Dans 2011 Lapierre Zesty Kashima upgrade

Dan Dare

little did I know when I bought my Spesh Hardrock in August 2009 just how much I would enjoy mountain biking, but it really has become a big part of my life. My Hardrock has served me well, I've learned so much this last year both about riding and bike maintenance, plus I've had my fair share of near misses and of course crashes and injuries Anyway, I've been looking at full suspension bikes for ages now, always liked the look of the Lapierre Zesty so yesterday I decided to go over to Twelve50 bikes in Frodsham to take a look at a 2011 314. I wasn't disappointed, so much so that even though I wasn't planning on getting one just yet, I bought it!!



The first addition, an essential one really seeing as it doesn't come with pedals, was a set of Wellgo MG-1's in white.

Here's a few more pics






I'm currently recovering from my latest 'over the bars' incident so I didn't chance taking it anywhere too big today but I did manage a gentle 17 miles around my local loop which is mostly Trans Penine Trail, so not really a proper test for the all mountain machine but I did got some mud on it at least



I've swapped over the Neoguard and the wireless Cateye trip computer from my Hardrock but other than that the Zesty will be staying as it is....for now!

My only concern so far is the Conti RaceKing on the rear, it felt rather squirmy in the mud today and not very confidence inspiring! I may give it a go at Llandegla though as it will probably be quite good on the hardpack there.

Spec list:
Frame : ZESTY 314 Alloy 7005 SL OST 140mm
Shock absorber : FOX Float R 200x57
Fork : FOX 32 FRL Open Bath 140 White
Headset : Alu S-Integrated Cartridge Tapered
Bottom Bracket : Shimano Integrated bearings BB SMBB7141A
Crankset : SHIMANO SLX 10S 24x32x42 175mm
Stem : LAPIERRE XM 31.8x80mm
Seatpost : LAPIERRE Pro Light 31.6x350
Handlesbars : LAPIERRE Rizer Pro 30x680 2011
Front derailleur : SHIMANO SLX 10S FDM66010E6X
Rear derailleur : SHIMANO XT RDM773SGS 10S
Brakes : FORMULA RX 180mm White/Red
Shifters : SHIMANO SLX 3x10S
Saddle : FIZIK Goby XM White/Grey
Wheel : FULCRUM Red Metal 5
Sprocket : Shimano HG81 11x36 10S
Tires : CONTINENTAL Mtn. King 2.40/Race King 2.20
Pedals : Wellgo MG-1

jonnyc2420

sweeeet dude ! 8)

andy46

really nice bike 8)

Ben - B

Lovely bike mate, I liked your spesh too. Good luck hope you enjoy it

Anonymous

Nice, very nice. Definitely a upgrade from your Hardrock.

Bred2shred

Very nice bike mate and very jealous as i feel i'll be in a similar position in the new year and looking to go full bouncy. Think that is a little out of my price range though.

Baggyman

Nice 1 Great looking bike, great upgrade from a Hardrock. Enjoyed ready your tales of owning the Hardrock, Hope to read more tales about Zesty 314.

kopite1979

NICE bike!
I was in Twelve50 last week eyeing it up but sensibly decided mine will do for a while.
I know what you mean about the tyres, changed both of mine and never looked back.
Nice to see Lapierre have changed the choice of saddle, that a Fizik? and is it comfy?

Dan Dare

Cheers for the comments, I've been using it on my commute this week and I've been looking for stuff to ride over and jump off all the way Hopefully I'll get to Llandegla this weekend and give it a proper run out

kopite1979 wrote:

Nice to see Lapierre have changed the choice of saddle, that a Fizik? and is it comfy?

Yes it's a Fizik seat. I did 17 miles on it on Sunday and I have to say it didn't seem as comfortable as the Charge Spoon on my Spesh, but I must be getting used to it now as I haven't noticed it on my commute . I'll give it a chance but if I still don't like it after a while I'll get another Spoon (maybe the Ti to keep the weight down).

msp1

What a great bike. I too have just moved up from a Hardrock to a Zesty 314 and the bike has been great going round Afan.

How has the front Mountain Kingt tyre coped with tarmac and concrete on your commute?
I completely lost the front last weekend riding on some wet concrete at walking pace, front just slid away (wet because it had rained, not just been mixed :roll: )

It's been OK on the trails, just a couple of scary moments where the front has let go briefly. Running front and rear at 40psi.

Dan Dare

msp1 wrote:

What a great bike. I too have just moved up from a Hardrock to a Zesty 314 and the bike has been great going round Afan.

How has the front Mountain Kingt tyre coped with tarmac and concrete on your commute?
I completely lost the front last weekend riding on some wet concrete at walking pace, front just slid away (wet because it had rained, not just been mixed :roll: )

It's been OK on the trails, just a couple of scary moments where the front has let go briefly. Running front and rear at 40psi.

