New Lapierre Pulsium increases tyre clearance and ride comfort

Promotional feature with Lapierre

Lapierre has launched a new version of its Pulsium endurance bike. The design is less curvy and more modern looking than its predecessor, with a straighter top tube and seat stays, and closely echoes the Xelius SL race bike ridden by the Groupama-FDJ pro team.

The signature feature of both the new Pulsium and the Xelius SL is the skinny seat stays that wrap around the seat tube and make a triangle to meet the top tube. It’s a design that Lapierre says gives the Pulsium 11% more vertical compliance than its alloy Sensium endurance bike.

There’s more clearance to the new Pulsium frame too, with space for 32mm tyres, or even 35mm. Lapierre says that the bike is ready for light bikepacking, with a 130kg weight limit, and that the frame is tested to mountain bike standards. It’s a nod towards those wanting to use the Pulsium for gravel and allroad adventures, who can fit wider, knobblier tyres.

Lapierre hasn’t sacrificed handling though, with a new broader, straighter fork design which uses 1.5 inch bearings top and bottom and is compatible with Mavic Speed Release wheels.

The frame’s stack is now higher. Reach has been increased too, although Lapierre has compensated for this by fitting a shorter stem. It’s a feature often seen on gravel bikes that makes for snappier handling while keeping the bars around the same distance from the saddle.

As you’d expect, the Pulsium also has a shorter reach and higher stack than Lapierre’s more race-oriented Xelius SL and Aircode bikes.

There’s more integration on the new bike too, with internal cable routing through the stem and headset for both electronic and mechanical groupsets while at the rear there’s a hidden seatpost clamp. Lapierre has also moved to flat mount disc brake callipers from the previous model’s post mount brakes.

Shock absorption tech option

On the top end SAT version of the new Pulsium - standing for Shock Absorption Technology - Lapierre has placed a rubber insert in the part of the seatstays between the seat tube and the top tube.

This, says Lapierre, “absorbs and disperses vibrations for better vertical comfort and traction of the rear wheel. The cyclist's energy is preserved to deliver an efficient and constant effort over time, especially on long rides and on the most degraded roads”.

Lapierre’s standard Pulsium frame features in our video and has the same geometry and much of the same tech as the SAT frame.

Both Pulsium frames are made of the same mix of 24 tonne unidirectional carbon fibre with the same layup, for a frame weight that Lapierre quotes at 1100g without SAT. There’s an overbuilt bottom bracket area, that Lapierre calls its Powerbox, for effective transfer of pedalling force to the road.

Go for the Pulsium SAT Disc and the rubber insert only adds 20g to the frame weight over the non-SAT frame, with Lapierre’s testing showing that compliance increases by 11%. The fork is the same for both bikes and weighs 467g.

Both Pulsium framesets are UCI approved, so expect to see the new bike in action with Groupama-FDJ at the early season cobbled classic races.

Specs and prices

The Pulsium and Pulsium SAT will be available in five sizes, from 46cm up to 57cm, to accommodate the majority of riders and at launch will come in three models in the UK. The international range is more extensive though and also includes rim brake models and women’s sizes.

The new UK range starts with the Shimano Tiagra-equipped Pulsium 3.0 Disc, priced at £1749. There’s a 50/34 tooth chainset running in a Shimano Pressfit bottom bracket and paired to an 11-34 cassette. Wheels are Ryde DP19 with Continental Ultra Sport 28mm tyres. Lapierre quotes a whole bike weight of 9.76kg for a size large.

For £1999 the Pulsium 5.0 Disc, as shown in our video, ups the spec to Shimano 105 and drops the weight to 9.44kg. Gear ratios are the same as on the Pulsium 3.0, as are the tyres, but there’s a swap-out to Shimano RX010 wheels.

Move up to the Pulsium SAT frameset and the £2499 Pulsium 5.0 SAT Disc comes with the same Shimano 105 hydraulic disc groupset and with Mavic Open Disc wheels for a claimed weight of 9.22kg.