Was over at Swinley on the Spearfish at the weekend with a mate and rode his Zesty for a bit, semi carbon, Formulas, XTR etc 140mm travel.

I really quite enjoyed it… it was a good ‘fun’ bike, seeming to launch itself effortlessly off every bump and jump possible.

So, i was thinking… “Hmmmmm maybe i should get something a little more playful”

Thoughts wandered onto the Commencal Meta AM Summer 29, in CRC at silly money…. then onto the Cannondale Tigger 29 at Pauls Cycles, again with a chunk of cash off…

But i was wondering if it’s the weight of the Zesty that makes it fun, or the smaller 26 wheels… or … i dunno.

I was also thinking about something like a cheaper idea of a Giant Reign, but then that’s overkill for 99% of my riding really. Whereas the 29ers above would work well and if need be i could sell the Spearfish.

I do love the Spearfish… but it’s ‘focused’ compared to the Zesty.

The next obvious question i can see is…”why not just get a Zesty”…

TBH, they’re like ORange 5’s and Audis to me…. They seem to be a lifestyle weekend warrior type bike, muppets just showing off to their mates about how much money they have, which doesn’t inspire me.

Sorry what’s the question?… 😉
You have a go on a bike that you really like, and your first thought is to get one that’s different…
Ah yes… Get a Zesty.

“is it the lighter weight or the geometry that made it fun?”

If you want something that rides like a Zesty the best bet is probably to get a Zesty rather than bastardise a 29er to try and make it ride like a 26″ bike?

You could always tape over all the decals 🙂

I had a relatively heavy Zesty and it was playful and fun.

I often wish I’d got another one.

that’s the Qn though WW, is it the 26″ that made it a bit more flighty and fun… i don’t actually MIND going 26″… i enjoyed my Bionicon, but had a few issues with the shock that Bionicon couldn’t resolve, hence me selling… plus the fact it weighed more than a small car. But it was a cracking tool.

Pump up the shock pressure, and reduce the rebound damping?

vinnyeh – Member
Pump up the shock pressure, and reduce the rebound damping?

On what and why ?

is it as though the trails came alive under the 26″ wheels ?

On the Salsa. It’ll make it feel a lot livelier. 🙂

scaredypants – Member
is it as though the trails came alive under the 26″ wheels ?

No, that would be proper insane… it was just fun that it seemed to get a lot more air time than the Spearfish, depsite the fact the Spearfish is more stable (for me) in flight…. the Zesty gave more of a grin factor.

is it the 26″ that made it a bit more flighty and fun…

I find my 26″ wheel bikes feel more responsive than my 29ers.

Unless you do a test ride on a 29er with any changes you propose to make and find it rides the same as the felt it could be an expensive experiment was really the point I was making, I think.

I realise image and ‘warm feelings’ are a big part of buying a new bike but if you’ve found something that rides how you want it would be a shame to compromise it due to ‘snobbery’?

If you want a snob-friendly alternative to the Zesty, consider a Cotic Rocket?

I realise image and ‘warm feelings’ are a big part of buying a new bike but if you’ve found something that rides how you want it would be a shame to compromise it due to ‘snobbery’

Indeed it would yes… However, the Zetsy is a little Spendy for a full cash deal. Possibly on finance, but not sure i wanna go down the finance route on a very expensive Zesty and they don’t seem to discount them much.

His is also a Medium which is arguably a bit small, so could do with Demoing a large really.

it would be a shame to compromise it due to snobbery

This. Get over your perception of Zesty owners, buy one and enjoy it.

TBH, they’re like ORange 5’s and Audis to me…. They seem to be a lifestyle weekend warrior type bike, muppets just showing off to their mates about how much money they have, which doesn’t inspire me.

Maybe they were mountain bikers first and then got the money, Audi and Orange 5 (other bikes available) later…?

Bit of shallow thinking, no…?

I would look like them to you – I pull up in the car park in my newish A6, pull my S-Works Enduro and my brothers Spicy 916 out of the boot. Look a bit fat and pull on some pads for my Sunday trail centre mince.

