Lapierre on the front page...

[connor]

OMG..

almost as hot as that SUNN race bike.

http://www.sunn.fr/en/fichiers/46f7ebf053244-Radical-Exo.jpg

[mr_fungle]

I agree - it looks hot as hell!

Curious about the precariously exposed compression knob though - should it not be a bit more protected?

http://www.nsmb.com/images/gear/lapierre/4.jpg

[DaveM]

I agree - it looks hot as hell!

Curious about the precariously exposed compression knob though - should it not be a bit more protected?


I thought I read somewhere (maybe on Ridemonkey) that there was going to be a cover in that area.

Damn nice bike.

[big_perm]

that bike is nice

is that a ti spring on the bike?

[nick]

I agree - it looks hot as hell!

Curious about the precariously exposed compression knob though - should it not be a bit more protected?

http://www.nsmb.com/images/gear/lapierre/4.jpg

Well I think that looks like a bad design... maybe it's ok if you're a pro racer and have a mechanic. Too access the dials on that shock it just looks like a pain in the ass. Other wise it looks cool.

[Nelson]

I agree - it looks hot as hell!

Curious about the precariously exposed compression knob though - should it not be a bit more protected?

http://www.nsmb.com/images/gear/lapierre/4.jpg

I don't see why the reservoir couldn't be mounted on the opposite end... it looks like there's ample clearance.

[biggles604]

From the one picture in this thread, it looks like the e13 chainguide is mounted to a custom assembly that is part of the frame. If so, then that's kind of cool (in a limiting sort of way)

[apeshape]

nowhere near as hot as the sunn...but still very nice although i agree with fungle about flipping the shock for obvious reasons.

[woodlotrider]

nowhere near as hot as the sunn...but still very nice although i agree with fungle about flipping the shock for obvious reasons.

but... the way it is, the CG is ever so slightly lower. that being said, if I had one I'd probably flip the shock around.

[big-ted]

And alas, none of you will be able to buy them in North America due to the infringement of the VPP patent...

[nick]

i think it's because the other way it would be more unsprung weight. the less unsprung weight the better...that's why crazy french racer man no like the other way :)

[SkunkworkS]

:drool:

That's really all I did when I saw those pics.

[Hack On Wheels]

And alas, none of you will be able to buy them in North America due to the infringement of the VPP patent...

Odd, I thought I heard that they were going to be available in Canada in the future?

Radical > Lapierre

[DrewM]

Lapierre is definitely available in Quebec. Don't know about anywhere else though.

That bike looks pretty sweet... like a hardcore engineering nerd (lots of custom hardware) and a designer (internal routing, gold accents) were in a threesome with a Giant Glory (it does look a lot like a Glory... possible made by Giant along with half the other bikes out there?)

-D

[Heathen]

Such a sick bike!

[big-ted]

Lapierre is definitely available in Quebec. Don't know about anywhere else though.



-D

Ah, maybe I'm wrong then. Maybe the patent only affects the US.

[Hack On Wheels]

Ah, maybe I'm wrong then. Maybe the patent only affects the US.

That would be my guess/assumption. I believe the Horst-link patent only affects the US as well.

[Tobius]

I don't see why the reservoir couldn't be mounted on the opposite end... it looks like there's ample clearance.

Although the reservoir has minimal mass, the idea is to reduce the amount of unsprung weight. So by positioning the shock the way it is you will have a weight reduction(albeit meager) of moving parts.

[Heathen]

Ah, maybe I'm wrong then. Maybe the patent only affects the US.

The patent only affects the US domestic market. That is why hear in Canada companies like Brodie and Devinci are using it.

[connor]

Ah, maybe I'm wrong then. Maybe the patent only affects the US.
I think you are wrong, but about the patent scope.

I'm pretty sure that for a "VPP" patented design one of the key elements is that the short links have to be counter-rotating, all other designs, DW, Maestro, Lapierre etc. have the short links rotating in the same direction..

[big-ted]

I think you are wrong, but about the patent scope.

I'm pretty sure that for a "VPP" patented design one of the key elements is that the short links have to be counter-rotating, all other designs, DW, Maestro, Lapierre etc. have the short links rotating in the same direction..

I'm confused now. I could of sworn that the Lapierre design did have the links counter-rotating. A friend of mine looked into becoming the distributor for the UK (Lapierre makes some interesting xc/AM bikes also) and was told in the course of his discussions that it infringed on the VPP patent. I can't tell which way the lower link rotates from these pics. Maybe they changed the design. Ah, who am I kidding. I know NOTHING! :)

You missing your dhr yet Conner?

[seand]

OMG..

almost as hot as that SUNN race bike.

http://www.sunn.fr/en/fichiers/46f7ebf053244-Radical-Exo.jpg

ack, I love that bike!

[Tobius]

I think you are wrong, but about the patent scope.

I'm pretty sure that for a "VPP" patented design one of the key elements is that the short links have to be counter-rotating, all other designs, DW, Maestro, Lapierre etc. have the short links rotating in the same direction..

The VPP design isn't about counter rotating links. It's about the center of curvature lining up with the instant center at certain points throughout the travel. It's a lot more complicated than just the direction in which a link rotates.
On the Lapierre bike the lower link travels up and forward for a small period then it starts to move back and down. The time it spends trying to move up and forward is when the whole vpp thing lines up. So, at sag when you are pedaling, the rear wheel is being pulled into the frame so to speak, causing the bike to resist bobbing. As the rear wheel is forced to move from this sag point, the lower link gets pulled back and downwards. It's almost identical to what Giant tried producing for the first Faith a few years ago but Santa Cruz got them down.

[Oldfart]

I wouldn't think the shock would be considered unsprung weight. The wheel and swing arm are unsprung. I guess it is kind of inbetween sprung and unsprung.

But what's that round gold ano thing on the downtube just behind the headtube??

[nick]

I wouldn't think the shock would be considered unsprung weight. The wheel and swing arm are unsprung. I guess it is kind of inbetween sprung and unsprung.

But what's that round gold ano thing on the downtube just behind the headtube??

half of it is half is not. on that set-up the piggy back half is sprung (the heavy side of the shock should be sprung).

[Tobius]

Everything on the bike has a certain percentage of it's mass that is sprung or unsprung. Some parts may be completely sprung and others are completely unsprung but some have a certain percentage of their weight that is both. A good example of this is the change in suspension performance if you just change the rear wheel on a dh bike to something heavier. the heavier the unsprung mass, the harder it is to initiate then control the movement.

[Oldfart]

Everything on the bike has a certain percentage of it's mass that is sprung or unsprung. Some parts may be completely sprung and others are completely unsprung but some have a certain percentage of their weight that is both. A good example of this is the change in suspension performance if you just change the rear wheel on a dh bike to something heavier. the heavier the unsprung mass, the harder it is to initiate then control the movement.

True but what's that round gold ano thing on the downtube just behind the headtube??

[connor]

True but what's that round gold ano thing on the downtube just behind the headtube??

fork stop/bumper.