Here at Merlin, we are proud to present some of the best bike brands in the world. Lapierre is one of those brands.
So, who are Lapierre?
The post war mood in France was, partly at least, one of hope. Lapierre bikes were born in this era of post war hope and re-generation. Lapierre was established by Gaston Lapierre in 1946 in the town of Dijon. A place more famous for its mustard than its bikes. Lapierre were soon producing bikes which would ‘cut the mustard’, and managed to capture the spirit of the region.
Lapierre have always embraced the latest technological advancements. They matched their love of tech’ with their desire to produce high quality designs for aesthetically pleasing bicycles. Today Lapierre has expanded to three manufacturing sites in France and Gaston’s grandson, Giles, is now in charge.
Road to Greatness
Around the year 2000, Lapierre began to expand its focus on road bikes, developing a whole new range of road bikes. Lapierre’s top end frames featured a revolutionary, lightweight carbon lay-up. The frames using this lay-up came in at just 900 grams. These early high-end frames helped secure a strong partnership with World Tour team Française des Jeux (FDJ) in 2002. This partnership is still going strong today – one of the longest associations between manufacturer and racing team.
The relationship is very mutually beneficial. Lapierre supply FDJ with prototypes that are then refined and developed for production. All based on the feedback from the team.
Lapierre continue to produce a range of quality bikes that cater to all riders; From aero focussed racers, mountain seeking climbers to all-day sportive / endurance riders. There’s a machine in the Lapierre range to suit all riders.
Move any Mountain
During the 1980’s Lapierre bikes were strong in the mountain biking scene sponsoring many teams around the world. Lapierre was in a strong position in a sport that would boom throughout the 80’s and 90’s, this focused much of their efforts into the world of MTB or VTT as the French call it
2003, saw Lapierre partner with 10X World Downhill MTB Champion Nicolas Vouilloz. Nicolas worked closely with the research & development team at Lapierre to create a range of advanced and innovative downhill bikes to top off the French brand’s strong range of mountain bikes.
During 2012, after several years of working closely with RockShox in the development process, Lapierre released the first bikes with the e:i shock system, an electronic suspension system that adjusts the level of damping based on real-time feedback from the trail.
Lapierre are continually developing new technology and embracing new ways to produce mountain bikes which cater for all types or riders from cross-country, trail and enduro riders to downhill specialists.
Merlin Cycles are proud to present Lapierre – Check our stock here
