bike is simmilar with non ebike meta am which i own and i find rear suspension quite harsh even on coil. can somebody agree with that?
@@gaffney92 I think a lot of times people get too caught up in thinking that soft and squishy is best. The faster you go the more support and firmer feel you typically need. I think that's what Commencal is going for. Could be wrong.
@@mikeoxley9796 you are mby right but when riding at slow speed the suspension feels like im on a hardtail my feet bounce all over the place. And even if its designed for hard smashing its not progressive to overstand bottoming out on everything
Got a 22 levo on order and some comments about the geo of this bike make me want to cancel it. Where on earth is Mike Levy BTW? Not that I don't think any of the PB crew are anything less than awesome. Not seen him for ages.
I have this bike and so does my girlfriend in a small. The seat tube is heinously long and its very noticeable. All my other bikes I can get a 185mm dropper no problem. The 150mm KS Lev is too long on this bike ;( I will be cutting the seat tube when the bike goes out of warranty.
I've got this bike as well and the seat tube was pretty noticeable at first but after a month of riding it I've adjusted to it and don't notice it anymore.
@@kaseykohler1490 Damn. That's too bad. I felt that my 2016 Reign's seat tube got in the way more often. I'd like a lower seat tube on the Meta but so far, for me, it's been fine. My Meta Power is my main bike now so I don't notice the seat tube vs. another bike. Interesting point to consider though as I am looking at getting a new pedal MTB.
@@mikeoxley9796 I could see getting used to it if I did not already know better. I am just so used to at least 170mm drop that my body gets confused ;)
A little rough? I owned one for a couple of month and sold it partly because of the horrible finish. The motor cover is a dirt collector because doesn't fit the frame properly, the battery cover kept popping open (2 screws at the top and 2 at the bottom are not enough!), especially on warm days. The cable guide that is mounted inside the main pivot keeps popping out causing the brake line to start rubbing the crank arm. The crank arm came of after two rides and damaged the teeth on the spindle. Poor, very poor quality. Not something that is acceptable for the 7000 euro I paid for it.
Just wondering if we'll ever see any test bikes that are the right size for the riders. So sick of I love the long slack but the front end wanders and I can't get over the back enough and the seat-tube is in the wrong place and I can't get the suspension to balance..........GET ON A BIKE THAT FITS!
If you are gonna keep that guy on the right, I need a translator or subtitles, I have to put effort into understanding the sounds coming out of his mouth :D
I get the same, and I live in the UK. I miss half of what he's saying. Seems like a nice enough chap but he mumbles too much for me as well. It's not decent headphones, or even a decent speaker system either, I have both and use the system to cut hundreds of videos, he's just got no punch in his voice. He really knows his stuff, but I do have to concentrate to hear everything he says.
@@MrSupermugen dude I don’t listen with headphones, but I do have nice ones, regardless I listen to him the same way I listen the other 2 guys and the only one I miss half of what he is trying to say is him, he just needs to work on his speech, it’s just a hustle to try to understand what he is saying and no i shouldn’t have to use some noise cancelling Dolby Atmos headphones to be able to
Agree! As much as I want to like the guy, I think his constant output of negative feedback (which he always waffles on about) about the bikes really drowns out any positive reviews which himself or Matt provide. It's literally impossible to make him happy. Really like Matt's straight to the point and no fluff feedback!
Henry can waffle on, but as a former world cup mechanic and extremely technical guy he is kind of worth listening to and this is the point of the video to relay information away from the sales hype of the manufacturer. I actually thought Henry was to high caliber for GMBN as I'm pretty sure that channel is made for children
@@superchickensoup no they need to simply admitt they like bikes that cost twice the price. Too bad commencal still smoking them in the World Cup though
Commencal is such a kickass bike company. Loving my 2021 Meta AM.
@@wurst656 XL is just too long for most people. People who fit L should prob. go for M and XL to L..
except its slow asf
@@wurst656 The good old Enduro magazine article lol. They are the only reviewers who had an issue with a size large. All the other reviewers say the bike absolutely rips (even in a size large) and have been setting PR's on all their trails, even on the climbs. Even people on the Commencal subreddit that have the L and XL don't have any problems with it being unbalanced? Seems more like an Enduro magazine issue and not a bike issue. I'm 5'9" 32 1/2 to 33 inch inseam and I ride a size medium. You thinking of getting one?
