First Ride: Lapierre Overvolt AM Carbon 2017

News

by Hannah Dobson June 30, 2016 4

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 Carbon, perhaps the most distinctive in the new range. It will be distributed by Hotlines, but prices are pending confirmation. We’ll updated you when we know.

Yes, it’s an Ebike, but where’s the battery? Not on the down tube as we’re used to, but tucked away above the cranks and motor.

The main premise behind this design was to get the battery as close to the motor as possible, getting the centre of gravity lower, and so improve the handling. Lapierre claim that the frame shape required to achieve this means carbon is the best option as a frame material..

The seat tube is asymmetric – but still dropper post compatible. It will come with Lapierre’s new in house dropper posts.

It’s a bike, Jim, but not as we know it.

This is the AM 800 Carbon model – there’s also a 900+ above it, and a 700 below it. This one is set up for 27.5 tyres, but by turning the dropouts over, Lapierre’s proprietary DWS ‘Dual Wheel System’ means you can swap to 27.5+ whenever you like. All the Carbon range come with the same Bosch 500Wh motor.

The two top models come with RockShox Pike RC 27+ Boost forks, while the 700 comes with a RockShoxYari RC 27+ Boost fork.

140mm rear travel, 150mm up front, All Mountain ready machine. So does all this design add up to a different ride?

By the time I got to ride this bike, the trails were at the driest they’d been for the whole press trip, but even so I feel confident in saying the improved handling of this bike was noticeable. I found I could shift my weight on the bike more easily without it going from under me. Even so, I’m still not that rad round corners, but here’s someone who is…

Yup, that’s Nico Vouilloz, roosting the loam. Or something. He likes Ebikes, and he’s been heavily involved in the development of this bike. Have a listen to him talking about designing the bike here:

https://vimeo.com/172760850

All in all, this was a bike I wanted to ride down the (now dry) rocky trail over and over. And because you can when getting up the hills is no problem, I did. Until finally I felt I’d had the perfect run and probably it was time to quit while I was ahead. I didn’t have any major offs riding this bike, which I’m pretty sure is a reflection of the far more ‘normal’ handling qualities. We’ve yet to see the pricing (No one is giving us prices in Sterling right now), so there’s no telling how it will compare to the alloy version, but the difference in performance is noticeable and if my budget was going to stretch to it, I think the carbon version is probably going to offer more fun and less pain for those wanting to continue riding the rough stuff but who, for whatever reason, don’t wish to wear themselves out on the ups.

Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

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