Lapierre 714 or Trek Fuel 9 We need a winner!

wordy1979
wordy1979 Posts: 96
edited June 2010 in MTB general
Hi all, which bike do you think is the better bike and why? Look forward to the mixed opinions. Let the battle comense. :D
YOU ONLY GET ONE LIFE. . . . LIVE IT!
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Comments

  • mkf
    mkf Posts: 242
    i like the Lapierre 714 but i dont think i''d take the chance with all the bad press and frame snapping stories so out of the two its the trek for me
  • allthegearnoidea
    allthegearnoidea Posts: 4,077
    lapierre for me! the 714 is Stunning!
    the stories of the issues are So small scale in comparison to the amount sold! and had been confined to a small batch,

    Loads of trek's out and about and very few lapierre's seen, so another plus for the lappy!
    Timmo.
    After all, I am Cornish!
    http://cornwallmtb.kk5.org/
    Cotic Soul, The bike of Legends!:wink: Yes, I Am a bike tart!
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  • ExeterSimon
    ExeterSimon Posts: 830
    Neither.

    Bike of the year is such a waste of time once criteria are set (price range, full suss, etc).

    They should either do it by category (which WMB do anyway towards the back of each issue) or just do a massive review issue and let the reader decide.
    Whyte 905 (2009)
    Trek 1.5 (2009)
    Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Comp (2007)
  • bike-a-swan
    bike-a-swan Posts: 1,235
    Not really comparable on price, are they? The 714 is a damn sight more expensive than the 9. Unless you mean the 9.0, or whatever the first carbon Trek is these days.
    Rock Lobster 853, Trek 1200 and a very old, tired and loved Apollo Javelin.
  • thel33ter
    thel33ter Posts: 2,684
    Lapierre. It looks much nicer, but can't comment on the ride as I haven't ridden either.
    And now you know, and knowing is half the battle
    05 Spesh Enduro Expert
    05 Trek 1000 Custom build
    Speedily Singular Thingy
  • popstar
    popstar Posts: 1,392
    Pointless thread, ...
    What could have been (Video)

    I'll choose not put too much stake into someone's opinion who is admittingly terrible though
  • baba123
    baba123 Posts: 235
    ones carbon ones aluminium ones £3500 ones £2500
    Lapierre zesty 714 vs Trek Fuel ex 9.8 would have been better
    mongoose amasa elite 08
    giant anthem x4 10
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    allthegearnoidea wrote:
    lapierre for me! the 714 is Stunning!
    the stories of the issues are So small scale in comparison to the amount sold! and had been confined to a small batch,

    Loads of trek's out and about and very few lapierre's seen, so another plus for the lappy!
    You do realise you're contradicting yourself here right?
  • stayhigh65
    stayhigh65 Posts: 611
    popstar wrote:
    Pointless thread, ...

    Pointless post... :roll: :lol:
    Wow great ship man. Looks like a fish, flies like a fish, steers like a cow.

    HECKLER
    exercise.png
  • GHill
    GHill Posts: 2,402
    Fuel Ex 9 or Top Fuel 9? Very different bikes.
  • richg1979
    richg1979 Posts: 1,087
    you dont see that many lapierres and the ones you do see are usually being pushed as there snapped or brand spanking new as theyve just had a new frame under warranty.

    i wouldnt choose either but deffo the trek if i had no other choice.
  • M6TTF
    M6TTF Posts: 602
    Trek downtubes pick up more dents than a car door in tescos carpark (if you ride in rocky areas) mines flat on the bottom these days!
  • popstar
    popstar Posts: 1,392
    richg1979 wrote:
    you dont see that many lapierres and the ones you do see are usually being pushed as there snapped or brand spanking new as theyve just had a new frame under warranty.

    i wouldnt choose either but deffo the trek if i had no other choice.

    Riding a zesty, and cause of character of the bike ... crashed in a month more than I did on my previous Rockhopper during whole Autumn-Winter season. I weight at around 100+ kg or 16st with camelback and take any opportunity of air, yet no cracks appeared on me bike, so take those reports of cracked frame with a pinch of salt. Think some people are on a mission to create hysteria so they could finally get hold on to them. It's very easy to create different account names and go shouting on number of forums. Got many hits on downtube from deflected stones and no dents there, surprisingly it's been helipaded* from factory.