Same here man, my 2021 Meta Am is an absolute shredder.
Curious what mode you were using for the efficiency test on the ebikes?
I’ve been riding the same bike since buying new in 2020 but the signature with fox shocks. Amazing bike does everything, I agree with Henrys main points, a bit more reach and slightly shorter chain stay are the things I always think about when riding it. I swapped the stock 50mm stem to a 35mm, which lost me some reach but sharpened up the steering a bit to overcome the high stack.
There comments on the head angle and reach I agree with (coming from the 2019 meta). Helps to set the fork up linearly with higher pressures I find.
So, had mine for a year. Made a bunch of changes over the year. First tires (personal preference), grips and pedals. Next a less stiff bar (Chromag OSX). Bigger rotor up front (220) as well as metal pads in the XT brakes. Then a short dropper, as in shallower depth in the seat tube so that I could get full extension. Went with the One Up at 170mm. Seat tube is too long……. Lastly I made it a Mullet. Got a WRP link to go 27.5 and it is way better. No rear tire rub. Better maneuverability. Which pretty much gets you to this year’s Meta MX. If they would just make a shorter seat tube the bike would be great.
Who cares about wollowy rear suspension on climbs if you have those 85Nm driving you up?
It’s not wallowing, I have a coil and a climb switch
Can you guys review the 2023 w/ Bosch? Please!
just been watching and listening very hard, very technical. i have the exact same meta. what do you think of putting a 27.5 rear wheel but keeping the same linkage. whould that make it better?
merci
The meta is my all time fav bike
Hey just bought a used meta power (haven’t received it yet) I confused about Henry’s comment about wishing it was a 185 reach. I thought just prior to that they said that the bike pitched you a bit forward (sometimes), because of the longer chain stay and shorter reach. Wouldn’t a 185 reach have you even more forward? Also if that is the case for matching the rear to the front better can you just get away with a longer stem to correct it? Thanks
Best field test ever
The longer u have the eBike & ride the Shimano EP8, the eBike rattle does go away or becomes less annoying.
Yes yes yes and yes a Commencal
Thanks for this.
Why no review on the redesigned 22 gen3 Levo? It's a huge upgrade to the gen2.
Matt gives nothing away while the other two are talking. Poker face master.
I'm sure i'll draw disagreement, but why do bike companies forget how to do geo the second they make an e-bike?
Review after review after review places commonly appreciated size L geometry at ~ 480 reach, 442 chainstay, 78* STA, 63.6* HTA.... add.. subtract... fine... but keep it balanced and match the intent of the bike.
Want to go up in reach? Fine, but balance the chainstay out too, and be sure it matches the mission/intent of the bike.
Want to go down in reach? Fine. But don't do 470Reach/455Chainstay.
Keep the seat tubes short.
Why is this such rocket science when it's time to roll out a new product?
You know who didn't have any issues putting out good geo numbers from day 1? Marin.
How many E-bikes are sold to rental fleets at mountain resort towns like Mammoth and spend 90% of their life on asphalt? That’s where I see most of them.
Those aren’t e-MTBs 99.98% of the time.
@@ChefIan73 No, more like 90%
@@BurnsRubber 🙄
Rattle can be tolerated. But I've had two instances of crank failure on the left from E13. Seeing quite a few others encountering same on forums...
Like seen on the Kenevo SL, it really kills your trust in the kit overall!
I pre-ordered a Commencal clash ride 2021 in august for September but it was just postponed to December D:
I wonder how the Meta Power TR would fair with its geometry?
Can you review the Polygon Mt. Bromo N8?
Love my Rocky Mountain but got my eyes on non-e Commencal’s
Good bikes! I have a meta am and ride it on all of the trails in the whistler bike park spare crabapple
I swear company's will make an amazing bike and then when they are about they are about to press "done" they accidentally add 20 or 30mm to the seat tube. Like why would you want a longer seat tube, they aren't any advantages are there?
Love mine but went with Burgtec 38 to increase stack
These 165lb guys are complaining that some of these 55lb bikes only have a 200mm rotor on the back when 180+ lb riders never cared about 200mm rotors on the back of their 40lb DH bikes...
Can we just stick to metric only? Henry, please!
I want to buy one can someone compare what the rattling is like? And if it’s fixable
I have the metappower 29 and I have never once noticed the rattle.
