Article Video: Lapierre eZesty Review

[Rob Rides EMTB]

Powered by the Fazua Evation motor, a lower powered Ebike motor that is found more in road bikes that mountain bikes. Can it hold its own off road?

 

[drjarvis2003]

Although there are problems with this bike as you pointed out, i still think this is the way to go in the future with ebikes, Lighter and minimalist. I think the bikes like the Haibike Flyon are going in the wrong direction. Too heavy and full of things that just seem to get in the way, like the big display, lights etc. Maybe gen 2 will solve this.

 

[MattyB]

Although there are problems with this bike as you pointed out, i still think this is the way to go in the future with ebikes, Lighter and minimalist. I think the bikes like the Haibike Flyon are going in the wrong direction. Too heavy and full of things that just seem to get in the way, like the big display, lights etc. Maybe gen 2 will solve this.

This bike does seem to be a bit disappointing, but I agree it's still a more promising direction than the Flyon is going in, at least for me. I must say I am surprised by the lack of grunt though - it would seem with 60Nm of torque it should be able to get closer to the Bosch, Shimano and Brose than it does. Maybe they have tuned it to only hit those levels of assistance at absolute peak rider effort to conserve battery?

 

[cjm_wales]

That's a stunning looking bike. But I'm not sure who it's aimed at.

That is what I think the future generations of e-bike will look like in the near future as cell energy density increases.

 

[Slowroller]

It's a nice looking bike certainly. It's at one end of the spectrum the Flyon at the other, and both will appeal to certain people. Most will be in the middle somewhere I think. I don't need an ebike that only takes the sting out of a climb, I prefer one that lets me climb faster than I could on my own. Plus, it's got a little battery. Given a choice to test ride one or the other, I'd pick the Flyon.

 

[R120]

I think the most interesting thing about it is where it points to in terms of future development - I expect the next iteration of the Fazua system will be very interesting.

 

[Paul Mac]

Rob, I think you hit the nail on the head about the too light statement.
I think there it's a Goldie locks amount of weight for an ebike, and that's about 19 -20 kg.
Is not just the added power that makes an ebike fun its the grip and stability also, and the added weight makes this happen.
Any lighter and you end up with a flighty bike.

 

[MarkH]

When trying to pin down who would want to ride this bike I would have thought it's ideal for someone whos no longer able to keep up with his analogue mates but still wants to ride with them. Thoughts...

 

[MattyB]

When trying to pin down who would want to ride this bike I would have thought it's ideal for someone whos no longer able to keep up with his analogue mates but still wants to ride with them. Thoughts...

Maybe, but that’s rather a niche market, and the obvious problem is what happens when the first of his analogue colleagues buys a Bosch, Shimano or Brose machine?

 

[R120]

I can imagine it being a great bike for when I go out locally, mostly on solo rides, where my loop essentially involves one big climb to the top of the north downs, then singletrrack along the north downs, and back down again.

When I head over to Surrey Hills, or other trail centers, where I tend to find I lap a lot of trials, I would miss the ability to just power back up.

 

[Jamsxr]

I agree that 20 - 22kg is fine for an eBike, mine doesn’t feel heavy of sluggish compared to my 12kg carbon trail bike. We’ve just about got over the obsession with constant weight saving in the conventional MTB world so no need for EMTB manufacturers to take the same path, in my opinion it just adds cost and reduces durability.

I also agree with the Flyon comments, I’m not looking for some ultra powerful technological beast, that also adds unnecessary cost and reduces durability.

I guess these bikes address a sub-niche market and there’s money to be made.

 

[flash]

But it's so pretty....

Isn't 60nM the same as a Shimano e7000 motor? It seems weird that that motor is not too bad but the fazua isn't?

It seems to me that the Fazua motor really isn't suited to eMTB. 18kg is still a heavy bike for a compromise in power and range. They needed to get it down to around 15-16kg or not bother IMHO. Then it's a different class of bike. Now it's in no mans land, it seems.

Most of the Fazua bikes are road bikes and I think this might be where this system works best. A helping hand and no resistance over the limit. I know when I've had slick tyres on my e8000 hardtail I've only needed eco and rarely trail and even then I had them turned down in the app. I'll know for sure late July when my eGravel bike turns up.

OTOH I'm occasionally riding with my son and I would like a lighter bike with just a bit of power. He's not quick. Also a bike that I can ride that will be better for my fitness and could replace my acoustic bike.

Still tempted. Still pretty.

Gordon

 

[Dirtnvert]

It could be ok for the right person. From what I gathered, correct me if I'm wrong, the less than normal torque wasn't the only part that Rob wasn't keen about the bike. Seemed like the lack of engagement between the hub(15% rotation) and the motor(15%) . Also keeping the front end down when climbing. The chainstays are short for a tall person so it's probably too ez to loop out on the climbs. The rear center could be made bigger on the larger sizes to cure that. Norco does that on their acoustic bikes and I'm surprised they dont on the vlt(arguably more important on an emtb). I probably wouldn't have that problem. I'm also wondering if an onyx rear hub with the sprague clutch freehub would alleviate a lot of the engagement issue. The onyx hubs are big with the BMX crowd for their instant engsgement(and their durability). Then the engagement should be a normal 15% rotation just from the motor.
I was thinking itd be nice to have my dh/freeride bike as a 180 kenevo and have the Ezesty as the all mountain bike. Acceptance for emtb's is growing here in Canada but theyll be restrictions some places for the foreseeable future. The Ezesty would be a good option for that. I'm ok with the smaller battery , I think. Like layering clothes for winter travel. The bike will be fairly light with one battery and not much to carry another in a pack or have 1 or 2 in the truck.
Stunning bike I'd like to see work, I guess

 

[The Flying Dutchman]

Good honest review!

Was pretty excited for this bike but I feel my interest slipping.

The free play in the drive terrain would drive me nuts! Maybe a faster-engaging hub would help but still far from ideal.

 

[fos'l]

Excellent, objective review. Initially, this system seemed appealing, but the rotation flaw makes it no go (doesn't matter since doubt availability in the US for awhile). The removable feature (for me) is just added complexity. Light bikes are appealing, so can't wait for this class to improve. Also awaiting a light DIY motor to play with.

 

[HikerDave]

Good honest review!

Was pretty excited for this bike but I feel my interest slipping.

The free play in the drive terrain would drive me nuts! Maybe a faster-engaging hub would help but still far from ideal.

The freewheel on my Yamaha PW-SE powered Haibike SDURO has only 18 points of engagement so it’s even worse. My black-anodized pedals and cranks are getting pretty shiny; I now try to get up and over ledges with lots of momentum and a giant smash, because finesse doesn’t work as well. (I used to ride a Hadley hub with 72 POE a few bikes ago. That was nice; now I’ve got 18 and 24 POE ratchets in series and that bites pedals badly because the combination is so unpredictable. PW-X is better but that mechanical lash issue is why I asked my question about motor freewheels over in the motor sub-forum.

Probably the eZesty should use a hub with a sprag clutch like the Onyx to make engagement more predictable.

 

[Dirtnvert]

I thought I heard fazua was looking to have a north American distributor next year. Maybe that was just a goal to shoot for?