Lapierre is the longtime bike supplier to the French FDJ cycling team, and this frame – with different kit – is the same their riders use on mountain stages. It has a claimed frame weight of just 850g and features a massive BB86 bottom bracket shell, while the fork has a muscular crown that segues seamlessly into the tapered head tube. The inset front brake adds to the beefy, purposeful look.
Pro-rider design input
The design is partly the result of collaboration with FDJ riders, who provide feedback to the company’s engineers. “They’re here to understand the riders’ needs,” Lapierre’s lead engineer Rémi Gribaudo told us. “The level of feedback is very high. Good or bad, it can turn into a request and we have to take everything seriously.”
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The Lapierre’s unique frame configuration works wonders in the comfort stakes
So Lapierre has taken the needs of pro riders into account, but what does that mean for the rest of us? Quite a lot, it would seem, as FDJ’s riders appear to have surprisingly similar requirements for their bikes.
On the road the Xelius is an absolute revelation. We expected light, of course; we expected stiff, too. But we didn’t expect so much suppleness, or the sort of spring at the back that you’d expect from a high-quality titanium or steel frame.
Frame junction wizardry delivers outstanding comfort
You can read more at BikeRadar.com
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