For a long time, e-bikes were considered unsporty by young mountain bikers and were a no-go. For a few years now, the boys have been switching from MTBs to e-bikes. In recent years, they have become stronger and stronger but also heavier and heavier. Now Lapierre delivers the lightest E-MTB in the world, which is aimed at sporty bikers who only need a little support and get an E-MTB for it, which can be converted from 18 kg E-MTB to 15 kg MTB with a few simple steps. So MTB and e-bike in one.
by Rolf Fleckenstein
It really took a long time, what felt like 10 years, for young sporty bikers to stop turning up their noses at the mention of e-bikes and start seeing them as a real fun vehicle. For many years, e-bikes were frowned upon by young bikers. Old men, invalids, women and lazy types were emblematic of this group of buyers. Anyone who rode an e-bike was simply not sporty, and for a long time this prejudice persisted. But with the establishment of e-bikes and the spread of this vehicle species in ever wider circles of the population, the young, who are very much sporty, discovered the additional benefit of an electric motor for themselves. It seems they have understood the e-bike. E-biking is not about proving to anyone - neither to yourself nor to others - how sporty you are, but simply about having fun. The electric mountain bike (E-MTB) segment in particular has grown tremendously over the past 3-4 years, becoming the strongest e-bike growth segment. So that this could succeed, the industry brought to this e-bikes, which have a strong design especially compared to e-bikes of 5-10 years ago and look cooler and cooler, have more and more power, have more and more powerful batteries mounted and therefore also become heavier and heavier. A cool E-MTB around 22-25 kg is no longer a rarity. The super disaster on a trip with such a cool part occurs when you get stuck with this heavy box somewhere in nature, because the battery is empty, the motor stalls or the connection between battery and motor no longer works, and you can only roll with his hot vehicle downhill or you even have to push it.
The sporty approach to e-biking has taken a back seat for many bikers in recent years thanks to such hot e-MTBs. But that doesn't make everyone happy. Moreover, you're certainly not the only one who notices how dependent you are on a motor-driven vehicle to run and not make a fuss in the event of an engine failure. It may not be as dramatic as with a car, but the fun that such a part is supposed to provide is gone from one moment to the next when the engine goes on strike.
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The end of heavyweights, the beginning of a new hybrid
Quite obviously, the French bike manufacturer Lapierre has also made so his thoughts on the engine dependence and the massive weight and therefore designed a completely new electric mountain bike that reconnects to the lightness of conventional mountain bikes and gets along with a motor that does not offer such a huge range, but it also does not need. The new eZesty from Lapierre is the new wonder-thing and is aimed from its performance and its masses to sporty bikers who need the support of the motor only to a small extent, but have a light and agile e-bike. And now comes the highlight: Through the cooperation with the German electric motor manufacturer Fazua, one has installed such a small and light motor that the model eZesty AM Ltd Ultimate with motor comes to only 18.5 kg. After you can remove the motor with battery with a few simple steps, owners of the new Lapierre eZesty have both a light and agile E-MTB with about 18 kg and a modern all-mountain bike with about 15 kg with 150 mm travel, which is absolutely competitive in terms of weight. With the purchase of a Lapierre eZesty you virtually acquire two bikes in one.
The low weight of the eZesty from Lapierre is due on the one hand to the full carbon frame and on the other hand high-quality components from Sram and Fox. The eZesty is available in two versions, one as Lapierre eZesty AM Ltd Ultimate for CHF 8'799 and the other as Lapierre eZesty AM 9.0 Ultimate for CHF 6'999. Both versions are equipped with the 27.5″ wheel size. The Fazua Evation electric drive consists of the control unit, a bottom bracket gear weighing 1.31 kg, the motor weighing 1.92 kg and the battery weighing 1.38 kg or light while delivering over 250 watt-hours (Wh) of power. In addition to the "No Support" or drive-free mode, there are three modes "BreezeMode", "RiverMode" and "RocketMode" that support up to 25 km/h with 125 watts, 250 watts and 400 watts. As soon as the motor exceeds the 25 km/h limit, it is completely decoupled, which is why an unpleasant braking effect familiar from other motors is completely eliminated. In the development of the new e-bike from Lapierre was the multiple MTB downhill world champion Nicholas Vouilloz significantly involved. This included centralizing the weight of the e-bike, designing a new frame, and developing a sporty concept to make the eZesty as close to a bike experience as possible. An e-bike with a bicycle feel. He enthuses, "I knew what we were trying to achieve when we developed the project, but when I was able to test the first prototypes, the feeling was mind-blowing, like the feeling of riding an e-bike that's not electric." The only possible weak point of the e-bike is the low range of the motor, you might think, but that's wrong, because this e-bike is aimed at sporty bikers who only need and want a small amount of assistance. Nicholas Vouilloz managed to climb 1000 m in the test with the eZesty. If you still want more range, you can also take a second battery with you. The 1.38 kg light piece is not heavy, but you have 500 Wh available at a stroke.
"The feeling was mind-blowing, like I was riding an e-bike that wasn't electric." Nicholas Vouilloz
Lapierre has managed with the new eZesty to design and launch a new E-MTB category, a hybrid e-bike with and without motor, aimed at a sporty target group. The next few months will tell us how strong the response will be.
Lapierre eZesty AM Ultimate Ltd
Area | Component |
|---|---|
Frame | eZesty AM Full Carbon Ultimate 150mm Travel, Boost, Metric, Thru Axle |
Drive | Fazua Evation 1.0 Drive Pack + 250 Wh Battery Pack |
Suspension fork | FOX 36 Float Factory Kashima Boost 15×110 160mm |
Damper | FOX Float DPS Factory Kashima LV Evol Trunnion |
Front derailleur | SRAM X01 Carbon Eagle 12-speed |
Crank set | FSA Carbon e-Bike ISIS 170mm w/SRAM XSYNC II 32T RING |
Brakes | SRAM Guide RE |
Handlebar | Race Face Sixc Carbon 20mmx78mm |
Seatpost | LP Carbon Dropper 125 (M), 150 (L, XL) |
Saddle | Lapierre CRMO by Velo |
Wheels | LP eAM+ Carbon 584×33 Boost, Tubeless ready |
Wheel size | 27.5″ |
Price | CHF 8'799.00 |
Lapierre eZesty AM 9.0 Ultimate
Area | Component |
|---|---|
Frame | eZesty AM Full Carbon Ultimate 150mm Travel, Boost, Metric, Thru Axle |
Drive | Fazua Evation 1.0 Drive Pack + 250 Wh Battery Pack |
Suspension fork | FOX 36 Float Performance Boost 15×110 150mm |
Damper | FOX Float DPS Performance LV Evol Trunnion |
Front derailleur | SRAM GX Eagle 12-speed |
Crank set | FSA Alloy e-Bike ISIS 170MM w/SRAM XSYNC II 32T RING |
Brakes | SRAM Guide RE |
Handlebar | LP 6061DB 760 mm (M), 780 mm (L, XL) |
Seatpost | LP 7075 DROPPER 125 (M), 150 (L, XL) |
Saddle | Lapierre CRMO by Velo |
Wheels | LP eAM+ Carbon 584x35c Boost, Tubeless ready |
Wheel size | 27.5″ |
Price | CHF 6'999.00 |
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