Commencal T.E.M.P.O.
Wheel Size: 29’’
Travel: 125 mm rear / 140 mm front
Geometry highlights:
- Sizes offered: S, M, L, XL
- Headtube angle: 66.5°
- Seat tube angle: 76.5°
- Reach: 470 mm (size Large)
- Chainstay length: 435 mm for S/M and 440mm for L/XL
Frame material: Aluminum
Price:
- Frame only, w/o shock: $1,800
- Complete bikes: $3,200 — $6,200
Intro
Commencal isn’t exactly known for lightweight bikes, or Cross Country bikes for that matter. Their brand recognition is rooted in all mountain bruisers and World Cup-winning Downhill bikes. With the introduction of the T.E.M.P.O., Commencal is entering the increasingly competitive short travel trail bike segment and staying true to their heritage, they’re positioning it on the more aggressive side of things, as demonstrated by their release video with Hugo Frixtalon.
The Frame
Commencal hasn’t had a carbon model in their lineup in a long time now, and despite moving into a shorter-travel category, they’ve stuck with their preferred aluminum. While the use of aluminum from a company that only uses aluminum is not particularly newsworthy, the departure from their existing linkage-driven single pivot suspension design to an entirely new virtual pivot point design certainly is. This new design is called the Virtual Contact System, and delivers 125mm of travel, with a stated emphasis on pedaling efficiency, though Commencal also talks a fair bit about maintaining bump absorption capability and comfort as well. Particulars of the suspension kinematics aren’t stated.
In short, the suspension is a dual mini-link arrangement, with both links largely hidden behind the swingarm. The main pivot axles will resist loosening with an expandable collet, the bottom bracket is a PF92, and the brake mount takes a 180 mm rotor directly, or can be adapted up to 200 mm.
Fit & Geometry
The T.E.M.P.O. comes in only four evenly-spaced sizes, which Commencal states will accommodate riders from 5’2” to 6’11”. While that seems reasonable for the Small frame, the XL has a not-super-long 490 mm reach and 642 mm effective top tube, so we suspect that the upper end of Commencal’s suggested sizing is a bit optimistic.
The 65.5° head angle is fairly typical for the new crop of aggressive short-travel trail bikes, and the 76.5° seat tube angle also seems sensible for this sort of bike. The chainstays are partially size specific with the Small and Mediums coming in at 435mm and the Large and XLs at 440mm — both those numbers slot almost exactly into what we’re seeing from its competitors. All in all, the numbers, while progressive, are also very much the norm in this category now.
The Builds
The T.E.M.P.O. will be available in four complete builds with pricing starting at $3,200 and topping out at $6,200. Each of the builds has a couple of color options except the top-spec Signature LTD which will only be available in white.
Frame-only options are available for $1,800 which, interestingly, doesn’t include a shock. A variety of options are available for an upcharge, though, interestingly, the Fox DPS shock that’s spec’d on a number of the complete builds isn’t an option for the frames.
- Drivetrain: SRAM SX
- Brakes: TRP Trail Evo
- Fork: RockShox Pike, 140mm
- Shock: RockShox Deluxe Select +
- Wheels: Spank Spike Race 33 rims w/ Formula hubs
- Dropper Post: KS Rage-1 (S: 150 mm; M: 170 mm; L–XL: 190 mm)
- Drivetrain: Shimano SLX
- Brakes: TRP Trail Evo
- Fork: Fox 34 Performance
- Shock: Fox Float DPS Performance
- Wheels: DT Swiss XM481 rims w/ Formula hubs
- Dropper Post: KS LEV Integra (S: 150 mm; M: 175 mm; L–XL: 200 mm)
- Drivetrain: SRAM GX
- Brakes: TRP Trail Evo
- Fork: Ohlins RFX 36 M.2
- Shock: Ohlins TTX1 Air
- Wheels: Crankbrothers Synthesis Enduro Alloy w/ Industry Nine 1/1 hubs
- Dropper Post: KS LEV Integra (S: 150 mm; M: 175 mm; L–XL: 200 mm)
- Drivetrain: SRAM X01 Eagle
- Brakes: Shimano XT 4 piston
- Fork: Fox 34 Factory Grip2
- Shock: Fox Float DPS Factory
- Wheels: DT Swiss XMC 1501
- Dropper Post: Fox Transfer Factory (S: 150 mm; M: 175 mm; L–XL: 200 mm)
And if none of these builds catch your fancy, Commencal offers a new super cool a-la-carte option. This gives you incredible customization potential, all the way down to what type of seat collar you want. Higher spec parts like SRAM AXS or Enve’s AM30 wheelset are also in there, but the pricing on the customized builds is, perhaps understandably, not as impressive as that on Commencal’s standard builds. And interestingly, you can even choose to have your a-la-carte built T.E.M.P.O. shipped un-assembled and save yourself $150.
Some Questions / Things We’re Curious About
(1) Commencal hasn’t listed weights for complete bikes, but a bit of math based on the frame weight puts it in the 30lb-plus category, which isn’t exactly light. To be fair, Commencal is definitely positioning the T.E.M.P.O. at the more aggressive end of the spectrum for its travel range, but how will that add up on the trail?
(2) And how will the new suspension platform perform?
Bottom Line (For Now)
The new T.E.M.P.O. is an interesting new direction for Commencal, as a shorter-travel bike than they’ve offered in a while, with a new suspension platform and an array of build kits that are rather impressive values for the money (as we’ve come to expect from Commencal). We’ve got a T.E.M.P.O. on the way for long-term testing, so stay tuned for more soon.
Intriguing. Reasonable frame weight for aluminum. Reasonable pricing and spec — DT XMC wheels on a $6,200 bike. It will be fun to read about how it rides!
HTA, STA, and chainstays identical to Occam LT in size large. That’ll be an interesting comparison.
really wish I understood why they made the XL so small. I was excited for it to come out, based on the sizing for their other frames, but was very disappointed. I think this would need a 100mm to fit me the way I would want it to.