Commencal Supreme SX - Review
When Commencal introduced their Supreme DH V4 and its high-pivot rear suspension, they included diagrams in their press release of the 160mm-travel test mule that was used as a proof of concept in the early stages of its development. It turned out that lots of people were asking about the mule, rather than the production downhiller. Commencal responded by building the Supreme SX, a 180mm-travel monster that is basically a downhill bike with its seat tube situated in the right place to help you get back up the hill.
Supreme SX Details
• Intended use: enduro, bike park, downhill
• Travel: 180mm F+R
• Hydroformed alloy frame
• 27.5" wheels
• RockShox suspension
• Sizes: S, M, L, XL (XL tested)
• Weight: 15.80 kg / 34.13 lbs
• Price: €3699 / $3699 USD
• www.commencal-store.com
• Intended use: enduro, bike park, downhill
• Travel: 180mm F+R
• Hydroformed alloy frame
• 27.5" wheels
• RockShox suspension
• Sizes: S, M, L, XL (XL tested)
• Weight: 15.80 kg / 34.13 lbs
• Price: €3699 / $3699 USD
• www.commencal-store.com
The Supreme SX is available as a frame-only option for €1599 / $1599 USD (without shock) and Commencal also offers the bike in a standard build kit, decked out in either black or orange for €3699 ($3699 USD). Finally, the brand offers an 'A La Carte' version of the Supreme SX, which allows riders to individually choose all the components from the palette of options that Commencal stocks. My bike was delivered in the standard build kit, with the exception of an upgrade to E*13 wheels and a SRAM XO1 11-speed drivetrain.
Commencal have done a killer job on the details, including this plastic guard that keeps the downtube and linkage protected from incoming geology.
Construction and Features
The Supreme SX is a long-travel brute that shares many similarities to its DH bro, including the updated "Contact System" linkage, frame protection, and an adjustable head tube. The swingarm is a one-piece design, where the DH bike has bolt-on dropouts for extra adjustability.
Commencal has also done a great job of soundproofing the bike with the ribbed rubber chain-slap guard, pipe lagging around the cable housing and moto foam filling the void underneath the shock.
A press-fit bottom bracket on an aluminum bike park shredder? I'm already prepping my popcorn for reading the comments.
The Supreme SX comes with a dedicated 180mm post mount for the rear brake and a stealth Maxle to lock down the rear wheel.
Geometry
The SX's geometry clearly directs it towards bike park and downhill trails; the straight 1.5" headtube allows for the 65º head angle to be tweaked +/-1º or add/remove 10mm to the frame's reach. The reach is already a chunk longer than the Supreme DH, with the maximum range of sizes stretching between 412mm and 502mm (with the use of cups). The chainstay is the same 425mm length as the DH bike, but the bottom bracket (when static) is an extra 5mm lower.
The straight 1.5" headtube allows adjustment to the frame size and head angle.
Suspension Design
The Supreme SX uses the same-style linkage to drive the metric shock as the DH V4.2.
Why a high pivot? Raising the height of the pivot well above the bottom bracket has a few advantages, namely that the rear wheel can move backward, and then over obstacles more easily. A normal chain line would stretch too far in this situation and induce huge amounts of pedal kickback, so routing the chain over an idler wheel eliminates this problem. There are downsides, however, as the design also adds extra friction and maintenance to the equation. Some riders report that this rearward axle path can also make it difficult to stay balanced on the bike, especially in corners as the rider's COG moves forward between the axles as the suspension compresses.
Another arguable downside of the HPP is that braking forces have a large effect on the suspension movement. This high anti-rise figure will make the bike squat when the brakes are pulled and inhibit the free movement of the suspension.
The chain runs through the swingarm, this means there is no way of losing the chain and pressure on the idler-wheel is even on either side of its bearings.
On the left we can see the suspension compressing without the brake applied, on the right, the suspension is compressing with the back brake applied and the bike moves forward.
