Lapierre presents a completely new XR with competition DNA and five setups starting from €3,799

The new Lapierre XR is now official and represents the most profound renewal of the French brand's cross-country platform in recent years. Designed from the ground up to respond to the evolution of current XCO, the new XR adopts a configuration of 120 mm of travel front and rear, a more aggressive geometry, a completely revised kinematics, and a lighter carbon frame. All of this aims to offer a bike that is faster uphill, more stable downhill, and better adapted to the demanding current World Cup circuits.

The new Lapierre XR 2027 arrives with a deep update

Current cross-country has little in common with that of just a decade ago. The circuits are more technical, faster, and demanding, with increasingly complicated descents and areas where absorption capacity and control are as important as pedaling efficiency.

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With this premise, Lapierre has developed a new XR based on the experience accumulated with its official teams in the World Cup and the current Lapierre PXR Racing Team, which had already been using this same version in competition for a few months.

At first glance, it is clear that the generational change is profound, and among other things, the shock is now vertical, contrary to current trends, but the brand acknowledges that everything has been focused on improving the bike's climbing ability. Improving pedaling efficiency and climbing behavior without sacrificing stability was the goal of this new XR.

New geometry and 120 mm front and rear

One of the most important changes comes in the travel. The new XR now offers 120 mm in both the fork and the rear suspension. The previous generation combined 120 mm in the front with 110 mm in the rear, a configuration that has been practically surpassed by the current market trend.

The geometry has also been significantly revised to place the rider in a more centered position within the bike to improve climbing ability and increase control in high-speed situations.

Among the most notable changes, we find that the XR incorporates a Flip Chip system that allows for modifying the bottom bracket height without altering the suspension behavior.

In the high position, the bottom bracket has a height of 40 mm and the head angle is 67°. This configuration prioritizes agility and ground clearance. In the low position, the height reaches up to 45 mm and the head angle relaxes to approximately 66.6°, improving stability on fast descents and technical areas. The seat angle changes from 76.5° to 76.1° depending on the chosen position. The reach ranges from 420 mm to 495 mm from size S to XL.

New kinematics: more efficient without losing traction

The suspension has been one of the areas that received the most work during development. Lapierre has created a new kinematics focused on simultaneously improving pedaling efficiency and system sensitivity.

The brand claims that the anti-squat is now close to 100% at the SAG point, a figure that helps limit bobbing while pedaling and improves power transfer without blocking the suspension's operation. In practical terms, the rear wheel should maintain better contact with the ground on rough terrain while the bike retains high efficiency in accelerations and climbs.

The behavior under braking has also been revised. Lapierre has maintained anti-rise values similar to those of the previous generation to preserve a predictable and stable response when braking hard on descents.

Lower shock and optimized center of gravity

As we have already mentioned, one of the biggest differences compared to the previous XR is the new position of the shock. It is now positioned in a vertical and significantly lower position within the frame.

A solution with personality, currently most brands mount it horizontally, but it also offers advantages, such as having a lower center of gravity, greater stability at high speeds, more freedom to optimize the kinematics, and easier access to the shock for adjustments and maintenance.

Lapierre has also incorporated a Fidlock magnetic cover to protect the shock area, which can be removed to save 44 grams.

Lighter carbon frame and new fiber classification

The new XR introduces different levels of carbon used in the range. The UD Racing label is the construction used in the XR 10.9 and combines T800 fibers with high-modulus fibers to maximize the stiffness-to-weight ratio. The frame claims a weight of 1,730 grams, approximately 50 grams less than the previous generation.

The UD Performance construction is used in the rest of the range, but it maintains exactly the same platform, geometry, and kinematics as the top-of-the-line model.

This means that all XR models share the same dynamic behavior and suspension architecture.

A bike also designed for marathon and versatile use

Although its development has been prioritized for competitive XCO, Lapierre makes it clear that the new XR is not limited to use on short circuits.

The 29-inch wheels, 120 mm travel, modern geometry, and overall efficiency aim to make it a valid platform for both XCO races and MTB marathon events and long days on fast trails.

This intention is well reflected in not giving up a second bottle cage. The XR allows for mounting 2 bottles, although the second is located under the top tube due to the position of the shock.

The philosophy is to offer a bike capable of performing at the highest competitive level without losing versatility for the advanced recreational user.

Lapierre XR 2027 range: models, weights, and prices

Lapierre XR 10.9

• UD Racing Carbon
• Declared weight: 10.4 kg
• Fork: RockShox SID Ultimate
• Shock: RockShox SIDLuxe Ultimate
• 3-position remote control
• Transmission: SRAM XX SL AXS
• Brakes: SRAM Motive Ultimate
• Wheels: FSA KFX i30 Team Edition
• Integrated handlebar: FSA NS SIC
• Price: €10,000

Lapierre XR 8.9

• UD Performance Carbon
• Declared weight: 11.0 kg
• Shock: Fox 34 SL Factory
• Fork: Fox Float Factory
• Transmission: Shimano XT Di2
• Brakes: Shimano XT 4-piston
• Wheels: DT Swiss XRC1500
• Handlebar: SRAM Descendant Carbon + XLC stem
• Price: €6,999

Lapierre XR 7.9

• UD Performance Carbon
• Declared weight: 11.8 kg
• Shock: RockShox SID Select+
• Fork: RockShox SIDLuxe Select+
• Transmission: SRAM GX AXS
• Brakes: SRAM Motive Bronze
• Wheels: DT Swiss XR1700
• Price: €5,799

Lapierre XR 6.9

• UD Performance Carbon
• Declared weight: 12.2 kg
• Fork: RockShox SID Select
• Shock: RockShox SIDLuxe Select+
• Transmission: Shimano Deore Di2
• Brakes: Shimano Deore 4-piston
• Wheels: DT Swiss M1900
• Price: €4,799

Lapierre XR 5.9

• UD Performance Carbon
• Declared weight: 12.8 kg
• Transmission: Shimano Deore mechanical
• Brakes: Shimano M4100 4-piston
• Fork: RockShox SID Select
• Shock: RockShox SIDLuxe Select+
• Wheels: XLC
• Price: €3,799

With this new XR, Lapierre completely updates its proposal for high-performance cross-country and fully enters the trend currently dominating the segment with more capable, stable bikes prepared to tackle increasingly technical circuits.