Xelius SL

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Ride your next horizon

Xelius, a name that concentrates more than 10 years of evolution and innovation on the Lapierre road. Launched in 2010, the Xelius represents extreme versatility always linked to performance. A unique, iconic model that has evolved over the years but always stands out from the competition with its concept and innovations like the 3D tubular and Powerbox.

The Xelius SL is designed for demanding cyclists who are looking for a bike where versatility is expressed on all types of terrain: flat, uphill, downhill. Excellent on all roads, all courses, all stages, it combines the essential qualities of an ultra versatile bike and embodies the evolution of the classic racing bike.

The 3rd generation of the Xelius SL maintains its original philosophy as the most versatile bike in the Lapierre performance road range. But it’s still evolving and exacerbating its characteristics: more racy, more aggressive, lighter, and more powerful.

Xelius SL3 mold - UD SLI carbon construction

New carbon UD SLI construction

For this new Xelius SL frame, we have further improved the core of the bike: new lighter and stronger Torayca carbon fibers (IM T800 /HM M40J, VHM YS60, T1000) and a new UD SLI (Super Light Innovation) carbon technology, which is now Lapierre’s highest carbon technology. The use of a new rigid polypropylene mandrel also provides more stability during the lay-up phase and better compression of the carbon plies in the mold. The compression of the fibers is then more homogeneous, ejecting even more resin to save weight. The carbon lay-up has also been optimised for different frame sizes to give the same feel and behaviour regardless of the frame size.

An improved weight / stiffness ratio

The Xelius SL has never been so light, even in disc brake version! Thanks to our new UD SLI carbon level, the Xelius SL3 is significantly lighter than before and is now close to the symbolic 700g mark for the naked frame (raw finish). At 725 g (+/-15 g) in size M and Light version, it’s just a weight gain of about 230 g compared to the previous generation of Xelius However, rigidity has not been compromised, and our Powerbox design is still at the heart of frame development for better power transfer. Thus, the new larger downtube design with sharp edges for torsional rigidity, the head tube with 1.5” bearings, the more massive bottom bracket and wider, asymmetrical chainstays ensure maximum power transfer.

A geometry for attacking uphill and downhill

The new Xelius SL3 geometry, which has been favored by Groupama-FDJ sprinters/rollers since 2020 on the Aircode DRS, is based on the aero road bike geometry to improve aerodynamics and precision on fast descents thanks to a more streamlined and projected position on the front, a lowered center of gravity and a more compact frame for more reactivity. By mounting the seat stays under the top tube instead of at the back of the seat tube, the 3D Tubular concept has 3 significant advantages : it disperses the vibrations in a zone between the two support points (saddle and handlebars) ; it frees the seat tube which gains in flexibility on all its length ; and it lightens the bike with the use of carbon fiber in an area with low mechanical constraint.

Always more Aero

Because if the aerodynamics of a frame has an influence when climbing at less than 20 km/h or at 30 km/h, optimizing the frame design was even more important to save time when descending at very high speed.

The development work on the Xelius SL3 focused on :

Optimizing the NACA and KAMMTAIL tubes on down tube, seat tube, seat stays
Improving the aero profile of the fork and head tube
A more compact frame with a more sloping top tube
Full integration of brake lines and hoses

CFD development and wind tunnel testing have shown significant aerodynamic gains for the new Xelius SL3 vs. the Xelius SL2!

The Xelius SL3 is on average 8.5% more aerodynamic than the Xelius SL2 in all wind angles (0, 10, 20°) and at average speeds of 40, 50 or 60 km/h.

XELIUS SL3 SAVES 12 WATTS AERO AT 50KM/H AND 0° WIND ANGLE
XELIUS SL3 SAVES 15 WATTS AERO AT 50 KM/H AND 10° WIND ANGLE
XELIUS SL 3 SAVES 15 WATTS AERO (PMECA) AT 50KM/H AND 20° WIND ANGLE

Above all the new Xelius SL is even faster at very high speeds! The faster you go, the more aero the Xelius SL3 is compared to the Xelius SL2.

Xelius SL3 saves 7 Watt aero at 40km/h (-1%)
Xelius SL3 saves 12 Watt aero at 50 km/h (-7.5%)
Xelius SL 3 saves 22 Watts aero at 60km/ (-8.5%)

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