Lapierre 2014: Mid-Sized Wheels for Spicy and Zesty and a Wicked 29er
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Lapierre recently announced it was staking claim to the North American mountain bike market with a full model range and a Seattle-based distribution network. Last week in Chatel, France, Lapierre debuted its 2014 Zesty AM/trail and Spicy enduro bikes - arguably the most relevant models that it will offer to North American riders and to its global customers as well. The launch began with the news that Lapierre had completely redesigned its flagship models around 27.5 inch wheels - and that the French bike brand will no longer be making 26-inch wheel mountain bikes in its elite and enthusiast ranges. Three days later, Nico Vouilloz, the man who was instrumental in designing the new chassis, raced the 2014 Spicy Team to victory in the Val D’Allos Enduro against a stacked field.
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 The all-new Spicy Team tops Lapierre's 2014 range. Nico Vouilloz has been a contender on the European Enduro circuit, so it should come as no surprise that the carbon-framed racing machine that he created to be his personal weapon has the numbers and the component spec to get the job done. |
 | The new Spicy is a bike you can go to war with - a true all-mountain bike. The longer cockpit and short stem is noticeably better than last year's Spicy and the geometry feels spot on. The front is super stable - due as much to the new frame numbers as it is to the outstanding performance of the 35-millimeter-stanchion RockShox Pike fork. Landings were butter soft. Step-downs went unnoticed, roots and chatter passed under the wheels without a raised eyebrow, and all the while, the e:i shock kept the bike coiled, ready to accelerate or climb with the agility of a 120-millimeter XC bike. I ran the e:i system in 'Auto-One' - the mildest setting - and didn't need additional pedaling firmness. The Spicy felt lightweight, but not so much that it got sketchy at high speed when the rocks and roots were crazy bad. The Spicy aced trails that I was flailing down a day earlier. |
Chatel's bike park and surrounding trails are a trial-by-fire for both riders and equipment, offering up some of the steepest descents in the French Alps, replete with slippery, anaconda-sized roots and rocks-a-plenty. This is the Alpine setting where Nico and the Lapierre engineering staff do much of their testing. For us, Chatel's mountains and rapidly changing weather provided a substantial, sometimes intimidating, palette of technical conditions that left few gray areas when the time came to form our opinions about the new Lapierres. As I am out with a broken wrist, PB photographer and good friend Colin Meagher stepped up to the plate to furnish the riding impressions for this feature.
The story here was far more than big wheels, however. Lapierre's new OST+ chassis is longer, lower and its suspension is re-curved to be more responsive across its 150-millimeter range of travel. The Spicy's sexy looking carbon frame uses a four-bar Horst-Link type suspension, and tests stronger and stiffer in all aspects compared to its predecessor. The carbon frame is also duplicated in a French-made, high-strength 6000-series aluminum alloy called 'Supreme 6' to provide a more affordable version of the Champ's favorite ride. Dropper posts and one-by drivetrains are featured deep into the Spicy and Zesty ranges, and Lapierre selected their components from some of the most respected players in the Enduro and All-mountain arena. Note: North American MSRPs were not available. We will post them when they arrive.
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| Nico received a full SRAM sponsorship this season, which is reflected in Lapierre's widespread use of one-by-eleven XX1 and the newly released, X01 drivetrains. Nico also is racing on the Lapierre/RockShox e:i electronic suspension system, which was released last year. E:i will come standard on top models, and will also be an option on second-tier Spicys and Zestys. |
Spicy OST+ Frame Construction
There is a lot going on with the new Spicy chassis. The top tube has been lengthened ten to 15 millimeters, depending upon frame-size, to compensate for short stems in the range of 40 to 70 millimeters, and the bottom bracket has been lowered slightly to improve the bike's cornering and its performance over rough terrain. The shock mount and location has been adjusted to make room for reservoir-type shocks, which was a complaint with previous models among the enduro crowd.
