New lighter Lapierre Prorace inherits triple-triangle design for improved compliance

Lapierre has announced an update to its Prorace cross-country mountain bike platform, with updates to the carbon construction and geometry, as well as reworking the seat tube area to introduce further compliance.

The hardtail bike sticks with 100mm of suspension travel and there will be two tiers of frame, with the Team version representing the top of the range.

Lapierre says the new Prorace retains the stiffness, responsiveness and low weight one would expect of a hardtail but “with the comfort and spirit of a softail”.

The range starts from €2,299 for the Prorace CF 5.9 and rises to €6,499 for the top-of-the-range Prorace CF 9.9. Further international pricing is to be confirmed.

Updated carbon construction

According to Lapierre, reducing weight was a key focus on the new Prorace.

Lapierre is using its UD SLI (Unidirectional Superlight Innovation) carbon construction, which it introduced on the revamped XR and XRM full-suspension cross-country mountain bikes launched earlier in the year.

This sees the use of “new, lighter and stronger” Torayca carbon, although Lapierre doesn't specify exactly what is used.

To optimise the fibres, Lapierre uses a rigid polypropylene mandrel (what the fibres are wrapped around in the manufacturing process). Lapierre says this enables better compression of both the carbon and resin in the mould. The brand says it can also optimise the wall thicknesses of the tubes.

Lapierre claims the carbon layup offers a better stiffness-to-weight ratio and there will be two tiers of frame offered on the Prorace – UD SLI and UD SLI Team.

Lapierre quotes an 845g frame weight for the UD SLI Team and 970g for the second-tier frame, both in size medium, without paint. This compares to 1,070g for the outgoing Prorace SAT model.

New rear-end

Lapierre has ported its 3D Tubular concept onto the new Prorace. This has been in use on its road bikes since 2015.

Effectively a triple-triangle design, Lapierre says it “disassociates the seatstays from the seat tube to improve their flexibility over a longer length and disperse vibrations and other shocks through the top tube instead of directly to the seat tube”.

The system is used in conjunction with a 27.2mm-diameter seatpost.

New geometry

Lapierre will be offering four frame sizes on the Prorace, from S to XL.

There are a number of revisions in terms of geometry over the old Prorace, and yes, you guessed it, the new frame heads down the longer, lower and slacker route.

The head tube angle is now 68 degrees, relaxed from 69.5 degrees.

The seat tube angle has steepened by 1 degree on all sizes and is now 74 degrees.

The reach has increased by 20 to 22mm over the Prorace SAT and now ranges from 410mm to 480mm.

Lapierre has also shortened the chainstays by 8mm, with all sizes now 420mm.

The brand has also shortened the seat tube length by 10 to 40mm, presumably to accommodate longer-travel dropper seatposts.