Lapierre Zesty Trail 429 (2014)

Top trail bike from one of Europe's best brands

Pros

- General ride and trail manners
- E:i electronic shock

Cons

- Tad heavy

Review

Lapierre are pushing hard into the US market and it is bikes like the trail orientated Zesty that are helping create a name for the brand. This model is the better specced alloy version and contrary to the actual bike, the one I rode used a standard Fox rear shock instead of the E:i electronic system.

The frame has a link on the chainstay forward of the dropout and it is this "Horst" link which gives the Zesty its smooth plush riding characteristics. With a short stem and such a soaking ride you could be forgiven for thinking there is more travel than 120mm, although that is probably to do with the 29" wheels as well. The Zesty is more than capable of handling the roughest trails you could throw at it.

The bike I rode had a standard Fox rear shock, not the E:i system. I also rode the E:i on another Lapierre and actually think it is better suited to this type of bike. The shock's ability to automatically adjust to the trail and pedaling input is like driving an automatic car: just point and shoot. Thankfully the Zesty's from this model up come with E:i as standard. A real bonus!

All the other components are fairly standard trail bike fair and are functional, reliable and help save on cost. The drawback to this, and the alloy frame, is that I found the Zesty felt quite heavy on some of the climbs and pinches I rode over. At 13kg this is a fairly typical weight for a bike of this calibre, but I couldn't help but feel it was a little sluggish at times. The carbon models lose about 1.5kg so if you want a lighter, better accelerating bike perhaps this is the ticket.

Overall though, what a great mid range trail bike. The E:i system can be set up a bit firmer to quicken it up a bit, but regardless this bike is a great choice, with cutting edge technology and new brand cred!