Lapierre Spicy 516

Lapierre Spicy 516 Demo

No beating around the bush with this one, I have had a blast and absolutely loved every mile that I have pedaled the Spicy 516. It has coped with anything and everything that I personally could throw at it and even when removed from its comfort zone it still never once faltered.

Over the 3 month period I’ve taken the spicy for a considerable number of loops around the local trail centre, used it in my first ever downhill race and shuttled more runs up and down the local downhill spot than I care to count. It offered me absolutely everything I was looking for and more in an all mountain/trail bike.

Check out this short little run down shot at Haldon Forest.

The Ride.

I found the Spicy to be all very predictable when riding but that is no bad thing. Throughout all my time on the bike I never once felt like it was going to bite my head off when you pushed it to far.

I used the Fox I.R.D app on the iPhone to get an idea of what kind of settings I should be running the suspension on the bike but I would take this with a slight pinch of salt. Suspension setup isn’t an exact art and there will never be that "perfect" set up that will work 24/7, as for most of us our riding just isn't predictable enough. You could hit any particular corner 15 times in a row and will probably still take a slightly different line each time. It's always going to be a compromise when it comes to setting up your suspension but after a couple of hours I felt like it was about as close to spot on as I would ever achieve.

The bike remained as standard during its time with us apart from the installation of Renthal's awesome Kevlar compound lock on grips and a bash ring we had lying around!

I found the Spicy to offer incredible front end grip through the flat corners and gave you a real confidence to just put the front wheel exactly where you wanted it to be. The back end wasn't afraid to get a little loose when you really pushed it on the slicker stuff but very rarely did I ever feel truly out of control and a complete passenger heading for a tree flat out.

The Spicy feels planted and inspires confidence when the speeds increase in straight lines and it yearns for you to get off the brakes and let things roll, but it still performs when things get a little tighter and more technical.

It took some getting used to in my head but the bike tracks over cambers and through the rough stuff so well you start to forget about it and after a while it becomes a much lesser event and you can start concentrating on more important aspects of your riding.

Just when you think things can't get any better. Point it uphill flick the switches on the suspension to climb mode and it will happily ascend all day. Thanks to its 28lb build and some pedal friendly angles.

The Spicy defies the impossible.

Conclusion.

The Spicy is one of those bikes that just wants to be ridden hard and fast straight out of the box. It's a strange feeling that you don't experience very often and is very hard to put into words but the Spicy is at its best right when you are nearing your own personal limit. It gives you that little extra to take your riding up a gear.

I leant the bike to my good friend Greg so he could see what I was forever raving on about. One night ride later I received a tweet from him simply stating "Your not getting this one back!"

I think that sums this one up nicely.

 

Thomson dropper post first look

Core Bike 2013: Thomson’s New Dropper Post

Distributor i-ride.co.uk was showing lots of shiny things, but pride of place was reserved for a working version of Thomson’s new Elite dropper post.

The seatpost is cable-operated, with a cam-actuation to ease cable pressure. The handlebar mount is small and neat and should be relatively easy to find room for. (It does have a rather knee-punching shape though, so watch where you put it). Complete weight is likely to be around 450g.

The post itself offers 5in of drop and is infinitely adjustable. It uses an internal hydraulic cartridge with a fixed pressure and incorporates a second ‘check valve’ that stops the feature of some other posts where the saddle lifts up when you try to lift your dropped-post bike by the saddle. There are internal Norglide bearing surfaces as well as a ‘self-adjusting’ system to keep the post free of side-to-side play.

We asked why the cable goes in at the top of the post, to which the Thomson rep told us that if it went in at the base collar, it would then need an internal lever to get to the up/down switch inside, which would add friction and more complication. There is, however, a stealth version in the works for later this year.

 

Cable mount can be replaced by a 'Michael Jackson crotch-grab' style lever

 

 

The post only comes in 30.9 and 31.6 at the moment, though there was also talk of a 27.2 version and, interestingly, a road bike version. The road version would allow a drop for descents, but also allow a shallower drop for cobbled sections where you still need to hover and pedal… That’s probably for next year though.

Core Bike show Visit

Core Bike Highlights

Surly:

First off, Surly has been going great guns this year, with the fat-bikes constantly selling out and other oddball bikes like the new Krampus on everyone’s ‘must ride’ list.

Surly have moved away from thier customary 'earth clour pallet this year and injescted some colour.

The Crosscheck now comes in a lovely Green colourway
 

 

Hope:
Hope have released a line of handlebars - they're a full 800mm wide and come in 10, 20 and 30mm rise versions, with 5 degrees of upsweep and 7 degrees of backsweep

Useful markings are included so that you can get a perfectly symmetrical cockpit

 

Hope's new UK-made grips were announced at Core. They'll set you back £25 and are available in black/white, with red and green colours in the pipeline for their release in March 2013

The New PF41 press-fit BB from Hope. It uses the same proven bearings but locks in place in a similar way to a threaded BB

A fully Hope'd up Giant XTC advanced was on show

 

Zestys Finally Back in stock!!

