Anyhow, once we received the bike, we were really surprised at how amazing it is.  Obviously it has a Rockshox fork on the front instead of a Fox but that has never bothered me.  In fact, I’d happily sacrifice the bling of a Fox fork for a 15mm QR and the reliability, lengthier service intervals and great way in which this fork works.  So while this is a cost saving, I see it as fantastic.  SLX cranks don’t look as nice as XT, and I’ll admit that it does detract a little from the bike.  However,only 50g, from a heavier chainring and no loss of performance means that I should get over it pretty soon.  The rest is a nice common-sense mix of SLX and XT kit.  It also has Mavic wheels, which appear to have rid themselves of their hub problems from a few years ago so I like, a lot.  Oh, and for some reason, you get a Fizik Gobi saddle, which is hardly cheap so somehow that slipped through the net.  The only obvious cheap parts are their own branded bars, stem and handlebars.  The only change I may make to the standard specification is a slightly wider handlebar (I’m not so cool yet – I only use 710mm but many people would convince themselves a 730mm bar would work for them on a bike such as this).  I have a Truvativ carbon handlebar on my hardtail and I think that would be a great addition to the Lapierre Zesty 514.

A five year warranty (and they are good with it too) would possibly make you feel even better for those pessimistic folk but I’m not bothered – even at 15 stone I’m not concerned to be honest.  The only problem we’ve ever seen ever on Lapierres is the lacquer on some of the carbons, which is now sorted and is obviously not a structural issue.

Now, onto the riding of the bike – the suspension travel works over small bumps now too, this part never concerned me before but it does make the whole beast ride much better.  It still pedals as well – the Fox Float RP2 means it’s even better than our last Lapierre Zesty 314 demo bike too.  When descending, you should feel a little more stable than previously (I still like the 2011 model so it’s not a massive improvement for me) due to a lower BB.  However, the biggest thing for me is the fact that it is a little more laid back – great for instilling confidence and for those days when you want to take it to the Alps or destroy all those muppets you call friends on inferior bikes.  I like steep head angles, generally, because I’m now an old man – hanging around in a bike shop will make any 34-year old feel old, but with this bike their changes make a lot of sense and I can adapt very quickly to it.

In a trade where every bike that’s white and red should sell, seeing a beautiful black carbon frame with green bits makes everything work for me.  I love it.  Green is taking over anyhow – it’s Mark Cavendish’s colour of choice and red’s been done, a lot.  Anyhow, why am I suddenly caring?  I never both with colour if the bike is amazing.  I actually like to ride road bikes with mismatched colours as it will make your rivals pant with hatred for you and your lack of coordination.

At Flying Fox Bikes, we have a great offer on the new Lapierre Zesty 514 2012: you get £200 to spend in-store: which effectively means you can whack a Rockshox Reverb on for free (or at least for £20 extra).  Coupled with our great price of £2799.99, it really makes this beast much more appealing than the Lapierre Zesty 314 even.  So get in quick, while we can still get them, because they are absolutely lovely.  If you want to spend even more money, there’s always the even better specced Lapierre Zesty 714 and 914 but if I were you, I would be asking those friendly (although rather insane) guys at Flying Fox Bikes about the Pivot Mach 5.7 or the Pivot Mach 5.7 carbon when you’re spending silly money.

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!

After a few months, he decided to do the Caledonian Etape in 2012 for charity.  For this, he needed a road bike.  His budget was £800 so obviously he bought a Moda Stretto in the 60cm size, albeit with Hurricane wheels because they can take a kicking only a 120kg former Black watch soldier can give.  Every ride he has been on it, he has been renowned for his faffing.  His battery for his Hope R4 wasn’t in the right position, his saddlebag fell off, his gears weren’t right (just as running in big and big isn’t right!!!), his brakes weren’t powerful enough, he had to go home for a Chinese, he had another puncture even with Continental Gatorskin Hardshell tyres (50 psi doesn’t help!), and he struggled to descend with thin tyres.

Things changed yesterday and I could see it straight away.  Just as a cat will prey on a young beautiful wee baby goldfinch in our garden, even though it’s not hungry and there is no need, Craig struck.  I had been out of action for almost three weeks due to putting my back out, had put all the weight I had lost back on, and was hurting as I moved to get my Felt F5 out of the garage.  I knew I had made myself susceptible for a kicking immediately.

