The ‘All-Mountain’ market has never been better and with so many bikes with varying geometry, handling traits and now wheel sizes to choose from, the time to jump on a fresh “go anywhere” bike has never been better. That said, if you don’t know how and where you’re going to ride, this smorgasbord of rad bikes could be anything but and all the more confusing…

Understanding and dissecting who you are as a rider and how and where you ride should always be where you start the hunt for a new bike and that’s what took us to the 2013 Commencal Meta AM 3. On paper, the AM 3 appears to be the kind of bike we like here at Factory Jackson; original aesthetics, combined with aggressive geometry and above all else, it looks downright fun!

Words: Olly Forster | Photos: Nathan Carvell

When you think of Commencal, several things pop into your head; former athletes, to which there have been many big hitters like Cedric Gracia and the Athertons and all the way to present athletes like ‘Meta pilot’ and Mega Avalanche champ, Remy Absalon. The other thing that comes to mind is their ability to make great bikes that not only work well, but look pretty good too –  an important equation that some manufacturers continue to struggle with.

On to the bike in question; the 2013 Commencal Meta AM 3 – Commencal’s cheapest ‘AM’ bike in the range at £2550, sitting below the AM 2 at £2900 and the all singing, all dancing AM 1 at £4K,  all of which share the same main frame and that’s where we’ll start… From the front we’ve got a tapered head tube, a 142 x 12 maxle style rear axle, technically oriented geometry and the stout and feel of a bike that wants to get wild and not let you down. This coupled with the original paint, graphics, ‘skinwall’ tyres and the Meta AM 3 jumps of the page as a serious contender for anyone with a penchant for slaying gravity, clearing obstacles and does’t mind earning it all with hard work and pedal power.

There’s no two ways about it, this is a great looking bike and the reaction it received from passing riders certainly paid testament to the fact that when “euro” aesthetics are done right, they’re hard to fault. The matte grey paint scheme is a huge grower and is much lighter in the flesh and of a high quality. The black graphics are seamless and understated, and work great with the black components and skinwall tyres.

The radness doesn’t end there – internal cable routing for everything (including a dropper post) and the addition of the rubber inserts (which helped keep the noise and rattle of last years Meta to a minimum) and the ample standover that is a must on a bike of this inclination. One other thing to mention is the ‘beef’ or sheer stature of this bike. Derived from Commencal’s gravity monster, the V3, this is a scaled down version which has the ability to ascend and descend and with this extra material delivers what previous Meta’s struggled to do; survive!

The Numbers Game

From the off you have a healthy wheel base for stability at speed, a slack head angle and low BB for poise and stance through technical terrain and nice short stays for getting the AM 3 onto it’s back wheel. Another interesting and rather important number is the top tube length, which when coupled with stem length becomes a great indicator of what size you’re looking at… At 5’10” and already fairly between sizes I opted for the Medium, but when swapping the stock 70mm stem for a snappier feeling 50mm number I prefer, I also chopped 20mm from the reach in the process and in doing so inadvertently almost dropped a bike size in the process – at least in reach anway. If you plan on going shorter in the stem department double check your numbers first, as I should’ve been on a size large with a 50mm stem.

The Build

Out of the box, the Meta AM 3 is reassuringly heavy at 32lb’s – not terribly surprising considering the amount of material present on the frame and while the price is a less than eye watering £2550, this also means heavier and consequently cheaper components. The slightly heavier than desired weight didn’t really show it’s face on the fun stuff and was easy to throw around, but that couldn’t be said for the slog to the top of the hill…

Looking at the AM 3 in my garden before an impromptu trip to some local trails to dial her in, there were some observations that gave me some initial concerns. From the off, the Fox 32 CTD’s are on paper a good fork, and whilst I’m not the biggest CTD fan, it was their “weedy ” proportion next to such a beefy looking frame and surely there should be some 34’s on here? My other concerns were the lack of a chain guide and/or a clutch type rear mech to help control the chain over the rough stuff. Dropper post? At this price point and with a mixture of X5 and X7 drive parts I’d have liked a little extra “oomph” elsewhere on the spec sheet…

Skinwall tyres anyone? I thought these looked awesome and I wasn’t alone with lots of great feedback on their looks, but on the trail? Unfortunately pretty hopeless on anything that wasn’t dry or smooth, with several punctures on one ride alone – talk about “riding on eggshells”.

AM 3 Spec:

Spec highlights were the Formula brakes, which provided ample stopping power and modulation. The neoprene mudguard for the rear shock was a great addition and a sign that the designers at Commencal are listening to feedback. The gearing ratio was spot on for the riding the AM 3 is aimed at, although I’d have preffered X7 shifters with an X9 Type 2 mech, but they did perform well throughout and I never needed any more or any less in the gearing department.

While I felt some of the components didn’t quite honour the “AM” badge that adorns this bike, it could be easily tackled piece by piece as and when a restricted budget allowed, and while much of what annoyed me could be upgraded over time, experienced riders ready for action will need to spend a little from the shop floor just to scratch the surface of what this bike can really do… I’d start with the tyres, then a chainguide and then a dropper post, with those three covered the rest will follow and the result will be pretty rad, of that I am sure!

