Lapierre unveil their 2012 bikes

2012 Lapierre launch
Dirt heads out to Les Gets to test ride the new Zesty and Spicy

There was always room for improvement even on one of the fastest trail bikes available. For 2012 Lapierre’s 140mm Zesty (and longer travel 160mm Spicy) see changes to the leverage ratio curve and hydraulic settings. The company have addressed one of the biggest issues of the current bike – support and grip in the shock/suspension area and come out with better handling trail and enduro bikes.

The basics of this involve more suppleness at the beginning of the curve leading to improved grip, gradual progression through the curve giving more support and a far better management at the end of the stroke involving much more progression than the current model that tended to fade somewhat.

In terms of angles the Zesty is now slacker and lower, it also feels lighter too but that might partly be down to the shorter chainstays giving a livelier ride. The Spicy is slackened from 67 to 66 whilst the Zesty goes from 68 to 67. Wheelbase on a large Zesty is 45” and on the Spicy 46”.

The Spicy now becomes more Enduro friendly too. The totally new carbon frame – the Spicy 916 is 400g lighter and even our mid range 516 certainly feels it on the hill. All come with internal cable routing and an adjustable seat post.

The Zesty, now available in 3 carbon models and 3 alloy models include tapered head tube, internal cable routing and fork and shock designed specifically for Lapierre.

We took the entry level Zesty 314 and mid range Spicy 516 out onto the Les Gets slopes and were impressed with the improved grip on the new suspension/shock workings. The increased sag range is very noticeable and so too the overall ability to deal with braking bumps. Both bikes feel super quick across the ground.

We look forward to bringing a fuller review in the next issue.