The new Lapierre Zesty 314 for 2013 arrived a few weeks ago.  Then we sold what we had so got more in!  Now we are finally at the stage where we can try it out so I got a ride of the Zesty a few days ago.

The first thing you notice about this bike is the sheer attention to detail.  It still has the easy rear suspension set-up of old and the whole thing just makes a whole lot of sense – the simple things always work.  The kit on the Zesty 314 is a whole lot better for 2013 than it has been before, with better tyres, wheels, Easton and Nico finishing kit, Formula RX brakes, Shimano XT gears and a great SDG saddle.  Naturally it all matches.  The through axles at both ends of the bike are actually the best part in my opinion.

I have never owned a Lapierre Zesty 314 myself or indeed any Zesty but we sell a lot of them and I ride them every year.  We used to have demo bikes too and they lasted well (although they truly got abused and we got tired of people treating them with such disrespect!) but we had difficulties getting hold of them last year as they were so popular so we did not have a demo bike.  However, I managed to ride a Zesty quite frequently throughout the year so know it very well.

The 2012 Lapierre Zesty 314 was a great bike.  I am 15 stone so wasn’t too enamoured with the fact that I had to put a lot more pressure in the shock than I needed to on the 2011 bike but it still worked well and it did take out the smaller bumps a lot better than before (not that I was too concerned about that but I did see the advantages too!).  The 2013 Zesty 314 does feel similar to be fair.  It’s still planted, climbs well, descends as well as before most of the time and everything is great.  However, the thing I did notice was that the rear end felt less twitchy than before, which I felt was a great benefit and I really think the through axles were doing what they should as cornering felt much more assured (and I cannot say it was the tyres as we use the same tyres).

 

So it is better value for money, has epic kit on it, Fox front and rear and through axles too.  An amazing rear shock and even the bars are better (and wider) than ever before.  Shimano gears are flawless and even the saddle was super comfy.

I do know a better bike however: the Pivot Mach 5.7.  I always go on about it but it’s fantastic and the bike I almost always ride.  However, the Lapierre was not too far of it (much more so than any other previous year) and to say that the Lapierre Zesty 314 is around half the price of the £4K bike I ride, I would buy the Lapierre Zesty 314 all day long (unless I’m loaded or just simply want the best OR own a bike shop and receive no salary other than the odd bike to use from the demo stock every couple of years!).  The Lapierre Zesty 314 now has 10% back in goods – £240 to spend in our shop (or if you’re mail order then let us know what you would want and we can send that too).  We build and check every bike we receive before sending it back out either with a customer or back in its box.

Here at Flying Fox Bikes, we have always sold a lot of Lapierre Zesty 314s and even 514s.  Great price points between £2K and £3K, a great riding bike and incredible kit for the money have meant that it’s a no-brainer for many folk.

However, we have not sold too many Zesty 214s because the 314s have always been so much better, even though Zesty 214s are under the magical £2K barrier.  That is until now – we have anticipated great sales of the new Lapierre Zesty 214 2013 so have ordered lots of them in advance of them being shipped to us (looking like January 2013 so far…).

This bike trade game is always a risk though, the margins are tight (especially if you don’t have much money as we don’t!) and if someone gets a colour wrong or a short handlebar even or a whole batch of bikes have bearing problems (such as the batch of Whyte 146s we received in 2011) then you can kiss goodbye to any profit you have made.  Sometimes it can kill us just because the reviewer doesn’t get on with it but most other people love it!  MBR can kill us too if our brands are foolish enough to not put “Specialized” or “Scott” on the downtube instead of their own brand names…!  Therefore when we saw the Mountain Biking UK review, which I have tirelessly typed out below, we breathed a sigh of relief!  When you buy a Zesty 2013 from Flying Fox Bikes in Scotland we give you back 10% to spend on goods – so for a Lapierre Zesty 214, you will get £190 back in goods.  However, be quick!

Lapierre Zesty 214 2013.  Trail favourite gets longer, slacker treatment for 2013 £1899.99

 

It’s fair to say that the arrival of Lapierre’s Zesty on UK shores a few years ago made more than a few riders sit up and take notice.  The combination of plenty of travel, trail-friendly geometry and competitive pricing soon made it a favourite for riders in the know.

2013′s entry-level 214 features a few mild geometry tweaks, but essentially offers more of the same popular ingredients.  Is it still a winner?

