I've just spent the day ragging my brand new 2020 Commencal 29 Team around Glentress. Treat everything I say with the hefty pinch of salt required for anybody so deeply compromised by confirmation bias.
Verdict?
F#@% me that was sooooo much fun
I'm physically shattered from riding like a complete jerk. The bike's setup was a doddle because it's almost exactly the same geometry and suspension components as my enduro bike. I am 100% happy with my choice of the Commencal.
So coming out of the back of a season of enduro racing, I've been against the clock for so much of the year I've just been wanting to let my hair down. That's what I got today. Trail centre trails that I know well. Nothing particularly challenging. Just add speed.
That's how I've ended up physically wrecked. Knowing that the motor assist was there to give me a pick-me-up gave me the confidence to attack attack attack. Every bump was a kicker. Every dip was a pumped downslope. The motor just got a look in to boost me out of any corners where I overcooked it and scrubbed too much speed but mostly this thing was a runaway rollercoaster carrying a grinning, anaerobic idiot.
Potentially this was the best I've ever ridden a mountain bike. I've been doing this for 27 years.
So. Regarding the Cube vs Commencal choice. Let your heart decide. Submit to brand values. For me that was Commencal and I couldn't be happier. A bit more of a party brand where I perceive Cube as a bit more buttoned up. Commencal's can be a bit porky. Cube a bit prissy. Those are brand value comments and I've not researched whether they reflect objective reality.
I'm just really happy with my choice.
