@yeti575 Interesting point, I will hopefully have soon both these bikes to do a long term or direct comparison. They are both bikes that make sense to me with my preference for loose fun relaxed riding. I don't like the "sit up straight" short style of bike for my style of riding I am looking for a performance that is close to my Enduro riding feelings. A bike that has excellent geometry for that is a Transition patrol. Or other longer bikes, when im looking at performance bikes. The heritage of the Thok and Commencal are clear as well, tow companies where gravity is the key element.
Im thinking of choosing "my" bike of the year that i have test ridden this year. However I am asked every day which bike is best where ever I am, I have to say it is a very difficult question to answer. I will say trying them is the only way to know which bike is the best for you. I have tried a lot of bikes for many many years as I have been a journalist testing bikes since 2009, previous to that I was shooting extreme sports. It is interesting to see the changes and how products have changed.
I used to think the Nomad two in carbon large was the best bike ever, then I rode it again the other day and I found it very very strange.
The market has many different bikes available that are good for certain purposes. I try to understand before I test a bike what the bike maker wants their bike to do. Then I try the bike according to those criteria and assess according to my experience and what I think is working or where bikes should be going.
Commencal have made a very good bike at a very good price. Thok have done the same. I have not tested them back to back. I would like to.
Interesting how my body mass and dimensions are being discussed.... ;-) Normally that is the realms of the girl friend.... after I ate too many burgers... Ha Ha
On a serious note on that, I am a robust rider, strong and not over weight, I ride a lot, and am ebike fit. Which i have seen is different to normal bike. I am also strong in the upper body, much stronger than many people I ride with, therefore the way I handle a bike might be different to me.
I would not get too stuck on numbers of my arm lengths etc, I am always discussing the market products with Jens for example, and our general consensus is that bikes are generally too small and too high in the seat tube area. The front centres are getting to where we prefer ratio wise to rear ends. With e-bikes the bike industry is in a strange place regarding sizing. They dont seem to understood completely what ebikes are for yet, there are many wild and strange ideas about size, generally though bikes are too small/short.
When a company like Commencal comes along and says, this is what we can do with our bike, realistically, I think that is the right approach. We never all agree exactly with each other about what we think is the best performance, however in the performance category Enduro style riding I can be pretty clear what I like. However everything is always personal. For example how long a battery lasts is basically down to rider weight as the biggest variation. Jens and Chris rode an ebike recently and Chris was able to go 300 metres higher than Jens, just because he is lighter. I ride in a fairly constant 15-32 degree weather. optimal battery operating temperature always. I will say clearly riding experience is personal with a product sometime to the conditions on that day.
The Shimano system with SRAM for me is the best combination out there regarding gears. Ive tried them all. If you like a mountain bike ride feel.
However i love the speed of Di2 shifting, I find the actual shifts crunchy compared to an EX1 shift pattern and feeling. Others may disagree.
My experience with the Lapierre 29er was also great, I loved that bike. Good idea, execution is top and the trail ride feel was cool. Purpose of bike is slightly different maybe to Commencal.
I dont focus on pure numbers, I look at products with a different eye, I want something that works well for the purpose of intended use, without behaving strangely. Sometimes I have to understand what that intended use is as the bike maker doesn't even know. Sometimes bikes surprise me, sometimes bikes make me want to get off and walk because its more exciting... ha ha, sometimes they just seem way too expensive. I generally think that ebikes that cost over 5000 euros are pushing the limits of diminishing returns currently. Some expensive bikes need to be left in the shop in my opinion, some bikes make sense if you can afford them. For me mass acceptance will come when the bikes of 5000 euros that I like are available at a 3000 price range. Then the market will explode and start taking a lot more share from normal mtb.
Thanks for your comments, if you have any specific requests for knowing how a product is or rides send me a PM and i will try and answer, or get the bike to test it for you against what I know. Brilliant to see all your enthusiasm in the world of ebikes...keeps me riding, testing and loving it!
Commençal hat ein klasse E-Bike gemacht, für diejenigen, die am Limit fahren wollen. Die Federung ist progressiv und spricht jederzeit gut an, die Performance ist dank Stahlfederdämpfer konstant auf hohem Niveau. Es hat ein gutes Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis und fährt sich gut bergauf. Es könnte unser "ein E-Bike für alles" sein.
, aber nen BikeYoke dran und dann müsste es meiner Meinung nach ein Dämpfer sein, bei dem man schön dir Endprogression und LSC/HSC einstellen kann. Dann dürfte das schon machbar sein und ziemlich gut funktionieren. 
