2023 Lapierre eZesty AM LTD light e-mountainbike – The resurrection of the light (e-mountainbike)

Lapierre were the first to jump on the light eMTB wagon in 2019, when they launched the first iteration of the eZesty. Almost four years on, the French manufacturer has breathed new life into the concept. The re-imagined eZesty sticks with FAZUA propulsion, but relies on their new Ride 60 motor, coupled with 140 mm of suspension travel to convert all the light eMTB sceptics out there. Read on to find out if this new model has restored our faith in Lapierre.

The Camino de Santiago passes right through Dijon, a hell of a place for a bike brand to put down roots. Where else would Lapierre find so many pilgrims to convert to the light eMTB faith? The French manufacturer has been building bikes in Burgundy’s capital since 1946, and also created their very first light e-mountainbike here, making Dijon the symbolic birthplace of the genre. The bike that started it all was baptised the Lapierre eZesty AM LTD Ultimate, and came equipped with the original FAZUA Ride 50 motor. The concept of the first FAZUA motor was to combine two bikes into one, allowing you to remove both the battery and motor from the frame as a single unit and use the bike analogue when you wanted to. However, with the latest iteration of the eZesty, that’s not possible anymore. The new 2023 Lapierre eZesty AM LTD flagship model tips the scales at 18 kg in size M and retails for € 8,699. What is Lapierre’s carbon light eMTB capable of, and how does it fare on the hallowed ground of the trail?

The Lapierre eZesty AM LTD in detail – a look under the cassock

The frame of the Lapierre eZesty looks as if it has been cast from a single mould, with continuous flowing lines. It relies on a four-bar linkage rear suspension system, with a floating shock which is positioned deep inside the frame, slicing through the seat tube. As with its predecessor, the eZesty boasts a straight down tube, curling into the Ride 60’s distinctive hockey stick shape down by the motor. Both the main frame and swingarm are made of carbon, because according to Leviticus 19:19, “you shall not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material”.

Although the new 2023 Lapierre eZesty AM LTD is only available in pastel green, the finish is pretty cool and suits the bike very well. The motor components are neatly integrated into the frame, making the eZesty one of the best-integrated FAZUA bikes – not even the motor bolts are visible!

The 430 Wh battery is permanently integrated into the frame, and the charging port sits on the down tube, just below the bottle cage. Coupled with the offset charging plug, it’s very easy to plug in the cable without the shock or water bottle getting in the way.
The bottle cage is cleverly positioned and easy to reach, ensuring quick access to your wine bottle when cruising through the desert for 40 days to reach the promised land of milk and honey. Unfortunately, the top tube doesn’t have any additional mounting points for a tool strap or a second bottle cage, although there would be enough room for at least two more bosses.
All cables and hoses of Lapierre’s light eMTB are routed internally, running out of sight through the head tube. Although the chainstay protector is rather small and only covers the top side of the chainstay, the eZesty is pretty quiet. In the long run, however, it’s worth complementing the chainstay protector with a generous portion of mastic tape.

The shuttle guard at the upper section of the down tube is meant to protect the frame from scuffing when you throw the bike on the back of a pick-up truck. Given that the guard fell off our test bike before we even finished putting it together, we doubt it will stand up particularly well to any serious abuse. The guard is glued to the frame, but the glue didn’t seem to want to stick to the rough matt finish.

The spec variants of the 2023 Lapierre eZesty AM – It doesn’t take much to be happy

