And to design the new Prorace we went further, we even questioned our past choices, with the desire to innovate and offer increasingly efficient solutions.
Source: press release
This somewhat crazy goal led us to completely overhaul the design and concept of the new Prorace. The result is a hardtrail that breaks the mold, born precisely with the aim of combining the stiffness, responsiveness and lightness of a bike with a rigid frame with the unrivaled comfort of a softail.
There are four characteristics that make this bike unique.
In the first place its lightness, obtained thanks to the UD SLI carbon construction. Lapierre engineers were in fact able to optimize the rear triangle by playing not only on the lateral and vertical stiffness of the (asymmetrical) chainstays, but also on the flexibility of the seat stays, to gain traction and thus provide a significant improvement in comfort. The use of new VHM and HM carbon fibers allows for further weight savings for the benefit of performance.
Consequence of the use of new proprietary technologies is the second characteristic of this project. In fact, two different levels of carbon lay-up have been developed on this Prorace.
The first used in the UD SLI Team version frame which, using different HM and VHM quality unidirectional fiber plies, has further improved weight / rigidity compared to the previous generation frame (845g for the frame in size M, unpainted, 225 grams less than the previous generation Prorace SAT).
The second available frame is made with a fiber mix that favors comfort (UD SLI), still obtaining a better result in terms of weight than the previous generation (970 grams for the frame in size M, unpainted, 100 grams less than the previous generation Prorace SAT).
The third key feature is the application of the 3D Tubular concept, already used since 2015 on Lapierre racing bikes. The simple but ingenious concept is based on separating the seat stays from the seat tube to improve flexibility over a longer length and disperse vibrations and other shocks to the top tube and not directly to the seat tube. This concept makes it possible to gain lightness, simplify the design of the frame, obtain greater freedom of movement of the seat stays to improve comfort and finally, guarantee more flexibility to the seat tube. The effect is amplified by the choice of a seat post with a thinner diameter (27,2 mm).
The fourth focus of the engineers focused on the needs of the riders and the evolution of the routes.
Faster and more technical downhill circuits require continuous changes in the definition of geometries. Small but significant changes on almost every part of the frame transform the bike and make a real difference to the old model in its handling.
Specifically we find:
Shorter undercarriage (-8mm)
Slightly longer top tube and increased Reach (proportional to size) from 20 to 22 mm
Head tube 5mm shorter (10mm on XL)
Saddle angle more vertical than 1 ° on all sizes
More open steering angle (68 °)
Lower stack for a lower center of gravity
Seat tube shorter from 10 to 40 mm from S to XL
Thanks to these kinds of choices, four frame sizes are enough to meet the needs of most mountain bikers.
The Prorace range consists of five versions, all equipped with 29 ”wheels, carbon fiber frame (with different laypu depending on the version) and 12-speed single chainring transmissions.
Specifically, the entry level model is the Prorace CF 5.9 (€ 1999,00 MSRP), moving up into the range we find the Prorace CF 6.9 (€ 2699,00 MSRP) and the Prorace CF 7.9 (€ 3299,00 MSRP). Starting from the Prorace CF 8.9 version (€ 4399,00 MSRP) we also find the Lapierre Racing Components carbon wheels as standard. The Prorace CF 9.9 closes the range which with the refined TEAM frame, a Sram XO1 AXS wireless transmission and fiber wheels, Lapierre Racing Components handlebar and seat post is offered at a price of € 6299,00 MSRP.
The models of the Prorace range will be visible on the site lapierrebikes.com starting from week 38 2022 and the first availability at the points of sale is scheduled for week 39 2022. More information on lapierrebikes.com or at retailers in the retailer area