Specifications
| Specifications | ||
| Price | $3699 | |
| Rear Shock | RockShox Super Deluxe RC3, 230 x 65 mm, 3 positions | |
| Fork | RockShox Lyrik RCT3 180 mm, solo air, boost | |
| Headset | Ride Alpha, semi integrated | |
| Cassette | SRAM XG 1150 11 speed | |
| Crankarms | SRAM Descendant, 32T | |
| Bottom Bracket | SRAM GXP Press Fit BB92 | |
| Chain | KMC X11EL-1 | |
| Rear Derailleur | SRAM GX 11 speed | |
| Shifter Pods | SRAM GX 11 speed | |
| Handlebar | Ride Alpha, 30mm rise, 780mm, | |
| Stem | Ride Alpha, 40mm | |
| Grips | Ride Alpha, super soft compound | |
| Brakes | SRAM Guide RE, 200 mm / 200 mm | |
| Hubs | Formula, 32 holes, sealed bearings | |
| Spokes | Pillar, Stainless steel, 2mm black | |
| Rim | Mavic 427, 27 mm inner | |
| Tires | Maxxis HRII 650 x 2.4 EXO TR front and Maxxis DHRII 650 x 2.3 EXO TR rear | |
| Seat | Ride Alpha Super Light foam, CrMo rails | |
| Seatpost | RockShox Reverb Stealth | |
Climbing
Most of my climbing time on the Supreme SX was limited to spinning road miles or catching a chairlift to the top. The Supreme SX climbs as well as I could expect of any 180mm travel bike with a downhill build kit, and pedaling through rough terrain is a breeze as the idler wheel prevents the feeling of your cranks being tugged as you pedal over bumps.
The only time I felt the bike struggle was when pedaling hard at a low cadence, which did make the bike wallow, but the compression-mode adjuster firmed the bike up effectively and kept the back of the bike high in the sag.
The 75º (actual) seat angle placed me nicely above the pedals to get on with the job, and yes, my saddle looks like it's in a funny position, but you should try it one day if you are going to lug yourself up a couple of hours hill climbing in one day.
Descending
Well this is what we are here for – downhill performance. It's pretty hard not to simply re-write Kazimer's review of the Supreme DH V4.2, as I agree with everything he said.
The first thing to notice is that the bike is beautifully quiet as it's almost impossible for the chain to connect to any metal that it shouldn't. Secondly, it simply floats over bumps and seems to carry speed superbly. Many times the front wheel strikes an obstacle and you are bracing for it to hit the rear wheel, and in the meantime, it has seemingly disappeared.
I think that high-pivot bikes with no pedal-kickback make the lives of flat-pedal riders so much easier. My feet stayed connected, secure and in the right place, even when plowing into really rough stuff.
The Super Deluxe in metric length was a completely different world to an imperially measured shock. Just joking. It's impossible to single out the length factor on an all-new bike, but it did perform superbly with the bike's layout and I was not asking for more progression or need for adjustment. It functioned quietly and there was little sign of performance change with heat build up. SRAM are confident that all of the improvements made to the Super Deluxe over the previous Monarch platform were only possible by changing the entire architecture of the shock, but it's hard to say in practice without trying both on the same frame which would require specific linkages.
Many people's main worry around HPP bikes is the "deadly brake jack." I have never found this a problem and actually prefer this to some degree for downhill riding, why? When you brake there is no noticeable effect until the wheel hits a bump; when this happens it makes the suspension sink into its travel, which helps to counteract the rear of the bike lifting as you slow down. I think this provides a more confidence-inspiring ride. This anti-rise is one of the more extreme examples on the Supreme SX and the situation when it did feel out of place was during steep steps in to sharp corners. If the back brake is applied to the point of skidding and then you hit a big step, it can drive the bike out in front and away from you; this was remedied through experience, though, by braking carefully and contracting my upper-body muscles to keep centered on the bike.