With the new eZesty, Lapierre don’t exactly spoil you for choice, offering just two models and preventing you from indulging in the deadly sin of gluttony. You can choose from either the eZesty AM 9.4 or the AM LTD, which retail for € 7,599 and € 8,699 respectively. We tested both models, which both come equipped with a Shimano drivetrain and brakes. The eZesty 9.4 pairs a solidly-performing XT rear derailleur with a solid steel DEORE cassette with matching chain. Braking is taken care of by Shimano SLX brakes, which are slightly heavier than their XT counterpart but deliver the same excellent performance on the trail. RockShox supply the suspension, consisting of a Lyrik Select+ Charger 3 fork and matching the Super Deluxe Select+ shock. At 150 mm, the eZesty 9.4 generates 10 more millilitres of front travel than the LTD variant. Of course, this also alters the geometry of the bike, slackening out both the head and seat tube angle by half a degree. The shock only offers two adjustment options, combining a rebound dial and climb switch. Moreover, the positioning of the shock makes it hard to read the sag. despite the helpful markings on the shaft. For the cheaper AM 9.4, Lapierre rely on their in-house components both for the 780 mm handlebars and 29″ alloy wheelset.

The Lapierre eZesty AM LTD comes equipped with a Shimano XT rear derailleur and matching XT cassette, paired with a cheaper SLX chain. Shimano XT brakes with 200 mm rotors front and rear ensure powerful and reliable deceleration. The suspension of the eZesty AM LTD consists of a 140 mm RockShox Pike Ultimate fork with Charger 3 damper and matching Rockshox Super Deluxe Ultimate shock. The shock features externally adjustable compression and rebound settings as well as a climb switch. Furthermore, the flagship LTD model relies on a carbon wheelset and 800 mm Renthal carbon handlebars.
While the cheaper variant with alloy components has more travel upfront and a slightly more aggressive geometry, thus suggesting a more downhill-oriented character, the high-end LTD variant weighs one kilogram less (manufacturer’s specifications) and allows you to fine tune your ride thanks to its high-end suspension.

The geometry of the 2023 Lapierre eZesty AM LTD

Lapierre don’t discriminate on size. As a result, the eZesty is available in four sizes, S to XL, offering a suitable option for anyone between 1.50 m and (well over) 1.85m. Overall, the sizing is on the conservative side, verging on small, with reach values exceeding the 500 mm mark by just 5 mm on the biggest XL frame. The 65° head angle is neither too slack nor overly steep, and paired with a moderate 77° seat tube angle. The bike has a flip chip in the shock mount, allowing you to convert it to a mullet bike with a smaller 27.5” rear wheel and bigger 29” wheel at the front, while maintaining the same angles. Furthermore, there’s one feature that’s unusual for eMTBs: the chainstay length grows with the frame sizes, increasing from 435 mm (S and M) to 440 mm (L) and 445 mm in the biggest XL size, which is meant to ensure consistent handling across all sizes.

Size	S	M	L	XL
Top tube	576 mm	603 mm	625 mm	652 mm
Seat tube	370 mm	400 mm	430 mm	460 mm
Head tube	110 mm	120 mm	130 mm	140 mm
Head angle	65°	65°	65°	65°
Seat angle	77°	77°	77°	77°
BB Drop	30 mm	30 mm	30 mm	30 mm
Chainstay	435 mm	435 mm	440 mm	445 mm
Wheelbase	1188 mm	1217 mm	1246 mm	1280 mm
Reach	435 mm	465 mm	480 mm	505 mm
Stack	610 mm	619 mm	628 mm	637 mm

The ten commandments of the Lapierre eZesty, the precursor of the light eMTB.

After clocking the first few laps with new 2023 eZesty, we had an epiphany and realised that we’d been led astray, wandering off the path onto enticing trails. Forgive us Lapierre for sinning in your absence, violating the 10 Commandments of the light eMTB bible:

First commandment:

Thou shalt not weigh over 20 kg.

Second commandment:

Thou shalt not hurt my eyes with an oversized down tube and a big motor-bulge in the bottom bracket area.

Third commandment:

Thou shalt not rely on the motor to push you up the mountain and put in some work yourself, or you’ll never reach the lush trail gardens of heaven.

Fourth commandment:

Thou shalt not feel like a heavy e-mountainbike or you’ll fail to honour the Messiah of light eMTBs!

Fifth commandment:

As a triune God, I appear in different forms, so the eZesty shalt pedal like an analogue bike and ride like a light eMTB. If you want the Lord to assist you with extra power, you shalt press the remote button for two seconds, and I will appear in the shape of a 450 watts power boost for up to 12 seconds. In my third form, I’m a full-power eMTB.