It's funny you should mention the Mountain King, I had a scary moment riding home this evening. It's been wet all day here and I was turning off the road onto a cycle path over those yellow coloured ribbed paving stones when the front end just slipped like it had hit oil :shock: It found traction again before washing out completely but I'll be watching it in the wet now for sure! I also run at around 40psi front and rear.

andy46

i found mountain kings the same in the wet on my spark, you've got to keep your wits about you

Thewaylander

Good, bike was one of my options, brilliant all day long range machine.

Thewaylander

Good, bike was one of my options, brilliant all day long range machine.

legin

they do make nice looking bikes.i demoed one and was very impressed it felt indestructable i was flatlining everything to see how it stood up and it just came through the other end begging for more.

getonyourbike

Lovely bike, looks really slick.

Ben - B

Started spending money on her yet?

Hoppy2069

I've had a similar experience over the Zesty! Popped into a local shop and came out with the 314. I have a Marin Wolfridge and have been really pleased with it but after riding the Zesty I had to get it. Hope you get on well with your one, I'm taking a week off work next week so that I can get out on mine.

Steve_b77

Nice looking bike there.

MK's & RK's are defo very dry weather tyres. Try something like a pair of advantage or Nobby Nics and you'll notice a huge difference.

Thewaylander

Nobby's cry as soon as they see roots or rocks or a light shower,

with a 160mm 2.35" tyres i would say I like the Blue Grooves from Kenda.

But most of my mates ride maxxis High Rollers ont he rear and a Minion up the front?

tangoman19

I bought the '10 version in the sales.

Now I can't really bleat on as I'm only 6 months into taking it serious but I've found a Panaracer xc fire pro 2.1 on the back and an Maxxis ADvantage 2.1 on the front to work wonders for my riding on trails, especially now they're becoming sludgier and wet. They're much much better on wet tarmac too, although not as fast, but that just means this fat lad will shed a bit more weight.

Dan Dare

Thanks for the replies. Regarding tyres I think I'm going to go for a High Roller on the rear and leave the MK up front for now. I know I said I'd give the race king a chance but I've decided I'll probably swap it over now before I go to Llandegla on Saturday

Steve_b77

Dan Dare wrote:

Thanks for the replies. Regarding tyres I think I'm going to go for a High Roller on the rear and leave the MK up front for now. I know I said I'd give the race king a chance but I've decided I'll probably swap it over now before I go to Llandegla on Saturday

If you're going to 'degla the tyre combo is about right.

A Highroller on the back isn't a great idea to be honest, if you insist on using one get it on the front.

Nic's require the right pressure, get that right and they're great tyres, very fast but also grippy

Dan Dare

Fair enough I'll leave it for now and look into it more before deciding what to go for. And then I'll probably change my mind again.

baba123

put the mk on the back and a rubber queen on the front but get the black chili version of the rubber queen
been riding those tyres for 2 months and haven't had the front slip once

Dan Dare

Well the tyre combo performed really well on the harpack at Llandegla on Saturday. It did feel a little sketchy on the rock section on Parallel Universe and towards the end on the short muddy descent! I faced my demons at JJ's jumps after falling the last time out on my Hardrock, and I really enjoyed the run this time I also conquered the only hill I usually have to get off and push up, the Zesty really is a pleasure to ride 8)

Couple of pics from Saturday




Since then I've invested in some 'Bike Shield', I bought the full bike pack but I cut the pieces to fit the parts I wanted to cover. Here is the rear end which is where I put most of the protection, and a close up too.

Thewaylander

Steve_b77 wrote:

Dan Dare wrote:

Thanks for the replies. Regarding tyres I think I'm going to go for a High Roller on the rear and leave the MK up front for now. I know I said I'd give the race king a chance but I've decided I'll probably swap it over now before I go to Llandegla on Saturday

If you're going to 'degla the tyre combo is about right.

A Highroller on the back isn't a great idea to be honest, if you insist on using one get it on the front.

Nic's require the right pressure, get that right and they're great tyres, very fast but also grippy

Rollers on the front? Wierdo lol(teasing by the way)

High rollers have large amounts of edge grip which means they tend to slide a little bfore they bite, so you put it on the rear so you can break it away in corners if you need, slight wash on the front isn't so comfortble, so there thats why people use the minion which has more consistant levels across the tyre.

And NN maybe ok on a bit of grass or dirt, but no one i know will use them if you see a root or a rock on the track. There far more XC race tyres than grippy trail tyres.

j96_2

This is sexy!!

Dan Dare

j96_2 wrote:

This is sexy!!

Cheers

I went for a Maxxis ADvantage on the rear in the end. It coped well in a very muddy Peak District today!

j96_2

Awesome

Devastazione

Excellent choice to give the frame an extra cover !! I did the same on my 714.
You guys in the UK are lucky,you've got some serious mud..... :shock: