Roaming around the pits of the South Korean season opener of the mountain bike World Cup, we spotted this prototype Lapierre that goes against current cross-country convention. If you lined up all the XC bikes on the World Cup stage, youd quickly see theres a certain suspension layout favoured for racing. Lapierres current XRM fits this bill, featuring flex-stay suspension and a top tube-mounted shock, but its new prototype goes against the grain by mounting the shock to the lower part of the frame. Its not alone Scotts Spark and Mondrakers Podium both have a lower-mounted shock, but it's an architecture weve seen many brands move away from, most recently, Giant with its new Anthem. More from South Korea Charlie Aldridge's South Korea World Cup bike swaps electronic and mechanical tech as he targets victory Brit Evie Richards claims second in South Korea short track XC aboard prototype Trek that may never hit store shelves The frame is more svelte than the current XRM XC race bike. Ross Bell / Our Media One of the main reasons for this is to create more usable space in the front triangle for a second water bottle, while also saving weight. Lapierres prototype appears to have room for only one bottle, although there is a large mount on the underside of the top tube to carry accessories. Were not sure why the French brand has made this move, but perhaps the design enables a more desirable setup that suits the more rowdy nature of modern-day cross-country racing. The rear shock is buried in the bottom bracket area, not dissimilar from Lee Cougan's design. Ross Bell / Our Media A lower shock mount also lowers the bikes centre of gravity, making it feel more planted and quicker to turn. The bike continues to use a flex-stay design, with no bearings besides those connecting to the main pivot and linkage. While the headset cable routing looks clean, many find that it gets in the way of maintenance. Ross Bell / Our Media Another noticeable difference from the current XRM is the internal cable routing, which now runs through the headset rather than via ports on the head tube. We didnt see who was riding this bike, and with lights and a bell attached, were not sure if well see it between the tapes this weekend but its one to look out for this season.