You wouldn’t see that I’ve been riding all year around since ’87, or the number of carefully chosen bikes that led up to the ones we were riding that day, the hard work that led to the Audi and the less opportunities for exercise – as well as the rides swapped for chasing children around the park.

You also wouldn’t see me riding any and every bit of challenging trail I can get near, ripping the blacks and generally doing pretty well with my 26 years of experience…

Probably not – I’m just a lifestyle weekend warrior to you…

If you like the Spearfish, check out the Horsethief.. I moved to one from a Zesty (chakaping’s old one as it happens) and have found it just as much fun, if slightly more burly.

Maybe they were mountain bikers first and then got the money, Audi and Orange 5 (other bikes available) later…?

Bit of shallow thinking, no…?

I would look like them to you – I pull up in the car park in my newish A6, pull my S-Works Enduro and my brothers Spicy 916 out of the boot. Look a bit fat and pull on some pads for my Sunday trail centre mince.

You wouldn’t see that I’ve been riding all year around since ’87, or the number of carefully chosen bikes that led up to the ones we were riding that day, the hard work that led to the Audi and the less opportunities for exercise – as well as the rides swapped for chasing children around the park.

You also wouldn’t see me riding any and every bit of challenging trail I can get near, ripping the blacks and generally doing pretty well with my 26 years of experience…

Probably not – I’m just a lifestyle weekend warrior to you…

Is it me or can anyone else hear the music from Simon Bates’ Our Tune?

😉

Maybe… 😀

We used to listen to that in the 6th form common room (Comprehensive not private…!) and invent an alternative similarly ridiculous story to replace the original.

Dirt said last month that there was no point in getting a boutique bike as the Lapierre’s were so good. And I have to agree with them. I’ve ridden a few different ones and they’re really good bikes (note – I don’t own one).
They’re always going to feel different to a 29er as they have smaller wheels.

It’s not about the bike

davidtaylforth – Member
It’s not about the bike

Well as i was riding it back to back along-side mine, in the same place and the same day… what was it about ?

“is it the lighter weight or the geometry that made it fun?”

I’ll take a wild guess at it being geometry, a more rear-ward weight bias, maybe a bit higher at the front. Get your weight back on a bike with slackish angles and you have a more jumpy, fun bike – your starting point position is closer to where you need to be for hops, jumps, drops etc so it comes more naturally.

But I’ve not ridden a Zesty, just a theme with bikes of that kind of geometry. Zestys are popular as they got great write-ups, that’s the only association I have with them.

2014 zestys will have either 27 or 29 inch wheels depends on which model

if you want to stay 26 it will have to be a 2013

jameso

I’ll take a wild guess at it being geometry

Partially right.

jameso
a more rear-ward weight bias, maybe a bit higher at the front. Get your weight back on a bike with slackish angles and you have a more jumpy, fun bike – your starting point position is closer to where you need to be for hops, jumps, drops etc so it comes more naturally.

But I’ve not ridden a Zesty, just a theme with bikes of that kind of geometry.

But the rest is wrong. Compared to most similar bikes the Zesty is very very short. A large Zesty or spicy is shorter than a medium Enduro. It also comes with a very light rebound tune on the shock. It’s also relatively steep and sits high in it’s travel. For a 150/140mm bike it’s quite unusual compared to it’s competitors.

However Lapierre arrived at the geometry on their site is a mystery as it’s totally at odds with any real world measurements I made. Compared to a stumpjumper or meta a comparable Zesty is about 35mm shorter in the tt. The end result is a bike that rides very much over the front. Great for climbing, and great for sharp responsive cornering on single track.

An long tt and rearward bias (eg on a specialized, norco) is great for atacking descents but not great for smaller jumps and drops. A slack head angle is good for confident cornering and descending but not great for smaller jumps on flatter ground. The shock tune also plays a very big part in how the bike feels. It’s definately designed to make the bike feel lively, again, this comes at the expense of the bike’s DH capabilities. I went from a very neutral, planted specialized to a 2013 Zesty 514. The zesty felt very twitchy and confined in comparison. It climbed better, jumped better, but everything else was a big let down.

