I channeled my inner Grave Digger on countless occasions, dropping my heels and letting the Meta plow through whatever obstacles lay ahead. Pedaling the Meta 29 to the top of a climb is like using super fat powder skis to access a remote peak – there's more effort required initially, but it's worth it when gravity takes over. If this were my personal bike, and I had plans of doing some enduro races on it, I'd probably be scheming about how to get a lockout on there. I'm not normally a proponent of remote lockouts, due to the fact that most of them seem to end up on more efficient, shorter travel bikes where they create more handlebar clutter than they’re worth, but I do think it'd make a lot of sense for the Meta 29. In that fully open position the Meta remains a calm pedaler, and unless you're standing up and really stomping on the pedals there's not much unwanted movement. For the most part, even on those techy climbs I kept the shock locked out, prioritizing efficiency over outright grip – there was still enough movement in the shock that the ride wasn't harsh at all – but I did flip it to the full-open position every once in a while in order to maximize the amount of traction. Straightforward dirt road slogs went as expected - slow and steady - but what about more technical, twisty sections of trail? Well, I still wasn't setting any speed records, but the Meta's handling is very manageable, with a comfortable seated climbing position, and a front end that I didn't have any trouble keeping on track. I'm not ashamed to admit that the 50-tooth cog on the Eagle cassette saw plenty of use on those climbs – after all, this thing weighs as much as a modern downhill bike. It certainly took more effort compared to bikes that weigh five or more pounds less, but with the lockout engaged on the Super Deluxe coil, I was still able to make my way up some seriously nasty logging roads in Bellingham and Squamish. In fact, I can't think of the last time that I had any noise-related issues with a BB92 bottom bracket, despite all the mud and grit that I regularly ride through.Įvery time I started grinding my way uphill, the Hollies' 1969 hit, He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother would start floating around in my head, except that this version had the refrain of 'It ain't heavy, it's my Meta.' (There's a reason I usually ride alone.) That became my mantra as I spun those cranks on this over-35 lb machine, and it seemed to work. Threaded bottom bracket fans will have to look elsewhere, as Commencal have stuck with the BB92 shell found on the 27.5”, although I do think the fear of pressfit bottom brackets has been blown out of proportion. There's a thick chainstay protector to minimize chainslap noise, along with a down tube protector and a little mud flap on the back of the seat tube. Still, it's good to see that this feature wasn't overlooked. Other details include the ability to carry not one, but two water bottles, although one of them will need to be pretty small to avoid hitting the shock, and the other one will be mounted to the bottom of the downtube. There's now a brace between the seatstays in order to add a little extra stiffness, and the size of the bearings in the rocker link has been increased as well. The Meta 29's frame looks even burlier in person than it does on a computer screen, with a wide and flat top tube that curves over the shock, and a chunky swingarm that provides loads of tire clearance.
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