First Ride: 2026 Commencal Meta Power SX Avinox

[kid1984]

Hey, can someone describe the downhill performance? Does anyone also have a comparison with a YT Decoy? Thanks for your feedback!

 

[sergiotudela]

Im a bit surprised by the lack of coverage on this bike compared to all the other bikes that have come out with the AM2. Will be interested to see more reviews as they are able to get out to more people

Honestly, it's something I expected, and it's not just because of this bike in particular, it's because of almost every bike Commencal releases.

I think Commencal isn't too interested in sending bikes out for typical websites to review and draw their own conclusions (I don't want to get into whether a certain "brand" pays or not, etc.), which are ultimately just personal opinions. Instead, Commencal focuses on showcasing and demonstrating the capabilities of its bikes in competition (UCI DH, UCI Enduro, etc.), in conversations among riders who spend more time riding and sharing opinions on the trails, and so on.

In short, they move away from "reviews/marketing" (opinions) and prefer to talk in terms of "competition" (facts).

And personally speaking, in the end all the brands are using the same motor, so what really makes the difference is the type of kinematics you feel most comfortable with for enjoying your rides. You can always upgrade components to improve performance, weight, etc., but the kinematics are, for me, the most important aspect, as they're part of the bike's DNA.

 

[bighungry34]

Honestly, it's something I expected, and it's not just because of this bike in particular, it's because of almost every bike Commencal releases.

I think Commencal isn't too interested in sending bikes out for typical websites to review and draw their own conclusions (I don't want to get into whether a certain "brand" pays or not, etc.), which are ultimately just personal opinions. Instead, Commencal focuses on showcasing and demonstrating the capabilities of its bikes in competition (UCI DH, UCI Enduro, etc.), in conversations among riders who spend more time riding and sharing opinions on the trails, and so on.

In short, they move away from "reviews/marketing" (opinions) and prefer to talk in terms of "competition" (facts).

And personally speaking, in the end all the brands are using the same motor, so what really makes the difference is the type of kinematics you feel most comfortable with for enjoying your rides. You can always upgrade components to improve performance, weight, etc., but the kinematics are, for me, the most important aspect, as they're part of the bike's DNA.

Id have to agree on the kinematics. The commencal platform was new to me with this bike. Ive really taken to it. I have a Propain spindrift 5 that I enjoy but in comparison I like the Commencal feel much better and am selling the spindrift. I was able to get a Meta V5 and am also really digging it for its light and fun feel. Ive had a number of carbon frames and have to say that tend to enjoy the feel of alloy better in the long run. Maybe it's just me but it makes the riding less fatiguing overall as well I feel.

 

[Scotty C]

a good friend collected my bike and took it for its first ride. He works in the industry and was impressed with the bikes handling. It’s not as light, and it’s longer (especially the rear end)as the bikes he normally rides, but he said it definitely will suit my riding style. Can’t wait to go collect it from him next month.

 

[MeridoshAD]

View attachment 187601a good friend collected my bike and took it for its first ride. He works in the industry and was impressed with the bikes handling. It’s not as light, and it’s longer (especially the rear end)as the bikes he normally rides, but he said it definitely will suit my riding style. Can’t wait to go collect it from him next month.

XL size?

 

[nilswmtb]

Picked up my size L Podium build from the Commencal Squamish showroom yesterday! Haven't had a chance to ride it yet. Swapped out the seat and grips for my preferred choices and will probably do the pedals at some point.

Some notes:

- With stock Crankbros pedals and full RideWrap it's a rather portly 57 lbs (!). I figure if you went to town and replaced wheels, cockpit, went with a lighter fork etc you could knock it down to 52-ish but I don't know if it'd make that much difference. In my experience e-bikes over 50 lbs all tend to feel about the same weight and you only really start to notice the lighter weight when you get down to mid-40s or lower. I have a Heckler SL for that anyway, this bike is meant to be a bruiser

- I have a 31" inseam (but long arms/torso, which is why I needed a size L) and was juuuust able to get the seat post low enough bottomed out completely and with the 20mm travel reduction bits installed in the dropper (so it's now a 190mm instead of a 210mm). Anyone with particularly short legs but wanting the long reach of the size L might have to get a smaller dropper.

