Since the new, long-travel Liv Intrigue LT Advanced Pro 1 rolled into the shops this summer, there has been a lot of discussion: Is it already an enduro bike or not? The answer is: no. At least not if you apply the standards of unisex bikes. The Intrigue LT lacks a bit of suspension travel, a slacker steering angle, grippier tyres, larger brake discs and a more massive fork to make it a classic enduro bike.
What is completely forgotten in the discussion, however, is that the Liv brand doesn't fit into conventional pigeonholes anyway - it is the only bike manufacturer in the world that doesn't simply shrink a unisex frame for women and fit the whole thing with smaller grips, but instead designs frames specially tailored to female needs. Liv's philosophy is based on a large-scale study that the parent company Giant once commissioned on the subject of 'Female Ergonomics in Cycling'. According to the study, women of the same height are on average lighter than men, they have less muscle mass - and therefore less strength - and: Women have their own centre of gravity in the lower half of the body. This is one of the reasons why they tend to shift their centre of gravity far back when riding downhill.
Liv Intrigue: Geometry especially for women
If you look at the Liv Intrigue LT under these conditions, you can perhaps understand the bike better as a man, but as a woman you can feel it above all - and everything makes sense: the very steep seat angle pushes the rider into a central, very secure position as soon as she sits on it. The reach has been extended by a few millimetres compared to the normal Intrigue trail bike and the steering angle has been slackened by one degree. This ensures a smooth ride at higher speeds. However, as the steering angle of 64.8 degrees is not extremely slack, the Liv bike remains easy to control even on winding trails without a lot of effort. Slightly shorter chainstays could make the Intrigue LT even more manoeuvrable, but on the next steep climb you'll be happy again because they keep the front wheel comfortably on the ground without having to shift a lot of weight. The XS and S frame sizes offer extra manoeuvrability: they are supplied with a mullet construction, i.e. 27.5-inch wheels at the rear and 29-inch wheels at the front. Frame sizes M and L come with 29-inch wheels ex works, but can be converted to mullet thanks to the flipchip.
The Maestro 3 rear triangle is also brand new. Using the flipchip, the geometry of the M and L frames can be fine-tuned not just in two, but in three stages. We rode the bike in size M in the low setting. The high version would raise the bottom bracket by 10 mm and provide a steeper seat angle (0.8 degrees), a steeper head angle (0.9 degrees) and three millimetres shorter chainstays - a more agile setting that makes sense, especially on winding and technical trails. There is also praise for the Fox suspension. Thanks to its versatile rebound and compression damping, it can also be easily adjusted for lightweights and, with the right setup, irons out every transverse root.
The equipment: lots of function, as little weight as possible on the Liv Intrigue
- Frame material: Carbon
- Fork: Fox 36 Float Performance Elite, 160 mm
- Shock: Fox Float X Performance Elite
- Gearing: Sram GX Eagle with 1x12 transmission / gear range 30; 10-52 / 520 %
- Brakes: Sram G2 RSC / Sram G2 RSC / 200/180 mm
- Seatpost: Tranz X Vario / 30.9 mm
- Wheels: Giant TRX 2 Carbon
- Tyres: Maxxis Minion DHF/Dissector 3C Maxxterra Exo Protection TR 29 x 2.50/2.40
- Sizes: XS, S, M and L
- Price: 6799 Euro
We were impressed by the features of the carbon model of the Liv Intrigue Advanced: Liv can now draw on the wide range of in-house Giant bearings. No savings were made here in terms of function, only in terms of weight. Because if you assume, as Liv does, that women ride less aggressively, are lighter than men and have less strength, then you can choose lighter components for the wheel, seat post, saddle and handlebars with a clear conscience. So it makes sense to use the Fox Float Performance Elite fork with 160 millimetres of travel and the lighter 36 mm stanchions instead of the 38 mm version from Fox, which is usually used for enduro bikes. The 180 mm rear brake disc also saves weight and should suffice for lighter women. A tyre at the rear that rolls more easily: this saves energy on the climbs. A tyre profile at the front that grips: ensures safety. Paired with the very light carbon frame (2630 grams), the carbon version manages to stay just under 14 kilos (without pedals). The in-house carbon wheels also contribute to the good weight balance.
Facts and figures about the Liv Intrigue LT Advanced Pro 1
Our laboratory measurements (size M):
- Weight without pedals: 13.98 kg
- Frame weight: 2630 g
- Weight of wheels: 4946 g
- Acceleration of running wheels: 3927 kg x cm²
- Handlebar width: 760 mm
- Frame rigidity (absolute): 42 N/mm
Points rating:
- Driving behaviour uphill: 23.75 from 25
- Chassis efficiency: 16 out of 20
- Rolling resistance: 7.5 out of 10
- Weight: 7.5 from 15
- Inertia impellers: 5 out of 10
- Bottle cage: 5 out of 10
- Driving behaviour downhill: 29.75 from 35
- Front suspension: 19 out of 20
- Rear suspension: 22.5 out of 25
- Saddle retractability: 10 out of 10
- Brakes: 12 of 15
- Tyre grip: 12.75 out of 15
- Driving stability:4 out of 10
Total points uphill: 64.75 from 90
Total points downhill110 from 130
Other: 24.75 from 30
BIKE test rating: 199.5 out of 250 points/ Very good
Test summary: Gitta Beimfohr, BIKE tester
14 kilos sounded like a lot to me at first, but the Liv Intrigue rolls along really well and is easy to keep up with even on undulating trails. Once you've picked up speed, the Liv scores with its direct steering behaviour and smooth ride. Uphill you quickly get used to a new pace: so put on granny gear and avoid lactate peaks! For me, the Intrigue LT straddles the all-mountain and enduro categories. - Gitta Beimfohr, BIKE Editorial Team
Gitta Beimfohr
Editor
