Alex Lupato is a big character on the enduro scene, notorious for excellent facial hair and for being a powerhouse on the pedals. The FRM Factory Racing Team athlete became the Italian Enduro Champion in 2013 after a close battle with David Sottocornola.
In a hard-fought race in Madesimo, Alex managed to put some time into Sottocornola in the final special stage, proving that not only he is he dominant on the pedals but also on purely technical tracks.We caught up with Alex in Finale to check out his 2014 27.5″ Lapierre Zesty AM with its innovative E:i Shock technology.
Weighting in at 13kg the Lapierre is an effective enduro weapon!A full XX1 drive train keeps weight down. Alex chooses to race with no chain device!Alex raced the Finale Ligure EWS with a 34T FRM Narrow Wide ring!The rear swingarm was slimmed down slightly from those tested in pre production! You too can own one of these exclusive I <3 Enduro stickers, click here to find out how!The brains! The Zesty comes fitted with the new E:i shock system, with full electronic control over damping settings. Optimizing suspension damping up to 30 times a second.You can choose to run the shock in manual settings, or just let the onboard computer handle it in ‘full automatic’.The control unit for the E:i shock sits at the top of the stem!FRM Urano hubs laced to FRM Urano carbon rims make for a very lightweight wheelset!Alex chose 650b Maxxis Highroller 2 tyres for the rocks of Finale!The carbon Zesty frame is the same as that of the Spicy, and features neat internal cable routing.Alex uses Formula T1s brakes for deceleration.Alex uses Marzocchi’s new forks, the top of the range 350 NCR.A Reverb Stealth and FRM Aspen Ti saddle finish the high end build.Alex shredding one of the Finale stagesBehind many fast riders you often find an equally as fast sibling. The LUPATO-Brothers are no exception
For more information, check out Alex and FRM’s sites at
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As the proud father of Robin and Max-Philip, Manne has been there from the start and is the wise elder of the editorial team. He won his first cycling race in elementary school at a school sports day. After less successful attempts at football, he found his passion for cycling via endurance racing in 1989! The world of racing still consumes him and no one in the team knows the EWS pros better than Manne. As a former head analyst of a state agency, he knows how to do proper research and finds exclusive news that no one else has. He supports his sons in day-to-day business dealings as the authorised signatory for 41 Publishing – viva la familia!
