Lapierre DH720: Previewed

Jun 8, 2010 at 14:17

The French have arrived at Pinkbike! We'll be testing the new Lapierre DH720 throughout the coming months, but for now have a look at the preview that will give you a closer look at what the makes the French speed machine tick!

Read on...

The DH720's frame, which is the exact same as used on the higher end DH920, is very impressive in person. While beauty is always in the eye of the beholder, everyone who's seen the bike up close has raved about its great looks. Hydroformed tubes and an awesome racey color scheme certainly set it apart from the crowd, especially here in B.C. where we don't see many of these French exotics. Starting up front, you'll find a short 1 1/8th head tube that uses a low stack height integrated headset. Just aft of the the head tube you'll be able to spot the first of a few of the neat details on the DH720's frame: built in fork bumpers. While certainly not the first or only company to use these, it's nice to see them on the bike as they are a no nonsense way of protecting your frame and you know that they'll always be in the correct position. This is also the point at which the shift and brake lines enter the frame if you plan on routing them internally, not something you see on many DH bikes. One other interesting feature on the frame is the protective rear disc guard that is bolted to the non-drive side chainstay. It's a sturdy aluminum thing that covers an 8" disc, but is removable if you feel you don't need it.


The Lapierre is the first DH bike that I've seen that uses the relatively new press fit bottom bracket system. While it certainly makes for clean lines and possibly a better sealed and longer lasting bottom bracket, this will be my first experience with this system and I'm eager to see how well it holds up throughout a wet B.C. Spring season. The chain guide mounts via the now common ISCG-05 pattern. All of the pivot hardware (minus the shock mounting bolts) are anodized aluminum that not only looks great, but also shaves a few grams over steel bolts. It's also nice to see an aluminum 12 x 150 mm axle as opposed to a heavy steel unit. The low slung shock is protected from trail debris by a bolt on carbon guard that manages to look great while also doing its job.


The DH720 uses Lapierre's FPS2 suspension system that is comprised of two short links and an enclosed rear triangle that create a virtual pivot point out in space. There are quite a few virtual pivot point bikes that all resemble each other, but a lot of them work on different principles and therefore have their own ride characteristic that set them apart from one another. It is important to remember this before making any sweeping statements about one design being the same as another simply due to it bearing a resemblance. As the FPS2 goes through its travel and the top link compresses the shock, the virtual pivot point actually moves up and reward. Have a look at how FPS2 works on the Lapierre site. Uniquely, the lower shock mount is actually bolted to the downtube, as opposed to welded. I could only imagine that this simplifies the manufacturing process quite a bit, but it also makes access to the cable exit point a bit easier.

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Lapierre DH720 geometry, size small

Head angle	65 degrees
EFF Seat Angle	69 degrees
EFF Top Tube	585 mm
Chainstay	445 mm
Bottom Bracket	364 mm
Actual Frame Size (seatube length)	420 mm
Wheelbase	1140 mm

Lapierre offers the DH720 in only two sizes, the small that you see above, and a large size with a 600 mm top tube length. Have a look at the geometry to see if one of the two sizes will work for you,

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The Build
The DH720 is the less expensive option of the two complete DH bikes that Lapierre offers (they also have the Bos Stoy equipped frame kit). The build is well thought out with a mix of affordable, but strong and reliable parts, that most riders will find more than worthy of long days in the bike park or Sundays on the race course. Front suspension is handled by RockShox with their Boxxer Race. The Race fork uses the same 35 mm stanchion platform as its more expensive siblings, minus some of the fancy internal bits. Adjustments include external rebound speed and external compression damping. The rear of the bike is suspended by a coil sprung Fox RC2 damper that lacks the boost valve adjustment of the RC4, but still lets you tinker with both rebound and compression settings.


The Specs

Frame and Size	Lapierre Alloy multi-butted tubing • 1 1/8" headtube, ISCG -05 tabs •small Frame •200 mm travel
Rear Shock	Fox DHX RC2 •241 x 76
Fork	Rockshox Boxxer Race •200 mm
Headset	Semi-Integrated Cartridge
Crankarms	Gravity Moto X DH, 170mm
Bottom Bracket	Gravity
Chainring	38 tooth
Cassette	Shimano HG61 9S 11X28
Rear Derailleur	SRAM X.9.
Shifter	SRAM X.9.
Handlebar	Syncros FR31 20x740
Stem	Syncros Bolt On 50mm
Brakes	Formula RX 203 mm rotors
Front Wheel	Lapierre hub 20 mm •Alex FR32 32 holes
Rear Wheel	Lapierre hub 12 x 150 mm •Alex FR32 32 holes
Tires	Hutchinson Barracuda MRC Med/Low 26x2.50"
Saddle	Syncros FL Crmo White
Seatpost	Lapierre AL-6061 31.6 mm
Retail	MSRP $5299 CAD

While the DH720's spec is put together to be competitive, but also retail for a reasonable price, Lapierre also offers the higher end DH920. Using the same frame, the DH920 is outfitted with a mix of Shimano Saint components, Mavic Deemax wheels, as well as higher end and more adjustable suspension.

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We've already got a handful of days on the DH720 and can confidently say that the french machine is a solid performer, but we'll hold off letting the cat out of the bag until we have a some extended time on the bike. I'm looking forward to getting better acquainted with the handling and suspension as we dial in the bike's settings throughout the test period. The DH720 will also be one of the test bikes for our first annual Whistler product test week and I look forward to not only putting a lot of air under the tires, but pushing the french bike hard on some of the more natural and technically challenging terrain.

Stay tuned for a long term review down the road!