Yeti costs almost 2x
it is carbon tho
carbon is definitely not worth 2x the price
@@martindunajsky5136 tho its slower than commencal
@@martindunajsky5136 carbon is worse than aluminum
@@woals72 fair, but that commencal sure is heavy haha
Nice bike. You made a comment on the paint finish and I agree, it's crap. I have the 21 Meta AM Team with the same black and white colour scheme. It's 2 months old, and while I have frame wrapped the vulnerable bits, I haven't wrapped the whole frame. It's showing micro scratches very easily, mainly because Commencal, clearly in an effort to save a dollar,seem to have not bothered to put any clear coat on the frame. I don't know of any vehicle manufacturer that would dare to do that, so why would a MTB company do that?
I have a META tr 29 2021. And i think the Paintjob is pretty solid. Sure there are microscratches but 1st They can be removed by polishing 2nd mountainbikes are normally abused with mud and sand, add some rubbing and chafing and you get scratches. Cant imagine this will be better on any other bike.
By the way, what car are you riding. Would love to know what car has such a good paint.
@@alexanderpauli1087 My other bike is a 2020 Meta TR 29 and it has clear coat. It doesn't scratch as easily and shows not nearly the wear that the AM does even though it is an older and more used bike. . Clear coat is there to help protect the paint. It doesn't eliminate the scratches entirely but helps minimise them and does not show up the micro scratches like the paint without clear coat. BTW I have a Landcruiser 4x4vehicle that does a lot of off- roading and it certainly does not scratch as easily as the AM Meta, its paint job is specifically more robust for off roading. I had my last Landcruiser from new for 16 years and the paintwork was in good (some scratches so not perfect) condition even after numerous big bash trips in the Australian bush. My AM after two months is showing more comparative wear than the Landcsuiser after 16 years. The motor industry introduced clear coat to help protect the paintwork from UV and scratches. The AM also seems to have a real cheap paint. If they were serious about making the paint look good and resilient to scratches and dings then they would use an Epoxy based paint but this is of course more expensive. Anyway, horses for courses, you are entitled to your opinion. All I know is that if the next bike I want to buy has the same poor quality paint job I will not buy it. It is that terrible that I could do a better job buying a can of Aerosol paint from the local hardware store and applying it. While I don't really care too much about scratching the bike as that is part of riding on trails, I certainly don't expect the wear to be accelerated by a poor paint job that has very visible scratches after simply sitting on the top tube or brushing against the bike with my pants. I might add though that, other than the paint job, the Meta AM is an awesome ride.
@@marcelknop1 I got the am few weeks ago and just wrapped the entire frame for $180. Seen the white and black demo am at the commencal shop in Sydney and how the paint was a bit scuffed so thought I’d just wrap it as I got the gun metal one.
Loving the bike though. Got my son the 26inch did the same to his as could tell it would happen. Though he had a specialised before and that paint chipped so easily it was disgusting.
Sad all the review are about the Meta29 not many review for the 27.5
Amazing and beautiful Bike
i dont know if this bike is simmilar with non ebike meta am which i own and i find rear suspension quite harsh even on coil. can somebody agree with that?
I'm on the Ohlins Meta Power 29 and the rear end feels somewhat firm but incredibly smooth.
I have the 2019 version with an tuned ohlins coil. I would agree somewhat. Doesnt feel as forgiving but super capable. Running 25% SAG also
@@gaffney92 I think a lot of times people get too caught up in thinking that soft and squishy is best. The faster you go the more support and firmer feel you typically need. I think that's what Commencal is going for. Could be wrong.
I find mine can be harsh under breaking over rough ground and pedal kickback can get quite bad but that's just the single pivot design.
@@mikeoxley9796 you are mby right but when riding at slow speed the suspension feels like im on a hardtail my feet bounce all over the place. And even if its designed for hard smashing its not progressive to overstand bottoming out on everything
Got a 22 levo on order and some comments about the geo of this bike make me want to cancel it. Where on earth is Mike Levy BTW? Not that I don't think any of the PB crew are anything less than awesome. Not seen him for ages.
You mean Kazimer?
@@Shauny808 yes my bad
I have this bike and so does my girlfriend in a small. The seat tube is heinously long and its very noticeable. All my other bikes I can get a 185mm dropper no problem. The 150mm KS Lev is too long on this bike ;( I will be cutting the seat tube when the bike goes out of warranty.