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| Lapierre's new Spicy and Zesty 27.5 platforms share exactly the same 150-millimeter-travel frame. The denominator between the two is that the Zesty gets a lighter-weight component spec that favors all day adventures, while the Spicy touts the new 160-millimeter RockShox Pike fork (more about that later), enduro-strength tires and wheels, and a Nico-approved DH feeling cockpit setup. |
Lapierre included both internal and external routing for the brake hoses and dropper seatpost to expand the options for servicing and upgrading those items. Entry ports for internal cable routing are included on both sides of the head tube area, and exit points are sealed with rubber liners. Bottom brackets now use press-fit bearings and feature ISCG chainguide bosses throughout the range. Another plus is that, while top Zesty and Spicy models have single chainring cranks, a pivoting front derailleur mount is integrated into the swingarm pivot to keep the changer aligned with the chain as the suspension cycles. All models that feature dropper posts use internal cable routing like the RockShox Reverb Stealth.
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| Spicy frame up close: (Clockwise) Lapierre tucked the post-mount brake caliper behind the massive Horst-Link-style dropout to keep it safe. A screw-on carbon bash guard on the downtube wards against rock strikes, and ISCG-05 chainguide tabs give Spicy owners a second option for race day. The large aluminum rocker link will be replaced by a carbon one. Lapierre uses a Y-strut extension behind the shock to moderate the suspension's rate curve. The new strut is forged aluminum. |
OST+ Suspension
Expiring patents regarding Horst-Link-type rear suspension has freed Lapierre to sell its OST+ design in North American markets. Carbon lends itself to large shapes, and one would be hard pressed to find a burlier seatstay than those on the new Spicy chassis. Oversized rectangular-profile seat stays terminate at huge clevis-type pivots that rock on a pair of sealed ball bearings. The chanstay/swingarm is of similar proportions, but it is made from aluminum in all frame offerings for better durability. Man-sized seat stays are not a fashion statement - they are necessary to maintain stiffness, as there is no reinforcing bridge anywhere along their length. The shock is driven through a forged aluminum rocker-link that will be replaced by a carbon fiber one when the -9 and -7 carbon models reach the dealer's floors. A-la specialized, Lapierre uses a V-strut to connect the link to the shock's rear eyelet. Previously this piece was a rather crusty-looking steel item. The new V-strut is a good looking, forged-aluminum part. Lapierre moved the bearing locations and reconfigured the pivot axles to make replacing and servicing the bearings a much simpler process than before.
The virtual pivot point of the OST+ suspension lines up with the chain in the middle cassette cog. This reportedly uncouples
pedaling from the suspension in the sagged position, and helps return the suspension to the neutral position after an event.
Lapierre photo
OST explained: OST+ refers to a relationship built into the suspension linkage that presents a virtual pivot point that is well ahead of the bottom bracket and which forms an imaginary line along the chain, from the middle cog on the cassette, through the top of the chainring at the crankset. This configuration reportedly helps to eliminate almost all pedal feedback and also works to return the rear suspension to its proper ride height after an event. OST's seatstay-mounted caliper uncouples braking forces from the suspension as well.
About e:i
Lapierre co-developed e:i (electronic Intelligence) electronics with the assistance of one of France's top technical universities, and then partnered with RockShox to develop the Monarch e:i RT3 shock. The E:I system uses a electric servo-motor to drive the Monarch shock's modified low-speed compression adjustment - which in normal situations, is manually operated to switch the pedaling platform on or off.
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| RockShox's Monarch e:i RT3 damper (left) can be manually operated in a pinch. The e:i brain is located in the stem, so the display can be stowed in a pocket or pack should you plan to get rowdy, and e:i will operate without the display. E:i's remote control (right) requires very little real estate on the handlebar and its textured buttons are easy to use. |
| E:i in action is seamless - I couldn't feel it turn the shock on or off - ever. At sensitivity levels higher than Auto One, though, I could sense a slightly rougher ride over small bumps and chatter. |
The brain of e:i, mounted inside the fork's steerer tube, records the speed that the bike is travelling and also, the severity of every bump that the the fork contacts and then it orders the shock to remain locked out; open up completely; or to open partially, depending upon the magnitude of the impact. A magnet fitted inside any standard bottom bracket axle tells the computer if the rider is pedaling, which signals the shock to firm up. The result is a dual-suspension bike that sucks up the terrain and manages to pedal like a hardtail - without asking its rider to flip levers or make decisions along the way.
