Lapierre has dropped its rear shock to the bottom bracket on a radical prototype XRM — chasing a lower centre of gravity and joining a small club of brands ripping up the cross-country rulebook.
What Lapierre actually changed
At the South Korean season opener of the 2026 Mountain Bike World Cup, Lapierre rolled out a cross-country prototype that does the opposite of where much of the industry has been heading. Instead of perching the rear shock up on the top tube, the new prototype XRM buries it low in the frame, down around the bottom bracket — an approach BikeRadar likens to Lee Cougan's layout.
Underneath, it's familiar Lapierre: a flex-stay design with no bearings beyond the main pivot and linkage. The cabling, though, is new — it now runs through the headset rather than through ports on the head tube. Curiously, the bike was photographed with lights and a bell fitted, and BikeRadar didn't see who was riding it, hinting the brand wasn't even sure it would race.
By the numbers
Why bury the shock by the bottom bracket?
The headline benefit is the geometry of mass, not suspension travel. Sinking the shock and its linkage lowers the bike's centre of gravity, which Lapierre and BikeRadar say should make it feel more planted and quicker to turn — handy as XCO courses get rowdier. The simplified monopivot also leaves room for an electronically controlled shock such as RockShox's Flight Attendant, per Brújula Bike.
One caveat on the 'more room for bottles' argument that often rides shotgun with low-shock designs: BikeRadar reports the prototype it saw appeared to fit only one bottle, with a large accessory mount under the top tube. So treat extra front-triangle storage as a possibility, not a confirmed feature.
The low-shock bet: upsides and trade-offs
- Lower centre of gravity — claimed to feel more planted and turn quicker (BikeRadar)
- Flex-stay monopivot keeps pivots and bearings to a minimum
- Layout is built to accept an electronic shock like Flight Attendant (Brújula Bike)
- Potentially frees usable volume in the front triangle
- Headset cable routing 'gets in the way of maintenance' (BikeRadar)
- A shock down by the BB sits closer to mud and water spray, and can be harder to reach (our take)
- Prototype was seen with only one bottle cage, undercutting the storage pitch (BikeRadar)
- Still a prototype that 'may never hit store shelves' (BikeRadar)
Prototype vs the bikes you can buy today
Lapierre XC platform compared
| Prototype XRM (2026) | Production XR (2025/26) | Original XRM (2022) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shock position | Low, at the bottom bracket | Lowered / vertical in front triangle | Top-tube mounted |
| Suspension | Monopivot flex-stay | Flex-stay | Flex-stay |
| Rear travel | ~110–115mm (est.) | 120mm | 110mm |
| Cable routing | Through the headset | Internal | Head-tube ports |
| Claimed frame weight | TBC | 1,730g (XR 10.9) | 1,772g (team frame) |
View data table
| RRP (€) | |
|---|---|
| XR 5.9 | 3799 € |
| XR 6.9 | 4799 € |
| XR 7.9 | 5799 € |
| XR 8.9 | 6999 € |
| XR 10.9 | 10000 € |
In Rand (approx, @ today's rate): XR 5.9: ~R71 200 · XR 6.9: ~R90 000 · XR 7.9: ~R109 000 · XR 8.9: ~R131 000 · XR 10.9: ~R188 000
A trend Lapierre joined — and the rival that zagged
Lapierre isn't alone. BikeRadar notes that Scott (Spark) and Mondraker already mount their shocks low or deep inside the frame, while Giant just went the other way with its latest Anthem. Scott, meanwhile, showed its own prototype 'Racing Concept' at the same race — but kept the shock inside the down-tube belly rather than slung low and outboard, a subtly different bet on the same centre-of-gravity idea (BikeRadar).
“The new design clearly works, helping Swiss rider Filippo Colombo to a fifth place in the XCC short track event.”
What the testers say
Four takes on Lapierre's XC platform
Independent verdicts from across the cycling press — follow each link for the full review.
Promising, but unproven
“feel more planted and quicker to turn”
Read the full reviewFast and efficient (on the current XRM)
“It's a great option for anyone wanting the speed and efficiency of a true XC/marathon bike, but with a slightly broader skill set.”
Read the full reviewMarathon DNA
“The Lapierre XRM is very much a European long-distance mileage mountain bike.”
Read the full reviewStable and direct (XR 9.9)
“The stability it offers us is very high with its 67º steering”
Read the full reviewThe XRM 6.9 is steadfast under pedalling but lacking the suspension sensitivity needed to really boost traction for true trail riding.
Full MBR reviewHow we got here
Lapierre's XC platform, 2022 to now
- 2022Lapierre launches XR + XRM
A 'cross-down-country' pair: a 100mm XR race bike and a 110mm-rear XRM marathon bike, both on flex-stay suspension (Singletrack World).
- 2025/26All-new production XR
A lighter 1,730g frame, 120/120mm travel, a lowered in-frame shock and anti-squat closer to 100% at sag (Bikerumor).
- Early 2026Spotted under Anne Terpstra at Chelva
An unreleased prototype with a bottom-bracket-area shock — Terpstra wins on it before any public launch (Brújula Bike).
- 2026 openerPrototype XRM shown in South Korea
Lapierre PXR Racing debuts; the BB-shock prototype appears (lights and a bell fitted), though BikeRadar says it may never reach shops.
Tap to vote — see how readers lean
Your questions, answered
What exactly is different about Lapierre's prototype XRM? +
It moves the rear shock from the top tube down to the bottom-bracket area, routes the cables through the headset, and keeps Lapierre's flex-stay (monopivot) suspension with minimal bearings (BikeRadar).
Does a lower shock actually make a bike faster? +
The theory is that a lower centre of gravity makes the bike feel more planted and quicker to turn. That's the reported design intent — it hasn't been independently lab-tested.
Which other brands mount the shock low? +
Among the majors, Scott (Spark) and Mondraker (Podium) use low or internal shock layouts; Giant recently moved away from it with its new Anthem. Lapierre now joins the low-shock camp (BikeRadar).
Can I buy the prototype, and when? +
No. BikeRadar notes it 'may never hit store shelves'. If you want a Lapierre XC bike today, the buyable models are the production XR and the previous XRM — see live SA prices above.
Who races it? +
Lapierre PXR Racing — Anne Terpstra, Nicole Koller, Caroline Bohé, Anton Cooper and Tobias Lillelund. Terpstra has already won on the prototype at Chelva (Brújula Bike).
Sources & further reading
- Lapierre's prototype XRM breaks XC convention by moving the rear shock down low — BikeRadar
- Scott's prototype 'Racing Concept' XC bike keeps the shock inside the frame — BikeRadar
- The all-new Lapierre XR gets sharper, lighter and ready for modern XC — Bikerumor
- Lapierre XRM 6.9 review — MBR
- Lapierre XRM and XR: cross-down-country — Singletrack World
- Lapierre debuts new team and bike at the 2026 World Cup — Brújula Bike
Lapierre's prototype XRM is a genuine technical statement rather than a marketing tweak: dropping the shock to the bottom bracket chases a lower centre of gravity and a cleaner, electronics-ready flex-stay chassis. It's unproven, possibly unbuyable, and the bottle-space promise is shakier than the press-pit hype — but with Anne Terpstra already winning on it, the idea clearly has legs. If you want Lapierre XC pace today, the production XR is the bike to shop; watch this space for the XRM that follows it.
