Lapierre has clearly decided that Ebikes are here to stay, and worth investing in, as today it launches the new Overvolt Ebike range. Hannah was out at the press launch a couple of weeks ago and had chance to ride them, so here’s a closer look at the Overvolt AM Alloy. It will be distributed by Hotlines, but prices are pending confirmation. We’ll update you when we know.
This is the Overvolt AM 600 Alloy – AM for All Mountain – which has 140mm rear travel and 150mm at the front. Again, like the Overvolt XC, it can take either 27.5 or 27.5+ wheels depending on which dropouts you install. Wheels are Lapierre’s own new Ebike specific wheels.
The AM 600 comes with a 500Wh Bosch motor – although top speeds will be limited to comply with UK legislation (and if you find a way to de-regulate it you’d be voiding your warranty).
All models in the AM Alloy range are 1x set up, with exception of the AM 400 model. The top end AM 700 comes with the SRAM EX1 XSYNC e-bike specific crankset.
This is the Bosch controller. Simple to use, but it can be easy to catch accidentally with the edge of your hand. The top three bikes in the range all come with Guide brakes and 200mm rotors.
The Bosch display screen – easy to read. You can see that after an afternoon out on this bike, putting in plenty of turbo, there’s plenty of battery life left.
The AM 600 (and 500+) come with a RockShox Yari RC 27+ Boost fork.
From this angle you’d never know it was an Ebike.
Vroom. Look at that speed blur – and I’ve barely broken sweat. There’s no doubt that the turbo mode is fun, and with the plus bike set up this has a ‘roll over everything’ quality that makes you feel you can just point and go – as long as you and your nerve can take it. Be warned though, it’s pretty heavy, and in slippery conditions it can be hard to bring it back if you misjudge things, and it hurts if it hits you. Yes, I speak from experience.
It did give me bags of confidence on the rocky stuff however, and there’s fun to be had sessioning things when you can get up as easily as you can get down.
The assist function means it’s not just the long drags up that get easier – you can also give some tricky step ups a try with the extra oomph the motor provides.
And why not go back down again? And again.
In common with other plus bikes I’ve ridden, I found this pretty slippery in wet mud. I also found that the weight of it tended to mean that the point of no return came sooner than on a standard bike – causing a few offs in various directions. I suspect more hours on the bike might help riders get used to the differences in handling, but trail centre bike hirers might like to give this some thought before they hand them out to day trippers. For trundling along, across and over, this is a confidence inspiring bike and the assist is a lot of fun, but start heading down the steep stuff (especially in mud) and the weight becomes apparent and the is a little harder to handle. No matter though, as you can always go back up again to try again – no sweat.