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The speed of the e:i system makes all that happen in one hundredth of a second - which means that the shock will be ready for the bump before it hits it at speeds at or below 36 kph (22mph). A down tube-mounted rechargeable battery powers the system, which defaults to wide open if it should exhaust the battery or fail for any reason. Four sensitivity levels of bump control are available, from near lockout to full open, at the touch of a handlebar-remote button. the Monarch e:i RT3 shock retains its manual rebound adjustment and there is a three-millimeter hex below the electronics that allows users to adjust the pedaling platform with an Allen key should the system become inoperable as well. The LCD display reminds the rider which mode the shock is in and it provides all the important modes of speed, time, and distance information.
Zesty: 12 Different Models
Zestys are broken into two groups: Zesty AM in 27.5 and Zesty TR 29ers - which gets a little confusing, because, outside of the fact that the (elite models) Zesty AMs have mid-sized wheels and a one-by-eleven drivetrian and the Zesty TR models have big wheels and a two-by-ten, the Trail and All-Mountain Zestys are equipped to do exactly the same tasks. In effect, Lapierre has six versions of the Zesty am with 27.5-inch wheels, each with 150-millimeter suspension and 32-millimeter-stanchion forks and six similar Zestys in a 120-milimeter 29er version. Presumably, Lapierre produces the various Zesty models to satisfy niche markets among its global customers, otherwise, explaining the strategy would require most of the text in this feature. The bright side of the proliferation of Zestys, is that there are female-specific versions in every category. During Lapierre Camp, we had the chance to ride the Zesty AM 527 - which sits two steps below the full-carbon 927 AM model. The Zesty 527 AM features identical geometry and the same carbon front section, but has an all-aluminum rear suspension. We also rode the Zesty TR 959 - the top-level 29er.
Zesty AM 527 Impressions
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| Lapierre's Zesty AM 527 has a carbon front section with a Supreme-6 aluminum rear suspension. The drivetrain is a combination of Shimano XT and SRAM, with a Race Face Turbine two-by-ten crankset. The 527 also introduces the 2014 Race Face AM wheelset. |
| Lapierre's Zesty AM 527 changes directions in a heartbeat. It feels super 'flickable' with a front end that can be easily snapped of the ground and with remarkable pedaling response. Those are its strong points - and if you ride fast, flowy trails, where climbing is a fact of life, the combination of 27.5 wheels under a rigid, responsive carbon chassis like the AM 527's will be tough, if not impossible to match. That said, the Zesty AM feels like a 150-millimeter trailbike - not the sturdy all-mountain candidate that it is billed to be. Its 32-millimeter-stanchion Fox CTD fork cannot hang with the AM crowd any more, and its Schwalbe 2.5-inch Nobby Nic tires are equally short on toughness. The Zesty AM is wonderfully easy to ride. It feels sure in the air and sticks to the turns like a monkey holds onto a football, but when the pace and intensity of the ride reaches the point that we consider 'all-mountain,' the Zesty is out of its comfort zone. Most of the pieces are there to fulfill its intended role: a two-by drivetrain, a dropper post, powerful brakes, wide handlebars, and a capable 150-millimeter-travel chassis - all it needs to grow into an AM bike is a burlier fork and some enduro-strength tires - but that would make it into a Spicy ...almost. Lapiere's Zesty AM would be hard pressed in a Squamish-type environment, but it would be the perfect bike for an aggressive rider on fast-paced, flowy trails like those found in Park City or Sun Valley - even Sedona. |
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| A close-up look at Lapierre's rear caliper mount (left). The entry ports for the carbon frame have integrated stops and include wire guides for the e:i system. Lapierre's internal cable routing is one of the best we've seen. |
Supreme-6 Aluminum Chassis
Lapierre managed to render the all-aluminum version of its OST+ chassis in nearly identical proportions to the carbon model. The use of double-pass welding to smooth the transitions between tubes and the forged pivot junctions makes it tough to tell the carbon from aluminum. Weights were not given to compare the two frames, but the enhineers hinted that it was roughly a pound in the medium sizes, with similar stiffness.