    From other point, Fuel Ex is a good bike too.
    What could have been (Video)

    I'll choose not put too much stake into someone's opinion who is admittingly terrible though
  • Mccraque
    Mccraque Posts: 819
    I batter my zesty. Has a few chips to the paint but 1year in and the frame is holding up pretty well....
  • Nalla
    Nalla Posts: 87
    Im 16 and a half stone, have no finesse at all and fall off quite frequently. My bodies a bit battered but so far my Zesty is fine!
  • richg1979
    richg1979 Posts: 1,087
    perhaps its just the 2010 ones that are total garbage then.
  • starbuck310
    starbuck310 Posts: 18
    + 1 for 2010 714 Zesty. Great fast relentless bike up and down. New, tyres, chain and pads only.

    regularly been to all the South Wales trail centers since Jan and works fine. Completed Builth Wells marathon. Only 12 stone though :) snarf
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    I'm well aware that more frames are fine than fail. However, I've seen, as well as heard and read about more of them failing than I cam comfortable with. There are several bikes which I've never heard of failures on, even by word of mouth.
  • popstar
    popstar Posts: 1,392
    Well, compared to cars ... those who buy Ferrari's don't count pennies for maintenance. It's all about wow factor! Zesty all the way!
    What could have been (Video)

    I'll choose not put too much stake into someone's opinion who is admittingly terrible though
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    maintenance is not the same as failures though. I bet you could count on one hand the number of Ferraris which had manufacturing defects. They're held in high regard for a reason.
  • popstar
    popstar Posts: 1,392
    Riding a Zesty is wow factor, even you have to admit ... they are that good. :shock:
    What could have been (Video)

    I'll choose not put too much stake into someone's opinion who is admittingly terrible though
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    From the quick test ride I've had on one, it just struck me as just another FSR bike. Nothing outstanding.
  • bails87
    bails87 Posts: 12,998
    yeehaamcgee wrote:
    From the quick test ride I've had on one, it just struck me as just another FSR bike. Nothing outstanding.

    Do they use the Spesh style FSR suspension then?

    And I rode a 514, found it quite boring tbh!
    MTB/CX

    "As I said last time, it won't happen again."
  • bike-a-swan
    bike-a-swan Posts: 1,235
    Horst link, so yeah. I had one on demo back when they first came over here and thought it was a fantastic bike, nearly bought one. Upgraded the ht and spent the rest on kit and trips in the end though. Ridden a friends a few times since, and always found it a great 'fun' bike to ride.
    Rock Lobster 853, Trek 1200 and a very old, tired and loved Apollo Javelin.
  • starbuck310
    starbuck310 Posts: 18
    Take a Zesty to Brechfa Afan or Cyb for the day and I think you fill find it a fast and relentless bike with trail manners to match.

    Zesty has the same Horst link suspension as Stumpy and if you look closely very similar geometry except the Zesty has a longer chain stay length so is faster and more stable down hill. Now X Stumpy owner now. Stumpy is a great trail bike but is tame in comparison to the Zesty. It was a toss up for me between new Stumpy and Zesty - I went Zesty.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    So what else did you compare it to? Any non fsr-designs?
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    It is technically a Horst link, but that pivot drops a lot lower like on the old GT LTS - this gives it slightly more antisquat so is less likely to bob than a standard FSR.
    GT ZASKAR CARBON TEAM

    VOODOO CANZO

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  • bails87
    bails87 Posts: 12,998
    supersonic wrote:
    It is technically a Horst link, but that pivot drops a lot lower like on the old GT LTS - this gives it slightly more antisquat so is less likely to bob than a standard FSR.

    This is where I get lost :lol:
    MTB/CX

    "As I said last time, it won't happen again."
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    Basically the axle path and virtual pivot points are different to a typical FSR.
    GT ZASKAR CARBON TEAM

    VOODOO CANZO

    Come and see me at https://www.facebook.com/biketyke/
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Well, basically there's only a handful of designs that are being used, and even less than that which work. I'm not at all convinced that any of the ABP-like designs offer anything that the fsr doesn't, it's just a means of avoiding patent issues.
    Have to give GT plenty of respect for doing something completely different with their I-drive system.

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