Commencal’s first gravel bike has a full-aluminium construction – including the fork

The 365 is designed for gravel riding, touring and commuting all-year round

By Nick Clark

Published: Tuesday, 13 June 2023 at 12:00 am

Commencal has launched the 365, featuring a full-aluminium frameset and integrated front mudguard.

The new gravel bike is a first for the Andorran brand, which is best known for its mountain bikes, and is only available with a 1x drivetrain.

Commencal says it has designed the bike to cope with the demands of gravel riding, with versatility aimed at making it suitable for touring and commuting.

The bike is available in three builds: the lowest-priced 365 Ride, the mid-spec 365 Race and the range-topping 365 Signature.

The bikes are available to order now, with pricing to be confirmed.

Full-aluminium construction

"Commencal
The bike is named 365 after the number of days per year Commencal says you can ride it – that’s one rest day every four years.
Commencal

The Commencal 365 is made from triple-butted 6069 T4/T6 aluminium, including the fork.

Many gravel bikes have a carbon fibre fork in their framesets due to carbon’s light weight and low-frequency vibration-damping qualities.

Commencal says it has decided on a full-aluminium construction because the brand sees this as its speciality and cites sustainability reasons such as the ability to recycle the material.

The thin, round dropped seatstays on the rear triangle are said to give the frame high levels of torsional strength, while allowing for vertical compliance.

"Commencal
The down tube features a cage holder for bottles or cargo.
Commencal

The down tube of the 365 is concave, which is said to add to the bike’s lateral stiffness and fend off wheel spray.

"Commencal
The mudguard is reminiscent of those found on mountain bikes.
Commencal

It also features a frame protector that continues over the bottom bracket, while the front fork has mounts for a specific mudguard.

Commencal 365 geometry

"Commencal
The 365 Signature is the range-topping model.
Commencal

The Commencal 365 is available in five sizes, ranging from XS to XL, with all head angles hovering around the 74-degree mark.

The brand says it has chosen to spec a 70mm stem to aid manoeuvrability on tight and twisty trails.

Reach measurements are on-trend, with a medium-sized bike measuring 400mm.