The chassis

The most obvious change for 2013 over previous Zesty incarnations is the 142 X 12mm rear axle setup – a stiffness-adding upgrade that’s a no-brainer for a bike offering 140mm (5.5in) travel at the rear and 150mm (5.9in) up front.

Larger frame sizes have a bit more cockpit room too, the chainstays and wheelbase are a bit longer, and the head angle’s a tiny bit slacker.  None of these changes are radical but, frankly, the Zesty wasn’t broken, so it didn’t make sense to ‘fix’ it.

Subtly curved, hydroformed tubes make up the front end, anchoring the tapered headtube up front and the kinked seat tube at the rear.  The seat tube sits ahead of the bottom bracket and rakes back to give a normal effective top tube length while providing loads of room for the rear suspension to do its thing.

There are bolt-on cable guides for a remote dropper post upgrade and a series of mysterious-looking holes on the downtube.  These provide routing and anchor points for the various sensors associated with Lapierre and RockShox’s electronically-controlled EI rear shock system – although, disappointingly, it’s not available as an option on the 214.  You’ll have to stump up £2750 for the EI version of the 314, which has the same frame as the 214.

The rear end is standard Zesty fare.  Assymetric chainstays bolt to straight seatstays via Horst-esque pivots, while the shock is driven via a neat rocker mounted ahead of the seat tube.

The detail

Despite boasting the lowest price tag of this batch of test bikes, Lapierre’s product managers have managed to shoehorn in both a Shimano Deore and SLX-based transmission and Fox CTD shocks both front and rear.  Avid’s entry level Elixir 1 hydraulic brakes aren’t, it’s fair to say, our favourite hydraulic stoppers, but they’re given a hop-up thanks to the sensible decision to run 180mm rotors at both ends.

Finishing kit from Easton and SDG rounds out a spec list that’s a good blend of value and performance.  For the money, it’d be churlish to gripe.

The ride

What successive generations of Zesty have always managed to do is walk the fine line between cross-country efficiency and on-tap hooliganism.  That’s a surprisingly difficult thing to get right, given that efficient pedalling and downhill handling don’t always go hand in hand.  But the Zesty has proved, time and again, that it is possible to have your cake and eat it.

Lapierre’s minor tweaks haven’t changed this situation much – and that’s a good thing.  The 142X12mm rear axle adds an extra dose of torsional rigidity to what was already an impressively stable rear end.

The Zesty’s short chainstays and chunky pivots combine with a rear triangle that’s compact overall, to deliver twist and shudder-free tracking in every trail scenario you can throw at it – everything from flat-out pedalling effort to unexpected rock garden idiocy.  This implacable accuracy is backed up by a fork that swallows everything in its path, although if anything – and this is saying something for Fox’s 15mm through-axle, which is a decent performer – the fork is more easily phased in the really rough stuff than the rear end.

Low-speed, pedally stuff is handled just as efficiently.  The combination of Horst-inspired chainstay pivot setup and Fox’s clever CTD damping makes it easy to set up the shock anywhere from firm – for sprints and climbs – to plush.  Most of the time we left it on ‘trail’ and simply forgot about it, content to leave the rear end to patter through whatever daft line choice we’d pointed the fork at without complaint.

Watch out for the sizing though – our ‘medium’ test bike felt a tad short.  If piling on the miles is your thing, you might want to investigate a larger size.  Like other 140mm (5.5in) travel bikes at this price, the Zesty won’t win any awards for low weight, and it probably wouldn’t be our first choice for lining up at the start of a cross-country race either.  But for sheer all-round versatility with handling that’ll flatter any skill level, it’s a tough act to follow.

The Zesty has been setting the standard for mid-travel trail bikes for years.  For 2013 it just got better…

4.5 stars out of 5

 

They came in, today. I couldn’t wait to see this bike but I really didn’t think the downhill boys (mechanics) and even Jeff would share my sentiments about what a piece of work this bike is.  It’s dripping with kit, has a Maxle back-end, Maxle front, great robust forks, great detailing, lightweight and has the typical Whyte backup and warranty. Most importantly, it’s already in Flying Fox bikes colours!