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| A look at Lapierre's all-aluminum Zesty AM 427 details how well it duplicates the smooth profile of the carbon fiber chassis. Al but the least expensive, Zesty AM 327, have internally routed dropper posts. The 427 uses a KSS LEV instead of the RockShox Reverb Stealth found on the big-spender models. |
Lapierre's Killer 29er
Lapierre's commitment to mid-sized wheels hints that it may have bypassed the 29er, but such is not the case. As we were to discover, the Zesty 929 TR 29er may be one of Lapierre's stand-out trailbikes. Lapierre's written breakdown of wheel-diameters and suspension travel places the Zesty 929 in the XC/trail category. With a reduction in suspension travel from 150 to 120-millimeters at both ends of the bike, that seems fair enough, but the combination of big wheels, Lapierre's precise handling OST+ chassis and its contemporary frame numbers boost the 929 TR's performance to match or exceed any of Lapierre's Zesty 27.5 models. Zesty 929 and 729 share carbon frames, e:i rear suspension, and SRAM one-by-eleven drivetrains. The elite-level pair are followed by two more models: the carbon/aluminum framed 529 and two Supreme-6 aluminum-framed versions. Sadly, as capable as the 929 is, none of Lapierre's 29ers are spec'd with dropper posts, although the cable routing for such is in place.
Zesty TR 929 Impressions
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| Zesty TR 929 E:I models have 120-millimeters of wheel travel at each end and with the electronics switched on, their instant power transfer and big-wheel security in the rough make for a spectacular ride. Arguably, the TR 929's performance handily eclipses that of the 27.5-wheel Zestys. |
| We rode Lapierre's 29-inch wheel Zesty trailbike last and discovered by the end of the day, that the Zesty TR 929 was the must-ride bike of the entire 18-model Zesty lineup. Yeah, it only has 120-millimeters of suspension. Yeah, it has the same skinny Nobby Nic tires, but when you get on the gas and push it hard down a rolling track, weaving through Chatel's anacondas, the TR 929 feels confident and in control. Granted, we rode the most elite 29er in the Lapierre lineup - a full carbon frame hung with SRAM XX, and sprung with an electronically-controlled shock should kick butt both up and down the mountain. Perhaps the combination of a truly rigid and lightweight frame, the pedaling response of e:i suspension and the roll-over of the 29-inch wheel conjures up some sort of black magic, but only the Spicy could out-perform the TR 929 in Chatel. Underway, the 929 only whispers that it has big wheels, its geometry somehow sharpens up the steering response and there is little if any sense that its wheelbase is any longer than a small-wheel bike. Could the Zesty TR 969 be classed as a true all-mountain bike? Not really. We overran the tires and the suspension often enough, but it comes close - wonderfully close. |
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| The OST+ frame's seat tube (left) is offset to the left and flared to provide the most rigid pivot location possible for the swingarm. Easton EA90 aluminum wheels were impervious to Chatel's rocks and roots, Schwalbe's 2.25-inch Nobby Nic tires, however, suffered many punctures there. The e:i battery bolts to the down tube bottle mount (bottom right) - and we had nothing but good words for SRAM's XX1's just right for 29ers, 30 x 42 low gear. |
XR 929: XC-Racing 29er
Much the same as last year, Lapierre's 100-millimeter-travel, full-carbon-framed XR 929 and 979 are a little left of the radar for the Pinkbike community, but the bikes are so beautiful and lightweight that they beg a mention here. XR frames use an asymmetric swingarm with a pivotless dropout arrangement that relies on an engineered amount of vertical flex to keep the seatstays tracking its rocker link-driven shock.
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| One of the most beautiful dual-suspension 29ers, Lapierre's XR 929 E:I is upgraded with a more aggressive component ensemble, showcased by one-by-eleven drivetrain for 2014. Lapierre photo |
XR 929 models uses the e:i system, while the XR729 is equipped with a Fox Kashima Float CTD shock. We have ridden the XR 929 with the E:I system and can report that it handles like a good XC trailbike, and under power, it accelerates and climbs like a carbon racing hardtail. If you are XC curious and don't want to show up at the trailhead looking like you are riding for Team Big Brand, consider the Lapierre XR.
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Love mine (a 26" www.pinkbike.com/u/lew-xvtt/album/My-bike-Lapierre-Spicy-516 ) and glad that americans could now have one.
The details (thanks PB for the photos) looks very impressive and any part of the bike is a pleasure to look at.
