PERFORMANCER
Lapierre Xelius SL 9.0
£6,999 French flair in bike form
Weight 7.45kg (L) Frameset Xelius SL 9.0 Gears Shimano Dura-Ace 52/36, 11-30 Brakes Dura-Ace disc Wheels Lapierre Road Disc 42 carbon Finishing kit Lapierre carbon stem, bar and seatpost, Fizik Vento Argo R5 saddle, Continental GP5000 clincher 700×25 tyres
The Good
Distinct style; exciting ride; great value
The Bad
Only five sizes; slim tyres; twitchy in high winds speed across every type of terrain.
Pro input
Pro riders and Frédéric Grappe, head of the Groupama-FDJ performance unit, were heavily involved in developing the new Xelius frameset
Geometry lessons
With its 557mm stack and 403mm reach, it’s long and low. Add this to the steep seat-tube angle and you’re in a racier position than before
Teeny trail
Its small trail figure (how far the tyre’s contact point with the ground ‘trails’ behind the steering axis) helps make this a very fast-handling bike
THE FRENCH BRAND’S jack-of-alltrades road bike has a balance of low weight, comfort and aerodynamic efficiency and is the bike of choice for the Lapierre-sponsored Groupama-FDJ team.
Now in its third generation, the Xelius SL is an exciting, fast and great-value road bike that will suit riders looking to maximise As well as adding aero tweaks, the Xelius SL is now disc brake only and features fully integrated cable routing at the front end. It’s said to save seven watts at 40km/h and the frame’s 100g lighter too, our WorldTour-worthy build weighing 7.45kg.
It’s kept the distinct seatstays, which connect to the top tube in front of the seat-tube, while the glitter navy-blue-fade paint job looks stunning in sunlight.
Revised geometry gives it a “more aggressive” fit and faster handling, according to Lapierre. There’s not much road buzz on standard roads, especially at the rear, but with slender 700x25c tyres, you feel more feedback from bigger bumps.
The Xelius SL 9.0 is exceptionally well specced for the money. You get Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200, Lapierre carbon wheels, Continental GP5000 clinchers, a Fizik saddle, and a Lapierre carbon bar and stem with integrated cables and brake hoses. You can still set stem length, bar width and stack height independently.
Fizik’s Vento Argo R5 is comfortable and has a great shape, but it’s the cheapest and, at 225g, the heaviest in the Vento range.
Shimano’s latest 12-speed Dura-Ace Di2 is slick, impressive and quiet, with a racy 52/36, 11-30 pairing. The 12th gear is good to have, but you don’t get a power meter.
The wheels have 38mm-deep rims and weigh 1,540g. The new U-shaped rim is designed to be more stable and I found they handled excellently on all but the windiest days. My bike came with Continental GP5000 clinchers, a great balance of speed, grip and durability. They measured 27mm on the rims, though there is clearance for 32mm tyres. Production bikes will come with Conti’s tubeless-ready GP5000S TRs.
In short, this bike’s a great choice for attacking, performance-focused riders.
Verdict
An aggressive race bike with an excellent spec for the money