I recently purchased the Commencal VB01 and went to the Northern Farms to test it out.

Really great value for what you get. The bike includes normal pedals so you can use your normal shoes and still cycle. I've never had such a comfortable ride in my life. The Commencal VB01 is a hardtail so it won't be as comfy as a full suspension bicycle, but for a hardtail it is extremely comfortable with preload settings and 2 shock settings (hard or soft).

Commencals are made in Spain and brought in locally and then built from the ground up by avid MTBers.

This particular model comes in 2 colours, aquamarine and matt black. The aquamarine looks very cool, but it's a bit out there for me. I opted for the matt black version. Trust me, it is the coolest thing you will see, it has scribblings and things written all over the bike.

The gear changes are smooth and seemless on this bike and the Vbrakes work very well. I don't know why everyone fusses over having disc brakes... MTBers have been using Vbrakes for years and years and years.

This Commencal is a great overall MTB and is great for endurance rides. I will take it through to the Northern Farms, MTN Cycle Park and Kings Kloof to test the bike in different conditions and routes.