The original Aircode was in Lapierre’s range for a mere season and a half, so it was a bit of a surprise to see a new model appear quite so rapidly. But having gleaned knowledge from other projects such as its new Xelius SL lightweight climber’s bike, the French outfit’s design team saw fit to revisit its aero-optimised frame and drop in a few improvements.
Super light and sharp looking
The SL in the name refers to ‘super light’, and Lapierre reckons it has trimmed 20g from the fork and a significant 20 per cent from the frame, while claiming to have maintained the same frame stiffness and ride quality. Its designers achieved this by changing the carbon construction of the frame, mixing in different modulus fibres.
The most obvious aerodynamic features are the Kamm tail profile tubing (contours smoothly then continues to a tail) and the direct-mount front brake set into the fork crown. The cabling uses pretty standard internal routing, which isn’t as aerodynamic as that on some aero road bikes, but would have been designed to make life easier for the FDJ team mechanics.
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The direct-mount Ultegra brake integrated in the fork aids its aerodynamics
The finish is very striking, the sharp-looking FDJ graphics further enhanced by the radical frame shape. It’s certainly going to stand out in a crowded market.
Poised performer
You can read more at BikeRadar.com
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