2022 Fezzari La Sal Peak Pro Bike

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It’s a difficult time to be a mountain bike brand. Yes, demand for bikes has outpaced supply for years now, and yes, in many areas you can scarcely lift your head without seeing a high-end rig hanging off a tailgate or strapped to a hitch rack. But it’s also never been harder to build a bike that truly stands out. Suspension designs have become increasingly similar among brands since some well-known patents expired a few years ago. Designers are inching toward consensus on many aspects of geometry. Throw in a relatively narrow range of component providers and you have a recipe for homogeneity on the showroom floor.

Fezzari, a Lindon, Utah-based company, is not yet a household name to casual riders. During our time on its new La Sal Peak, the brand’s 170mm, 29-inch-wheeled enduro race bike, a lot of people asked about the company, its origins and whether the name’s resemblance to “Ferrari” is intentional. But Fezzari has some novel ideas about making its bikes stand out today, and the La Sal Peak puts these ideas to use in one of today’s rowdiest segments. Is the La Sal Peak truly unique, or merely another doppelganger of every other long-travel monster on the block? Read on to find out.

La Sal Peak Highlights

• Full carbon fiber frame
• 29-inch wheels (can also be run with a 27.5 rear, courtesy of a geometry flip chip)
• 170mm of rear-wheel travel
• 170mm of fork travel
• 4-bar suspension design
• Tapered headtube
• Internal cable routing
• Threaded bottom bracket
• 148 x 12 rear axle
• Measured weight - 34.3 pounds (15.5kg) (size Large, no pedals)
• Price: $3,999 - $8,499 ($7,999 as tested)

First impressions

The La Sal Peak takes its name from a Utah mountain range that reaches over 12,000 feet in elevation. The company is proud of its Utah roots, and Fezzari’s Tyler Cloward kindly drove our La Sal Peak to our Reno-based testing location and took us through the set-up process before we took it on its first spin.

In terms of aesthetics, the La Sal Peak’s full carbon fiber frame is hard to characterize neatly. The front triangle is understated, given its aggressive intent. But the rear triangle, and in particular the ample seat stays, give hints on its burliness.

The mismatch isn’t objectionable, as the overall look is clean. Eagle-eyed observers might also appreciate the substantial frame guards on the chain stay and two parts of the downtube (one for undercarriage protection and one to guard against shuttle rub), as well as the threaded bottom bracket. The look and finish of the bike rivals anything else we’ve seen lately.

Sitting on the La Sal Peak was remarkable for us, mainly because of how unremarkable it felt. Make no mistake, this was a positive. Everything fell to hand easily, even though it wasn’t necessarily identical to everything we’ve ridden lately.

It’s clear that Fezzari has sought to create a neutral ride with the La Sal Peak, with no bold statements pertaining to reach (485mm on our size large) or anything else. This neutral feeling wouldn’t be limited to the parking lot test.

The build

The spec was especially exciting for our tester because, as noted above, Fezzari invited him to pick from a range of parts, from everything from wheels to the dropper post. While we were picking our parts, we were unaware of the build levels but essentially as it worked out, our base build started with the La Sal Peak Pro, which retails for $6,499. From there the wheels, suspension, brakes and dropper were all upgraded as a matter of blind selection.

Here are some of the parts our tester picked from the generous grab bag Fezzari offered:

• Fox Float 38 Grip 2 Factory fork
• Fox Float X2 Factory shock
• Fox Transfer dropper post
• SRAM GX AXS wireless drivetrain
• Shimano Saint brakes
• Enve AM30 rims laced to Industry Nine hubs
• Maxxis Assegai Double Down 2.5 front tire/Maxxis Minion DHR Double Down 2.5 rear tire

The build also came with a couple of Fezzari-branded items, including its handlebars and grips, as well as a Pro Taper stem and Ergon seat.

