After being well impressed by the Lapierre Zesty 714 we tested for Issue 52, we couldn’t wait to get our hands on the new AM 727. I nabbed it before anyone else could get it dirty, and took it out for its maiden spin this afternoon. Verdict: Rock!
There’s plenty of tech in this bike… carbon monocoque mainframe, RockShox Ei electronic suspension, Reverb Stealth, 1×11 drivetrain and magic wheel size. It’s a 150mm travel trail/All Mountain/Enduro/buzzword rocket that goes up as well as it goes down.
The alloy rear triangle with its huge stays is way stiff, the Horst Link just plain works, and that’s a cool little carbon derailleur guard protecting the XO1 11 speed mech. 142×12 axle, Easton Vice XLT rims laced to X4 hubs and shod with Nobby Nics.
The dashboard for the Ei suspension; easy to set up, easy to adjust, easy to read. The control switch is on the bar just inside the shifter… I set it to Auto 3 and let it do its job, and it does.
Internal routing is de riguer on carbon frames, and keeps the mass of hoses and wires and cables pretty tidy. Burly tapered head tube, Fox Float 32s, Avid Elixir 9 Trail brakes, XO1 shifter, Race Face bar and stem. Cockpit sorted.
The battery is fairly compact and stays out of the way, but leaves no room for a bottle mount. The shock makes some cool zishy noises as it switches modes while you’re hitting bumps, so you know it’s doing something…set up your sag (I ran 30%) and ride. Big pivot bearings, big rocker link and big shock yoke add up to a beefy and precise rear end.
XO1 crankset comes with a 30 tooth ring, and the chain stays put. Like. ISCG05 tabs and direct mount derailleur capability should you wish to go multi ring up front. There’s a serious amount of carbon in the BB junction.
A trick carbon skid plate protects the Press Fit BB and rear mech cable, and prevents damage to the downtube… easy to replace if it gets garked.
Mark will give you the full rundown on the Zesty in Issue 54, if he can pry it away from me… *Edit: Nope, he can’t pry it away from me! Sorry Mark!
this bike looks like it would be screaming out for a set of Pikes/34’s ?bigist
That was one of my gripes with the 714… the 32s perform well, but a bigger fork would be welcome. Necessary? Maybe not, but welcome.
Spicy is more or less the same thing with said bigger forks…
Any idea who’s retailing Lapierre bikes in NZ?
Bikes International so if you can hang on for 6 months you can get it 1/2price
on the pictures, which is the bike’s size ?