First Ride: 2026 Commencal Meta Power SX Avinox
- Thread starter iamandisykes
- Start date
sergiotudela
New Member
- Apr 5, 2026
- 26
- 14
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
New Member
- Apr 30, 2026
- 4
- 16
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
New Member
MeridoshAD
Member
XL size?
nilswmtb
New Member
- May 21, 2026
- 4
- 9
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
New Member
- Apr 21, 2026
- 4
- 7
Hey! We’re still waiting to hear your ride impressions on the bike.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.
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
New Member
- Apr 5, 2026
- 26
- 14
One question: is the handlebar 27 or 35 rise bar? According to the specs is 27,
But according to the bike photo…
But according to the bike photo…
Last edited:
nilswmtb
New Member
- May 21, 2026
- 4
- 9
My size L has a 780mm wide 35mm rise bar.
sergiotudela
New Member
- Apr 5, 2026
- 26
- 14
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
New Member
- May 21, 2026
- 4
- 9
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%
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
New Member
- Mar 16, 2026
- 21
- 30
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
New Member
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.
sergiotudela
New Member
- Apr 5, 2026
- 26
- 14
In case anyone is waiting for the Avinox RockShox Pure White model in July, in my case it's for an order within the European Union: they've just told me there's a delay. They won't receive them until the second week of August, so I honestly don't know when the shipments will arrive so we can get our bikes. It's a shame, this is my fifth month of waiting (I pre-ordered last year), so oh well... by the time I receive my bike, the new model with the Avinox MG will be available 
I have a couple of hundred kilometers on my Rockshox Meta Avinox now. It is worth the wait!In case anyone is waiting for the Avinox RockShox Pure White model in July, in my case it's for an order within the European Union: they've just told me there's a delay. They won't receive them until the second week of August, so I honestly don't know when the shipments will arrive so we can get our bikes. It's a shame, this is my fifth month of waiting (I pre-ordered last year), so oh well... by the time I receive my bike, the new model with the Avinox MG will be available
sergiotudela
New Member
- Apr 5, 2026
- 26
- 14
You can't imagine how eager I am to have it, I've been waiting for it for quite some time and I can't wait any longer!
On the other hand, it's incredible to see people already enjoying it in July who live on the other side of the continent... and I, who am about a thousand kilometers from Commencal's headquarters (Andorra), haven't received it due to delays!
Highland Wheels
Well-known member
A photo of Clark was the last thing I expected in here
BT180
New Member
- Mar 16, 2026
- 21
- 30
sergiotudela
New Member
- Apr 5, 2026
- 26
- 14
I might be wrong, but I think too much importance is given to the weight of current bikes, and we're usually talking about differences of around 2 or 3 kilograms. There are several things to understand: there are three main very important factors related to weight. The well-balanced geometries, kinematics, and weight distribution of current bikes make these couple of extra kilos almost imperceptible when you're riding, both uphill and downhill. And if there's one thing Commencal knows how to do well, it's precisely this: geometries, kinematics, and weight distribution. So, honestly, I wouldn't give much importance to those extra kilos when you compare them to category 4/5 carbon bikes. And I say this last part because it's important to remember that Commencal is category 5, which is significant in relation to the materials that also give the bike that extra weight.
On the other hand, thank you for the detailed information regarding the weight, what a job! In the rims section, it's only for 1, right? Perhaps something more should be added there between the 2 rims.
TOM ARBEL
New Member
- Apr 21, 2026
- 4
- 7
So, since yesterday I've kept refining the numbers.
A friend of mine, who is also waiting for this bike and hoping to receive it soon, and I will eventually be able to compare our estimates with the real weights and see how accurate we were.
After several hours of going through every component and double-checking the data, we came up with the following results.
In Table 1 (on the right), you can see the estimated weight of the bike ready to ride, including pedals and tire sealant, in size L.
For a few components where no official weight was available, we had to make educated estimates. For example:
As you can see in Table 1, our calculated ready-to-ride weight for the size L bike is 25.66 kg (56.57 lb).