Out on the Trail

The Meta didn’t take too long to get used to and it wasn’t long before I was hitting some of the more technically demanding sections of a regular trail loop and doing so with confidence and purpose. While this initial bedding in process between man and machine was relatively quick and painless, the size medium frame was giving me a bad back on long ascents and on fast tight descents, reinforcing the fact I should’ve gone up a size. Going back to the 70mm stem helped the issue a little, but checking and double checking the size of each individual bike before you head off into the woods will pays dividends in the long run…

Getting the Meta up to speed wasn’t as effortless as it is on similar bikes at this price point and after a long days riding the AM 3’s portly stature made itself quite well known. While saying that, the Meta comes to life when pointed down and it would certainly suit the DH rider with 2 hours to kill in the woods and looking to get the miles in, over say an enduro rider looking to spend 6 hours navigating a mountain pass. The bike can do it all and the awesome potential is there, but it’s weight and component selection trips it up more than it should do.

The empasis of the Meta AM 3 is definitely swung towards strength, rigidity and offering what is a premium frame at an affordable price, but in doing so does hamper the ability to offer a bike that is light enough not to hold you back if hours in the saddle is your thing. This is when you need to figure out the kind of rider you are and how and where you’ll be riding. If having fun, making do and if you don’t mind upgrading parts as and when, then this could be a contender for you?

Suspension – The Fox 32 Float’s felt under-damped and out gunned by the Meta’s dialed rear and struggled to keep up when the going got good. With the sag set to 25%, the rather odd characteristics of the CTD damping made them dive in the ‘Decend’ mode, doing little to aid grip and inspire confidence where I wanted it most. Ultimately I ran out of patience with the forks and simply got the rebound where I wanted it and left them in ‘Trail’ mode the entire time, which I must say was pretty good and offered enough support to get you up and down without too much drama.

“In the rear with the gear!” Now this is where the AM 3 really shone – from the beefy swingarm, over-sized pivots, 142 x 12mm axle, coupled with a design derived from a DH bike, the AM 3’s weight went straight out the window – if your prepared to put up with the weight on the way up that is, you’ll be rewarded on the way down! Working the bike through and over the kind of terrain it was designed for, I couldn’t help but wonder what this would be like with a well damped top-end shock and spec? Grip monster… I think so! While saying that I had no problems with the simple and easy to use Fox Float CTD rear shock. Onwards and err, downwards?

The Meta’s weight really wasn’t noticeable when pointed down and that’s generally where this kind of bike (“no prizes for getting to the top of the hill” kind of bike) is designed to shine and thankfully where the AM 3’s playful nature showed it’s true colours.

Conclusion

My time on the Meta AM 3 started on the best possible footing – I loved the way it looked and was excited by the gravity pedigree of the frame design and the fun loving attributes of the geometry. The weight issue didn’t bother me at first as I was sure the bike would make up for it elsewhere. Unfortunately some of the components took the edge off what should be a totally awesome bike. The lack of a chain guide or even a clutch style rear mech for that matter, meant the chain regularly came off and on a bike at this price point it really shouldn’t be an issue. Dropper post anyone? I think so and I’m not talking a Reverb, just something to aid the ‘AM’ pedigree this bike is on the verge of being denied due to poor component selection. Coupled with the flimsy puncture magnet tyres, there is certainly room for improvement.

I hate reeling off negativity’s, its just the AM 3’s potential is massive and especially if your idea of “All Mountain” involves tearing down descents, carving corners and sending jumps before pedaling back up the hill to do it all over again! I honestly don’t think the consumer should have to purchase parts before even riding a new bike to really get the most from it, but the AM 3 does get you on something special at a price, so that with a bit of extra cash to splash as and when you can, it could quickly develop into the bike you’ve probably been looking for!

All in all, the Meta AM 3 is an impressive bike that with a few simple and affordable changes to the spec, would soon deliver you a ride that will have you grinning from ear to ear. Aimed squarely at the new to “All Mountain” or the part-time aggressive trail smasher, the AM 3 gets you a foot in the door to what can be an exclusive club of this new breed of mini DH bikes that go up as well as down. Serious enduro types should perhaps look away or dig deeper into their pockets and go for the lighter AM 1, which is an off-the-shelf racer as the addition of a dropper post, heavier carcass tyres and chainguide will ultimately push this thirty two pounder out of their comfort zone. To sum it up, the Commencal Meta AM 3 is one rad little bike at a price that gets you on the trail and allows you a solid base to build the kind of bike you may have struggled to find before. Best advice – get down to your local dealer and try one for yourself and remember, if you’re going to run a shorter stem, check your reach as you may well need to go up a size.

Commencal Bikes and accesories are exclsively diustrubuted in the UK by Decade Europe and for all things Commencal, you know what to do – Tap the big logo below and get involved. Happy trails, Olly.

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