 

[TOM ARBEL]

View attachment 187649

Picked up my size L Podium build from the Commencal Squamish showroom yesterday! Haven't had a chance to ride it yet. Swapped out the seat and grips for my preferred choices and will probably do the pedals at some point.

Some notes:

- With stock Crankbros pedals and full RideWrap it's a rather portly 57 lbs (!). I figure if you went to town and replaced wheels, cockpit, went with a lighter fork etc you could knock it down to 52-ish but I don't know if it'd make that much difference. In my experience e-bikes over 50 lbs all tend to feel about the same weight and you only really start to notice the lighter weight when you get down to mid-40s or lower. I have a Heckler SL for that anyway, this bike is meant to be a bruiser

- I have a 31" inseam (but long arms/torso, which is why I needed a size L) and was juuuust able to get the seat post low enough bottomed out completely and with the 20mm travel reduction bits installed in the dropper (so it's now a 190mm instead of a 210mm). Anyone with particularly short legs but wanting the long reach of the size L might have to get a smaller dropper.

Hey! We’re still waiting to hear your ride impressions on the bike.

There’s surprisingly little info out there about how these bikes actually feel on the trail, so would love to hear your feedback once you get some time on them especially how the weight and geometry translate on real rides.





Thanks
Tom

 

[sergiotudela]

One question: is the handlebar 27 or 35 rise bar? According to the specs is 27,

RIDE ALPHA R20 760 on S - RIDE ALPHA R27 780 on M / L - RIDE ALPHA R27 800 on XL
31.8 mm, 760 mm width, 20 mm rise, Alloy 6061 on S - 31.8 mm, 780 mm width, 27 mm rise, Alloy 6061 on M / L - 31.8 mm, 800 mm width, 27 mm rise, Alloy 6061 on XL

But according to the bike photo…

 

[nilswmtb]

One question: is the handlebar 27 or 35 rise bar? According to the specs is 27,



But according to the bike pictures…
View attachment 187678

My size L has a 780mm wide 35mm rise bar.

 

[sergiotudela]

My size L has a 780mm wide 35mm rise bar.

Thank you! it is what I was thinking. When to find out the actual specifications you have to look at the photos instead of reading the descriptive text

 

[nilswmtb]

1st ride done, ~17 miles and ~2600ft on a good mix of blue and single black trails in Cumberland, BC. Lots of climbing followed by lots of descending, some flow, some tech, some chunky DH with a variety of small-to-medium drops and jumps.

TL;DR: It's a terrific bike. Can't imagine anybody being unhappy with it.

Thoughts:
- It rides much lighter than it is, the weight is not an issue at all. I was a little concerned about the extra weight of the Podium on top of the battery already being forward of the CG making it nose-heavy (a common issue with other full-power eebs I have owned/ridden) but they've got the proportions and balance right. It jumps remarkably well for such a big heavy bike and is pretty neutral in the air. It's also relatively nimble for it's size/weight on twisty descents. Climbing is fine for what it is - it's a big bike so tight corners require a little planning, leaning, and being mindful of weighting of the front wheel.

- The Fox Podium is absolutely sublime. If you can afford it and are in any doubt as to whether or not it's worth the extra $$ and weight: yes.

- Suspension performance: keeping in mind that I have the Podium build with the also excellent Float X2, and it's hard to untangle what is a result of a high-end shock & fork and what is due to the frame design... it's very very good. I'm 210 with riding gear on and I set everything to the recommended pressures and clicks and left it there. Lots of support, well-balanced, suprisingly fun in the air. I pointed it down some chunky sections and just let off the brakes to see what would happen and it behaves like a well-sorted enduro bike should. I had thought that maybe I would extend the fork to 170mm but honestly don't think it needs it, and it might screw with the handling a bit.