Weirdly, my mate rekon’d the large Spearfish has a smaller cockpit area and TT length (feel) than his Medium Zesty.

I’m running a 60mm Stem and 720mm bars on Spearfish.

TBH, they’re like ORange 5’s and Audis to me…. They seem to be a lifestyle weekend warrior type bike, muppets just showing off to their mates about how much money they have, which doesn’t inspire me.

Does your friend (who let you have a go on his bike) know what you think of him?

Are you that insecure that you wouldn’t buy a bike you really like because you’re scared that others will judge you?
I don’t think it’s the audi drivers with the image problem….

*I don’t own an Audi, Lapierre or Orange.

weeksy – Member

I realise image and ‘warm feelings’ are a big part of buying a new bike but if you’ve found something that rides how you want it would be a shame to compromise it due to ‘snobbery’

Indeed it would yes… However, the Zetsy is a little Spendy for a full cash deal. Possibly on finance, but not sure i wanna go down the finance route on a very expensive Zesty and they don’t seem to discount them much.

His is also a Medium which is arguably a bit small, so could do with Demoing a large really.

A mate of mine is selling a 714 carbon Zesty that might suit you. Think it’s a size L. Probably in fairly good nick as he doesn’t get out on it much. Can pass you the details if you want.

LOL i don’t think that of him in the slightest. He drives a Mondeo and is an engineer.

It was the other 3 who turned up and had their ‘rideout’ looking like a bunch of CRC throwbacks that gives me that impression.

Which wasn’t quite as funny as the 3 who all parked up in land rovers and pulled out their long travel DH bikes.

It’s not about how others would judge me… but possibly how i’d judge myself 🙂

A good bike is a good bike is a good bike.
Don’t see yourself off because you have manufactured an idea of who rides them. Anything which is good is going to be bought by lots of different types.

Is a fair point.

Compared to most similar bikes the Zesty is very very short.

which means to me you can get your weight back easily, off the front / over the back, whether it’s steep or slack this will make it playful in some respects – rear axle to bar distance is shorter. Even my CX bike feels more playful with a short reach set up. Just looking at the 2 bikes OP mentioned though, and the more obvious differences.

Ride the bike that rode so well the other day. Look for a deal on last years or get interest free or get cheaper model and just get on and pedal!

jameso

which means to me you can get your weight back easily, off the front / over the back, whether it’s steep or slack this will make it playful in some respects

That’s assuming you think “getting your weight back” is a good thing. The Zesty’s short length up front (and relatively long stays) means it’s necessary to adopt an exaggerated rearward posture in order to handle it at speed on descents. This un-weights the front wheel leading to a vagueness in steering and lack of traction on the front tyre. Combined with a relatively high bb, light rebound tune and you have a bike that lacks stability on technical descents.

Anything with a longer tt, and shorter stays automatically has a more rearward bias, meaning it’s not as essential to stick you’re butt out and hang on for grim death. The riding position is naturally more relaxed, regardless of the head angle.

No offence but considering I actually owned one for 6 months, I’d say I’m a bit more qualified to comment on it’s characteristics than someone who hasn’t ridden one.

Make sure you’re aware of Lapierres parts policy (no parts supplied to non original owners). If you buy one 2nd hand and break any part of it; you’re screwed.
That’s the reason I’d not buy one (new or used).
Otherwise just go out and demo a load of bikes. It’s fun too.

wrecker

Make sure you’re aware of Lapierres parts policy (no parts supplied to non original owners). If you buy one 2nd hand and break any part of it; you’re screwed.
That’s the reason I’d not buy one (new or used).
Otherwise just go out and demo a load of bikes. It’s fun too.

That’s not even true is it? Just go into any bike shop, give them a hotlines stock id and they’ll order you the part.

That’s not even true is it?

Sadly, it is. Pretty well documented that Lapierre will not seel parts to non original owners.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/lapierre-frame-spares-only-available-to-original-owner

Transition Bandit (26 or perhaps it’ll have to be 27). That’s everything sorted for you.

I spoke to hotlines myself and they said if you need spare parts just speak to your local dealer. I didn’t own a zesty at the time.

Keep yours and buy a BMX 😀