Lapierre has broken cover in the cobbled classics season with a brand new endurance bike: the Lapierre Pulsium.
The Pulsium's principal feature is a Y-shaped top tube with an elastomer bung in the lower branch to absorb bad road vibration, which, claims Lapierre, gives 27 percent more vertical flex than its Sensium.
Like the plethora of endurance bikes on the market, the Pulsium also has slightly more relaxed geometry compared with more thoroughbred bikes in the range. In this case, the comparison is with the Xelius EFI; the Pulsium has slightly longer seatstays and a longer head tube.
The French brand has gone big with its claims: "Its geometry and unique tube design result in a frame that’s very physically tolerant. It offers incredible vertical flexibility while keeping the lateral rigidity that’s indispensable for a race bike destined for the UCI World Tour."
Lapierre has made the top half of the Pulsium compliant and the bottom half stiff
Indeed, the French team, FDJ, debuted the bike at E3 Prijs Vlaanderen last Friday, and we're assured we'll be seeing more of it at Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
Lapierre says it has ensured that the built-in compliancy doesn’t compromise power transfer. The front third of the top tube, the head tube, down tube, bottom bracket and chainstays are optimised for stiffness with a more robust carbon layup.
There are some canny features to the frame too: a recessed seatpost clamp (for a 27.2mm seatpost), an adapter set so users can switch between short and long callipers and an internal casing in the top tube to stop the rear brake cable rattling on bad surfaces.
We rather like the shape of those ever-so-slightly bowed seatstays too.
The frame comes in six sizes and is expected to be available from July.