- The M2S is great. I just left it in the Auto mode the entire ride. Obviously the power is there but what impressed me the most was the sensitivity and responsiveness to your inputs. Like on very tight uphill hairpins with some rocks or roots or something where you need to carefully creep around the corner with the bars turned sharp, you can very finely control the torque with varying pressure from your feet.. but then mash the pedals and all the torque is there when you want it. I used around 65% of the battery for ~2600 ft of climbing, all in Auto mode and I wasn't shy at all about using the power when the trail allowed it. I'm curious to see how much can be squeezed out it by being careful with the watts. Did I say the Auto mode is great? It's nice that they've got all the fancy software and a whiz-bang app with settings galore to play with... or you can just press the power button and go ride and not even think about it.

Edit: oh as I mentioned earlier the sizing is a bit weird. I'm 6' even but with long arms/torso and shorter legs. I was juuust able to get the seat post low enough by reducing it's travel by 20mm, and I had to push the seat back to it's max position and roll the bars forward a bit to get the reach I wanted. Fits me fine, but just barely.

If anybody has other questions, fire away

Fun-o-meters @ 100%

 

[BT180]

1st ride done, ~17 miles and ~2600ft on a good mix of blue and single black trails in Cumberland, BC. Lots of climbing followed by lots of descending, some flow, some tech, some chunky DH with a variety of small-to-medium drops and jumps.

TL;DR: It's a terrific bike. Can't imagine anybody being unhappy with it.

Thoughts:
- It rides much lighter than it is, the weight is not an issue at all. I was a little concerned about the extra weight of the Podium on top of the battery already being forward of the CG making it nose-heavy (a common issue with other full-power eebs I have owned/ridden) but they've got the proportions and balance right. It jumps remarkably well for such a big heavy bike and is pretty neutral in the air. It's also relatively nimble for it's size/weight on twisty descents. Climbing is fine for what it is - it's a big bike so tight corners require a little planning, leaning, and being mindful of weighting of the front wheel.

- The Fox Podium is absolutely sublime. If you can afford it and are in any doubt as to whether or not it's worth the extra $$ and weight: yes.

- Suspension performance: keeping in mind that I have the Podium build with the also excellent Float X2, and it's hard to untangle what is a result of a high-end shock & fork and what is due to the frame design... it's very very good. I'm 210 with riding gear on and I set everything to the recommended pressures and clicks and left it there. Lots of support, well-balanced, suprisingly fun in the air. I pointed it down some chunky sections and just let off the brakes to see what would happen and it behaves like a well-sorted enduro bike should. I had thought that maybe I would extend the fork to 170mm but honestly don't think it needs it, and it might screw with the handling a bit.

- The M2S is great. I just left it in the Auto mode the entire ride. Obviously the power is there but what impressed me the most was the sensitivity and responsiveness to your inputs. Like on very tight uphill hairpins with some rocks or roots or something where you need to carefully creep around the corner with the bars turned sharp, you can very finely control the torque with varying pressure from your feet.. but then mash the pedals and all the torque is there when you want it. I used around 65% of the battery for ~2600 ft of climbing, all in Auto mode and I wasn't shy at all about using the power when the trail allowed it. I'm curious to see how much can be squeezed out it by being careful with the watts. Did I say the Auto mode is great? It's nice that they've got all the fancy software and a whiz-bang app with settings galore to play with... or you can just press the power button and go ride and not even think about it.

Edit: oh as I mentioned earlier the sizing is a bit weird. I'm 6' even but with long arms/torso and shorter legs. I was juuust able to get the seat post low enough by reducing it's travel by 20mm, and I had to push the seat back to it's max position and roll the bars forward a bit to get the reach I wanted. Fits me fine, but just barely.

If anybody has other questions, fire away

View attachment 188022View attachment 188023

Fun-o-meters @ 100%

I swapped out the 36 on mine with the 170mm Zeb from my v5 SX and it rides so much more planted and direct. I ride very rocky raw trails though so that’s what suits me area best. Would love to try a 170mm Podium or 38 then can actually ride the analog again

 

[FragrantMechanic]

If Commencal did carbon I'd get real interested in their offering.

And I avoid the stuff like the plague. Vive la difference; it's what attracted me to Commencal. It's mainly about what happens to junked frames at end of life, plus often marginal weight improvements, and some personal experiences with cracked carbon objects.