As soon as we got on the A91 from Menstrie, he put his foot down.  He’s not a big believer in warming up and my legs were struggling to hold on.  He tried another trick, not that he needed to, by asking me to turn on his backlight because he couldn’t reach it.  I did so, then reached back to turn on my own.  He effectively sprinted off.  When I finally caught him up, after maxing out into a headwind doing 28mph, he asked what was going on!  All that waiting we had endured over those long months suddenly forgotten.  We then climbed up to the University of Stirling, where he disappeared off the front again, on the first downhill he remarked that his new Shimano Ultegra brakes were much better than he was used to and he could now brake no problem at all (another issue as his descending had been terrible before).  Riding through Bridge of Allan gave us no problems for the first time in a long time (don’t worry, a BMW driver tried to take me out on the way back!) and then he led me out to the 30 sign coming into Dunblane, which somehow I took.  He then struggled for a while, just as my legs had warmed up so even though my back was on fire, I honestly thought that he was not as strong as I thought he suddenly was.  Oops.

We then worked fairly equally to pull back four riders we had seen in front of us on the way to Kinbuck and picked them up before Blackford.  After that, the Craig Machine then showed us his prowess as he smoked one of them into Bridge of Allan and all of us down from Sheriffmuir.  We have created a monster.  A complete faffmeister and fairly decrepit mountain biker just a matter of weeks earlier into a beast of a road cyclist.  So if you’re coming out with us soon, and you hear the Craig Machine is coming out, be wary that he could be slowing us down with faffing, or now more likely, giving us a kicking.

We often bring people on really quickly to be great cyclists but this change is pretty amazing and we cannot take much credit for it – when he’s off up doing the Glendevon loop on his own in a blizzard, you know you’re in trouble the next time you see him!!

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.

We found this review of the Pivot Phoenix and wanted to share it.  The original review can be found at the Mountain Bike Action website here:

http://mbaction.com/Main/News/Bike_Test_Pivot_Phoenix_5057.aspx

Pivot founder Chris Cocalis made a name for himself building legendary cross-country race bikes and do-itall trailbikes, but his passion for speed (Chris is a former BMX and motocross racer) led him to sponsor a downhill race team. This commitment meant Pivot could not simply modify their Mach 5.7 or Firebird; a dedicated downhill race chassis was needed. Enter the Pivot Phoenix. The design draws from the expertise of suspension-design wizards and World Cup racers alike. The Phoenix was also piloted by Kyle Strait to an eighth-place finish at the 2010 Red Bull Rampage.

WHO IS IT MADE FOR?

The short answer is Kyle Strait, but this bike is really for anyone who is OK with buying a lift ticket. The Phoenix design puts the downhill racecourse at the top of its priority list, but it’s equally at home in a bike park. If you’re looking for a versatile machine, take a look at the Mach 5.7 or Firebird. The Phoenix is intended to have gravity feed its habit.

WHAT IS IT MADE FROM?

It’s aluminum through and through. The dw-link suspension is held together with two machined links that ride on cartridge bearings. It’s built with a tapered head tube, CNC-machined dropouts, 83-millimeter bottom bracket and a 12- by 142-millimeter axle.

WHICH COMPONENTS STAND OUT?

This bike looks like it just rolled out of the shop with beautifully machined and oversized aluminum links. The dw-link suspension is at the heart of this rig, and it’s controlled with a top-of-the-line Fox RC4 shock with Kashima coating. Pivot uses a cutout on the underside of the down-tube to keep the adjustments accessible. Add the massive replaceable dropouts, motocross-style decals and a smart build kit and you’ve got a bike that begs to be ridden hard.

HOW DOES IT PERFORM?

Moving out: Throw a leg over the Phoenix DH and you’ll be inspired to conquer the most technical trails. With the Cane Creek AngleSet set to 1 degree of slack, the front-end geometry strikes a balance between too steep and too slack.

Pedaling: Surprisingly, this is a strong suit for the Phoenix. Not to say that the bike likes to be pedaled uphill, but it will be an advantage on downhill courses that have flat or short uphill sections. The suspension does not sap pedaling efficiency, and the anti-squat characteristic of the dw-link is very apparent. Throw on lighter wheels and tires and this trait would be even more noticeable.

Hang time: The Phoenix has a playful nature; it loves to come off the ground. When riding a jump line, such as Northstar’s Livewire, the bike feels fast, fun and always ready for the next boost. The bike excels in the air with a balanced and lightweight feel. It simply doesn’t take much to get this bike airborne. If sticking to terra firma is more your style, the front end comes up with ease for manuals through whoop sections.