Commandments 6 to 10:

Praise me by having fun on the trail and rejoicing louder than your freewheel.

Our riding impression for the 2023 Lapierre eZesty AM LTD – Modern day trail sal(i)vation??

The neat motor integration is a gift that just keeps on giving, even while riding. The motor works discreetly and quietly in the background, which is impressive considering the amount of power the FAZUA Ride 60 churns out. However, it’s hard to tell whether this is due to Lapierre’s mind-boggling integration game or FAZUA’s manufacturing tolerances. When you first swing your leg over the saddle, the eZesty feels rather long, placing you in a stretched pedalling position with a fair amount of pressure on your hands. While this can get tiring over long distances on level ground, it has its perks uphill. All in all, Lapierre’s FAZUA eMTB delivers a very decent climbing performance, with the pressure on your hands easing off as the gradient increases, instead helping improve traction on the front wheel.
Although the FAZUA Ride 60 doesn’t push as hard as the Bosch CX or Shimano EP8, the assistance is clearly noticeable – and prevented us from drowning in a bath of sweat during our testing sessions at 30ºC. If you need more power, simply follow the fifth commandment and activate Boost mode via the Ring Remote, which delivers 450 W maximum output for 12 seconds while riding, and 4 seconds from a standstill.

When gravity takes over, the eZesty doesn’t feel as heavy as your typical e-mountainbike, implementing steering input willingly and playfully, allowing you to flick the rear end from one side to another like a gospel singer that moves to the music while clapping their hands. The eZesty likes to be thrown from one corner into the next and doesn’t mind popping off ledges and natural kickers from time to time. While at 18 kg, it’s significantly lighter than a full fat eMTB, the motor packs a punch, making a real difference when it really matters. On loose terrain and in open corners, you’ll have to actively weight the front wheel to keep it tracking. This is partly due to the fact that the rear suspension tends to rush through its travel, offering little support and moving the centre of gravity backwards, unweighing the front wheel in the process. As a logical consequence, the rear suspension isn’t too fond of botched landings either, quickly blowing through its travel if you get too excited. A volume spacer or two in the shock to improve progression might help here. On relatively smooth, fast straights, the Lapierre knows how to impress, swallowing up the bumps along the way.

Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy Lapierre Kingdom come.
Thy will be done, with analogue bikes as it is with light eMTBs.
Give us this day, our daily kilometres,
And forgive us our tired legs, as we forgive those who hate ebikes.
And lead us not into temptation with your 85 Nm motors, but deliver us from evil kilograms.
For thine is the light kingdom, the e-power and the glory of eternal trail loaminess,
Amen.

Who should consider becoming a Lapierre eZesty AM LTD disciple, and who should continue their quest?

The eZesty took a bit longer than three days to come back from the dead – just over three years, actually. However, the wait was worth it, because Lapierre’s comeback is a real success. The latest descendant of the eZesty is a worthy successor to Lapiere’s original light eMTB, providing a tempting offering for FAZUA fans – provided your local mountain isn’t too gnarly or excessively rocky. Overall, the eZesty comes to life with fast direction changes and feels at home on narrow trails with fast straights. However, if you tend to ride on rougher terrain, or like a bit of airtime from time to time, you’re better off continuing your search.

Our conclusions about the 2023 Lapierre eZesty AM LTD

With the new 2023 eZesty, Lapierre waved goodbye to the 2 in 1 concept of its predecessor, showing off some next-level integration in the process. Despite using a different concept, the eZesty’s resurrection is a success, delivering a solid trail performance, provided you don’t demand too much from the bike. On rough trails, the rear suspension releases its travel too eagerly, quickly reaching its limits with hard impacts. While the Lapierre might not part the ocean, it will definitely split the e-bike community, coming to life on narrow trails with its playful character. Amen.

For more info, visit lapierrebikes.com

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Words: Julian Schwede, Rudolf Fischer Photos: Julian Schwede