Spotted: Prototype Lapierre DH Bike

May 10, 2014
by Mike Kazimer  
Lapierre s new gravity machine literally under wraps

Round two of the British Downhill Series is underway at Fort William, Scotland, and Lapierre rider Emmeline Ragot was spotted riding this highly camouflaged downhill bike. Despite the heavy handed wrapping, it's still easy to see that the bike is a departure from the 27.5" wheeled prototype we first saw Sam Blenkinsop riding at the New Zealand Championships. The latest version is still rolling on 27.5" wheels, but the shock positioning is much lower than on Lapierre's previous downhill race machine, a change that is achieved by using a split seat tube. The suspension configuration has been altered as well, and it doesn't appear that Lapierre has used their floating bottom bracket Pendbox suspension layout, choosing to go with a four bar lingage configuration instead, with the rear shock activated by the link between the rear seat stays and the seat tube. Lapierre's current downhill bike uses a carbon swingarm, and we wouldn't be surprised to see the entire frame of this new bike constructed from carbon fiber.

Loic Bruni

There looks to be a computer head atop Bruni's stem and a remote button on the left side of his handlebar, a layout that is akin to Lapierre's E:i suspension system.



Notice the wires coming off of the front fork and rear shock? This could be the first time we've seen Lapierre and RockShox's e:i electronic suspension system used on a downhill bike. The system uses an accelerometer and several sensors to measure the impacts the bike is undergoing, and then adjusts the front fork and rear shock's damping accordingly. Lapierre was using a data acquisition system at the Cairns World Cup, another possible option for what is hiding behind the grey tape.

We'll be posting more information as it becomes available.

Lapierre DH bike in action


Posted In:
Reviews and Tech First Looks Lapierre Bikes


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131 Comments
  • 239 4
 forget the bike, I want to know how Ragot nose manualed down the whole course
  • 25 8
 Wait, what do you mean?
  • 87 0
 There's no dirt on the back tire Razz
  • 190 3
 duct tape....lighter and stronger than carbon.
  • 19 40
flag coolmann (May 10, 2014 at 10:46) (Below Threshold)
 I think they just changed the rear wheel for the photo. It looks like there is no rotor and no cassette on the rear wheel, so it could be a changed front wheel.
  • 2 28
flag DownhillManiac123 (May 10, 2014 at 10:57) (Below Threshold)
 looks like a single speed or an internal hub, hence no cassette
  • 24 2
 Single speed or hub gear wouldn't need a rear mech though
  • 8 1
 Lots of 150 mm front axles where you are coolmann?
  • 1 11
flag viatch (May 10, 2014 at 11:16) (Below Threshold)
 its got banshee legend writen all over it( if its not single pivot?)
  • 2 8
flag austinmtb (May 10, 2014 at 11:54) (Below Threshold)
 New photo www.pinkbike.com/photo/10931843
  • 7 3
 U can see the cassette guys, and the rotor
  • 9 3
 i was talking about the first photo, which was posted first without the second photo. On the first photo you actually can't see the rotor and the cassette really good AND although why is the rear tire not dirty?
  • 7 0
 Lol... I was joking. .. I've learned since I started posting on this site that one must point out when a joke is made.
  • 2 1
 Mabey she got a flat and got a mock rear for the photo.
  • 8 1
 I hate to defend the guy who gets negged but if you make the image 1600x1000 you will definitely see there is no rotor on it.
  • 3 7
flag Gilmarques (May 10, 2014 at 17:47) (Below Threshold)
 la pierre, go home you re drunk!
  • 1 0
 One last comment: how nasty did that rear wheel look that it was necessary to change it up seeing how blasted the bike was... wow.
  • 2 0
 They should at least duct tape the spokes and rear shock.
  • 3 1
