The truck stuff took an extended pause because I purchased something new with wheels – two wheels, not four. Back in May I sold my old 2012 26″ Pivot Mach 5.7 and upgraded to 650b – to be specific, a Limited Edition 2016 Commencal Meta V4 27.5″ “Black Edition”. Specs of the current setup is below the photos (non-bike peeps can ignore the specs). Since I bought the new bike I took the next month and a half dialing the suspension. It took longer than I expected, mainly because not only was I swapping to a new wheel size, but I was also moving to a frame with a more aggressive geometry.

Recent pic after a ride down in the mountains near Laguna Beach.

Bike Spec

  • Rockshox Monarch Plus R DebonAir Rear Shock, 151mm travel
  • Rockshox Yari RC Solo Air Fork, 170mm travel
  • Truvativ X0 GXP 175mm Crank Set (upgraded)
  • Race Face Direct Mount Chain Ring (upgraded)
  • SRAM SRAM GX1 11-speed Drivetrain
  • WTB/Novatec 27.5″ Wheel Set (25mm wide rims)
  • Continental Trail King 2.4″ Tires FR/RR (upgraded)
  • SRAM DB5 Brake Set
  • Deity Blacklabel 25-degree, 787mm Handlebar (upgraded)
  • Race Face Rogue Grips w/ODI Caps (upgraded)
  • KS LEV Integra 125mm Travel Dropper Post
  • Deity Cinch Seatpost Clamp (upgraded)
  • Deity Decoy Flat Pedals (upgraded)

After swapping out the “upgraded” parts above (all personal preferences from the last bike) the new build is pretty solid; rolls fast and the suspension geometry feels great. The only thing I’m still debating on swapping out are the brakes – they can handle big rides like Snow Summit, M-Trail, etc. (all SoCal spots) but I’m still not 100% used to the brake lever feel and actuation.

UPDATE: Replaced with a Commencal Supreme SX.