I keep eyeing the 214 and it keeps eyeing me.

I’ve got a 2008 Zesty and love it.

Pedals up hills really well and goes back down pretty quick too.

Ride one I would say. I had a 2011 Zesty & didn’t get on with it. The 19″/50cm felt really long in the TT, and really long in the chainstays, made it a bit of a boat. It would have been better with a lower BB but that was fairly high too.

Looking at it compared to similar bikes, they are a bit long & high, which they seem to have addressed with the 2012 bikes. That said, you may like it, we’re all different.

I found a lot of little niggles with the bike; press fit BB is still there, the ‘Lapierre specific’ tapered headtube sizing unique to just them, silly little shock pins that bent in the linkage & bushes rather than bearings on the swingarm to name a few.

press fit BB is still there, the ‘Lapierre specific’ tapered headtube sizing unique to just them

Must admit, the press fit BB does put me off a little. on the headtube, does that mean i won’t be able to fit my bolt through forks (1 1/8″ steerer) in it with a standard tapered head set?

I’ve got a 2011 314 and it is an absolute do it all rig.
I’ve set mine up with single chainring + chain device, 40mm stem, 760mm bars so that it feels a little like my old DH bike and with the OST suspension system it rides down better than anything i’ve ridden as you can pedal out of stuff without being bouncing, very poised n controlled but at the same time will go up like a true xc bike.

Bottom line.

Get one.

It’s a standard head tube, not sure what that means.

Press-fit is just as bad as external BB for longevity.

Personally I dont consider them long and high, it seems to be a well balanced bike that is really good up and down hill, the 2012 has had some revisions, but the 2011 model is still a better bike than practically any 140mm travel bike out there, its one bike you can get on set up easily and instantly feel confident on it.

In short, no (well, not on the 2011 bikes if that’s what you’re looking at).

Although it is a tapered head tube, it conforms to no ‘known’ standard, and is completely specific to Lapierre (genius huh?)

I seem to recall welovelapierre were speaking to Hope to see if they would make a specific headset to work with it, which you could use with either a tapered or normal 1-1/8″ fork. Worth checking out.

It’s a standard head tube, not sure what that means.

Press-fit is just as bad as external BB for longevity.

No it’s not – check again.

The Zesty BB is known to be a weak point – check the owners club. Part of the problem is the frame design in there is no drain holes so the seat tube fills with water & wrecks the BB from the inside out.

I’ve got a 2011 medium, having run my Spicy for 2 years previously (at two Mega’s no less) and love it already.

The problem I found with the Spicy was that I needed bigger terrain to really get the most out of the bike – big rocks, big speed into berms, that sort of thing.

Add to that the weight and the sheer cumbersomeness of it in the UK (especially around Ashton Court), I decided that I wanted the same ‘bike’ but with less travel and less weight.

I was very glad I did. It’s a great bike to ride – still a little slow up the hills, but thats more likely my fault as a lard arse than anything. The ability of the Zesty is excellent and the travel perfect for ‘pushing’ harder on UK trails.

I can’t wait to take it up to Afan and Cwmcarn and really open the taps up on it – but in the meantime I’m very very pleased.

Press fit BB is not an issue, it’s a piece of p1ss when you know how to whip it out, and an XTR version is £40 – a bargain – or go for a ceramic Superstar one if needed.

The tapered headtub can be resolved, I believe, with an adaptor kit, enabling use of a normal steerer.

The only issues I’d say I have are the rear swingarms being pretty wide. Other than that, very happy.

Well, if you need any more help, go here: http://cycledeal.co.uk/?p=301

Get the Zesty 214 for £1399!!! Bleeding nora!

Cheers Neil, thats why i’m asking really. £1400 seems a bit of a bargain.

I’ve had my 2011 314 a year now, can’t fault it. I’m still on the original BB and I’ve ridden nearly 2000 miles in all weathers!

2010 514 here, amazing bikes, go for it.

2011 514 here great bike, one of my favourites so far. Press fit i am big fan had a headset press already and the park removal tool comes with adaptors for headset press. Seemed a heap easier than the old way with threads and quicker to change.

Quality bike, easy on the eye and eats up the terrain!
I have been contemplating selling my 2009 514 recently though… check it out through my history, might be the right size etc.

Had my 2011 314 for a couple of months now and really like it. I had a EX8 before and that was longer still even on a smaller frame. I’m just under 6’2″ and got a 50. While its quite long, its low due to the extra bit of seat tube that sticks up. I’ve put some wider bars on and a shorter stem.

I find it climbs very well on technical climbs, like any other bike on long slog climbs, but as soon as the path goes down, its great. Fast and easy to ride, i easy to get full travel without bottoming out.

Probably makes me look better than i really am so i like it!! 😀

I’ve got a 2011 Zesty 514 and, after borrowing my 514 for a recent holiday, my wife has just bought a Zesty 214 for herself – and managed to get it for £1350!!

