New TRP EVO drivetrain also used on team bikes
This competition is now closed
By Tom Law
Published: March 24, 2023 at 3:05 pm
Commencal’s new Meta Team bikes are built with an unreleased Schwalbe tyre, as well as TRP’s new EVO12 drivetrain.
The new mountain bike tyre has a blacked-out name hot patch, but some zooming and Photoshop wizardry shows it’s called the Schwalbe Hunting Holly, and features a new tread pattern.
It’s fitted to the new Commencal Meta Team enduro bike, which has been spotted on the EWS circuit and features an all-new aluminium frame and twin-link suspension design.
The new Commencal is fitted with an unreleased Schwalbe rear tyre which, as far as we can tell, features a new tread pattern.
It’s hard to tell from the images, but the tread looks to be a combination of the Big Betty and Magic Mary.
The Big Betty is a rear-specific tyre with wide tread blocks for better braking traction.
The Magic Mary is a popular front tyre, with an open blocky tread that works in a range of conditions.
This new tyre looks as though it fits in between these two models in Schwalbe’s range. The tread blocks are lower than those found on the Magic Mary, while being narrower than the Big Betty.
The side knobs look to be very similar to those found on the Magic Mary, which is known for its excellent cornering grip.
Given the new tyre is only fitted on the rear, we can’t confirm if it is designed for use on the front end as well.
The logos on the sidewall of the tyres show they use Schwalbe’s Addix Super Soft compound and Super DH tubeless casing.
Looking closer, the tyre appears to be called the Hunting Holly, though the name has been blacked out.
Schwalbe’s First Ride programme is for its team riders to develop and test new rubber compounds, tyre casings and tread patterns, and this hot patch on the sidewall indicates it’s still in the development stage.
However, creating tyre moulds is not cheap, so again, this could be a sign the tyres are close to being released.
The Meta Team is equipped with TRP’s new EVO12 crankset, shifter and rear derailleur, but not its chain and cassette, instead using a SRAM X01 Eagle cassette and a black XX1 Eagle chain.
The EVO name already exists in the TRP range with its DH-R EVO brakes, so this fits with the current naming structure.
The EVO12 group features a refined derailleur and all-new shifter, as well as the option of carbon or aluminium cranks. The Meta Team is equipped with the latter.
As mentioned, a chain and cassette are part of the groupset, but are not present on the bike.
For full details on the new TRP EVO12 drivetrain, check out our dedicated news story.
Precious few details have been given about the new Commencal Meta Team.
The bike moves away from the linkage-actuated single-pivot design of the current Meta AM, adopting the twin-link Virtual Contact System from the recently launched Tempo downcountry/trail bike. The bike pictured still features an aluminium frame.
Many will be pleased to see the Meta Team deviate from the headset-routed cables of the Tempo, sticking with traditional internal routing.
The head tube looks to be the same size top and bottom though, giving the option for angle- or reach-adjusting headsets.
We don’t have a geometry chart, so can’t comment on how it differs from the current bike in this regard.
Likewise, there are no details of build kit options or pricing.
We’ve asked both brands for more information and we’ll bring you the updated news when we have it.
MTB presenter
Tom Law is a presenter and writer for the BikeRadar YouTube channel. At a young age, Tom was thrown into the world of cross-country mountain biking by his amateur-racing dad. By the age of 13, he had been bitten by the bug himself. A brief foray into racing led Tom to discover his love of big natural rides and flowing trail centre descents, a very weird appreciation for technical climbs and an interest in the latest bike tech. A self-confessed bike dork, Tom’s near 10 years of experience working in retail – from the shop floor through to website and marketing work – has given him a wide knowledge of all things two wheels. He’s a big fan of mid-travel bikes that can do it all and is seemingly the only person on Earth who actually likes the term ‘downcountry’. When he’s not standing in front of the camera, Tom can be found ripping his Transition Spur around the countryside of North Wales and the Midlands, or daydreaming about cars he’ll never be able to afford or fit a bike in.
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