Bloke at work yesterday was bemoaning the fact that he want’s to get shut of his Lapierre Zesty, but for the likely price he’d get for it is really not worth bothering.

It’s an unfashionable 26″ tyre you see, but is in great condition with a known good history.

Now, my current ‘big bike’ is a Giant Anthem X and I do tend to favour an agile bike for a well chosen line rather than just smash straight through shit.

so, Discount or consider at the right price – GO!

I’ve just got one having broken a meta. Love it. Nimble, climbs well, good fun.

I don’t think an anthem can ever be called a big bike. They are nervous twitchy race bikes. The lapierre is probably closer to the trance and that’s still not a big bike suitable for smashing through stuff. I have an anthem and a trance and a friend with a zesty and I would never pick the anthem over the trance if we are riding together. The anthem is terrible at downhill (compared to my other bikes) and that’s where we get most fun. The trance is better on steep uphill too but the anthem is better on longer climbs and flat fast un-technical riding. The anthem will do it but it always slower and harder work which can be fun in its own right.

I would say go for the zesty if you want to have more fun going downhill and don’t worry about the wheel size. 650b is over hyped (i have a 650b nomad).

Locally called snappiere…

I don’t think an anthem can ever be called a big bike.

Hence the quotation marks.

I live in Cheshire, so most of my riding errs towards flat and fast, hence the question. The Anthem has been to the Alps, and a couple of days at Antur Stiniog, but these are very few and far between. Generally I reckon get a bike most suited to the bulk of the riding done, which is why the hesitance.

Definitely not worried about the wheel size, (bonus as it’ll be cheaper!) or the snapping rep.

As someone pointed out on another thread a good bike doesn’t become shit because wheel norms have changed. Zestys are great all-rounders and if you can get it cheap even better. What model is it?

Very capable bikes, a bit “more bike” than the Anthem. Can do a bit of everything and have had one in our group on a guided Alps holiday. As above there where problems with some models with carbon bits which broke.

Sounds like it would be a bargain but its quite similar to the bike you have already so you have to think what you’d get for that

Also still happily riding my 2012 26ers

I have a 2011 Zesty 314, which I bought second hand to replace my Zesty 214, which was stolen a couple of years back.

Great bike, perfect for where I live (mostly riding around the Kent downs), climbs well, and is nimble around single track. Will your colleague let you test ride for a bit?

Had a 2010 714 Zesty superb bike, finally merits maker a month ago. Gone but not forgotten

I live in Cheshire, so most of my riding errs towards flat and fast, hence the question

you’re living in the wrong part of cheshire then 🙂

I wouldn’t get one because of the stupid bushes that wear out then make the holes in your frame bigger…

Not exactly sure what spec it is, a nice-ish model from memory, but not top of the block. He’d probably let me have a test ride if I asked, that’s a good idea.

Sounds like it would be a bargain but its quite similar to the bike you have already so you have to think what you’d get for that

It would be a replacement rather than an addition. Much more lightly used too, the Anthem has lost most of it’s newness. 😀

Good point about the bushing wear. My mate despairs at the play at the rear end of his. We have put new top hats in and all new parts and tried all sorts of bodges to try and fix it but nothing lasts very long. Its a really badly thought out bit of design that anyone with half a brain could tell was going to cause wear on the frame. It constantly feels like the rear wheel is loose.

you’re living in the wrong part of Cheshire then

How very dare you! 😀 Mid-Cheshire – Delamere’s my local ride.

I’ll find out what age it is and look up about the bushing/frame wear issue. That’s sounding like the largest issue so far.

Great all-rounder. If the price is right then go for it.

I had a 2011 714 – fantastic bike, very playful and fun but as people have said above it’s not one for smashing through stuff on.

Rode allsorts on it from flat, boring stuff to DH tracks.

Raced the Mega on it, obviously it snapped 🙂

Its a long way to go to break the bike !

Its a long way to go to break the bike !

Was the day after the race when my mate spotted it, final day in Alpe D’Huez, had ridden down the quali course one last time.

Bikes had been loaded onto the chairlift and we heading for a beer when my mate said “is that mud?”, was actually a massive crack on the swingarm, on closer inspection it also had another one on the chainstay on the opposite side too.

Lucky, lucky, lucky 🙂

I had a 2010 314 model and I loved it, without a doubt its been one of the best bikes I have owned.

I went back to a hardtail and reluctantly sold the Zesty, but I would buy a new one if I was on the market for another bike.

🙂

I currently have a 2013 314 with 34s up front and its a great bike for pretty much everywhere that I ride,very light and nimble and i`d highly recommend it.
My 5 feels much heavier albeit a bit more sturdy in comparison

I bought a 2009 new, nicked out of my garage 3 years later and then replaced with a 2nd hand one. I absolutely love it. Makes me a better rider than I am, ragged it all over the Yorks Dales and the Lakes. There were issues with the early carbon rear triangles (mines Ali) but I think that was sorted on later models.

I have a Cotic Solaris 29er which is fab but the Lappy is every bit as enjoyable to ride. Marketing is designed to sell bikes and moves on but a great, fun ride doesn’t change. Ask him if you can try it out then decide.

Well, we’ve started the negotiation dance. It’s a 2011 314 in excellent condition. He said ‘seven or eight hundred quid’ (which in my book means £700)

Good luck 🙂

Paid 500 quid for mine in March 2015. Again from a mate. It had sat unused in a garage for a year so was in better shape than the bike it replaced.

I have no issues with bushings/frame wear. However I do have a 1cm long hairline crack on a weld on the rear seat stay, which hasn’t grown since I noticed it around 9 months ago

EDIT:- it wasn’t cracked when I bought it

Still got a 2011 714 (with a couple of Bos upgrades). It’s done everything from local XC to the Mountain of Hell and takes it all in it’s stride. Absolutely love the bike and it’s still going strong. It hasn’t even snapped…… yet… 😉

If you don’t mind me saying, £700 seems a bit steep for a 5 year old bike though, unless it’s in fantastic condition..

Well it’s taken a while, but currently sat in my kitchen….. Put a new pair of bars on it, (whatever he had used to clean it had flaked the paint off the originals) and back tyre but apart from that, good to go.

Lovely. Just sold my 2009 frame this week

If you want to gnar-poon it up a bit then get shot of the wibbly 32’s and put a longer fork + slackerising headset on it. Works really nicely.

PS. Having your brake levers that angle is gonna send you straight over the bars.

PPS. Also obligatory “needs dropper” (+ flat pedals IMHO)

I’m not for doing anything else to it, it’ll be fine as it is. The brakes levers too look a bit low in the photo though, you’re right. I set them up as I usually do in a straight line with my arms. Will check again.

tthew – Member
The brakes levers too look a bit low in the photo though, you’re right. I set them up as I usually do in a straight line with my arms

Unless you are a full on XC monkey, you want your levers high enough to make sure your wrists are rolled backwards, so that sudden force applied down your arms (like when an unseen sniper root grabs your front wheel!!!) results in the bars under rotating (ie, you apply a rewards torque to the bars). This will act to push the front THROUGH the obstacle rather than just fire you straight over the bars.

Looks great. Same as mine but in much better condition. Enjoy.

I’m still riding my 09 514.

Love it. Still feels modern to me. Does everything. Snapped it – but lapierre sorted it under warranty within a fortnight.