Unless you've been having a bit of a snooze over the last few years, you'll have noticed Liv Cycling being incredibly active in the women's market. They truly believe in the idea that bikes change lives, and have done a great job at selling their lifestyle and bikes via that message thus far. But the landscape for the female rider has evolved, and Liv recognized that although they were doing a lot of things really well, they weren't offering the kind of bikes that would attract more serious, aggressive riders. For 2017 Liv are cleaning house and bringing their off-road line up to speed with current trends. The 140mm Intrigue and the 100mm Lust are no more, and the 160mm Hail and the 120mm Pique are the new kids on the block. And they are being bold in saying that these are the bikes that the women of the world want.
We were invited to the Arizona desert to face off with the red rocks and cactus and the get a taste of what these two new models have to offer.
Liv Hail Details• Intended use: trail / all-mountain
• Rear wheel travel: 160mm
• Wheel size: 27.5''
• 66º head angle w/ 160mm fork
• Advance Composite Carbon or Aluxx aluminum models
• Metric shock sizing
• Boost hub spacing
• Sizes XS - L
• 27.75 lbs (Hail Advanced 0, size S)
• MSRP: $3,250 - $8,250 USD (complete).
•
www.liv-cycling.com/hail Liv Pique Details• Intended use: XC / trail
• Rear wheel travel: 120mm
• Wheel size: 27.5''
• 70º head angle w/ 120mm fork
• Advanced composite carbon or Aluxx Aluminum frame models
• Metric shock sizing
• Boost hub spacing
• Sizes XS - L
• 23.49 lbs (Pique Advanced 0, size S)
• MSRP: $2,375 - $8,975 USD (complete).
•
www.liv-cycling.com/pique-advanced The Hail These days, women are riding harder than ever, and the growth of enduro racing has led to more riders regularly searching out rough, technical trails. Liv recognized that although successful, its beefed up Intrigue SX lacked some of the features that a 160mm bike should offer. Liv Ambassador and former world champion, Leigh Donovan, was pushing for a true 160mm bike, and customer feedback urged for the same. So Liv sat down and thought hard about the bike they wanted to build to truly fill the void.
They honed in on body geometry data gathered from the Global Body Index of what type of rider they thought would be using this bike, then applied their findings to a blank slate and their 160mm bike geometry wish list. They then added rider feedback from Leigh Donovan as well as Lindsey Voreis, and went through three frame iterations before settling on the final product.
The Hail comes in two Advanced Composite carbon models and two Aluxx Aluminum models in four sizes, from XS - L. There are four complete bike option, with prices starting at $3,250 USD and going up to $8,250. Each Hail has 160mm of front and rear travel, Boost hub spacing, a 1x drivetrain, a dropper post, a 160-130mm travel adjust fork, 800mm carbon handlebars, shorter stems and some geometry decisions that are a little different to what's currently trendy. More on that below. You'll also notice that there's not even a dab of pink or purple on the two advance Hail models - the company's colorways are evolving and I'd bet on a few fellas being just a wee bit into how this bike looks.
Hail Geometry The Hail ever-so-slightly bucks some of the trends we see currently in this category of bike. At 66º, the head angle is a touch steeper than some of its gender neutral competitors. Liv claim that by making the bike less raked out in front, it will be easier for women to maneuver up and over obstacles while still using a shorter stem. Also different is a higher than average bottom bracket height. Liv felt that having a higher bottom bracket would allow the rider to pedal over rough terrain with more ease and less pedal strikes. Liv bikes have also been classically quite compact but designers have extend the top tube to make it more in line with current trends.
Suspension Giant has been using their Maestro suspension platform since 2005, but have significantly updated the system this year. By employing a trunnion mounted metric shock, Liv has lowered the leverage ratio. They were also able to move the linkage closer to the bottom bracket, resulting in a slight lowering of the bikes' center of gravity. In addition to these suspension changes, Liv claim Maestro's braking and pedaling performance have also been improved.
Also new is the upper link that is now constructed from molded carbon, and weighs half as much as the previous alloy link did. This link is also 50% stiffer, which should help with lateral stiffness and improve suspension performance.
The Pique In 2015, the 100mm Advanced Lust, Liv's most expensive, top-of-the-line mountain bike, was the best selling bike across all of Giant and Liv. Take a moment to soak that in. A women's bike... The best selling bike.
The Lust's replacement, the Pique is dubbed as an 'aggressive XC' bike. With 120mm of travel, it's a bike Liv believe is light enough and fast enough to take to your favorite XC race, but one that can also handle a decent amount of rough terrain. The Pique features the same technologies as the Hail - Advanced Composite layup and Aluxx Aluminum versions, Maestro suspension with the new advanced composite link and metric shock sizing. It also comes with Boost hub spacing for added stiffness and 1x drivetrains across the board.
Looking to repeat the success of the Lust, Liv felt very comfortable about spec'ing a high-end fully blinged out Pique. There are two Advanced Composite models and two Aluxx aluminum models that will sell for between $2,375 - $8,975 USD. There's also an SX model with a 140mm fork for those riders who want get a little more rowdy.
Even though this is a different beast from the Lust, the Pique features the same 70-degree head tube angle, a lower standover height, slightly shorter chainstays, and slightly more stack to accommodate a 120mm fork. The BB is also a little higher for more pedal clearance.
Pique Geometry Riding the Hail The Hail I was aboard for this test session was the top of the line Advanced 0, which comes loaded with a RockShox Lyrik RCT3 dual position fork, a RockShox Deluxe RC3 rear shock, SRAM X01 Eagle drivetrain, SRAM Guide Ultimate brakes with 180mm rotors, Schwalbe Magic Mary tires and an 800mm carbon DH bar mounted to a 50mm stem. At 5’6”, Liv recommended I try the size small, but I ended up switching to a medium later on during testing which I found to be slightly more comfortable.