Geometry and Setup

We took the La Sal Peak for a few rides before we bothered looking at the geometry chart, but when we did it confirmed our suspicions: Fezzari isn’t trying to take things to strange new places. The 64-degree head angle isn’t slack by the most progressive standards, but it was plenty relaxed for even our DH shuttles (the first place the bike went, incidentally). On the ascending side, Fezzari isn’t climbing on the bandwagon with its relatively steep 77.5-degree effective seat angle: The previous generation of La Sal Peak was somewhat ahead of its time with its similarly steep seat tube angle, an idea many brands have since borrowed.

Tyler from Fezzari provided a neutral 30% sag set-up and some middle-of-the-road damping settings for the initial ride, and it was clear he’s spent some time with these bikes: The bike behaved well for us from the first run, and the settings allowed us to use nearly all of the travel without excess wallowing or packing under hard hits. We turned a knob for curiosity’s sake now and again, but overall the FOX tune on both the fork and shock seemed very well-suited to the Fezzari’s frame and practically incapable of really upsetting the bike’s character.

Overall, very little time was spent fussing with the La Sal Peak in any capacity. We found ourselves primarily focused on trying to go a little faster with every run, and not at all obsessing about perceived shortcomings in setup — a very good sign for any bike.

On the trail

There’s virtually no reason to own a 170mm-travel bicycle unless you intend to push your limits on steep, progressive trails. So steep, progressive trails were the first place we took the La Sal Peak. However, we also took it to places that are well out of its normal wheelhouse, such as a community bike park not renowned for its steepness, to see how much versatility we could squeeze from this bruiser.

On the first run down a DH trail, we found ourselves marveling at how little we needed to think about the bike, despite it being completely unfamiliar. That neutral feeling the bike exuded in the parking lot test extended to the loose dirt and sizable jumps of our test course, and it wasn’t more than 45 seconds into the first lap before we had the courage to pull the trigger on some of the bigger jumps on the route.

It was only the beginning of a very good day, and by the end, we were wondering: Could the La Sal be this good in other places?

We began lugging it to trails all over the Reno area, putting in climbing miles alongside many descents of many different characters. It climbed quite happily for such a long-travel rig, with minimal suspension movement and no need to switch any levers, and it even played nice when the downhills turned a little flatter — to the extent any heavy-hitting bike plays nice when it’s placed on a tamer trail.

If you’re a racer type, it’s worth noting that our tester found little trouble in posting lap times comparable to his personal bests, even on trails that weren’t necessarily suited to a heavier-hitting rig. Granted, many of those personal bests were also set on long-travel bikes, but the point here is that La Sal doesn’t like versatility relative to other “super enduro” machines.

Yes, the La Sal was happier when it was steep, and it didn’t exhibit the same fun factor on 8-foot-long bonus hits that it did on bigger jumps. But some of that was due to missteps our tester made when choosing his spec. The biggest of those was in tire choice. Tyler from Fezzari said a build like this typically comes in around 32 pounds, but ours felt heavier when lifting it off the tailgate, and our tires definitely added some heft to our spec.

Build Kit

The Maxxis Double Down casings resisted slashing, but they were probably overkill for 90% of the terrain we rode. This wasn’t an issue on the DH shuttles, but it was a definite drag everywhere else. In retrospect, an EXO+ casing would have been worth trying to see how they widened the bike’s aptitude for flatter terrain.

Another component choice that came back to haunt us, at least temporarily, involved the Enve wheelset. How can you squawk about carbon hoops mated to a slick set of Industry Nine hubs? Well, when the wheels create a squawk themselves. Our tester noticed the bike becoming increasingly noisy in rough stuff after the initial break-in period — as did some of his riding buddies — and initial suspicions focused on a creaky crown-steerer unit on the fork.

However, Ed from the local FOX suspension facility kindly agreed to inspect the suspension (thanks, Ed!) and quickly found nothing wrong with it. What he did notice was a peculiar resonance coming from the front wheel when he squeezed the spokes, and sure enough, applying a little grease to the section where the spokes cross each other immediately quieted the racket, which before then was approaching deafening levels in rock gardens.