I've got this bike as well and the seat tube was pretty noticeable at first but after a month of riding it I've adjusted to it and don't notice it anymore.
@@mikeoxley9796 Well I notice when I got to my trail bikes so unfortunately it does not get assimilated. Definitely not a fan.
@@kaseykohler1490 Damn. That's too bad. I felt that my 2016 Reign's seat tube got in the way more often. I'd like a lower seat tube on the Meta but so far, for me, it's been fine. My Meta Power is my main bike now so I don't notice the seat tube vs. another bike. Interesting point to consider though as I am looking at getting a new pedal MTB.
Switch to a OneUp dropper - will likely be able to fit at least a 170mm for the same overall length as the KS post.
@@mikeoxley9796 I could see getting used to it if I did not already know better. I am just so used to at least 170mm drop that my body gets confused ;)
A little rough? I owned one for a couple of month and sold it partly because of the horrible finish. The motor cover is a dirt collector because doesn't fit the frame properly, the battery cover kept popping open (2 screws at the top and 2 at the bottom are not enough!), especially on warm days. The cable guide that is mounted inside the main pivot keeps popping out causing the brake line to start rubbing the crank arm. The crank arm came of after two rides and damaged the teeth on the spindle. Poor, very poor quality. Not something that is acceptable for the 7000 euro I paid for it.
Just wondering if we'll ever see any test bikes that are the right size for the riders.
So sick of I love the long slack but the front end wanders and I can't get over the back enough and the seat-tube is in the wrong place and I can't get the suspension to balance..........GET ON A BIKE THAT FITS!
Both testers are in the range for this bike, it was just the long seat tube that was an issue at times.
Come on lads , a ht would be faster on them tracks you showed. If your going to show the bikes highlights get it on a proper track
Probably because the commencal ate the specialised and yeti in times and anything that was gnarlier it would stretch out that time.
The rattly motor is symptomatic of any shimano motor iirc.
It is the worst bike in the comparison but it is the fastest bike?
I was scratching my head on that one too! Terrible review
Next bike will probably be a pedal-powered commencal
bawls
The welds at front look like they were made by 8-year-old
Lets see your welds, they look great to me
@@kylelanning5856 could be the camera idk but they really don't look good. my old meta had great welds for a frame with that pricetag tho
Could be the lighting. I have a 2021 Meta Power 29 and the welds look perfect.
Hi tech, alloy and fucking what? I cant understsnd him for shit.
If you are gonna keep that guy on the right, I need a translator or subtitles, I have to put effort into understanding the sounds coming out of his mouth :D
what? you shouldnt have any issue understanding him, hes just a calm talker, if you got sound issues, buy decent headphones
I get the same, and I live in the UK. I miss half of what he's saying. Seems like a nice enough chap but he mumbles too much for me as well. It's not decent headphones, or even a decent speaker system either, I have both and use the system to cut hundreds of videos, he's just got no punch in his voice. He really knows his stuff, but I do have to concentrate to hear everything he says.
@@MrSupermugen dude I don’t listen with headphones, but I do have nice ones, regardless I listen to him the same way I listen the other 2 guys and the only one I miss half of what he is trying to say is him, he just needs to work on his speech, it’s just a hustle to try to understand what he is saying and no i shouldn’t have to use some noise cancelling Dolby Atmos headphones to be able to
meh…
hope im not the only one that felt like henry waffled a bit too long this time around. big fan of all these tests just lost my interest i guess
Agree! As much as I want to like the guy, I think his constant output of negative feedback (which he always waffles on about) about the bikes really drowns out any positive reviews which himself or Matt provide. It's literally impossible to make him happy. Really like Matt's straight to the point and no fluff feedback!
Henry can waffle on, but as a former world cup mechanic and extremely technical guy he is kind of worth listening to and this is the point of the video to relay information away from the sales hype of the manufacturer.
I actually thought Henry was to high caliber for GMBN as I'm pretty sure that channel is made for children
@@mathias3068 what so you want him to give a false opinion for your viewing pleasure or do you want a genuine opinion?
@@superchickensoup no they need to simply admitt they like bikes that cost twice the price. Too bad commencal still smoking them in the World Cup though