Outside of the Zesty conversation.
I ride a Motolite at circa 22lbs and a Spicy at 30lbs.
Yes, the motlite is rapid on pretty much everything and is a great bike but its definitely XC orientated in terms of geometry, even after I AM'd it with a few choice component upgrades it still felt like a XC bike, because that what it is.
The Spicy is an unbelievable bike which does everything well, but with a bias to downward pointing stuff. The slacker geometry really gives you confidence to keep if flat out where the motlite gets a bit twitchy due to the steeper HA and the lighter build.
How does this relate to the Zesty – the Zesty offers a pretty slack HA (67 or 68 depending on which year and which data you believe) but can be built up incredibly lightly. I would imagine this would give a great blend of XC speed, ability to climb and still rip downhill.
Theres a review of the Spicy vs Zesty over at the Lapierre owners forums from the UK distributor which I think hits it on the head.
I think Steve @ Dirt is right when he states in the Dirt 100, there are only two oustanding trail bikes, the Zesty and the Orange5 – with the Zesty being a touch better….plus it looks a million times better IMHO!
Some pics of my rides
Sorry about the crap picture, its all I have right now….