We finally have stock of the new Lapierre Zesty 314!!

An absolutely fantastic 140mm bike, the Zesty has become a favourite amongst trail riders, enduro racers and all mountain riders.

With Fox suspension front and rear, 10spd XT gearing and Mavic wheels paired onto the quite fantastic OST+ Frame, its hard to count this bike out for most all round riders.

Slightly lighter for 2012 and with the already excellent OST suspension evolved even further, Lapierre’s Zesty is a truly outstanding ride.

Not only does it pedal and float the small stuff sweetly, the OST+ suspension sucks up squares edges with impressive economy and efficiency. It also controls the bike’s position and response so well that it seems to actually pump the Zesty forwards over punishing sections.

Through every technical section it accumulates not just speed, but confidence, momentum and an unparalleled, insolent playfulness. We’ve watched everyone from enduro downhill racers hitting the lines and times they normally reserve for their big-hit race bikes to hardcore roadies suddenly ripping the descents like serious rad addicts on the Zesty and it’ll likely do the same for you.

The OST suspension has been tweaked to create OST+. This moves the shock mount forward and adds a blanking block onto the rear of the can. This reduces the angle change in the shock as it goes through the stroke and creates a more progressive compression rate.

Coming in at £2299 the 314 represents the second model in the Zesty range. With five bikes in the line up and prices ranging from £1799 to £4499 there genuinley is a Zesty for everyones pocket.

Rumble in the Jungle

Introducing the Trek Rumblefish.
As most of you know we do have this as a DEMO bike but we'd like to show you what goes into one of our favourite bikes in the 2012 range.

It's a bike for any 29er fan wanting to ride more technical trails or 26" trail riders wanting to trade up to the bigger wheel.

With a 142mm back end you have Thru-axle stiff, QR quick with Treks robust and confidence-inspiring 142mm hub + 12mm thru-axle system it's 35% stiffer than an open dropout design.

The wider hub is easier to install than a conventional 135x5mm system, thanks to a tabbed guide in the frame's dropouts and for those riders who still want to use their 135mm thru-axle wheels, a conversion kit is available to order through us. But this new system is so easy to use, we’re confident you’ll stick with it.

Plus it has a custom made fork by Fox - The dual chambers in a DRCV fork seamlessly trade off to give you exactly the suspension you need for every inch of your ride.

• Small bumps are easily absorbed. No more jarring high-frequency vibrations.

• Uses more mid-stroke travel more often, so you can carry more speed through braking bumps, flow through rock gardens, hold your line at speed.

• Awesome big hit control.

With DRCV in the fork, you get consistent use of full travel. That’s more control, all the time.

It's also got a DRCV rear shock so that it seamlessly adjusts its air volume based on the size bump you encounter. You get supple feel on the small bumps, seamless control over midsize bumps and harsh hits, with less rear-wheel hang-up.

Seemingly bottomless travel on the rough stuff. Big hits seem to disappear. All this, with the pedalling efficiency of a small-volume shock.

With all that technology in the suspension system what more could trek offer you?

Have you heard of evo link? Their suspension linkage minimises material and weight while maintaining a strong bracing angle for a more rigid frame, which means the bearings last longer and the system works as intended for longer. Plus its made out of Magnesium!

Tapered fork? of course! - Trek have E2 which tapers from a 1.5" lower to a 1-1/8" upper headset to provide more material where it matters most, resulting in a stronger, lighter frame with point-and-shoot control.

Plus it's got a 15mm front thru axle which makes steering more precise for more control, and the quick release feature allows for easy wheel removal.

A traditional front derailleur attaches to the frame with a band clamp. Treks direct-mount front derailleur attaches directly to the frame using a solid, flat interface. This fastening method ensures crisper, more accurate front shifting.

It's also got a press-fit BB which is a bottom bracket shell that allows the bearings to press into the frame rather than thread in like standard bottom brackets. This provides a wider stance for the frame’s tubing juncture, resulting in a stronger frame. This wider stance also simulates benefits of an OCLV Carbon-only technology, BB95.

what's even better is that it's got a 10-speed cassette and a 3-ring crankset, 3x10 delivers a closer-ratio drivetrain, a wider range of gears, and increased efficiency and durability.

All in all with the Rumblefish you get a trail ready, solid bike with a brilliant quality frame, super stiff front end, suspension that works how you'd think it'd work, great components, great brakes comfortable position and most important of all every bike sold gets a very special extra that only we offer. An Alf Jones Cycles badge. Built with love, passionately looked after and serviced with pride.

What more could you want?

Oh yeah, it's on offer!

See the Rumblefish on our site

Hoping you all enjoy your weekends riding!!

Hope Factory Tour