BIKERUMOR.com 2009 SEA OTTER CLASSIC COVERAGE: Commençal debuted their new Carbon Meta 5.5 all-mountain bike.  Shown in these pics is a prototype; colors will change, but specs are pretty much set.  Here’s what to expect:
- 5.5″ travel
- Linkage and shock placed for low center of gravity
- Actual production frame weight should be about 4.9lbs with shock (spec sheet, after break, is misprint)
- Approximately 68.5º head angle
- Replaceable dropouts, interchangeable for 10mm, 12mm or Maxle
- Integrated headset
- Built for aggressive All-Mountain and Freeride use
- Designed to climb well, too
Hit ‘more’ to see additional photos of this frame, and their all-new Absolut SX, a new slope-style / 4X bike that can be run with gears or as a Single Speed!  Read on…
I rode a Commençal at Interbike’s demo days, and the bragging about downhill performance is no joke.
Click on any of these images to enlarge them.
Shock adjustment controls are easy to access just below the top tube.
Pricing wasn’t set at the show.  The aluminum Meta 5.5 runs $1,199 so expect the carbon frameset to come in probably around $3,000…that’s our guess, anyway.
Absolut SX
The Absolut SX is a new bike for Commençal.  It uses a 1.125 to 1.5 headset and comes with interchangeable dropouts to run it with gears or as a single speed.
Lower pivot runs circles around the bottom bracket shell.