Cornering: The bottom bracket is not the lowest out there, but the center of gravity is kept low with the rest of the chassis design. The heaviest parts, the shock and linkage, are kept close to the ground. With its sharp and not-too-slack head angle, the Phoenix navigates slow-speed technical turns with ease. The frame also handles high-speed corners well. The only weak link here seemed to be the 2.5-inch Nevegal tires, which tended to break loose sooner than expected.

Descending: It’s obvious by this point, but the Phoenix is a terrific descender. It’s completely at home on hairy technical terrain where a smaller bike simply won’t do. While there are other bikes out there with more stability at top speed, the Phoenix will inspire confidence in all gnarly conditions. Think of it as the bike you would most want to ride through that section you’re always nervous on. As an added bonus, the bike is exceptionally quiet when going through technical terrain.

Plowing through: The Phoenix has plenty of travel, but it doesn’t like to stay on the ground and plow through obstacles the way other downhill bikes do. It seems more inclined to pick a precise line and use its maneuverable geometry and flickable nature to execute it.

Braking: Most dw-link suspension designs we’ve ridden are renowned for being active while braking, and the Phoenix is no different. It’s not afraid of chattery braking bumps where other bikes can stink-bug. The fork’s low-speed compression adjustment does a nice job of resisting brake dive on even the steepest descents. Our Avid Code R brakes provided adequate power, but tended to be slightly noisy on long descents.

BUYING ADVICE This bike is a downhill machine with confidence-inspiring geometry that’s especially at home in the bike park. Kyle Strait and company prove it’s also a competent race rig. The price is competitive when considering the frame quality and parts package. The design delivers above-average performance for a downhill rider of any ability. Whether you’re planning to slay a World Cup track or you just want to conquer that technical section on your toughest trail, the Phoenix delivers.

I got these lights in because of these experiences but was intrigued to see that Bikeradar gave this light 3/5. To me, that makes no sense at all, as the only negative is the lack of battery light indicator. Now I have not had chance to discover what happens with this light but the previous incarnation used to flash 45 minutes or so before it went off completely. At that point, I would turn the light onto setting one or two.

I am not interested in a battery light indicator. I am not particularly intelligent but I can roughly work out how long the light’s going to last. With a lower setting for the climbs just in case and second to full blast (same as the Hope Vision 4 – the superbright setting is little different from the more useable second setting), this light lasted for two to three hours. Ordinarily, I would simply charge the light again with the smart charger. However, because we only have the Epic version (with the same size battery as the previous Vision 4, which I would recommend for peace of mind) and I am testing them, I went out again for a similar ride. It was still fine but I cannot envisage it would last much longer anyhow.

Hope R4 light available at Flying Fox Bikes, Scotland

This wee beast is amazing. It is tiny and beautiful (!) and is a retina burner (why is it that you show people the light and they turn it on and peer into it?!). The mount is a lot nicer than the previous one too. The battery makes a wee noise when going over rough terrain but I don’t care. It has never bothered me and I’ve had no problem with my Vision 4 for many years now. The beam is very wide, and I found again that it is slightly “warmer” than the USE Exposure and actually places the light where you actually want it instead of just a circle. The throw is very long too so it really is a great advancement over the Hope Vision 4. It generates 1446 lumens as opposed to the 960 lumens of the Hope Vision 4. I would say that it is easily 150% of the power of the Vision 4.

Negatives: when you put it on high, it turns itself down to low. As mentioned, I never run it on high anyway, as the second setting is almost identical and you’ll get almost the same power anyhow.

Some folk don’t like the separate battery. It makes sense to me and having a small cable on the bars and a separate battery makes no difference to me. Plus you could put it on your head or helmet and have the battery (which is a bit heavier but not too noticeable) in a backpack. You can get a Hope Vision R4 with a smaller battery but I’d rather have the Epic battery so that it has more longevity.

For me, this light is an Exposure Six Pack beater – Hope backup is a winner and while it does not have as much power, I like the softer colour of the beam and the beam pattern itself: it does a lot more with what it does have. Anyhow, if you want an even more fearsome dominator then wait for the Hope Vision R8. Looks like that will be December though and we’ll be carrying a demo Hope R8 too.

On another note, we’ve had a few of these Hope R4 lights in and they’ve all gone on the same day they arrived so to avoid disappointment, get yourself on the list quick!

