Unreleased Schwalbe Hunting Holly enduro tyre leaked on Commencal team bikes

New TRP EVO drivetrain also used on team bikes

By Tom Law

Published: Friday, 24 March 2023 at 12:00 am

Commencal’s new Meta Team bikes are built with an unreleased Schwalbe tyre, as well as TRP’s new EVO12 drivetrain.

The new mountain bike tyre has a blacked-out name hot patch, but some zooming and Photoshop wizardry shows it’s called the Schwalbe Hunting Holly, and features a new tread pattern.

It’s fitted to the new Commencal Meta Team enduro bike, which has been spotted on the EWS circuit and features an all-new aluminium frame and twin-link suspension design.

New Schwalbe Hunting Holly tyre spotted

""
A bit of Photoshop sleuthing reveals the new tyre is called the Hunting Holly.
Commencal

The new Commencal is fitted with an unreleased Schwalbe rear tyre which, as far as we can tell, features a new tread pattern.

It’s hard to tell from the images, but the tread looks to be a combination of the Big Betty and Magic Mary.

The Big Betty is a rear-specific tyre with wide tread blocks for better braking traction.

""
We’re yet to get a clear look at the new tread.
Commencal

The Magic Mary is a popular front tyre, with an open blocky tread that works in a range of conditions.

This new tyre looks as though it fits in between these two models in Schwalbe’s range. The tread blocks are lower than those found on the Magic Mary, while being narrower than the Big Betty.

The side knobs look to be very similar to those found on the Magic Mary, which is known for its excellent cornering grip.

Given the new tyre is only fitted on the rear, we can’t confirm if it is designed for use on the front end as well.

""
The tyres use Schwalbe’s Addix compound.
Commencal

The logos on the sidewall of the tyres show they use Schwalbe’s Addix Super Soft compound and Super DH tubeless casing.

Looking closer, the tyre appears to be called the Hunting Holly, though the name has been blacked out.

Schwalbe’s First Ride programme is for its team riders to develop and test new rubber compounds, tyre casings and tread patterns, and this hot patch on the sidewall indicates it’s still in the development stage.

However, creating tyre moulds is not cheap, so again, this could be a sign the tyres are close to being released.

TRP’s new EVO drivetrain in the wild

""
The bikes also use TRP’s new drivetrain.
Commencal

The Meta Team is equipped with TRP’s new EVO12 crankset, shifter and rear derailleur, but not its chain and cassette, instead using a SRAM X01 Eagle cassette and a black XX1 Eagle chain.

The EVO name already exists in the TRP range with its DH-R EVO brakes, so this fits with the current naming structure.

The EVO12 group features a refined derailleur and all-new shifter, as well as the option of carbon or aluminium cranks. The Meta Team is equipped with the latter.

As mentioned, a chain and cassette are part of the groupset, but are not present on the bike.

For full details on the new TRP EVO12 drivetrain, check out our dedicated news story.

New Commencal Meta Team says no to annoying internal routing

""
There are few details available on the new Meta Team.
Commencal

Precious few details have been given about the new Commencal Meta Team.

The bike moves away from the linkage-actuated single-pivot design of the current Meta AM, adopting the twin-link Virtual Contact System from the recently launched Tempo downcountry/trail bike. The bike pictured still features an aluminium frame.

Many will be pleased to see the Meta Team deviate from the headset-routed cables of the Tempo, sticking with traditional internal routing.

The head tube looks to be the same size top and bottom though, giving the option for angle- or reach-adjusting headsets.

We don’t have a geometry chart, so can’t comment on how it differs from the current bike in this regard.

Likewise, there are no details of build kit options or pricing.

We’ve asked both brands for more information and we’ll bring you the updated news when we have it.