Field Test Review: 2024 Commencal Meta 5 SX - Supercross for a Reason

The Meta SX is an alloy bike that offers balanced geometry, rather than extreme geometry. The 64-degree head angle is adequately slack and when paired with its high stack height (643 mm for the size large we tested) that means there is little to no risk of you ever feeling like you're going to get sent out the front door. These elements are balanced by comparatively long chainstays to help shuffle to rider's weight forward a little, all while reaping the descending ability of something slack and tall.

The frame has some clean lines and neat features, but not all of them landed. The extra bosses on the underside of the top tube to store tools are nice, but what would have been nicer still is correctly placed water bottle mounts. In their place, the bottle contacts the shock. I first assumed that the reason it was so high, and so in the way, was because of the way the linkage moves. I figured it would probably foul the bottle if it was lower. However, after fettling with a shock pump and some cable ties I found a position that neither fouls the linkage or the shock.

In fact, while we couldn't fit a small 22oz (650ml) in the stock position, with cable ties even a 26oz (760ml) bottle can sneak in. Why Commencal couldn't achieve this, I don't quite know. There are other dashes of pragmatism though, all of which are thankfully better executed. There are ports for easy internal routing, as well as internal headset routing through the headset. The headset itself has blanking plates installed but, should you have an interest, you could pop them out and run them through.



The new suspension at the bike's heart is called the Virtual Contact System. It uses two small links that connect the swingarm to the front triangle, the upper of which also drives the shock. Where some bikes that use a dual link suspension layout have been at pains to keep the rear triangle and at least one link behind the seat tube, the Meta has both links in front. This isn't an issue, but it does mean the swingarm takes on some extra width as it navigates around the seat tube. Thankfully, this bike does have decent geometry because there is no adjustment to any key dimensions such as the head angle or rear center.

We tested a size large, which has a reach of 480 mm and a rear center of 447mm. For the small and medium sizes, that rear center is reduced to 442 mm. The spec is solid, although the $6,900 price tag doesn't offer as great of a value as Commencal was known for in the past. Highlights include a Fox Factory X2 and 38, SRAM GX T-type drivetrain, Shimano XT brakes and solid DT EX1700 wheels. My only real bugbear would be that the 175mm seat post is too short for a bike with a seat tube angle approaching 78 degrees. With Maxxis DHRII DoubleDown tires installed our test bike weighed in at 36.7 lb.





Climbing

Climbing the Commencal is definitely something that could happen. It's definitely possible, it's just you'll end up thinking of reasons why you really don't want to. It is a big burly enduro bike, but there are plenty of big burly enduros that feel a lot snappier and responsive. It does provide an adequate if not spectacular platform for climbing, with good but not great levels of grip - it's not particularly willing to break into its stroke at slower speeds.

On technical trails, it could definitely be a little more active, and perhaps has slightly too much anti-squat to feel like it can really find the traction no matter what you're riding over, but then again you'll also find yourself reaching for the climb switch on tarmac roads or pavement. Maybe that means it's in the sweet spot, but I'm not so sure. Truthfully, there are better climbing bikes out there. The rear suspension does some things very well, and I'll touch upon them in all their glory in the next section.

The geometry and balance of the bike is good. Its high front, long rear center, and steep seat tube mean that there is plenty of weight on the front while still being very comfortable. You don't have to muscle up through tight sections because your weight is already in a good place.

In regards to both climbing and descending, Commencal seem to really understand how to use a bike's geometry to the rider's advantage, it's just all the other things that hold this bike back when going up.



Descending

This bike is a very confidence-inspiring descender and thrives on trails that are fast and committed, and needs your position to be up and ready, looking out for what's next. The faster you go the better this bike is. Everything about it wills you - the suspension feel, the geometry, and, to some extent, the weight that you've just lugged to the top of the hill. It's true heavy metal.

Thanks to that long rear end, you'll find yourself committing hard to banked turns, and feeling the confidence to transition from edge to edge at will. You only need to ask nicely, apply some weight into your inside hand and you'll be amazed at how this bike corners - especially considering how tall that front is. That said, you will also notice elements of flex creeping in. For me, it's passable, and I enjoyed the comfort it brought with it, but I certainly wouldn't want it to be any flexier through high-speed berms.

When the suspension is in its stroke and moving it provides genuinely fantastic performance. It's responsive, with great support and bottom-out resistance. That said, it sometimes felt unwilling to use the initial part of its travel. Once that was overcome, however, it's one of the best systems I've personally ridden on enduro bikes and manages to offer a great blend of traction and support.

On trails that don't work the bike so hard, I don't think it quite has the suppleness in the rear to really shine in terms of tracking. This obviously isn't just down to rider speed but also elements like steepness and how you brake, but I think the Commencal does do a more effectiive job at finding grip on medium to high speed trails. This bike, which I could get full travel out of in the right situations, is not one to tiptoe around the problem. Instead, it wills its rider to tackle everything head-on and deal with the consequences. That's in part down to the suspension but also the upright and balanced geometry. The shock does track well at higher speeds and gives a great feeling of stability, but more often than not I wish it would have been more supple at slower speeds.

For an enduro bike, this is a very good descender and thrives on bike park trails. It has loads of pop, and in some ways is the freeride bike reimagined, only now you truly can pedal it.


Technical Report

Sensible Parts Kit (except for the seatpost): If we can forget about the dropper that is too short, and the bottle that doesn't fit, the Meta does have all the parts that you'd want. In fact, if it came with the 200mm length Fox Transfer, as it should do, it would be really smartly speced. The small touches of the alloy Renthal cockpit, alloy DT wheels, ODI Grips, and a SRAM GX T-Type drivetrain and Shimano XT brake pairing cover pretty much all the bases. It's almost exactly as I'd have it straight from the shop. It was a breath of fresh air compared to the silly carbon one-piece bars, horrible grips, and brake hoses that rubbed on the bars you could find on some of the other bikes.

Fox Factory Suspension: In the game of RockShox versus Fox I think Fox has the slight upper hand currently. While the Zeb is a good fork, it can feel somewhat dull compared to the precise and honed tracking of the 38 GRIP2. Both are very good, but I was impressed not only by the frame's suspension design but also the way the Fox shock and fork kept pace with it.

Noisy Bearings: If you heard this bike coming, you'd think it had done at least 3 seasons in the bike park. From day one this thing creaked, cracked, and clicked its way through the test. If it were my bike, I'd be interested in seeing what decent after-market bearings could do. That said, quality bearings aren't always the solution, and it's actually the facing and machining of the frame itself that can prove to be an issue. However, I would imagine and hope the former is more likely.

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Reviews and Tech Videos Field Test Reviews Enduro Bikes Commencal Commencal Meta Sx