Lapierre have made a few tweaks to this year’s Zesty frame, but the most interesting feature of the Zesty 514 Ei (£3,399.99) is the inclusion of Ei (Electronic Intelligence) technology. Ei is a collaborative effort between Lapierre and RockShox, and is an electronic system used to manage the compression and lockout settings of the rear shock automatically and on the fly.
There are accelerometers on the fork and stem cap, along with a speed sensor on the fork and cadence unit on the bottom bracket. A small servo motor mounted on top of the RockShox Monarch RT3 Ei rear shock then adjusts the amount of low-speed compression damping according to hits going through the fork and the amount you're pedalling.
The shock can automatically toggle through the three low-speed compression settings: open, platform or locked. There’s a small screen on the bar to display what setting the Ei system is in, along with various other details including speed, time and distance.
A small servo motor adjusts compression damping
The 514 frame boasts full carbon front and rear triangles, housing the well established OST+ suspension system. Cables are all internally routed, for a clean finish, with routing for a RockShox Reverb Stealth post. The head tube is tapered and there are ISCG 05 tabs for anyone wanting to add some chain security.
Lapierre have lowered the seat tube height to improve clearance if you use a dropper post. They've also stiffened up the bottom bracket area to improve pedalling efficiency. A 12x142mm rear axle is present to bolster stiffness, and the length of the chainstays has been increased to 430mm for improved stability on faster trails.
The 514 also includes a transmission mix of Shimano’s XT and SLX, and a Mavic Crossride wheelset wearing Schwalbe Nobby Nic and Rocket Ron tyres. The fork is a 150mm travel Fox 32 Float Evolution CTD model. Stopping the Zesty is a set of Formula’s RX brakes.
Bar-mounted controls for changing Ei settings on the move
For more information see www.lapierre-bikes.co.uk.
Update: Watch our first ride review of the Lapierre Zesty 514 Ei below.
Lapierre zesty 514 ei first ride
