pinkbike.com:
Commencal's mean green machine is ready to rumble. With a slack and adjustable head angle, chain guide tabs, and a carbon fiber swing arm, it's one trick speed machine. But does it all come together on the trail where it counts? Keep reading to find out how the 160 mm travel Meta 6 VIP performed.
Commencal's Meta 6 is designed to be ridden as an aggressive bike that can cover rough ground at speed, play in the bike park, or be comfortable on long days in the saddle that will cross challenging terrain. That describes a lot of bikes these days, especially since the 6" travel category has taken off like wildfire. The Meta 6 VIP does have some unique traits that separate it from the pack though.
The Meta 6 uses Commencal's Contact System to control the bike's rear suspension. The Contact System is comprised of a single pivot swingarm and a compact linkage that controls the bike's Fox RP23 rear shock. The main pivot sits just slightly above the middle chainring and rotates on large sealed bearings and a big diameter aluminum axle. Activating the shock are two stout links - a connecting rod attached to the swingarm, and a rocker link that compresses the shock that let Commencal dial in the exact suspension rate that they are looking for on the Meta 6. Giving the back of the green bike an easy push shows that it it's rear end is incredibly sensitive and eager to enter the first stages of its travel, but as you get further into the stroke it quickly ramps up to prevent hard bottom and increase stability when the bike is ridden in anger.
One noteworthy feature on the Meta 6 frame is the adjustable head angle that uses a rotating sleeve as opposed to different shock mounting locations. This allows the user to adjust the handling without their affecting their suspension preferences. The sleeve can be turned by hand and is held in place with pinch bolts. The stock head angle is 67.5 degrees and our medium test bike came with a sleeve that allows for plus or minus one degree of adjustment, as well as a zero degree sleeve. The large and extra large sizes feature use the same system, but allow only half a degree of adjustment.
Our green machine is built around Commencal's high end VIP frame that is updated with a carbon fiber swingarm that is claimed to be not only stiffer than the standard aluminum version, but lighter as well. At the very back you'll find modular dropouts that can be swapped from the stock quick release setup to a burlier 12 x 135 mm thru-axle if you're looking for something more secure.
For 2010 you'll be able to find chain guide tabs (ISCG-05) on the Meta 6 that will allow you to run a guide without any extra hassle, or even install a HammerSchmidt. The fact that there are still plenty of 6" travel bikes out there that don't sport ISCG tabs amazes me, props to Commencal for adding them for '10. Other nice touches include cable routing for a telescoping seatpost (our Meta came stock with a Joplin), and a toptube that slopes more than the previous years for added standover clearance.