The following is what Hope says about the beast:

Multi-sport…biking, running, climbing, exploring, adventure racing, caving, skiing…versatility is what the Vision R4 is all about.
The multiple mounting options and quick release bayonet fitting enable quick and easy changes from head harness to handlebar mount to helmet bracket. Whatever your passion is you will soon learn to love the R4 for being there and sharing the experience with you.
Four Cree XPG LEDs flood the path ahead with up to 1000 true, measured lumens of uniformly distributed crisp white light. That’s 65% more light output than its predecessor – the original Vision 4, whilst also being half the weight and 30% smaller.

Burn time with the standard 2600mAh battery pack ranges from 1:15 hours in maximum, to over 8:00 hours in low.
As featured on the Vision R8, the dual sequence operation simplifies and facilitates mode selection. RACE sequence offers the highest of the power levels with an emphasis on light output. TRAIL sequence offers flash mode and the more economical power levels to maximise battery life.
The R4 also features a battery save mode. When the battery life reaches a critical level the lamp will drop down into the lowest power setting and flash every 15 seconds in order to maximise the remaining battery life whilst also providing just enough light to continue with caution. At this point you should take action to either change the battery pack or return home.
The R4 lamp is available as standard with a single 2600mAh battery pack; as an ‘Endurance’ option which includes an additional battery pack allowing up to 2:30 hours in maximum power; or as an ‘Epic’ option which includes the higher capacity 5200mAh battery pack, again allowing up to 2:30 hours in maximum power but with a single battery.

There was speculation that he may join the new Belgian superteam, Quickstep-Omega Pharma, but apparently they did not have room for him. However, with their new Directeur Sportif, Brian Holm from HTC, I was hoping he would and I am pretty certain that any team would suddenly be able to punt a couple of riders for Mark and his loyal buddy Bernie Eisel!

Speaking of Bernhard Eisel, another shock is that he has moved to Sky too with Cavendish (!). As his loyal right hand man, you can see why. Eisel always looks after Mark in the leadout train but crucially also in the mountains. So maybe with Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas, Cavendish will have a pretty good leadout train. Bradley Wiggins’ nose will now truly be out of joint though surely…is anyone going to listen to his plight now? After getting hammered by his own team-mate, Froome, in the Vuelta, even though Froome continued working for him when he shouldn’t have done, he must already be feeling a little stupid.

So Sky certainly have no excuses whatsoever (if they ever did) to get some serious results in the GC and non-sprint stage wins with Joan Antonio Flecha Geraint Thomas, Chris Froome, Edvald Boassen-Hagen and even that outstanding bloke and team player Bradley Wiggins, along with green jerseys, stage wins and a World Champion in their midst. However, I always see Sky as an overly British team in many ways – the “foreigners” seem to be there in order to work for the Brits.

Am I being ridiculous as always or just reading things incorrectly? I hope so! National teams have not existed for many years and I believe it is sad to see what looks like the re-emergence of them. In addition, how long will it be before amazing riders such as Edvald Boassen-Hagen and Juan Antonio Flecha decide to move to other teams?

Edvald Boassen Hagen and Juan Antonio Flecha

Well done on your move Mark, we wish you every success with what will now be an amazing team and a great year for cycling in 2012.

However, their range has never been complete because they have not had a 120mm full suspension bike in their stable and for us, the Whyte T-120 S has always been efficient, fast and light (although its looks can be a love or hate issue unfortunately) and without rival at this price point and suspension travel. Enter the Lapierre X-Flow! I like a nice, efficient short travel bike such as the Pivot Mach 4 so this bike fits the bill for me. I tend to find the Lapierre Zesty to be too good at its job (I know that sounds insane!) and prefer a shorter travel bike for speed but with the shorter travel I have to pick my way down descents a little more. The invincibility or “get me out of jail free” card of a bigger bike such as the Zesty or my much-loved Pivot Mach 5.7 can sometimes lead me to think about work instead of the trail in front of me. I’d prefer to be on it all the time and I think that is what this bike will give me but will still flatter my (lack of) skills!

The bike is new but Lapierre have not been stupid about it – they have used the Pendbox suspension system from their downhill bike so they now it will work. In layman’s terms, this system will always push the bike into the most efficient pedalling position, no matter where it is in its travel. It also manages to be superplush over the small bumps just as a Ghost AMR is, but without that bob and annoying lack of efficiency. So the suspension action is very, very good for the amount of time I was on the bike. It is a bit disconcerting looking down, not least because you should really be looking where you are going but also because it looks (although does not feel) as though it is bobbing. However, I am pretty certain that this is the Pendbox system constantly adjusting where it is to make it more efficient.

