Downhiller Commencal Supreme DH V5: The Dominator - one bike wins it all?!
Dimitri Lehner
· 14.02.2025
It happened one after the other in the small Pyrenean village of Loudenvielle. At World Cup stop number five, one Commencal athlete after another climbed to the top of the podium. The junior races took place first. The women's race was won by the fast seventeen-year-old Erice van Leuven (now under contract with Norco and unfortunately currently injured after a heavy crash at the Red Bull Hardline in Tasmania). Your bike: the fifth and latest evolutionary stage of the Commencal Supreme DH.
We note: Victory number one (junior women). In the men's race, Max Alran (17) left nothing to chance and crossed the finish line as the fastest - victory number two (junior men).
A week earlier, Myriam Nicole was still in second place at the Downhill World Championships (silver - her fifth silver medal in total!), but now the pretty Frenchwoman gave her Commencal Supreme such a run for its money that she outpaced the entire world elite. Victory number three (elite women) for the aluminium racer!
Team colleague Benoît Coulanges copied Myriam's feat: silver at the World Championships in Andorra, now: gold in Loudenvielle - the lanky giant rode his Supreme down the Pyrenean slope faster than anyone else. Victory number four for the Commencal Supreme DH V5 (Elite Men). Company boss Max Commencal (swirly hair, fond of aviator glasses, strong accent) could hardly believe his luck: a World Cup - everything won!
We tested the Commencal Supreme DH V5 in a direct comparison (FREERIDE 3/24) with five other high-end big bikes. The Commencal scored top marks with ten points. Our verdict: "The Supreme V5 was and is the benchmark. It has a 1-a rear triangle. The bike provides a lot of control on DH tracks and is also a lot of fun on park tracks!"
A sensation - there had never been anything like it in the history of downhill sport, probably in the entire history of cycling. Company boss Max was not only jubilant about the record, but also about the effect. After all, there can be no better PR for a new bike. On a more sober note, we can say that the Commencal Supreme has always been a fast bike and one of the first modern high-pivot racers. The latest upgrade embodies this philosophy more than ever. From a simple high-pivot kinematic, the label from Andorra developed a complicated rear suspension system with six joints (2); it makes the 27.5-inch rear wheel (only available in Mullet) literally stick to the ground and generates massive grip and plenty of travel (220 mm) in every situation. The bike is not a lightweight (> 18 kg), but here too the manufacturer has its own strategy: light is not a must, nor is carbon fibre. The Supreme DH is only available in aluminium.
Price: 4165 to 7700 euros
Suspension travel: 200/220 mm
Weight from 18.2 kg
The aluminium bike is only available by direct mail order and with a small 27.5-inch rear wheel (Mullet). The frame has plenty of adjustment options. You can even change the flex with different seat stay bridges.
Dimitri Lehner
Editor
