The flagship Lapierre models of the Zesty and Spicy have been completely redesigned for 2019, making these some of the few actual new mountain bikes at Eurobike that don’t feature a motor. While they retain their names and intentions, they are very different bikes from those we’ve seen before.
Lapierre has completely reworked both platforms, with a completely new frame that introduces a vertical shock with a four bar linkage. If you look closely, you’ll see that the rear shock is compressed by both the rocker link and the chainstay – it’s a floating shock design.
Also big news is that the 2019 Spicy and Zesty now share the same frame. The Zesty remains as the mid-travel trail bike with 140-150mm of travel, while the Zesty stays as the big enduro bike with 160-170mm of travel. To alter the travel, Lapierre specs different forks and different shocks (eye-to-eye and stroke).
On top of that, the frames can be adapted for both 27.5in and 29in wheels. A flip-chip around the main pivot changes the chainstay length depending on your chosen wheelsize, while adjustable headset cups allow you to further tweak the geometry to suit. That’s a tonne of adjustability in one frame, meaning that if you bought the one bike, you could have four different setups available to you.
For the stock bikes though, Lapierre will be offering specific wheelsize options depending on the frame size. You’ll get 27.5in wheels for Smalls and Mediums, and 29in wheels for Mediums, Larges for X-Larges. So if you’re a medium or bigger you get to choose your wheel size, and whatever size you’re riding you get room for a water bottle.
The 27.5in Zesty comes with 150mm travel front and rear, while the 29er has 140mm travel. Go for the 27.5in Spicy, and you’ll get 170mm of travel, or a little less with the 29er at 160mm. The Zesty will be available in two alloy models and two carbon, ranging in price from €2,220 to €5,500.
The Spicy comes in one alloy model and two carbon models, from €3,000 to €6,000. Thanks to Lapierre’s main tester Adrien Dailly breaking his elbow and Nico Vouilloz also having a nasty crash, testing and production has been delayed and it will be the end of December 2018 at the earliest before these bikes become available.
Also new is the E-Zesty, which we’re told is not an e-bike. It’s not going to be listed alongside the Overvolt and other Lapierre e-bikes because in theory it’s possible to ride this bike without a battery. It uses a Fazua motor with battery, which slots into the down tube but can be removed if wanted. Similar to the Focus Raven², this bike is designed for the time short rider who wants to squeeze in a couple of laps of their favourite route instead of just a single one – rather than an uplift replacement. They wanted to deliver a natural feeling bike with a lower weight than traditional e-bikes, and at a claimed 18kg they might have delivered it – or you could leave your battery at home and drag 14kg of bike round the trails for added fitness.
Further details on the frames, suspension and geometry are somewhat limited at the moment, and Lapierre said it isn’t quite ready to divulge all those juicy details, given that they’re still going through development. We’ve been told to keep a look out at the Roc d’Azur festival in October, where Lapierre will be officially announcing its new models.
