Lapierre Xelius SL 5.0
The Xelius blends a smooth yet exciting ride with swift, accurate handling
£2249 / THIS CLIMBER’S BIKE GE TS A LIGHTER, MORE COMFORTABLE FR AME
The Xelius has been a Lapierre mainstay for years, the distinctive triple-triangle bikes being ridden by the Groupama-FDJ team since 2009. The latest generation Xelius SL frameset is both lighter than ever and more comfortable, thanks to the radical frame design’s seatstays that bypass the seat tube junction entirely before joining the top tube.
For the 2021 model Lapierre has incorporated aero elements from its other pro-level bike, the Aircode DRS (CP377). The down tube has a kammtail-like profile to reduce drag, an aero aspect shared by a head tube that’s topped with a flush-fitting aero top. The fork also has aeroshaped legs that bow outwards to keep the fork legs away from air that has been disrupted by the rotating wheel. When it comes to aero gains, every little counts…
But it’s at the rear end where the interesting stuff is happening. Aside from the unique seatstays, the seat tube itself flattens towards the bottom bracket, acting like a leaf-spring and providing fore-and-aft movement to smooth out road vibrations. The technology is so successful that if it wasn’t for the sporty geometry, you’d swear you were riding an endurance bike. While our test Xelius weighs nearly 9kg, the handling is very light, the frame smoothness is exceptional and the bottom bracket rock solid – the result is a bike that’s a very good climber, though it feels better in the saddle than out.
Shimano’s workhorse 105 delivers its usual crisp shifting and progressive braking, while the Lapierre’s French theme continues with Mavic’s middleweight but smooth-rolling Open rims paired with 28mm Continental tyres.
The Xelius SL 5.0 is superb: a bike that blends a smooth, vibration-damping ride with accurate handling. It’s an exciting machine at a good price – and with some French exceptionalism it also stands out from the aero-tubed, dropped-seatstay fashion prevalent in most of 2021’s bikes.
THE VERDICT
High-quality French flyer that lives up to high expectations