Additionally, the Spicy can accommodate either 27.5″ or 29″ rear wheels, giving it four suspension and wheel size combinations. Being Lapierre, it’s meant to be a no-compromise enduro race bike, but they say it also works great in the bike park – especially in high-pivot mode.
• High or low pivot suspension
• Rear travel 170 or 174 mm, fork 180 mm
• Mixed or matching wheels
• Full carbon frame
• Head angle of 63.5°, seat angle of 78°
• Bases of 440-450 mm (depending on size)
• Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL
• Price: €5,499 – €10,000
• lapierrebikes.com
In either high or low pivot mode, the rear suspension offers around 170mm of travel, which can be extended to 174mm with mullet wheels, paired with a 180mm fork. It’s a big bike, but Lapierre promises a respectable frame weight and climbing ability.
Frame details
The Spicy comes with a high pivot setting, but it is possible to switch it to a low pivot at home. This involves moving the main pivot to the lower bolt holes, removing the 15-tooth idler pulley and changing the rocker link – there is a different one for each mode included in the box.
Additionally, there’s a flip chip on the rear shock mount that has three positions to accommodate both suspension and wheel size settings. The forward setting is for low-steerer mullet wheels; the rearward setting is for high-steerer 29ers, and the middle setting is for the other two combinations. According to Lapierre, the bottom bracket height and frame angles are the same regardless of the combination.
It’s true that it’s not designed to be swapped out on the side of a trail, but you should be able to do it yourself without having to buy separate parts. Swapping wheel sizes simply involves changing the reverse chip setting, but Lapierre only sells the Spicy with mixed wheels at the moment, so you’ll have to buy your own wheel to use it in 29er.
Isabeau Courdurier opted for the low-pivot & mullet combo this season.
The frame also uses Lapierre’s highest quality UD SLI carbon fiber front and rear. The rear section is said to be very stiff while the front triangle has been designed to balance high-speed precision with low-speed tracking. It also features a threaded bottom bracket, bottle clearance, and ISCG tabs. Cables are routed through the headset. It’s unclear what the seatpost insertion depth is, but it appears to be fairly shallow.
There is a storage section on the down tube, accessible from underneath with a plastic cover and a pocket inside for storing tools, snacks or spare parts.
Suspension
While the mullet setting offers more travel (174mm vs. 170mm), the high pivot mode is slightly more progressive. Each combination has a slightly different leverage ratio curve. Interestingly, while high pivot designs with idler pulleys are typically designed to minimize or eliminate pedal kickback, Lapierre claims that pedal kickback is similar in both the high and low pivot settings. Perhaps they wanted to reintroduce some pedal feedback and responsiveness with the high pivot setting, like Greg Minnaar did with his Norco.
Details on precise numbers are scarce, but Lapierre says the high pivot setting provides more anti-sag and anti-rise, helping the bike stay more level when pressing the pedals or brakes.
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Geometry
Based on team feedback, the seat tube has been stiffened and the head angle slightly slackened compared to the outgoing Spicy, launched in 2019. The BB remains low for travel at 335mm, retaining the same sag ride height as the old bike.
The range was also expanded and an extra small size was added – like the one used by Isabeau Courdurier.
Built