While the new Lapierre Aircode is all about cheating the wind, the second Lapierre bike designed for FDJ is all about beating the cobbles. The Pulsium saw its first race at theGrand Prix E3, where the FDJ team put the bike to the test. Developed for the notorious conditions of famous classics like Paris-Roubaix and Tour of Flanders, Lapierre joins a few other companies in offering a bike with borderline rear suspension using an elastomer ring to soak up the bumps. Built with thier Power Box design, the bottom of the bike is all business and super stiff for power transfer, while the upper section of the bike is designed to be as compliant as possible.
More than just a comfy bike, the Pulsuim has a neat little trick to fit massive tires for a road bike…
In the drawing above, the red section of the frame represents the Power Box, a design borrowed from their Xelius EFI. Similar to other bikes on the market, the headtube/downtube/BB/and chainstays are all designed to be oversized and as massively stiff as possible, which allows the upper blue section to be built much more forgiving. The frame also uses an upgraded carbon layup with 40, 30, and 24 ton high modulus carbon fiber. The fork has been tweaked for increased fore-aft flex with increased offset, going from 50-43mm, and the top tube and seat stays are curved to aid in the flex of the frame. 
Combined with the 27.2 seatpost and the elastomer ring that is hidden in the top tube, the frame claims to soak up as much of the road buzz as possible. We should get a better view of the Pulsium and its elastomer suspension at Sea Otter, so we’ll have a better idea of how the elastomer actually works. Other changes to the frame include longer chainstays than the Xelius EFI for better stability, shock absorption, and tire clearance, as well as a 15mm longer head tube.
Most “comfort” road bikes can fit 28mm tires these days, but how about 32mm? The Modular rear brake caliper can run long reach brakes with the included adapter which will be capable of fitting 700x32c tires. Nothing is mentioned about the fork though. Other features include an aero integrated seatpost clamp for a standard round post, and an internal housing guide to keep the noise down for the internal routing. More from SOC.