A bit sad that 26" doesn't exist anymore...
www.pinkbike.com/photo/9545799
And yes, I'm getting sick of Manufacturers assuming everyone wants 29er or 650b, hint, we don't
Off course if we all behaved rationally, the industry would shrink with all it's consequences, just what would happen tothe economy if people stopped taking loans for shitthey don't really need. It would collapse to a big point. And well, Im fine with that, that's what we deserve, that would be "the true world" but how many want that?
I don't give a shit if it's 1% faster. They don't feel as playful to me, and bike time = playtime.
I guess I'll be saving money. Thankfully the new carbon bikes seem to strong and should have a long lifespan, and there will always be someone with a carbon 26er that sat in the garage for 5 years and sold in near new condition.
im 42 now, my small BMX riding days are over, besides i like what MTB has to offer but the bikes are already at a size thats only just comfy for me - is this industry "small-ist" ????
seriously though, do 650b bikes feel big or is it all in the mind??
go buy shimano then. ive bled my codes on my dj many many times, only to have it come out just a little better than it did before... cant wait to try shimano on my new bike. hell, ill probably repace the code on my dj with a shimano too.
internal cable routing is awesome.
I can accept that there are other wheel sizes. What I don't want to accept is that the manufacturers are killing off a wheelsize before the market has even had a chance to respond. How many people have actually ridden a 650B? Do people even know what they prefer yet? I can promise you that there will be a lot of people who prefer to ride 26 inch bikes, just like some people prefer to ride 29ers and 650's. Killing them off seems to be the flavour of the month with Scott doing the same.
I will keep whining about the elimination of the 'choice' they claim to be providing us with by "adding" a wheelsize. It's not a choice if I don't get to make it, and it's not 'added' if they eliminate 26.
If you guys actually have tried them and prefer them, have at 'er; it's great you've found what you're looking for. I'm pretty sure I was clear about this, but I'll say it again; my negativity comes from the fact that some manufacturers are making decisions for us and the choices are beginning to decrease and not increase.
I find it laughable that you've got people on one hand saying "shut up and take it; it doesn't feel any different so you or unjustified in having an opinion about the loss of choice" and on the other hand "shut up and take it; it does feel different and it's better and you're opinion that it's only better in some ways and worse in others is just whining so you are unjustified in having an opinion about the loss of choice".
mfbeast, why are you so annoyed? Why don't you shut up and ride your bike instead of not shutting up and telling other's to shut up and ride their bike? You've totally missed the point of what I'm saying, whilst saying I've totally missed the point of what kust was saying. You say "no one has stopped making 26" except this article states "the French bike brand will no longer be making 26-inch wheel mountain bikes in its elite and enthusiast ranges". No need to be annoyed; you can state your views and I can state mine and we can all be happy.
1. I like what I already have, don't change anything.
2. Aluminum is good enough.
3.Carbon is too weak.
4.I hate anything that isn't 26" wheeled.
5.The new stuff is too expensive and I WON'T BUY IT!!!!
Now, think just a little bit. Are you the person the manufacturer is developing new bikes for? There are people who replace their bikes every 1-3 years, and who can afford current designs. Complaining you can't afford it, but "make it the way I want it" are mutually exclusive ideas. If you aren't looking for a $5000.00+ bike, then the companies are not developing to sell to you. You get the trickle down 3-4 years later. Aluminum 140-160mm bikes that could pedal were the "next best thing" in 2007-2009. (Banshee Rune, Titus El Guapo etc.) They were also 30+ pounds unless you got the highest end model. The current designs are lighter, stronger, and pedal better.
Willie, it's wrong to assume that all people who comment here cannot afford high end bikes and don't replace them regularly. A quick look in a users album for example would prove you wrong. It's suddenly become quite fashionable to say internet comments are meaningless and unrepresentative of the user base, as though only people who don't buy new bikes, don't have money, don't know how to ride, don't have valid opinions etc, make comments. Does that include you and your comments too?
Also please read carefully. I do not believe, nor have I stated that ALL members here are the same. The boards do get clogged up with the comments listed above. They want the manufacturers to produce what they want, but say they won't buy new products because they are too expensive. Those are the users I refer to. I do quite regularly look at the profiles of people who make the childish comments. Most of them are under 25 year old males, with the odd person in their 30s. This group is really not the market for higher end products, excepting electronics, where this group will spend a fortune each month on phone plans, and gaming equipment/games. The people who spend the most are the people in their 40's and 50's who can afford the top end equipment they could not afford when they were under 25 themselves.
