Bike Check - My Commencal Clash

Aside from cars, I'm a huge mountain bike lover and over the Christmas 2022 period I put together a bike I've wanted for quite sometime. So here's a whistle-stop bike check on my new mullet-ed Commencal Clash do-it-all mountain bike.

Frame

I've wanted a high polished Clash every since I laid eyes on some trick looking builds in Morzine this past summer. There's something about a frame with clean lines and no fuss, aluminium was a plus too as I've little interest in worrying about rocks pinging off a carbon down tube.

Suspension

I retained my 170mm Fox Factory 36 fork from my old bike to keep costs down. The performance it offers is unrivalled and despite two warranty issues to its name, it's been pretty solid.

Part of this build was to switch from air to coil in the rear shock department. A Rockshox Superdeluxe Ultimate coil with a 450lbs spring was my cost effective choice. I can't wait to experience what this is like on some fast, big jumps this summer.

Brakes

Another item retained from my old bike, braking is taken care of using my tried and tested Sram Code RSC system with 203mm rotors front and back although I plan to upgrade these to Hope or Reverse discs before the summer.

Drive-train

As with brakes and front fork, the drive train on my old bike hasn't let me down aside from general wear and tear so it didn't make much sense to change it. The bike runs Sram X01 derailleur and crank set, Sram GX cassette, Newmen Evo A30 wheel-set and Newmen Evo SL freehub. Nukeproof clip-less pedals are found on the end of the cranks.

Cockpit

The controls are a mix of favourite brands and components as I'm a fickle believer in that if the bike looks good, it should ride good too. Burgtec 35mm rise bars with Deathgrips on the end are connected to the rest of the bike through a Raceface stem and 50to01 / Cane Creek headset. The saddle is Nico Vinks signature series by Reverse Components and its attached to a Fox Factory transfer dropper post.

Absolutely buzzing to get this thing on some good, fast tracks this year especially in Morzine this summer. Apart from a few trick little bits here and there it's pretty much the dream bike.