Would I ride one??? In a heartbeat, in fact I am now definitely going to make moves to sell my Morewood Zula, good though it is and will probably buy a Lapierre X-Flow 512 with the money. Only reason is because I’m a snob and while I always tell people how white bikes are stupid, I am always drawn to them nonetheless! I think my wife prefers the Lapierre X-Flow 412. She says because she prefers the colour but she’s not stupid – she would have seen my lack of paycheck and extra cost of the one I actually want! I might just buy the Lapierre X-Flow 312 because for less than two grand, I can see this as being a fantastic value for money bike and the spec is still great. In fact, I have run Rockshox forks on my Zula and many other of my bikes over the years and do not always see them as second best to Fox. Indeed, they can often take more neglect from my experience!

Once I have our Lapierre X-Flow demo bike in store, I will update this blog with a better review. Alternatively, you can come and ride it yourself if you’re ever in Central Scotland just give us a shout

The Propedal lever is basically surplus to requirements (I still use it as habit when I’m trying to get up the road climb from Logie Kirk onto Dumyat) because of the DW Link and the design of the bike. Lots of people will tell you how amazing a single pivot is, but personally, I just don’t see the point. Yes, I know it might hurt me a little more when I have to change the pivot bearings but I really don’t care – if I’m buying a bike as expensive as this, I am truly unconcerned about an extra cost every now and then (and besides, our demo bike has taken a kicking and it’s still as good as ever – no funny noises, no hassle, even the Press Fit Bottom Bracket is still surviving, which my cynical self is very surprised at!).

So this is a big comment and we have not tried every single bike so far but this is my favourite bike I have ever ridden. A Pronghorn 150 climbs slightly better but the hassle even trying to get the hangers for them, its geometry and my fear for it dying on me puts me right off that bike. Turn the Pivot Mach 5.7 round after losing ten seconds to the guy on the Pronghorn and point it downhill however, and I would really struggle to find a better beast for the travel. Where it has excelled for me is on all the trails nearby – a fantastic mix of singletrack, dropoffs, rocky technical sections and those supersteep natural, soggy climbs we all love. It doesn’t get any better than this for the money. If you don’t want to shell out the significant amount of money on a Pivot Mach 5.7, either save up some more or simple get a Lapierre Zesty 214, 314 or 514. They are close enough if you have £1800 – £2800 rather than £3K+.

February 2012: WE HAVE UPDATED OUR SHOP TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE NEW 2012 Pivots so you can find the new Pivot Mach 5.7 2012 full bike HERE! There are lots of different builds available and we have some very nice 2011 frames with Kashima shocks available so please contact us.  You can also purchase the new Pivot Mach 5.7 carbon frame HERE and the new 2012 Pivot Mach 5.7 frame HERE (changes are the 142 X 12mm back-end and a Kashima shock).  I am still riding around on our Pivot Mach 4 and Pivot Mach 5.7 demo bikes and still adore them so no change there!

Brian Holm has been signed by Omega Pharma-Quick Step and they are no longer using Eddy Merckx, choosing Specialized instead. In addition, there are other team mates from HTC High Road moving over to Omega Pharma-Quick Step including Tony Martin.

Anyone who has seen Chasing Legends (I have seen it too frequently) will wonder why HTC High Road ever disappeared from the ProTour. This could be the closest chance yet of Mark Cavendish retaining his directeur sportif and some of his team mates. That would be magic.

At least then Bradley wouldn’t be as bitter at having both Chris Froome and Mark Cavendish moving the spotlight away from him. There are rumours however that he would be joining Sky with Bernie Eisel, who has been pretty phenomenal in dragging him up the climbs in the Tour and yet also there in the leadout train for the sprints.

The general manager of new Quick Step team say it’s rubbish – they don’t have the money and have enough riders anyhow. Not that that means anything of course!

We should finally discover who he will be riding for in the next week however. Now that he has the rainbow jersey on his shoulders, he is perhaps in a better position to negotiate a better deal for himself? Perhaps he was waiting the entire time?

Here is a picture of him after having won the World Championship Road Race in Denmark from a hell of a distance behind!!!