[mexicandh]

hey

well im looking for my 2012 bike, and im between the commencal V3 and the intense M9, i know alot will say the intense is waaay better, but i just want to know what the users of the commencal V3 say, maybe it waaay better than the intense, who know's .

thanks

 

[Wa-Aw]

I own an M9 and have lots of friends with a V2. I'll try not to say the Intense is better, but in truth they are waaay different. In high end DH bikes so much more comes down to how comfortable you are on a bike personally than what the internets says is better.

But I'ma just sneak in the the Intense was better in every way than the V2 except for stiffness, which is something VPP bikes in general don't excel at. But no idea what's up with the V3. It's probably a lot lighter.

 

[mexicandh]

I own an M9 and have lots of friends with a V2. I'll try not to say the Intense is better, but in truth they are waaay different. In high end DH bikes so much more comes down to how comfortable you are on a bike personally than what the internets says is better.

But I'ma just sneak in the the Intense was better in every way than the V2 except for stiffness, which is something VPP bikes in general don't excel at. But no idea what's up with the V3. It's probably a lot lighter.

yup thanks alot, i currently own a giant glory 2010 and dont feel comfortable with the geometry, the other thing is that i like the V3 look so much and i like how the M9 looks too, but the V3 is so sexy,some local guys that have tried the M9 said that it was stable, but not very easy to move around, i know that is almost 100% sure that i buy the M9, but just want to know about the V3 before choosing, and please guys dont resply that i should demo them, because here on mexico there's no way to decide which is better, but the forums, so its my only way to find out which i should buy.

 

[Macguffin]

Someone here may be able to help.
http://www.commencalownersclub.com/index.php?action=forum

 

[rockdog]

I ride a V3 so I’ll give you my thoughts on the bike. The fit and finish of the frame is top notch, all pivots and axels have absolutely perfect alignment no persuading anything into place. Nice details like pivot bolts that have the torque values etched on and require only one wrench. The chip system for adjusting the chainstay length is quick and simple however changing the headtube angle setup requires pressing in cups. The internal cable routing gives the bike a super clean look and hasn’t been a pain in my ass so far. What I’m trying to say is “quality” is not going to be a good differentiator between these two frames.

This bike is not a plow bike. My very first impression of the ride was how easy it was to get off the ground and how responsive it is to rider input. The bike really settles into the sag point easily and then does a great job of holding you there, much more of a controlled use of travel than my previous bike (Chumba F5). The nimbleness of this bike combined with the willingness to get airborne make for a very fun ride. The bike feels ultra stable at speed and holding a line through chunder and roots is remarkably easy. I have not ridden an M9 but if it behaves anything like a V10 then these are pretty different bikes to be comparing.

I am 5’9” and ride the medium, the cockpit is pretty compact I can’t picture being much bigger and staying in a medium. The geometry is totally dialed and feels spot on. 62.5* head tube angle, 13.5" BB, 17.5” CS and a wheel base of 47”. Measured with a Marzocchi evo at the min line and 2.5 minions front & rear.

The glaring difference between these two bikes in my mind is VPP vs single pivot, what do you prefer? Either way you’ll have a ton of fun on either bike and both will get you down the hill as fast as you can stand it, although you might look better doing it on the V3 Feel free to ask if have any questions regarding the Commencal otherwise have fun choosing.

 

[DJColdwater]

more info here on the V3: http://www.sicklines.com/2011/05/10/2012-commencal-supreme-dh-v3-review/

 

[Wa-Aw]

yup thanks alot, i currently own a giant glory 2010 and dont feel comfortable with the geometry, the other thing is that i like the V3 look so much and i like how the M9 looks too, but the V3 is so sexy,some local guys that have tried the M9 said that it was stable, but not very easy to move around, i know that is almost 100% sure that i buy the M9, but just want to know about the V3 before choosing, and please guys dont resply that i should demo them, because here on mexico there's no way to decide which is better, but the forums, so its my only way to find out which i should buy.

The M9 feels pretty dead when you're riding it on normal stuff at normal speeds. It really comes alive when you haul ass, and that you can pretty comfortably. The biggest diff is indeed the VPP vs Single Pivot. I've ridden SP bikes all my life and this is my first linkage bike. I didn't want to believe it when I had an SP bike but there is a huge difference. The square edge bump eating ability of the M9 is unstoppable, you feel like you can mow down anything. I tried out a friend's M6 before and realised how much of an improvement the M9 was.

The BB is higher but still feels very planted and low when on the bike, I also catch the pedals a lot less than my previous, much higher, bikes. M9 also pedals very very well, better in fact than a lot of "nimble" DH bikes (demo i'm looking at you!).

Strangely in experimenting with set ups, i found the M9 to feel much more "alive" at lower speeds with a soft (very soft) spring.They also run kinda big on sizes. 5'7" on a small here, used to larger frames, and it's spot on.