TBH, I didn’t really gell with my 514 at first and have been trying to work out whether to sell it, or my 2010 Orange Five (which it was meant to replace). However, after sessioning the same ride on the 214, 514 and Five, I now think I’ll keep my Zesty. Having said that, out of the three bikes, I reckon the 214 is the best….which is a bit annoying considering it cost almost half my 514 😕 (I reckon the standard Float shock on the 214 is much better suited to it than the higher volume RP2 on the 514).

The 214 is obviously heavier than the 514, but if you stick some lighter wheels on, it perks it up no end.

I’ve heard a few tales of build quality related issues with the bikes, but the uber-mechanics of North West Mtn Bikes basically took my 514 apart, greased all the pivots, and put it back together properly 😀 and I’ve no probs with it.

I went over my wifes 214 when she got it and found some bolts over and under torqued, but other than that, it was fine. As far as headsets go, IME, I wouldn’t worry too much. The headsets on the tapered HT bikes (inc. the 214) come with cartridge bearings now, the sealing on the bottom race isn’t as good as a Hope unit, but as long as you give it a clean and regrease every now & then I reckon it’ll be fine. When the headset does die, Hope do now produce a lower cup that fits the Lapiere tapered tubes, and I have a Hope headset on my 514.

As far as BB’s go, I was a bit concerned after hearing the familiar tales of doom, but TBH I’ve had other bikes with exactly the same non-draining BB’s. As long as you’re aware that the frame can collect water, all you need to do is take the seatpost out and tip any water out after a wet ride or hose down. I know an MTB instructor who got about 2 years out of her Zesty’s BB by doing this – and her bike gets some serious year round use on gritty/muddy/rocky trails.

The bikes themselves perform as well as the glowing reviews they get. I’m a serial bike addict and regularly chop and change bikes – and have owned or had proper demos of many of the Zesty’s competitors – IMO, it’s not 100% perfect in every respect (IME, objectively, no bike is!), BUT if I was limited to one bike for all UK trail riding, then the Zesty would probably be it.

HTH, and good luck bagging a bargain!

I had a 2010 Zesty 214, for which I paid about £1350, and upgraded heavily.

Positives…
Handles very well indeed
Pedals very well
Pivots & bearings all really solid, no issues

Negatives…
Frame a little bit heavy
Float R shock a bit rubbish – bike was transformed when I got an RP23 on it.
Press fit BB as others explained

Overall: A great bike (with niggles), but I wanted soemthing lighter.

Some of the issues with the Zesty above are addressed on the 2012, not that i really felt them myself on our demo bikes. The BB height is now a little lower and the chainstays are shorter. I also felt that it absorbed more of the smaller bumps than previously. They also have RP2s on them now too.

Overall, I was really impressed with the Zesty ’12 but I would save up for the 314 or 514 if you’re buying a ’12 model as they both appear to be better value for money than 2011 models. However, the spec of the 214 is still very good for the money.

2010 zesty 214 here bought for similar price last year,upgraded bars and stem and a few other bits you will probably tweak it anyways!Absolutley love it flys round the peaks , still on the same BB also!Go for it!!!

2010 514 here, simply awesome bikes which keep getting better year by year, loving the 714 2012 spec, I’ve upgraded bars and stem to carbon havens and reverb seatpost, pretty much perfect all round bike for me from all day XC to fun ups and downs in the woods, try before you buy though.

Zesty 714, do it all bike fast up relentlessly fast down. Mines been on loads of European an African trail holidays and is plenty bike for trails. If your nit picking bikes over this or that I think your missing the point of how it rides for what you ride. Mines been well looked after and soundly abused, never let me down. Currently bombing around Andalusia 🙂

£1349 here.http://www.rutlandcycling.com/29415/Lapierre-Zesty-214-2011—Full-Suspension-Mountain-Bike.html?referrer=froogle1%3futm_source%3dgoogle&utm_medium=froogle&utm_campaign=pid29415

Superb bike, like Chakaping, I got rid just cos the frame was a little heavy, but then again probably no heavier than an Orange 5 or similar 140mm bikes.

Internal BB lasted 3 rides or so, and its a PITA to change. Not the kind of thing you can chop and change, cos I found removing it totally wrecks the cups.

Other than that, disagree that it is high or particularly long. Fairly pert up hill and great down hill. Next years bike is lower and slacker – I don’t know what the obsession is with slacker and slacker head angles, makes them harder to get round twisty stuff – and lower just means more pedal strikes regardless of fancy shock technology I’ve found.

I have a 2009 514 and it’s a good-un. I don’t really need a 140mm bike but seeing as the 120mm options offer no advantage to me. It find it best on fast trails with fast corners but it can be a bit cumbersome in the twisty stuff.
The BB doesn’t feel too high to me and I still get pedal strikes os wouldn’t want it to be lower. I had a Meta 5.5 before which perhaps felt more playful and chuckable but didn’t have the stability and response of the Zesty.
The original BB lasted a year and then I replaced it with an Enduro one and sealed the seatpost slot with electrical tape and since then the BB was clean after 12 more months.
It’s got Float R shock and I’ve not really felt it was a problem so I’d be interested to know what chakaping thinks the improvement was.