The bad bits: they’ve saved money on the finishing kit – saddle, bars, stem and seatpost. However, it’s all really nice, lightweight kit that matches the bike and looks phenomenal. So no problems there then.  The seatpost is 27.2mm – this caught me off guard. This limits your choice of uppy-downy seatpost. Strange. For me, I don’t care as it has the best Q/R seatclamp in the business. Some people may not like this fact though and will have to get a Gravity Dropper, as they seem to be very good in 27.2mm guise. Maybe I’m missing the point of this bike though? A bigger front rotos would have been nice too but then I need to lose some weight! Continue reading “Whyte T-120 S Initial Thoughts”

We were lucky enough to be invited down to the Moda 2013 launch at their site in Derby this week (yes, I know that sounds corny but believe me, it was phenomenal due to the people, their passion and what they have achieved).  We really buy into what Moda do and intend to have a massive display for all their 2013 bikes.  They are a British brand and are run by a small team of folk.  They are highly effective at what they do, build their bikes in-house with awesome attention-to-detail and can even change some of the specification of bikes to suit (not for every bike, all of the time, but they can usually help out). When I first walked in, I went straight to their new steel frames.  As a 34-year old, I look, feel and act ten years older so maybe that was why!  However, they are absolutely beautiful and made of Reynolds 953 tubing.  So that’s the first Moda I want to buy right there (my wife was liking that and was fine with it at this point). I then went over to see their flagship (which most people would have visited immediately and ten minutes prior to me): the new Moda Finale 2013. Superthin Aero “blade” seatstays, aero tubing, gorgeous integrated fork, SRAM RED 2013 which is even lighter than last year, American Classic Aero 3 420 wheels. You have to see this road bike – it is easily the best road bike I have ever drooled over.  Believe me, the only bikes that I can see that even get close nowadays are some of the others in the Moda range and they truly do have something for everyone.  If this does not sell out, I will be shocked so we got our order in (be quick though and bear in mind I’ll be pre-ordering too (my ever-cool wife was still loving everything so far!).

Next is our best seller from 2011 and 2012: the new Moda Stretto for 2013.  This has a completely different frame, just as the 2013 Moda Finale does, has lost around 400g and now has a full carbon steerer on the forks.

  It is adorned with SRAM Force and has American Classic wheels (Moda are the importer for American Classic wheels and as they are the best road wheels I have ever used, I am ecstatic about all the wheels on these bikes).  I almost put an order in for one of these too for myself (at this point, my amazing wife was starting to wonder why I would need two amazing carbon bikes).   If you are looking for something a little cheaper with a truly tried and tested beautiful frame then have a look at the new Moda Molto.  It is £1999 and comes with colour coded Victory 30s and SRAM Rival throughout.   Our second best seller in the Moda range has been the Moda Tempo.  This year it has had a facelift and a change of name so the Moda Tempo 2013 is called the Moda Prima and costs £1499.  The frame was always much better than originally planned (triple butted aluminium, high modulus carbon forks and seatstays), so that has not changed but now it looks even nicer.  It has a great wheelset in the American Classic Victory 30 wheels and a reliable and lightweight Shimano 105 groupset.  This is the bike that the magazines loved, stating that “aluminium isn’t over yet!”.  Indeed, it’s lighter than a lot of full carbon bikes over £2K!   A proper race bike that will embarrass many carbon bikes costing a lot more is no bad thing.  Speaking of which, you will want to have a look at the Moda Rubato if you want a less expensive bike but one you can go racing on, has great reviews behind it, and for a bike at £999, it really shouldn’t have the frame and wheels that this beast has.  It even got sexy in its reincarnation:   Oh, and if you really want an amazing carbon bike for a seriously good price, then there will be very limited supply of this model – the new Moda Echo.  At £1099 for full carbon, I cannot see how this can be much better.  Put some American Classic wheels on the Moda Echo and lose tons of weight in the process while still retaining Shimano 105 and a great frame and forks.  This is astonishing so you will need to pre-order this one in a very big way.  It’s even highly sexual, which is just not right at this price!

I’ll be back with more info on the Moda 2013 range as soon as possible! However, if you wish to contact me about Moda bikes, please drop me a line and I’ll happily call you back if you leave me a number or email you back with any information you desire.

At the last minute (because that’s how we roll), we decided to have a quick road ride round Loch Katrine.  Persuading my wife to take us and her 10-week old daughter up there in the van was a cinch!  She even dropped us off at the top of the Duke’s Pass so we could ride back down to the start of the Loch Katrine road.  Traffic-free all the way round apart from a motorbike was a massive bonus and the fact that we just ignored the rain when it did come made the whole ride amazing.  Naturally the bike shop owner hadn’t brought any lights because he thought we would be back in Aberfoyle in time. Oops.  Ben did though, along with bananas and lots of survival kit, because he’s amazing.

