The Lapierre eZesty AM LTD Ultimate 2019 on the trail
The sleek silhouette, the striking design of the front end with its neatly internally routed cables and the beautiful colour scheme had our test team raise a legitimate question: is the Lapierre eZesty AM LTD Ultimate “the sexiest eMTB alive”? Our unanimous answer was “Yessss”, accompanied by nodding heads.
Christoph Bayer, editor-in-chief of ENDURO Mountain Bike Magazine, came back from his first test ride on the Lapierre with a worried look on his face. He only recently reviewed the 14 best enduro bikes of 2019, and his summary was: regarding handling and trail fun, the difference between the Lapierre eZesty AM LTD Ultimate and a modern enduro bike is only marginal. The test bike resembles non-motorised mountain bikes more than any other representative of the established league of Bosch eMTBs. What does that mean for the development of classic mountain bikes?
The agile handling of the Lapierre eZesty is convincing throughout, enabling line choices that would require significantly more effort on a classic eMTB. You’ll feel right at home and very well integrated with the bike from the moment you swing a leg over. The balanced weight distribution and the agility of the eZesty are guaranteed to put a smile on your face, allowing you to play with the terrain and to manoeuver the bike through winding trails with precision – if only it weren’t for the suspension!
The performance of the rear suspension couldn’t convince our test team. Although the rear end is very sensitive and plush, it lacks the feedback and support we would have wanted for a more active riding style: the fairly linear kinematics offer little mid-stroke support, wallowing in its travel when you try to push the bike through a berm. As a result, the ride feels spongy and undefined in rough terrain: a pity, because the geometry is predestined for a lot more than the rear suspension has to offer! Tuning the shock could improve things!
Climbing, the slack seat tube angle positions the rider too far back, the rear end suffers from pedal-bob and feels wallowy on the steeper stuff. We recommend pushing the saddle as far forward as possible and also activating the climb switch on the shock. For taller riders, the effect is exacerbated by the fact that they have to extend the seat post even further, thereby slackening the effective seat tube angle.
How does the pedal assist perform in practice?
The assistance of the motor performed well! Of course, if you get on to the Lapierre directly after riding a Bosch bike, you will feel disillusioned at first – after all, the FAZUA motor is significantly less powerful.The performance of most powerful mode of the FAZUA, RocketMode, feels similar to tour mode on a Bosch motor.
With an output of up to 60 Nm of torque, the FAZUA Evation lack some power in really steep terrain and when starting in a high gear. The rev count of the motor is generally quite high, though, which compensates for the lack of torque to a degree, but compared to more powerful motors, selecting the correct gear is critical. The most efficient cadence range is between 50 to 90 rpm, we found the sweet spot to be between 70 and 80 rpm. Transitioning past the 25km/h threshold is smooth and you won’t feel like you’ve suddenly hit a wall! We can’t say the same about switching from RocketMode to Off: you’ll immediately notice how much the small motor actually helps. If you’ve ever woken up after a wild party with a pounding headache and asked yourself where your superpowers have gone, you’ll know the feeling. After sobering up for half a day – or in the case of the Lapierre eZesty, after a few minutes – you’ll have gotten used to how things are normally. Even with the motor switched off, the eZesty still rides nicely and the extra weight is barely noticeable. The eZesty will make you about 35% faster, gaining the most time on steep climbs, which also drains the battery the most, of course.
On the trails, the support of motor is predictable and never too powerful, providing good traction. The motor carries on pushing a short moment after you stop pedalling, which is perfect on the trail, as you pedal up to an obstacle, for example. The difference between the three modes is clearly noticeable and easy to select via the handlebar remote.
Anyone familiar with eMTBs knows that you can’t make a general statement about the range. Nevertheless, the question gets asked frequently. To give you a rough idea: on a test ride with a rider weight between 70 and 75 kg that included steep climbs and moderate ascents on tar and forest roads, as well as singletrack in wet, slightly muddy conditions, we managed to ride about 30 km with an elevation gain of 1000 m. If you consistently ride in BreezeMode, you’ll obviously be able to squeeze out more. On the subject of range and why you shouldn’t get hung up on the above statement, we recommend reading this article: How far can I ride with a fully charged battery? The truth about lab tests
Who is the Lapierre eZesty AM made for?
The Lapierre eZesty establishes a new category of eMTBs, slotting in between the established Bosch eMTBs and non-motorised bikes, coming dangerously close to the handling and feel of a regular mountain bike! Thus, the Lapierre is an excellent choice for mountain bikers who want to have a little bit of support on the climbs but still having an agile handling bike on the descents, as they’re used to from non-motorised Trail or Enduro bikes. Due to the natural feel of the handling, the Lapierre eZesty is bound to show up in group rides with regular bikes, such as when you’re not fit enough to keep up with your buddies or simply don’t feel like breaking a sweat. Thanks to the removable battery you get two bikes in one.
Another target group is the riders who currently own a Bosch/Shimano eMTB and predominantly ride in Eco or Tour mode – according to our reader poll last year that’s the majority of our readership – looking for a lighter bike. While the Lapierre is anything but light on the scales, its sensible and heavy-duty build bringing it to 18.4 kg, it feels much lighter on the trail!
Conclusion
With the Lapierre eZesty AM LTD Ultimate, the French brand has created a groundbreaking bike, ushering in a new category of lightweight eMTBs. Even though the eZesty is heavier than expected at 18.4 kg, this is not reflected in its performance on the trail – on the contrary, it is much more agile than any eMTB in the Bosh league, not far off the performance of a non-motorised trail or enduro bike! The FAZUA concept works well, but the performance of the rear suspension and the slack seat tube angle cloud the overall impression. With a different shock or shock setup, the performance should improve significantly. You’ll have to wait for the upcoming issue to find out how the Lapierre fares against the most exciting and best eMTBs of 2019.
More information at: lapierrebikes.com
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