Review of the new Lapierre Crosshill CF 7.0

With the Crosshill CF, Lapierre enters a new era for its Gravel bike range, offering a comfortable and responsive carbon frame to tackle all surfaces without sacrificing performance. With its Shimano GRX Di2 groupset and 44 mm tires, this Crosshill CF 7.0 impresses with its easy handling and overall efficiency, even on the most challenging terrains.

By Guillaume Judas – Photos: ©3bikes.fr / DR

Lapierre launched its first Gravel bike in 2016, with an aluminum Crosshill designed for discovery and adventure. An accessible bike, popular with bikepacking enthusiasts. With this brand-new carbon version, the Dijon-based brand aims to broaden the possibilities of its offering for a practice that turns out to be a little wider than originally envisioned. The Crosshill CF is therefore part of a desire to offer a lighter, more powerful, but also more versatile bike in terms of handling. Because as we have seen in recent years since the real boom of this practice, there is not just one way to ride Gravel, but several, whether for leisure, for sporty or committed rides, or even in competition on courses that are again very different depending on where they take place.

With this new carbon Crosshill, Lapierre has focused on weight savings compared to the first aluminum version, but also on comfort for more versatility and on handling mastery for the most committed situations thanks to a revised geometry. Let’s add that the frame is compatible with a suspension fork and a UDH derailleur hanger, a system that is found on more and more mountain bikes.

Six versions of the Crosshill CF are available in the catalog, starting from 2799 € and up to 6999 €, including the 4299 € of our test model CF 7.0. A bike with a well-placed quality/price ratio with a Shimano GRX Di2 double chainring drivetrain and DT Swiss GR 1600 Spline aluminum wheels, whose weight of 1650 g is reasonable. The rest of the components are rather mid-range, prioritizing solidity and comfort over lightness. Not exactly a featherweight, the machine weighs in at 9 kg, but remains upgradeable for those who wish to invest a little more in their practice in the long run.

Controlled Comfort and Stiffness

Announced at around 1000 g, the Crosshill CF frame is based on a full unidirectional carbon construction with an exclusive pre-preg layup around a latex-coated core, to offer the necessary responsiveness to absorb terrain irregularities without performance loss. It stands out with a seat tube completely detached from the seatstays, to offer more flexibility, and thus more comfort but also more traction. Still with the same objective, the seatstays have an elliptical shape and a double break in line to dissipate vibrations. The frame accepts tires up to 45 mm wide, which gives the bike excellent off-road capabilities, whether climbing or descending, on rocks or in mud. Finally, it is compatible with a 40 mm suspension fork, as demonstrated by the presence in the range of two Crosshill versions with this equipment.

In terms of geometry, the Crosshill CF differs from the first Crosshill with a slightly shorter top tube (3 mm in size S), a steeper seat tube angle (1.5 to 3.5° depending on size), shorter chainstays (5 mm), and a bottom bracket shell that is 4 to 5 mm higher. At the front, the fork crown is particularly high, to provide the same geometry whether with a rigid fork or with a suspension fork. Unsurprisingly, the cockpit is quite high, an impression accentuated by the mounting of handlebars with a 20 mm rise. A definite advantage for riding comfort and bike handling, a little less for pure performance on the fastest events. The sportiest riders can always start by changing the handlebars to find a more aggressive position, but without necessarily improving handling.

Finally, in terms of practical aspects, note that the Crosshill CF benefits from numerous mounting points for light luggage, or mudguards, which further increases the versatility of the bike.

From the banks of the Orge to the Gravel Roc

We first rode the Lapierre Crosshill CF 7.0 on our usual circuits in the Paris region before testing it more intensely at the Gravel Roc among hundreds of other participants. On the smooth gravel paths along the Orge river and on the already damp trails in the undergrowth, we were able to appreciate the machine’s rolling qualities and the devilish efficiency of its drivetrain. The GRX groupset was already reliable and precise in its mechanical version, but here it adds comfort and speed in gear changes in its electronic Di2 iteration, with a special mention for the ergonomics and finish of the levers, which elevate this drivetrain to another dimension. The braking is also ultra reassuring, as are the WTB tires with a 44 mm width in tubeless setup, which offer great versatility of use depending on the chosen inflation pressure.

The upright position induced by the cockpit placement is very comfortable in leisure mode and contributes to the bike’s maneuverability in technical sections, where the Crosshill CF handles almost like a rigid mountain bike. On rolling sections, where one tends to want to lower their head to look like a racer, the bike lacks length, which is not always comfortable for the arms. But it never lacks stability.

On the much trickier trails of the Roc d’Azur, a decrease in tire pressure quickly proved necessary to absorb the vibrations and shocks of a very uneven terrain and gain grip in dusty corners. The Crosshill CF did not lose any of its superb performance on the uphill sections where, without being airy, it allowed all difficulties to be overcome without a hitch thanks to its wide range of gears and its ability to adapt to all surfaces. An ease of handling that provides security on the most technical descents, and allows you to stay on the bike when many other competitors prefer to finish on foot.

Ultimately, the Lapierre Crosshill CF 7.0 brings a lot of pleasure with its smooth operation and ride, and the confidence it inspires, whatever the distance envisioned. For a very sporty practice, it will undoubtedly require some adjustments to save a little weight or adapt the position. Nevertheless, it remains a well-designed bike, with a very favorable price/performance ratio.

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