 Its exactly whats going on behind the tape, they don't wanna get anything to wet (maybe they did in Cairns) and its exactly what the fork and rear shock push rods are recording.
  • 39 3
 I was worried that tape was part of the bike!
  • 5 0
 I'll be honest here, I was thinking the exact same thing and that it would end up looking something similar to this: www.pinkbike.com/buysell/1541276
  • 30 2
 Snapierre no more! Thanks to duct tape, they'll shake off the nick name in no time.
  • 96 69
 That's just an ugly demo...
  • 85 12
 Haha I was waiting for that comment! Have a neg prop
  • 41 10
 Apart from it's not 4 bar , only has one rear triangle and looks completely different.
  • 14 55
flag Braaapstar14 (May 10, 2014 at 9:31) (Below Threshold)
 looks like a trek session...
  • 31 13
 Except it doesn't have the demo's retarded extra chainstays.
  • 23 4
 ahah its literally under wraps Razz
  • 3 4
 Seems silly wrapping it , it's quite obvious what shape the frame is underneath , well the top and down tube anyway , does kinda look like there may be a vertical bar connecting the top and own tube near the shock tho
  • 4 1
 so when you raise the seat it goes diagonally backward? like the old haro's...derp
  • 14 5
 "Ugly demo" is rather redundant
  • 2 0
 It has to have a link between the rear axle and main pivot or it wouldn't work. Bikes are settling down to three designs so I wouldn't expect anything revolutionary.
  • 3 0
 I actually like what I can see of it
  • 3 0
 it's something between an operator and a demo
  • 6 0
 probably wrapped cause theres the Ei thing under it
  • 2 7
flag saint4life (May 10, 2014 at 11:35) (Below Threshold)
 Looks a lot like the Fury design
  • 1 2
 Not right looks out of date
  • 2 3
 if they are rlly gonna rip off a demo pre much im outa here i rlly liked the old lapy the new one dosnt look good at all so far
  • 3 0
 I laugh at the trek session joke just for good ol times
  • 5 0
 I hope this won't be replacing the DH 722. I mean look at it!
  • 1 0
 Same here @Reinforcer. I just bought a 2013 DH Team and this looks like crap from what i can see of it. Back to the old design.
  • 2 0
 its hard to tell but it might be a split pivot which could intersting but cmon dont rip off a demo front triangle there so ugly and heavy and shitty.. im guessing most of this tape is their actually beacause they are testing bikes to see which shock setings is best . look a all the cables running into it. and theyre isnt much you can do with a headtube rlly
  • 1 0
 yeah, it looks like a demo, isn't it?
  • 2 0
 For me it rather looks like GT Fury and I really like it's new design. Maybe not as original as their previous construction but also nice, as far as it rides wellSmile
  • 1 1
 to be honest, anything would look better then the 722 design, thats ugly as sin...
  • 1 0
 What is wrong with you? ^
  • 1 1
 taste? Wink
  • 1 0
 Okay i take back everything i said about it, under the tape and wires it looks absolutely amazing!
  • 11 1
 Dont want to hop on that session train, but it reminds me of a beefed up Norco A-Line.
  • 3 0
 I'm glad they make this, it's harder and harder to find a clean big hit.
  • 7 0
 With all that Duct Tape I can only assume that Red Green was consulted in the design. He lives around the corner from me. !!!!! Another first that us Canadians can be proud of!
  • 2 0
 keep your stick on the ice
  • 6 0
 So, pinkbike doesn't think it's telemetry because one would expect to see telescoping rods on the shock and fork. Telescoping rods like the ones clearly visible in the final black and white photo?
  • 7 0
 Looks nice!
  • 5 9
flag stacykohut (May 10, 2014 at 9:44) (Below Threshold)
 if the rear end is stiff enough, blenki and bruni could be a major threat at everyround. that old lapierre has cost blenki many podiums.
  • 20 2
 Bruni already is a major threat.
  • 2 0
 If it cost him so many podiums why didn't he leave after a season??
  • 1 3
 money $tupid.

