First Look | Lapierre Zesty AM 927 Ultimate UK Bike
We all love looking at new bikes, savouring that moment when the latest range arrives at the bike shop – all glossy carbon and bristling with the latest technology. After a successful ‘lift and bounce’ test it’s time to check out the components, and that is often the point where things fall apart. “Yeah, it looks awesome but I will have to change those tyres, and those brakes are rubbish in the mud”, before you know it the hefty price tag has got a whole lot bigger.
Riding a bike in the States can be very different to the UK, and even after melting your credit card on a new bike, changes will need to be made. However, the Lapierre UK Distributor – Hotlines, have come up with a great plan. They now offer an ‘Ultimate UK’ build 927 designed for the unique challenges (shitty weather) found in the UK.
For a princely sum of £5399.99, the Lapierre Zesty AM 927 Ultimate UK is built with components that the Hotlines team have hand picked to be perfect for UK riding. The team love Rockshox suspension but also value the reliability and pedigree of Shimano XTR, so the ‘Ultimate UK’ gets the best of both. As standard the Mavic Crossmax XL rims come fitted with Mavic WTS tyres, fast rolling and great in the dry, these are as much use as an ejector seat in a helicopter when it comes to deep mud. To give the bike some bite in the slop, Hotlines also supply an extra set of WTB vigilante tyres so the customer can pick and choose.
Our Impressions
As the name suggests, this bike will only be available in the UK through your local Lapierre stockist, so is not available to all. However, we have to applaud Hotlines, it’s great to see distributors altering the build kit of the bikes to suit national riding conditions. Hopefully other brands will take note and start thinking about offering bikes that are ready to shred straight out of the box
For more information check out the Hotlines site.
Words and photos: Trev Worsey
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