Lapierre is back in Australia with a new distributor, SRS Agencies, and a range of bikes that not only look good but also ride well and come with a long history of quality and innovation… we take the Xelius review bike into the workshop at Tune Cycles.

 

– Part 2 of a series of reviews and videos, by Rob Arnold

 

The story of the Lapierre Xelius SL review continues. After the unboxing of the 883g frame – which comes with options of traditional and direct-mount rear derailleur hangers and a neat proprietary housing for the Di2 battery – it was time to visit the workshop to get it built into a complete bike.

Tune Cycles began as a mobile mechanic service in Sydney a few years ago and it also has a fantastic workshop in Marrickville and it’s here that the owner, Hayden Nosatti, did the mechanical work for what will be an ongoing review of the Lapierre bike.

 

– Watch the Lapierre Xelius SL bike build at Tune Cycles (click the link below).

 

 

The frameset as you see it featured here includes fork, proprietary handlebars and stem (with neat internal routing for the disc brake hoses), seatpost and a few extras like a cool tool that allowed Hayden to use a torque wrench when fastening the thru-axle drop-outs.

That package retails in Australia for AUD$4,999 (in November 2022) and you can get a good look at the frame as it comes together at Tune Cycles in the ‘workshop session video’ (above).

As Hayden unpacked the box, he discovered the choice of drop-outs as well as the Di2 battery housing that slides neatly into an opening at the base of the frame (see it being inserted at the 4:43 minute mark of the video).

Having the battery at the base of the frame makes sense for a few reasons. Firstly, it should make the bike feel a little more balanced on the road than if it was positioned up high in the seatpost (as is the case with many Di2 builds). And, of course, it makes packing the bike for travel easier to manage.

There are a few other clever innovations on a frame that features a tight-fitting SMBB7141B bottom bracket and an interesting configuration at the top tube / seatstay junction that is very much part of the Xelius aesthetic.

The video includes a summary of weights of various components (which are also listed below) and several ‘chapters’ as the frameset becomes a bike.

Hayden Nosatti of Tune Cycles managed the build for RIDE Media.

Timecode links

Click the timecode links (below) to see various highlights of the build.

  • Start to 1:30 Introduction to the review (and Tune Cycles)
  • 1:30 to 3:09 Component weigh-in
  • 3:09 to 3:20 Extras – including thru-axle tool from Lapierre
  • 3:20 to 4:43 Stem fitting / cable integration
  • 4:43 to 5:07 Lapierre’s Di2 battery housing bracket
  • 5:07 to 5:47 Shorter wires thanks to the location of the battery…
  • 5:47 to 6:22 Installation of handlebars / managing the wires
  • 6:22 to 7:36 Derailleur hangers explained
  • 7:36 to 8:55 Fitting the bottom bracket… with a bang!
  • 8:55 to 9:08 Crank installation
  • 9:08 to 9:55 Fitting the rotors and cassette (11-30) to Shimano Ultegra C36 wheelset
  • 9:55 to 10:10 Measuring the 32mm Goodyear Eagle F1 tyres after being fitted to the wheels (21mm internal)
  • 10:10 to End Saddle fitting and finishing touches…

The bike is fitted with the new-generation Shimano Ultegra 12-speed groupset, supplied by SRS Agencies. (Note: Shimano Australia has offered no assistance for this review.)

Various component weights

  • Stem (Lapierre -5,7° // 31.8mm // 110mm): 246g
  • Saddle (Fi’zi:k Argo): 142g
  • Fork (Xelius SL Disc thru axle UD Superlight carbon): 370g, before cutting
  • Handlebars (Lapierre UD carbon, 420mm): 260g
  • STI lever (Shimano Ultegra R8100): 202g (each)
  • Front derailleur (Shimano Ultegra R8100): 110g
  • Rear derailleur (Shimano Ultegra R8100): 260g
  • Cassette (Shimano Ultegra, 11-30T): 294g
  • Cranks (Shimano Ultegra R8100, drive side): 524g
  • Cranks (Shimano Ultegra R8100, non-drive side): 194g

This will be a comprehensive on-going review for a few months. (Next up: comments during my first ride.)

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– By Rob Arnold

 

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