I’m whooping downhill through Lefthand Canyon just outside of Boulder on a high-priced bike from French bike-maker Lapierre grinning in the cool spring air. I risk a glance at my GPS watch: 34 miles-per-hour.
Moments later, the road turns to gravel and I rattle over the rough surface, still whooping for delight on the skinny, rock-hard tires of a super light road bike. It doesn’t seem to mind the white-knuckle test in the slightest.
I guess sometimes you really do get what you pay for, and with this bike you pay a lot at $7,300.
But still, if you get the chance to ride something this high-end, the thrill is real. The Lapierre Xelius EFi 800 is stiff as I could ever need and still comfortable, built using single lay-up, monocoque construction that uses three different grades of carbon. Single strand “high modulus” carbon is used in the power zones — the head tube, down tube and chainstay.
The top tube, seat tube and seat stay — called the “comfort zone” by the brand — are built with high-resistance carbon that dampens upward forces on the frame for a smoother ride.
Lapierre is a familiar name in Europe, where the company has been building bikes for 67 years. The brand is very new in the U.S. though, being imported for the first time beginning this season. There are fewer than 40 distributors in the U.S. today, but the company hopes to change that with a goal of more than 120 outlets opening later this year.
