2013 Lapierre Spicy 516

Tom Barton

Ok - so tragically my trusty steed of 4 years and the best bike I've ever owned went to the LBS to have all its frame bearing done. To my horror, when the guys went to do the work on taking the crank set off there was a lovely crack on the bottom bracket tube - And thus, one warranty replacement later, the Spicy has been reborn!!

So 2 months between hotlines, ordering new shiny stuff and the shop to put it all together for me and here we are:

Spicy version 1 (2009 with extensive upgrades and part replacements)



Spicy version 2 (err like a stock 516 except nearly all the parts are better!!)













Specs:

Frame - Lapierre Spicy 516 2013
Fork - Marzocchi 55 Microswitch Ta Tapered (130 -160mm)
Shock - 2009 Fox RP2 High volume (awaiting the reported CCDB Air with climb switch to come out)
Headset - Hope
BB - Shimano pressfit
Wheelset - Hope Pro 2 evos on Mavic Ex721 (rear thru axle)
Tyres - Hans Dampf 2.35 (trailstar front - pacestar rear) - set up tubeless
Stem - Hope FR 50mm 0 rise
Bars - Easton Havoc carbon 750mm
Grips - Peaty grey
Seat Post - Reverb stealth remote (mounted under left side of bar) - Hope collar
Brakes - XTR trail (203 & 180 XT icetech rotors)
Crankset - XT 24-38
Front derailuer - XT
Rear derailuer - XTR shadow plus
Cassette - XT
Chain - XT
Pedals - Superstar Nanos
Saddle - WTB Vigo (still deciding on something flasher/comfier)...


Hope you like it. Just going to go out now and get some dust on it and dial in the forks!!

Thewaylander

Give me your forks :P

Barrelmaker

Howdy. Do you rate the 55's? I'm on the look out for a new pair of new forks and Marzocchi has crept up.

Tom Barton

Hi barrelmaker. Only had my first ride today - a spin on afan's y wal trail.

Not that many objective reviews out there compared to the offerings from fox and rock shox but what i did read had me very interested. One review directly compared the 55 microswitch against a fox 36 ctd and a lyrik. The marz is the heaviest by a couple hundred grams but the suspension performance was waaay better.

After this morning i'm exceedingly impressed. Astonishly smooth and plush out of the box. When you do the 'show room fork test' they feel a touch notchy perhaps but on the trail (where it counts) they just make everything flat! Travel adjust is very crisp and does not affect the quality of travel when at 130mm and the ability set different compression settings and flick them on or off with a switch gives plenty of options for stiffer climbing settings - different terrains or even pretty much locking the fork out. Some ppl have apparently had trouble dialling in the fork to their needs but i had it after 2 descents. Very plush - as close to a coil as ive ever felt in an air fork. Made the final descent much faster as the bike clearly carried speed better through the chatter compared to my old talas 36. I couldnt feel any difference in stiffness. Reliabilty i guess time will tell but reviews are favorable - marzocchi have apparently banished their plaguing problems with the older ata forks from a few years back. And servicing is better than fox but not quite as lengthy as rock shox for intervals.

My rp2 shock which always felt better than the talas now feels like the weak link in my setup and im saving for a ccdb air.

Like i said - only had one ride but thus far living up to my high expectations

Barrelmaker

Thanks for the comprehensive reply! Definitely given me something to think about. You said about the weight but does the bike still feel balanced?

Tom Barton

You wouldnt know they are carrying a bit extra weight no. The whole bike feels very spritely overall and picks up speed fast. Downhill speed is increased thanks to the sus performance.

I think the lyriks are the lightest though if your counting weight (still an excellent fork). I actually wrote fox off because of the very mixed but generally negative reviews of the 2013 ctd damper.