My main point of reference to how well a bike performs is how much confidence it gives me, and how it allows me to push myself and make use of what little skills I have left. The SX does just that. The bike does the hard work so you don't have to, then you can just get on with the task in front of you - the trail
Technical Report
Ride Alpha Components:
The Ride Alpha components are well thought out and must help keep the price of this machine very reasonable. The 810mm handlebar gives scope to cut down to any rider's needs, the etched markings are actually useful for lining up brake levers and angle with the stem. My only bugbear was the 8mm hex key to tighten the stem top cap. Honestly, who puts an 8mm up there?
RockShox Super Deluxe:
I had no issues with the Super Deluxe and it was nice to see Commencal prioritize the best version of this damper (as well as the RCT3 cartridge in the Lyrik) on the affordable build kit. After the first ride, I thought "This bike would be perfect for the new handlebar remote version for the SuperDeluxe. I will order the cable and lever from RockShox tonight." Not so fast, it turns out that to add the remote to this shock requires a whole new piggyback reservoir, which means a full shock rebuild too.
Torque Caps:
RockShox first launched their Torque Caps with the RS-1 and then more recently with the all-new Lyrik. They add stiffness at the dropouts as the surface area connection between the hub's end caps and fork dropout. Unfortunately, if you have a standard hub-cap, like on these E*13 wheels, the wheel floats around as you try to locate the axle – it's a small complaint, but it feels like two steps forward then one step back in an industry of things not quite fitting properly and always needing to source small parts for products to work perfectly.
Nooks and Crannies:
Those holes are designed to attach the same Commencal mudguard as the DH Supreme V4.2, although the guard is not supplied as mud clearance isn't ideal on this frame. Without it, there is a plenty of nooks and crannies to fill with dirt and grime, or in my case, tubeless fluid from a puncture that wouldn't quite seal.
Pinkbike's Take:
 | A 'downhill bike that you can pedal' is oft-touted, but the Supreme SX is a real brute on the descents with good enough capability on the climbs, if you're not against the clock. The bike is easy to ride, features great attention to detail, a great build and plenty of value for money. |
About the Reviewer
Stats: Age: 31 • Height: 6'1” • Ape Index: +4" • Weight: 75kg • Industry affiliations / sponsors: None • Instagram: astonator
Paul Aston is a racer and dirt-jumper at heart. Previously adding to the list of non-qualifiers at World Cup DH events, he attacked enduro before it was fashionable, then realized he was old and achy. From the UK, but often found residing in mainland Europe.
Stats: Age: 31 • Height: 6'1” • Ape Index: +4" • Weight: 75kg • Industry affiliations / sponsors: None • Instagram: astonator
Paul Aston is a racer and dirt-jumper at heart. Previously adding to the list of non-qualifiers at World Cup DH events, he attacked enduro before it was fashionable, then realized he was old and achy. From the UK, but often found residing in mainland Europe.
Author Info:
Must Read This Week
Torque to spec does not mean turn it until it rounds off. Most people don’t preload their headset enough. Trail tools are only necessary BECAUSE our bikes are covered in stupid little bolts like my toddlers toys. Commencal get it, all their bolts are of a sensible size. Finally something worth arguing about around here
How do Commencal exactly use 'proper' bolts then other than on pivots etc? Do they use custom brake calliper bolts? Larger than usual stem bolts? Bolt heads are not huge because it they don't need to be unless you want to overtighten everything until it breaks.
Quality tools with decent tolerances and good bolts are more important than using huge bolt heads so people can go nuts and break parts.
@Racer951: you found me out. I’m a hack. What a wait off my shoulders. How do I start to climb myself out of this hack hole? Is there a course?
These are all offenders:
rebound knob
damper compression knob
fork brake guide clip
some dropper post cable set screws
ODI grips (almost there bud! just another 0.5mm!)
Shimano derailleur adjustment screws (hey better than the old phillips screws)
Probably some others I'm not thinking of but they all suck.
BTW after trying most crankset systems out there, every company other than Shimano can suck my balls, crankset installation takes 2 minutes, including bearing cups. Hope is the dumbest thing I’ve seen but Race Face doesn’t follow much behind. Tolerances on their BB threads, jesus...
Look at bmx bikes and Commencal bikes - they’re closer to what we should see across the board. Just make stuff bigger, stronger and stop it with the Mickey Mouse crap. Overkill is underrated.
Just for the record and those that kind of missed my point up there - bolt heads generally denote bolt size (M6=5mm Allen head etc). I wasn’t simply proposing putting an 8mm hex head on a 6mm bolt, that would be daft. I’m talking about using larger bolts, stronger components; everywhere on the bike. I fail to see how that would lead to more people breaking stuff, quite the opposite.
E.g. rather than use an M8 bolt, could you utilise a longer engaged thread length if required? - Where would you like to move your point of failure to? What I am saying here is components fail before bolts do in almost all cases already - stems crack before the bolts snap, bars break first, etc etc.
Your point about Mickey Mouse crap is only valid in situations where manufacturers make custom bolts (like pivot points and crank fasteners) in aluminium and stick 5mm headset in them, likely for manufacturing ease - its easier to broach smaller bolt heads.
BMX bikes are overbuilt beacause people smash the crap out of them and they are small and simple bikes so a little extra weight isnt a huge problem - How exactly do Commencal do the same? Do you have any examples of this other than the stem cap and maybe their pivot bolts, everything else looks pretty standard to me.
We just dont need larger bolts on most bicycle components, your example of nobody damaging parts is false - larger bolt heads = larger allen keys and therefore more leverage.
Larger bolts would also mean larger components, bigger, bulkier stems, larger brake callipers etc You are asking to a solution to a problem that just isnt widespread (apart from disc rotor bolts, they are shite)
I’m not sure I agree that components fail before bolts. I’ve seen more bolts fail than componentry. But my personal experience isn’t a complete representation I suppose.
Commencal - pivots and linkages, exactly.
We should all be out there smashing the crap out of our bikes, not prancing around on show ponies. I want manufacturers to assume I’m gonna ride rampage every day rather than pootle up the high peak trail as they tend to do now.
And your point about being familiar with componentry in an engineering sense falls short if you think bolts fail before components - you are seriously suggesting you would not pull the thread / break the component before the bolt? A 12.9 bolt has a tensile of over 1200mpa, 6061 is just over 220.
I mean if you really think steel bolts are breaking all over the place how is it that many WC level DH racers use Ti bolts in all sorts of areas, including stem bolts - do you see their bikes falling apart, are you suggesting maybe they dont ride hard enough either?
You are assuming all components are created perfectly but in a world where weight and profit margins beat strength they are far from it. All of the bolts I’ve seen fail have likely been due to poor design of the product the bolt is intended to secure and of which the bolt is integral.
Please, stop putting words into my mouth to continue an argument with me for the sake of it. You’re after an argument so bad you’re willing to have it with yourself. I haven’t said bolts are breaking all over the place, steel or otherwise and I’m not gonna repeat myself.
All my own bolts are Ti (crazy right) I’ve found some good Ti bolts are better than the shit that sometimes comes stock. But ultimately my issue is with poor design in products that should be able to take a beating. There is too much emphasis on how shmancy bikes look on a roof rack, how little it weighs and how much of it is made of carbon. It’s BS and I don’t like BS.
I just want bigger bolts ffs.
You make valid points but damn you are Dick about it. What’s you problem? You really need to go on a mtb site and read people the riot act because they aren’t as knowledgeable about bolt strength as you are. Lame as it gets, dude. Too bad because it’s obvious you have good knowledge to share but you’re too busy being an a*shole.
And as they didn't see 12mm by itself I now have a set up to 19mm, so if I ever need to change some tank tracks I'm set!
f*ck the rest of the 'standards', as long I will need nothing more than my favorite 5mm I will die a happy man.
Nomad has BSA bottom bracket and free bearings for life, plus would probably be an easier resell if you were to get rid of it. I know what I'd go for...
They’re really not comparable I agree. I was responding the previous post. I had the 3 and I’ve had plenty of seat time on the 4 and I stand by statement. The nomad does not compare on the descents. The supreme is far superior. After all that’s what it was built for.
You want the closet thing to a dh bike that you can still pedal and this is it.