 

The road always used to be a bit tragic from Stronachlachar to Aberfoyle but now it’s fantastic so get yourself on it.  Only thing to bear in mind though – pick up some lights because a policeman may ask you to walk the last mile as it’s getting a bit dark (I hadn’t heard him properly obviously, which is why I carried on riding, bolted across the carpark through a pub forecourt, threw my bike in the back and then found myself on the floor in the back of the van. Thanks for turning up a little later Ben with your big powerful helmet light and showed him the way to the van).  While stood next to the Flying Fox Bikes van (it’s not subtle), the policeman suggested I get myself to Halfords and buy myself some lights.  Adding insult to injury methinks!  However, it was all made great a little later when a lady drove up and said watching me launch myself and bike into the van was the funniest thing she had ever seen.

Ben will soon be off to Australia and it will be all over.  So while we set off too late, it rained a wee bit, my gears mostly didn’t work, I didn’t know the corners coming down the Duke’s Pass and Ben overcooked one, my hands were freezing and I almost got thrown in a police cell for being a master criminal, it was a great experience and one I will be doing again, with or without the man who’s off to the penal colony.

Ben, we miss you already.

I love these things, and I have a highly sexual Morewood Zula with red Crank Brothers wheels. However, I don’t have a picture of it just yet and a customer’s taken it for a jolly good ride. Therefore, I thought this picture of Jeff and Declan would suffice for now….:

Okay, enough of that, onto something much better looking: Continue reading “Flying Fox Bikes now a Morewood Dealer”

Finally, I have been able to give this beast a ride, after a ride of the Lapierre Zesty 314 2012 a few months ago and obviously a few months with its previous incarnation, our demo bike, also a Zesty 314. I was really impressed with the Lapierre Zesty 314 with the new OST+ suspension but have been really cynical about the new Lapierre Zesty 514 as I am old (34), bald and unwilling to embrace carbon mountain bikes…!   Continue reading “Lapierre Zesty 514 2012 review”

We have always loved our Lapierre Zestys.  Particularly the Zesty 314 as for £2,300, we simply cannot think of a more capable bike.  The Zesty 514 has always been that dream bike at £2,800 with its Fox rear shock with Propedal and its much better kit.  However, this year (2012), Lapierre have pushed the boat out a little, well, a lot.   Continue reading “Lapierre Zesty 514 2012 at Flying Fox Bikes”

Now hopefully Ali does not look at this blog, as he will be off doing some specialist training or speaking to Jan Ullrich, Riccardo Ricco or Alberto Contador about how to get ahead…

We have developed a monster.  We have a great customer called Craig.  He came to us last year after finding out we exist and are only two villages away from his home.  He was a downhiller but wanted a more XC bike.  After taking out our Pivot Mach 5.7 demo bike, he realised it climbed astonishingly well up his local hill (a bloody big, steep one too!) and decided to buy one.

We only discovered, after he had bought one, that he had not had chance to ride it downhill, as he had thought a wee change in shock pressure would be a good idea at the top of the hill.  Using the amazing gauge of a big finger, he pressed the valve.  Surprisingly to some of you perhaps, he released all the air out of the shock.  So he walked back downhill! Continue reading “Road biking 12/02/12″

So, which one of us is that insane that getting in a frameset with a value of £4600 seemed like such a good idea?!  It has the new ZED 2 crankset, the integrated stem, the works.  So it’s not even one of those ones peddled on the web. Nope, we went the whole hog and got the beast with £1000 cranks installed!  We will get some pictures put up on this asap and we have it on our website too here: Look 596 I – Pack frameset with Zed 2 integrated cranks and stem.

This is the frame that is used by the professionals in the Tour, Vuelta and Giro, to name but a few and is one of the most advanced bikes out there for triathlons and time trialling.  Look have done a lot of research and found that placing the rear tyre really close to the frame can produce drag, so have moved it out a little, which in turn increases stability while eliminating this extra drag element.  The beast is hand built in France and is one of the most beautifully finished frames that we have ever seen.  So be quick because we’re basically giving it away and while we REALLY want to, we cannot keep the Look 596 I-Pack forever to stroke or just look at for many years.