A representative from Enve responded that yes, this does sometimes happen with wheels, and there can be a number of causes to it. However, he endorsed the greasing as an acceptable short-term fix and said that Enve is working currently on a new way to silence these complaints (literally and figuratively).

Brakes

Our tester was excited to be reunited with the Shimano Saint brakes, a line he has found memories of from past downhill bikes. But the over-the-top power of past Saints seemed to be missing this time around. They worked very well, but it seems the 4-piston XT brakes have closed much of the power gap relative to the Saints over the years, making the Saints seem a little more ordinary than they did in 2014.

Overall, though, we found it exceedingly difficult to fault much about the La Sal Peak’s performance in the varied terrain of Reno and the Tahoe foothills. Even the flattish bike park was enjoyable on it, and once our tester adapted his style to match the 29-inch wheels instead of his typical 27.5-inch setup, there were moments this heavy-hitting bike could even be described as playful.

Our tester spent considerable time last year on Nukeproof Mega 290, an obvious competitor to the La Sal. Relative to the Mega, the Fezzari exhibited a degree more comfort in heavy terrain, which is perhaps unsurprising given the 10mm of additional rear wheel travel the Fezzari possesses. Everywhere else the bikes felt evenly matched, and timing comparisons revealed that the bikes were within a hair of each other on most courses, with no real difference in comfort and stability. If forced to choose between the two, on a heavy course, we’d likely to give the nod to the Fezzari. But in many other situations the choice would be a toss up.

That said, all the usual caveats apply here on a bike of this category: If you’re not intent on exploring heavier terrain, a 150mm or less travel bike — perhaps even the Delano Peak, Fezzari’s mid-travel counterpart to the La Sal — is probably going to be a better choice for your daily driver.

Our tester, however, would have zero reservations about making the La Sal Peak the lone bike in his quiver, were he forced to make such an austere decision. In short, the bike’s ability to handle the “chores” (read: climbing, flat traverses) with minimal effort and then truly go off-leash when trails turn lively is exactly what our tester needs in his local hills. If that sounds like the right combination for your ride experiences, the La Sal Peak is unlikely to disappoint you.

As for the La Sal Peak itself, it gives up nothing to the established boutique brands in terms of performance.

The bottom line

As noted earlier, if you don’t have something special to offer riders, it’s going to be difficult to build a mountain bike brand today. Fortunately for Fezzari, their customization-friendly, direct-to-consumer model is highly appealing to discerning riders who want to choose some of their favorite parts without the hassle of committing to a custom frame build.

As for the La Sal Peak itself, it gives up nothing to the established boutique brands in terms of performance. Our tester has sampled quite a few bikes in this category today, and none has outshined the Fezzari overall. What’s more, the Fezzari is likely a better choice than many of these bikes when the going gets steep or the jumps begin to stretch toward the end of one’s comfort zone. Lastly, you’re also unlikely to look like everyone else at the trailhead when you roll up with a La Sal Peak, and to some people that alone will carry some appeal. After all, it’s not just bike brands that like to stand out.

Visit Fezzari.com for more information

About The Reviewer

Robert Beaupre- Age: 40 // Years Riding MTB: 12 // Height: 5'11" (1.8m) // Weight: 158 pounds (71.6kg)

Robert began riding motocross bikes when he was 5, and raced for several years as a local pro in Nevada and California. He mostly avoided mountain bikes until he was 27, because long stems and skinny tires made these machines unattractive relative to a CRF450R. He jumped on the bandwagon once these bugs were worked out, however, and later achieved modest success as a Category 1 and Vet Pro downhill racer. Today he most enjoys attempting novel lines on fast and loose Sierra Nevada trails, sneaking in moto sessions when the ground is wet and dirt jumping with his many daughters.