duh.
  • 2 0
 Duh.. apparently he's podium material except his bike sucks. So surely he'd have lots of options. Or maybe he took his best option... Wink
  • 6 1
 Those are some baggy ass pants
  • 7 2
 Lets all argue what it looks like. Yawn
  • 1 0
 Exactly. And all these people crying 'ripoff of this, ripoff of that'.. get a grip. Try designing a frame that doesn't look like something already available or look and ride like a total piece of shit. It's almost impossible now.
  • 2 1
 does anybody know anything about what looks like prototype carbon Havoc wheels seen on World Cup bikes like this one recently?
28spoke rear by the looks of it. I hope they are not solely race team specials. I wonder when Joe Public will find out specs and price etc.... Proper UST probably knowing Easton.
  • 1 0
 Been watching these wheels for a while now after having a 26 inch set of havocs
  • 2 0
 The current Easton Havocs are the same. I have a set, proper UST, 24 spoke front, 28 rear.
  • 1 0
 The writers's suggestion that the electronic paraphernalia seen on the bike could be part of a DH bike version of the e:i shock system is worrying. The e:i system after all is just a way of augmenting a very ordinary shock absorber with variable damping under the control of an automated servo. In practice e:i provides a degree of 'platform on-demand' for bikes that offer only a modest degree of kinematic support. Where the kinematics of a bike are already optimized for crisp acceleration and a bob-free ride, and this has been the case with Lapierre's DH bikes, you don't need and can't benefit from an e:i style system. Also, I doubt, and certainly hope it isn't the case that the expensive shocks on DH bikes need to be fixed by Lapierre! As it happens, the Pendbox DH bikes at Cairns seemed to carry the same gadgetry referred to by the writer. It is probably just data acquisition equipment.
  • 3 1
 the tape just holds/protects telemetry system, look, there are two cables on the fork, and few too many near the shock. also, they might want to hide the material of frame.
  • 2 2
 The tape looks to be holding test equipment in place. Same with the bulge of tape above the B.B. Notice the big loom of wires taped along the frame just forward of the rear shock. The device on the front fork looks like a motion sensor too. Way to troll people, srambike...i mean Pinkbike.
  • 1 0
 you can clearly see its a different linkage..
  • 3 1
 Nowadays whenever I see "prototype bike" it's often a bit of a dafuq? moment. Sorry, but I was slightly disappointed with the lack of dafuq?ness
  • 1 0
 After their 'Snapierre' reputation, I thought it was all metal work haha thought it was a little over kill (I've just had to replace my cracked lapierre frame)
  • 3 0
 Duct tape: The last trend when it comes to protect your frame's paint.
  • 3 0
 It looks like most every production bike from the late 90's
  • 1 0
 I'll wait until i see it properly to comment on its looks but the current dh922 is a beautiful bike. Its cool seeing prototype stuff though.
  • 2 0
 Blenki was riding this in the Queenstown bike park a few months back.. he was pretty tight lipped about it on the uplifts.
  • 2 0
 yea i saw loic Riding this bike too. all duct taped up.
  • 3 0
 The geometry looks similar to that of a transition tr
  • 1 0
 really? i think it looks super slack even for a dh bike.
  • 2 0
 im so glad that a main bike manufacturer has recognised the mechanical significance of duct tape.. its about time!!!
  • 3 0
 Damn, they just took frame wrapping to the next level!
  • 1 0
 Still a wiggly rear. Pivot to far back. Ratio seems low and tha means low damperpressure and soft springs. Bit of a mixed bag here...as is expected from a sweatshop r&D.
  • 1 0
 There was a degree of secrecy behind this and they would only "unveil" the bike behind closed doors.... It was more than just telemetry that was going on....
  • 3 1
 It's carbon fibre I was looking at it today
  • 1 0
 I saw it today at fort bill and thought that someone was taking their aerodynamics very seriously!
  • 1 0
 looks like it could be hiding lekkie stuff, wouldn't be surprised if its some form of their ei for downhill
  • 1 0
 Did someone propose on the way down, as it looks like it's got a ring box on the stem, as for the bike I dont
  • 1 0
 Dont worry spacialized is already calling there lawyers to stop production due to its similarity to the demo!
  • 1 0
 Demo copy - nothing like it Transition copy - as above Carbon - no Official info - next world cup
  • 1 0
 Notice he's running two valves (on the front wheel anyway). Schwalbe's dual chamber must be progressing.
  • 1 0
 It looks like it has an ns front triangle and a Canfield rear triangle. Yeah. I can dig
  • 1 0
 lapierre hide electric engine with gaff tape from the uci and bds (possibly)….ha ha
  • 1 0
 Wait till Brook MacDonald is Old MacDonald and he's using EiEiO technology.
#gotmycoat
  • 2 1
 do you guys know what a "highly camouflaged" prototype is ?
  • 2 1
 No.
  • 3 5
 me neither... and I think the paint job is bad and they were inspired by the demo/session/tr450/potatoe, it seems obvious
  • 2 0
 Neither do lapierre by the looks of it
  • 1 0
 Maybe the rear rotor is under the taped up frame?
No rear brake?
  • 2 1
 looks to ever so slightly like a demo 9...properly just me
  • 3 2
 looks like a demo with ducktape ahahaha
  • 2 0
 norco team dh 2011
  • 1 2
 Not a proyotype, its a demo but seeing as loic is sponsored by lappierre the. He has to tape it up so he doesn't represent another company...
  • 2 0
 Looks like an old Norco
  • 1 0
 yep
  • 1 0
 duct tape the new carbon ?
  • 1 0
 Isn't there any other news from this race? It seems really under reported.
  • 1 0
 This is just practice
  • 1 0
 Is it made of carbon and duct tape?
  • 1 1
 that thing looks just like a demo ... i think they are confusing the brands haha
  • 1 0
 What no comments about the duct tape shoes? You guys are slacking. Smile
  • 1 0
 It keeps the water out, try it sometime. Works bloody great.
  • 1 0
 Cost effective way to make your bike aerodynamic!
  • 1 0
 Duct Tape makes it look good
  • 1 0
 Rear linkage looks very similar to the Fury
  • 1 0
 look like a 2012 norco DH ...
  • 1 0
 Is the duct tape DH specific??
  • 1 0
 The thing on the stem is a GPS antenna for the data logger
  • 1 0
 Looks like a session
  • 1 0
 Ei technology.
  • 1 0
 Looks like a demo
  • 2 3
 how did he do a stoppie all the way down? Razz
  • 4 0
 Ragot isn't a he....
  • 2 2
 Def demo copycat
  • 4 0
 more like norco there nothing of a demo there
  • 1 2
 That thing is disgusting
  • 2 5
 That's no prototype the duct tape is probably hiding all the cracks
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