Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Lapierre HM X-Lite: First ride



With a great deal of help from Neil, the Lapierre got out in the mud today. I took a quick trip out to Cooks Butte. First impression is that the head angle is pretty steep. It is going to take a bit of getting used to how quick the steering is generally. The geometry is definitely different that what I am used to. I don't think it is bad, just different. The Lapierre, aka Frenchie, aka the White Witch, is quite a ride. It really is made for a rider that knows what he is doing. It has a pretty aggressive feel to it. It is not a lazy man's sort of bike. It just feels like it reacts very quickly to what I do, more quickly and more rapidly than what I am used to. I tend to like stable bikes. When taking sharp turns it sometimes felt hard to stay on top of without dabbing. I mean these turns were pretty tight, and they were uphill too, even on the Curtlo I had a real hard time making them. nevertheless, it will take some time getting used to it.

I also switched out some parts. A set of Chorus shifters were put on. There are a couple of drivetrain kinks that need to be worked out, but other than that it is all good. The rear derailleur rides on the 28t cog. When I backpedal the chain won't stay on that cog. It gets hung up because of the interferance. I am not sure quite what to do, but I have some ideas on how to fix it. Other than that it is all good so far.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the great review. I saw the pictures and I think it looks great. But it may be a bit advanced for me huh? I ride the bike for errands mostly and the rest for sports. I wonder if this will fit my needs without being overpowered? Lapierre bikes do look appealing though.

Mr. Flynn said...

I don't know if it is solely a bike for advanced riders...as I have spent more time on it I have gotten quite used to it.

For me, I have just had to replicate as close as possible the cockpit position that I feel comfortable with.

I still havent spent tons of time on it, but I have gotten quite a bit more enamored with as time has gone on. I have ridden in some pretty sketchy stuff and I feel at ease on it now. It just took some time. It is an aggressive sort of ride, but not twitchy. I can now really rail switchbacks, but I learned to position my weight differently then with past cross rigs.

I dig it. A lot.