The Tour de France has always been the showcase chosen by companies in the cycling world to reveal some important product innovations capable of stimulating the interest of enthusiasts. The 110th edition, ready to start this weekend from Basque country, is no exception. Many teams will show up at the start in Bilbao wearing a new kit, others like the French one Groupama-FDJ with a bike with a truly special liveryWe're talking about Lapierre Xelius SL 10.0 Symbiosis Edition, which will debut on the streets of Tour with a version destined to make people talk about it… thanks to Artificial Intelligence.
Artist's touch
The graphics of the Xelius SL 10.0 Symbiosis Edition bear the signature of Obvious, a trio of artists who use Artificial Intelligence to generate artwork on a variety of mediums, including cars, NFTs, and in this case, a bicycle.
Artificial Intelligence is increasingly used in our daily lives and Lapierre wanted to be part of this revolution by becoming the first brand in the world to to market a bicycle with a design derived from Artificial Intelligence.
The theme of movement
A bicycle frame is characterized by the fact that it has no real "flat" areas. The Xelius SL 10.0 is no exception. It is in fact made up of a series of carbon tubes, characterised by different shapes and sections.. This naturally posed a challenge in the design creation phase using Artificial Intelligence.
Lapierre and Obvious wanted to highlight the artistic and scientific material surrounding the theme of movement, focusing in particular on the mechanical and biomechanical aspects of the cyclist's pedalling, whose movements act in symbiosis to always reach the same goal: go faster and aim for victory.
The concentric circles drawn on the frame represent the rotation points during pedaling and a series of mechanical gears represent the bicycle. These are then connected to each other by flowers to symbolize the union between man and machine..
Make room for Cyber-Punk
In keeping with the symbolism between man and machine, the artists at Obvious drew inspiration from Cyber-Punk, a dystopian science fiction movement where man and machine merge. Another inspiration was the science fiction novel “Neuromancer” by the American writer William Gibson.
The two worlds of “man and machine” are distinguished by a clear color code: pink for the human, the flesh, the fabrics, and blue for the mechanical, the machine.
Under the down tube of the Xelius SL 10.0 there is a mathematical formula to remind us that we are pedaling in a "stadium" where gravity is planet Earth. The shiny black base of the paintwork, it is a reminder of the rotation that governs the entire universe, from atoms, to planets, to galaxies.
Ready to debut
In a few hours the Xelius SL 10.0 Symbiosis Edition will make its debut at the Tour. Made of UD SLI Team carbon fiber, with two levels of stiffness depending on the size, the Xelius SL presents itself as a highly technological and extremely light bike. The frame kit alone in its smallest size weighs 725 g (raw finish). Light, dynamic and reactive, The Xelius SL is also versatile thanks to its comfort and easily recognisable design..
After making its debut at the men’s Tour de France, the Xelius SL 10.0 Symbiosis Edition will accompany the FDJ-Suez team on the roads of the Tour de France Femmes.
The Xelius SL 10.0 Symbiosis Edition has been on sale since this week, and is an authentic replica of the one used by Groupama-FDJ. It is equipped with the best components, such as the Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 12-speed groupset, Dura-Ace C36 wheels, and the extremely light and stiff Lapierre carbon fiber handlebar combo. The complete bike weighs just 6,9 kg. It costs €9.999. It is also possible to purchase the frameset alone (frame, fork, headset, carbon seatpost, stem, and carbon fiber handlebar) for €3.799.
