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Is the Lapierre eZesty the lightest electric mountain bike?

Lapierre eZesty 2020 eMTB: World's lightest Electric Mountain Bike?

By Martin Brown |

We often get asked what is the lightest electric mountain bike you can buy? Most eMTB are 24kg+ however the Lapierre eZesty weights in at just 18kg!

We presented the Lapierre eZesty this year. It's one of the most versatile electric mountain bikes as it can be used as a regular mountain bike too! The rider can remove the whole motor and battery assembly (shaving 4kg!) and use an (optional) blanking plate if you want to ride un-assisted.

The 2020 Lapierre eZesty electric mountain bike has been designed from the ground up. It's aimed at riders who want the feel of a normal MTB but with a little helping hand on the hills and to cover more trails in a day. It's the first of it's kind and aimed at a totally different market to the regular electric mountain eBikes.

How the lightest eBike was designed?

The bike is designed by Nico Vouillez (10x World MTB Champion!). Being an avid MTB'er he wanted a bike that felt natural to ride. But with the fun of the assistance where you need it.

The engineers at Lapierre HQ in Dijon, France got to work. Tasked to design a bike that is a regular bike and an electric bike at one, no easy feat! They did this by using a lightweight carbon fibre frame as the platform for the eZesty. They completely integrated the Fazua eSystem within the frame. From here, the Lapierre eZesty was born!

Lightweight Fazua eDrive System

Not only is the Fazua drive one of the lightest systems on the market (battery & motor combined). But it also allows the user to completely remove from the frame if required. Different to any other eBike system on the market! In doing this brings the weight down to just 14kg! Compare that to other 160mm travel bikes...

Removing the Battery & Motor on the Lapierre eZesty eBike

Not only is the Fazua drive lightweight, but it's completely 'drag-free' when outside of the assistance zones. It does this by disengaging the motor when not in use, offering the rider a much more natural pedal feel.

The renowned eMTB Magazine had a chance to test the Fazua drive and said:-

"We had a chance to test the Fazua motor on a XC bike before and we have to admit weā€™re truly impressed with its natural feel. We hope that the E-Zesty AM will deliver an equally natural riding experience. Climbing with an extra boost of power in your legs and descending with the performance of a ā€œnormalā€ enduro bike."

The Fazua drive system actually won multiple awards as soon as it was released. The most prestigious is the Design & Innovation award. The judges said:-

"With previously unattainable dimensions, the compact size of the FAZUA Evation motor ushers in a new benchmark for lightweight e-bikes with a natural ride sensation and no visible motor. Made in Germany, this motor is built with a modular form and demonstrates the potential to really shift how pedal-assist bikes are designed. The FAZUA motor not only rides with a very conventional feel, but it also generates virtually no resistance when the motor is deactivated. Another benefit comes from its small size, which hugely benefits handling. The entire motor and battery unit can also be removed when desired and replaced with a plastic guard to transform the FAZUA-equipped e-bike into a conventional bike in just a few steps."


When you combine the Fazua drive with the lightweight Lapierre carbon frame, carbon wheels & bars on the eZesty AM LTD Ultimate 2020. The whole electric bike comes in at just 18kg!

Fazua 2020 eDrive System on Lapierre eZesty

Compare this to other top-end eBikes on the market typically between 22-26kg. It just shows exactly how lightweight this electric mountain bike is.

Lapierre eZesty 2020 eMTB Range

The Lapierre eZesty range comprises of two models. Both models feature the full 150mm all-mountain carbon fibre frame, Fazua drive eSystem, 27.5"+ wheelset & built-in dropper post with stealth cabling. But there are some spec differences between the two models as follows:-

Lapierre eZesty AM LTD Ultimate 2020

This is the top-spec model featuring factory series Kashima coated Fox Float suspension. The bike is equipped with a Sram Eagle X01 12 speed drivetrain, coupled with Sram Guide RE twin-pot disc brakes. Lapierre finishes with a special carbon wheelset & RaceFace handlebars.

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Lapierre eZesty AM LTD Ultimate 2020 Electric Bike

Priced at Ā£6,699 / More InfoĀ - Lapierre eZesty AM LTD Ultimate

Lapierre eZesty AM 9.0 Ultimate 2020

The eZesty 9.0 is the base model in the Lapierre 2020 range. Featuring Fox suspension front and rear, a full Sram NX 12 speed drivetrain and Sram Guide brakes. Finished on Lapierre's own Boost+ wheelset wrapped with Maxxis High Roller tyres.

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Lapierre eZesty AM 9.0 2020 Electric Bike

Priced at Ā£5,299 / More InfoĀ - Lapierre eZesty AM 9 Ultimate

Lapierre eZesty Review

Although they've not been out that long we do have clients out on the trails on eZesty's already. One sent us his review (which you can read in full on our site), but here's a snippet which pretty much sums up the bike:-

"The lightweight of the battery and motor obviously has an impact on the power assist performance. The first impression when using the power assist is that you do not get the boost that you get from a Shimano or Bosch unit, and you won't be pulling wheelies uphill, which you can almost do in turbo mode on other models. However, the power delivery of the Fazua unit is perfectly suited to this lightweight bike, and although subtle, is more than adequate for the most challenging of climbs. The important factor is being in the correct gear to get the cadence right for the conditions. This will give the perfect amount of assist for any condition."

Summary for Lapierre eZesty 2020

It's great to see an eMTB designed and dedicated to true MTB'ers. Some don't want a heavy powerhouse that takes over the ride. Some riders just want that bit of help on the hills to enjoy the descents as if on a normal non-electric bike.

The carbon frame brings amazing lines to the eZesty, coupled with Fazua's stealthy integration and full internal cable routing throughout. Could this be the first-ever eBike which doesn't actually look like an eBike?

Fazua Controller on the Lapierre eZesty eBike

Top Stealth Tip: Not many people know this, but as we are an authorised Fazua service centre, we have access to diagnostics to connect to the bike. From here we can make lots of changes and tests. But most interestingly, we can preset a ride mode. This means that you could completely remove the control assembly from the handlebars for a complete stealth look! This would leave nothing visible on the outside, at all. But it would mean you'd not be able to change assistance mode. So you'd want to determine what mode was your favourite; before doing so.

Carbon Frame on the Lapierre eZesty Electric Bike

We actually have the new Lapierre eZesty in stock right now ahead of the 2020 season! Why not book an appointment to come and take a look?

Did you know we also have a test bike here if you wanted to swing your leg over to see just how good this machine is!

You can view the full range of 2020 Lapierre eBikes here - Lapierre Electric Bikes.

Martin Brown at E-Bikeshop.co.uk
About Martin Brown

Martin has been in the electric bike industry for over 15 years & has helped it grow from the start. Promoting eBikes across the UK at events & offering the very best advice, tech articles, blogs & videos. In particular Martin is a major player for progressing the use of eMTB's, today owner of e-bikeshop.co.uk - The UK's largest eBike supplier specialising in Bosch, Yamaha and Shimano, good quality European eBikes.

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