In the same table, I also included a weight-saving scenario where I replaced several components with lighter alternatives. The changes include lighter wheels, handlebars, pedals, cassette, and slightly lighter tires instead of the DD casing, since I personally don't need that level of protection.
According to this calculation, I was able to save approximately 776 g, bringing the estimated bike weight down to 24.89 kg (54.87 lb). I think this is a realistic weight target while still keeping the bike reliable and true to its intended character.
Recently, I saw that Pinkbike weighed the lighter Fox-equipped model. When I compared their measured weight with my calculations and adjusted my spreadsheet for the Fox version, I reached almost exactly the same numbers.
This gives me more confidence that the calculation table is very close to reality, with an estimated margin of error of around 0.5%, which I consider to be a very accurate result for a calculation based on component weights.
Please take a look at the document, and I would really appreciate hearing your thoughts and feedback.
A friend of mine, who is also waiting for this bike and hoping to receive it soon, and I will eventually be able to compare our estimates with the real weights and see how accurate we were.
After several hours of going through every component and double-checking the data, we came up with the following results.
In Table 1 (on the right), you can see the estimated weight of the bike ready to ride, including pedals and tire sealant, in size L.
For a few components where no official weight was available, we had to make educated estimates. For example:
- 450 g for all bearings and hardware combined.
- 300 g for the battery mount, as we couldn't find any published specification.
As you can see in Table 1, our calculated ready-to-ride weight for the size L bike is 25.66 kg (56.57 lb).
In the same table, I also included a weight-saving scenario where I replaced several components with lighter alternatives. The changes include lighter wheels, handlebars, pedals, cassette, and slightly lighter tires instead of the DD casing, since I personally don't need that level of protection.
According to this calculation, I was able to save approximately 776 g, bringing the estimated bike weight down to 24.89 kg (54.87 lb). I think this is a realistic weight target while still keeping the bike reliable and true to its intended character.
Recently, I saw that Pinkbike weighed the lighter Fox-equipped model. When I compared their measured weight with my calculations and adjusted my spreadsheet for the Fox version, I reached almost exactly the same numbers.
This gives me more confidence that the calculation table is very close to reality, with an estimated margin of error of around 0.5%, which I consider to be a very accurate result for a calculation based on component weights.
Please take a look at the document, and I would really appreciate hearing your thoughts and feedback.
My opinion ? 1 kg of difference between 2 EMTB have absolutely nothing impact in use for me. I had ride the 2 type. light bike +- 20 kg, full +- 25 kg. The only time where the weight impacted my use, it's when i need to carry the bike. May be the commencal is not the good choice for those take importance to the weight ?
sergiotudela
New Member
- Apr 5, 2026
- 26
- 14
The same feeling to be honest, and now there is a walk mode when yo have to carry the bike
uphill or downhill? No differences when we are talking 2 or 3 kg... think of the weight of a bicycle as being totally distributed; it is not dead weight at a specific point on the bicycle that could cause an imbalance. Distributed and spread throughout its geometry, it makes it insignificant. The huge difference to me is the kinematics and so on, and Commencal VCS is just simply incredible, one of my favourite ones.
TOM ARBEL
New Member
- Apr 21, 2026
- 4
- 7
You are right that the table could be interpreted as a form of overthinking. However, I think it really depends on how each person chooses to look at the subject.
The bike engineers themselves clearly considered weight distribution and component selection when designing the bike. Every component choice is a compromise between strength, reliability, performance, and weight.
What is important to note is that in my lighter setup scenario, the weight savings are not coming from random places. Most of the weight reduction comes from critical areas that can have a meaningful impact on how the bike behaves.
For example:
- Reducing saddle weight removes mass from a relatively high point above the bike's center of gravity, which can improve handling.
- Reducing unsprung weight on the rear suspension should allow the suspension to work more efficiently and react better to terrain.
- Reducing rotating weight from the wheels removes mass that is constantly being accelerated and decelerated, which can have a noticeable effect on responsiveness.
sergiotudela
New Member
- Apr 5, 2026
- 26
- 14
btw , what are the components you changed? I meant, brands models.
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