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Commencal FCB is a Fast City Bike with flat bars and 700c x 50mm gravel tires

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Normally, when Commencal shows off a new bike, it’s a slacked out mountain bike meant for getting rad. Their newest bike is still all that rad life, but this time it’s meant for the streets. Or gravel. Or trails, really. Called the FCB for Fast City Bike, the bike is billed as an urban commuter that has the ability to take to the dirt whenever you have a chance.

Commencal FCB is a Fast City Bike flat bar

Obviously, gravel bikes are big right now. But not everyone wants to run drop bars, and that seems to have given new life to the category of flat bar city/gravel hybrids. Granted, bikes like the FCB and the recently announced Specialized Diverge EVO are far from your average flat bar commuter. However, it is a bit odd to see narrow 640mm bars called out as a feature when the Diverge EVO is sold with 750mm bars, especially when it’s paired with a 50mm stem (you can always cut bars down, but you can’t add to them!).

Commencal FCB is a Fast City Bike 50mm tires

Commencal gets credit for allowing clearance for very large 700c x 50mm WTB Venture tires. Shipped with tubeless ready Alex GX26P rims and tubeless ready WTB tires, the bike is equipped for everything from fast pavement adventures to full on trail rides.

Commencal FCB is a Fast City Bike complete

 

Designed with a 6061 triple butted aluminum frame, the bike runs a rigid fork with internal routing on both. It’s not clear from the specs whether the fork is carbon with an aluminum steerer tube, or a full aluminum fork. Accessory mounts are kept to a minimum, but you will find two bottle cage mounts inside the front triangle, fender mounts, and what appears to be a rear rack mount.

Commencal FCB is a Fast City Bike drivetrain

Commencal FCB is a Fast City Bike geometry

Equipped with a SRAM Apex 1×11 drivetrain and Tektro HD-R280 hydraulic disc brakes, the complete build has a claimed weight of 24.03lbs/10.9kg (no frame size given). Priced at $1,099, the FCB is available for pre-order in four sizes and will begin shipping in October, 2020.

commencalusa.com

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Onrhodes
3 years ago

I kinda like it, but man if that standover on the small is correct this bike is not meant for short people. 85 = 33″ standover….on a small?!?!

David
David
3 years ago

It’s a hybrid! That standover is insane, if accurate. Hopefully it’s a [series of] typo[s].

Brian B
Brian B
3 years ago

Wide bars in a city are not good. If anything we chop them down. So this hbar size sounds about right, for a city bike.

paquo
paquo
3 years ago
Reply to  Zach Overholt

buy some wider bars then… the bigger deal is if it comes cabling that doesn’t allow wider placement of levers

stevie962870553
3 years ago
Reply to  Zach Overholt

spec the bike for it’s conceptual intended purpose: mid-price transportation for crowded spaces. 640mm bar fits the expected type of riding better, fits muuuuch better when bringing the bike indoors, and surely costs quite a bit less at the factory.

a 750mm bar would be counter-intuitive for this bike’s intended rider and environment. if you’re buying it to ride dirt paths in the suburbs before parking it in a 2 car garage…go ahead and enduro-fy it to your leisure!

Fredo
Fredo
3 years ago
Reply to  Brian B

With more & more bike lanes, wider bars are becoming normal in the cities

Aaron Ysidoro Lelevier
Aaron Ysidoro Lelevier
3 years ago

The bike ships July 2020

Rob Chambers
Rob Chambers
3 years ago

This is close to my ideal city bike. It just needs a belt drive and single speed. Big tyres are ideal for the roads we ride on in cities, potholes, kerbs etc. And they are just more fun. I ride my fancy gravel bike around town, but am too scares to leave it locked up.

The bar width is right. You shouldn’t expect people buying a commuter to need to cut the bars down.

threeringcircus
threeringcircus
3 years ago

This is a nice looking bike, but it looks like it would be tough to fit fenders around those tires. Something in the 35-38mm range would make more sense to me. Better yet, 650b wheels would give options for tire volume with room for fenders. It would help bring down that crazy standover height, too.

Sean
3 years ago

Props for having the proper top tube length to go with flat bars. So many brands just take their gravel bike and toss flat bars on it and call it a day. Makes for very odd-fitting bikes with the bars too close.

Brad Comis (@BradComis)

640mm bar width is much better than 750mm for city riding. 750mm probably seems good on a spec sheet to attract mountain bike riders, but 640mm makes a lot more sense. 640 is even to wide IMO. Drop bars are the way to go for riding in the city for me for more reasons than just their sub 500mm width.

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