2 year warranty not the lifetime Santa Cruz offers and I️ do not believe the headset cup with the offset are available yet but I️ haven’t checked. I’m happy how it is. Not to speak bad of the nomad by the way. That’s badass bike too they’re just slightly different tools.
It weighed 33lbs last time I weighed it.
It’s a 5 year warranty. Just looked it up.
Propain Spindrift!
Anyway, it may be too much for EWS for Barelli, but it does not mean that it would be too much for an ordinary human. EWS is all about speed and endurance. But for typical person this does not matter that much. For sure such a bike would be very comfortable to ride on descends if you do not need high pace on flatter sections.
I would love to try this bike. I am sure that my next bike will be this or the new Nomad. I do not get the talking about that a bike is too much for something. Sure, if you have very easy, flat trails with no obstacles than maybe. But for Finale or any proper "enduro" trail it will be much more comfortable to ride.
I've got the old Supreme FR and it's an awesome bike, but it wont last forever. If they did an updated version of that (basically the Supreme SX without the HPP and with a slightly shorter wheelbase) I'd snap one up without a second thought.
So, do you think the HPP would be advantageous for big step-ups, steep gap-jumps etc, where the timing and amount of compression are critical? Could it give you more 'pop' on the take off?
I don't know if I'm lucky or maintain my bike well but had no issues since I started using pressfit 3 years ago on XC an DH bikes, both Shimano and Sram BBs.
BB shell can be a lot wider, stiffer and lighter on pressfit, thinking about shrinking back to BSA sounds for me like Nasa will send satelites with a rubber bands.
Why don't we thread the headset too? As long as you got a hammer and a presstool and the pressfit will get better over the next years, I don't see the point of BSA.
^^^This guy gets it. For people who climb steep mountains regularly this angle makes for a comfy flat saddle.
Also take your pressfit bb and shove it where the sun don't shine!....... Thoughts from experienced bike tech.
Couldn’t disagree more. The nastier the steeper the better the supreme feels. It did take me a day to adjust to the bike getting longer when compressing into the lip of a jump or bunny hoping over shit but that was minor and once I️ was able to adjust nothing was off the table.
www.pinkbike.com/photo/15235369
The traditional design already had a very high pivot point- I wonder if you could somehow do a double blind experiment how many of us mortal riders could tell the difference.
New pivot twice as high. That's a lot isn't it?
Specs says: "HEADSET TYPE IS41 / ZS56"
How can you put reach/angle adjustment on an IS headset?
This is what the bike and the Supreme DH ships with:
www.commencal-store.co.uk/no-offset-low-cup-headtube-for-supreme-dh-v4-c2x17656863
I think straight 1.5 headtubes have its merits and should come back more as it gives you lots of setup options with no real negatives performance wise.
What if the chain is in one of the largest cogs, and the cage is already rotated up? Is this an issue? Am I missing something?
Capra is 477mm, Giant Reign is 508mm, Norco Range is 470mm.
It's an illusion compounded by the fact it's an XL frame. It's because the top tube dips so low.
When did 3699€ become affordable ?
"affordable" is what some people are looking for, and it means "cheap enough" whatever that means to you.
It can be "max 1800€ or "max 2500€", in which case the best options are online sellers. Then you choose to buy the 2200€ Capra with lyric RC, or the discounted swoop ar 2250€ with lyric RCT3 etc.
I ask because I'm building up a hardtail and I'm over $2K for a all shimano build with a Yari...
"It's more expensive, but we have hours and hours of R&D / but the ratio USD/EUR (or USD/GBP) is higher and higher, and look at it we just gained 8% of stiffness so PAY FOR IT (even if through the year we removed the dropper-post to stay at the same price...) !"
With a fox x2 spring will look sick
mrblackmorescorner.blogspot.com.es/2017/07/commencal-supreme-sx-2018.html
Cheers
That derailleur arm moves a fair amount.
Europeans get screwed again?
€3699 - 20% = €3082.5
So it is actually only €70 cheaper in Europe, that basically accounts for shipping to the US so the price is fairly identical.