Long Termer Update - Lapierre Spicy 516

During November we've been really busy out and about on the Lapierre Spicy 516 Long Termer. The Spicy has been used out at our local downhill tracks, as a test rig for the mudguards at Afan and Haldon our local trail centre and even racing the bike at the first 661 Mini downhill!

Here's what Angus has to say after a month behind the bars of the Spicy 516...

We've been really busy out and about on the Lapierre Spicy 516 Long Termer whether that be shuttling multiple downhill runs at the weekend or testing mudguards at Afan and other local trail centres, finally culminating with the bike being raced for the 661 Mini downhill!

I am really starting to enjoy and feel at home on the Lapierre after a few slight cockpit changes and some more tinkering with suspension set up which has been made a million times easier with Fox's Intelligent Ride Dynamics app for iPhone. Using the app is not without a little perseverance but I finally feel like I have the Spicy running as sweet as a nut.

First impressions riding the bike I thought the handlebars felt slightly wide but I have become accustomed to the 750mm width and I am really starting to enjoy the extra control that these slightly wider bars than I would normally use bring to the equation.

I outlined some of the changes that I made to the bike in my "Race report with a difference" but I shall go into a bit more detail of what I changed and how it affected performance.

The Spicy was running a Continental Rubber Queen 2.25 tire on the front that just simply wasn't going to give me the bite I was after on steep and loose downhill terrain. I was prepared to forfeit some rolling resistance so opted to use a Maxxis Swamp Thing 2.35 which is considerably more spiked and aggressive but uses a soft rubber to hook up on roots and rocks much better than the Rubber Queen. The Swamp Things dual ply casing also gave the tire vastly increased puncture protection, which was one less thing to worry about while racing!

I chose to run a Specialized Clutch 2.3 tire on the rear but as with all Specialized tires in the real world it is more like 2.5 inch width, especially when combined with the lower pressures I was instructed to run by some seasoned downhill racers. Put it this way, there was plenty of rubber in contact with the ground!

I didn't run a chain guide for the race which was a bit of a risk especially as the track turned out to be pretty bumpy but I didn't lose a chain all day which I can only put down to that fantastic XT Shadow rear mech with clutch! I did however run a Blackspire bashring to protect the Race Face turbine crankset which I borrowed from my hardtail for the weekend. It turned out to fit perfectly with the SLX front mech and even hold the chain in place when used on the big front ring.

Finally I repositioned the order of the Brake levers, Gear shifters and Reverb remote so my fingers didn't grab anything they didn't want to during racing. The order on the cockpit from outside to inside went Grips, Brake levers, Shifters, Reverb Remote (left hand side only). I only have small fingers and despite constant warning,  I normally brake with only my middle finger and 2 fingers in emergencies so plenty of lever contact is a necessity. I also rolled all the controls forwards on the handlebars to give the bike a more attacking feel and give me more control when stood over the bars and slapped on the downhiller's favourite mudguard up front... The RRP Neoguard.

Overall I am loving my time on the Lapierre but it has started to show signs it's struggling in the depths of the British winter with some mud clearance issues. The front mech being tucked away behind the seat tube is all very tidy in the summer but it's right where all the gloopy mud gets stuck when flicking from the rear wheel. The mud builds up until the wheel will no longer turn and you have to dig it out with trailside with a stick or allen key which is not an ideal situation.
I have tried utilising some different mud guard arrangements to keep this area clean, making use of the Mucky Nuts Bender Fender but ran into some issues with the guard rubbing on the chain but I'm sure with some slight adaptions with a craft knife the problem will be solved.

In other news I have finally got round to sorting out some pedals for my bikes! I bought the new Shimano Saint flat pedals while stopping in at the local bike shop... So far I am getting on with them nicely and when combined with my Vans Gravel shoes I have always found my feet in the right place! Look out for a full long term review on the pedals in the future!

Lapierre is distributed in the UK by Hotlines-UK