Having said that, I could not really give a less crap whether we will have 26" wheels in 2020 or not... I may roll on 27" wheels or 28.5" wheels if it be. Just stop those stupid arguments FOR some wheel size being superior
Would be cool if Spicy came with green-red Lancia Stratos graphics.
I think you will agree if I say that the classic Rothmans or JPS colours should be used on one or two bikes
That's just my opinion
By the way Group B were not weirdos, they were beasts! Hope we will see Lapierre honoring the memories of Audi Quattro and Peugeot 205 T16 next year. Intense got some BMX with a rossa corsa red, except the intense stickers with some marlboro red and they look mean (one is in my workshop so
i guess you could fit 26in wheels if it didn"t lower them to much. its something that i would consider.
now the only thing left is to pedal, singing this:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVYArjS-Ee0
:P
Here a picture of the Specialized connection: s696.photobucket.com/albums/vv324/rakuman/?action=view¤t=stump2.jpg
I don't mean this to sound like every other comment ever made on pinkbike but...Give me 26" wheels, well designed geometry and shocks that don't need ridiculous electronic gizmos and functioning simple gears.
I wish Lappierre the best but I wouldn't buy any of these bikes even if I had a budget 100 times what I have.
do we still have a choice.. or are we guided by marketing,.. ?
I don't think the author is second-guessing Nico at all.
Yes Lopes raced te new Ripley 29er at the last Enduro. He got 9th.
But I don't really consider him a racer anymore.
He is now a partner in the Ibis company, so he is more promoting the product, than racing the product.
Still think he is a good guy and a great rider.
And Ibis has the right idea about 650B:
Design a bike that can do either 650B or 26".
Still see Lopes as a top pro. The 29er clearly wasn't a holy grail or crazy advantage for him at the first leg of the EWS.
I did an enduro race last month (on my 29er, as an experiment), and while I'm nowhere near pro level, I can say that except for one stage, I'd have preferred my 26 inch to my 29er (or, maybe a longer travel 29er!). Of course, that's just me. The courses were much more DH orientated than XC...
I think the Pro winner (Ross Schnell?) was racing a 26" Trek. 650B might have been a good compromise, I don't know, haven't ridden one yet but there were quite a few at the race, maybe as many as there were 29ers.
@Saidrick: Lopes considers himself a racer, just not in 4x anymore - though I think his last win was the XC Eliminator deal last year - he's still a "top pro" (quote from headshot above). He's just in a place where he can pick and choose, something very few racers can do. I agree though about the Ibis bike!
I take it in a Zen way these days. 650b 29c, bikes bikes bikes, I like looking at them. Just bought a class 26er - couldn't bother less
PS.Mohahahaha!
PS. Can't wait for Spesh to release new line of Enduro and Stumpy
But hey, that would be obvious to anyone who understands kinematics.
Have a nice day.
All this information is fantastic but if they are going to be SC Bronson money I dont think they will sell aswell as the 2013,s have
It's a simple little thing, but I REALLY like how they're going away from having he shock pivot on the DU-Bushing/shock mount. DU bushings SUCK and I'd rather replace a couple bearings after a couple years then the DU bushing every 6-months of hard riding. I also love that were seeing more Horst-Link suspensions coming into the US/N.America now that Spec. doesn't hold the stand-alone rights. In my 25+ years on a bike I've never found a better rear-suspension for my riding style.
RC also seems to think that having the IC at the virtual pivot point that he draws (on the extended chainline) "helps to eliminate almost all pedal feedback". Even if the IC were there on the OST+ bikes, which it isn't, this would not eliminate pedal feedback. Pedal feedback closely mirrors chaingrowth. The OST+ bikes are designs with moderate chaingrowth (determined principally by the position of the main pivot) and have a moderate amount of pedal feedback. The alignment of the IC with the chainline has nothing to do with it.
Stupid spell check
What happens if you miss the rock with the front wheel?
When you run out of battery on the way home are you forced to ride with the shocks set to downhill mode?
As a mechanic I like it better when it's easier to service, on customer's side it's better too if you don't have too pay any extra labour