After warming up a little and getting a feel for the desert terrain, we jumped onto the rocky and fast switchbacks of the Chuckwagon trail. The first thing I noted was that this bike felt much lighter and easier to push around than an average 160mm bike. The flowy trail threw out a few interesting climbs, loose corners and rock gardens to navigate, and it was here that we got quite a good introduction to how the Hail climbs. As promised, the bike handled itself quite effortlessley, and as we climbed up the red rock ledges the bike felt very light and balanced. Switching the fork into 130mm travel mode improved the already impressive climbing capability noticeably, and it was much easier to move my weight over the front of the bike to crest the tough pitches that were being thrown at us. I really felt no need to switch the rear shock into trail mode, and when I did I felt as though the setting would be best used for long sustained climbs rather than the punchy rock gardens of Sedona.
I would have loved to have more time on some serious descending trails with the Hail, but we had to make the most of what time we had. As we rallied down Slim Shady, a fairly fast flowing trail with a couple of rock gardens thrown in for good measure, I got those few important glimpses of how this bike really behaves. As I pushed the bike through its travel the words the phrase 'stable yet playful' came to mind. One thing I did note was that with only 100mm of drop, I couldn't get my seat down as far as I would have liked, and although the standover height is quite low, it was difficult to achieve the riding position I wanted. In spite of this, I was left with a big smile on my face after riding that trail and a positive impression, but I'm itching to get it onto some familiar trails to understand what the Hail is really made of.
Riding the Pique For our second day of riding I was fitted onto the top-of-the-line, size small Pique, which comes with a RockShox RS1 Solo Air with OneLoc Remote, a Deluxe RT3 rear shock, SRAM Eagle XX1 Drivetrain.
Diving into the same trail we began on day one was a whole new experience aboard the Pique. Loosening up and relaxing into the ride took a little getting used to, especially knowing that photographer Sterling Lorence was hiding behind who knows which tree waiting to grab our star shots. It didn't take long, though, to figure out that the Pique is a very fun little weapon.
The Chuckwagon trail, with its dried up river beds, ledgy climbs, tricky turns, punchy ascents and fast little switchbacks was really the perfect testing ground to see what a bike intended for ‘aggressive XC’ could handle. The bike felt very light and stuck like glue as we meandered our way up the trails staircase-like climbs. As we rolled through a section of loose, swoopy trail the Pique was quick and snappy as we rallied around the corners. I was fully prepared to deal with a flexy feeling front end, but that sensation never arose. The RS1 felt really plush, and plenty stiff. Although having a lockout remote for the RS1 was cool there was no way I needed it on these particular trails. I also felt no need to switch the Deluxe shock into trail mode either. Perhaps that would be different if I were on any sort of death climb, but thankfully our test lap didn't include one of those. The Pique definitely felt capable of handling the chunky Sedona terrain while still remaining very nimble and eager. I asked Liv if they would ever bend their 27.5 rule for a 29er XC race bike, and they did acknowledge that it's a request that they hear from customers, but for now, they aren't saying too much...
A few hours on each bike was just enough time to start getting acquainted with these two new rides, but it was certainly a promising start. It's great to see Liv shaking things up and aligning their bikes with what the modern trail rider is looking for. I left our test rides with a smile on my face, and I think any women who haven't paid much attention to Liv in the past might want to check out what they are doing now.
liv-cycling.com /
@LivCycling
Visit the high-res gallery for more images from this First Look.
Edit: Or at least make the two get a divorce. Why can't fuchsia hang out with orange once in a while? What's wrong with teal and silver? Let's try something new.
Besides black, red and colors in the red spectrum are warmest. Plus, colors like red, yellow attract bees.
(Same with any print design that comes from Troy Lee)
BTW, my Nomad is all black. Black everything
Thereby I think it's important that bicycle manufacturers make the products as close to 'finished' as possible. Exceptions being made for companies such as Trek and Kona; who are very selective with the bike shops they collaborate with and only collaborate with bike shops who they know that they can and will give all the extra needed service to the customer.
Giant on the other hand (at least here in The Netherlands) is focussed on mass selling. Any shitty / mediocre bike shop around the corner, without any decent knowledge about bikes, sells Giant. Thereby you can expect that those shops won't give the service of noting and explaining the handle bar width and cutting it to the correct length for the customer. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with the bikes that Giant makes though.
I think bikes should be optimized for their intended riders/usage when they leave the factory. Then a good bike shop ideally gives picky/knowledgeable customers a choice of stem length and bar rise/width.
Human bulldog anyone?
Everyone thinking they need an 800mm bar when they are short is just ego tripping.
Working in the bike industry ist still amazing how much Carbon Chain - and Seatstay break in 1 or more seasons.
Nowadays ist got nothing to do with cost, but simplicity and reliability.
Trying telling your Client that after a Crash that the carbon chainstay will cost him over 1000 Dollars or more..
In my book Aluminium chainstay always win.
Only issues I have seen were the 2014/2015 Yeti's with really thin carbon on the rear. They have remedied that will a different layup to my understanding.
@krazykraut that definitely makes sense, to me. Maybe giant is trying to push girls into one or the other form of mountain biking, enduro, or xc.
@dannygoesmtb you and mtbrider007 must be buddies, completely not getting what I'm saying.
Whilst 160mm XS enduro bike seems exciting, lugging 13.5kg up a hill on my back doesn't seem so attractive. I guess it's the price you pay for stupid sized wheels on tiny bikes.
Transitions are nice, but just way too expensive for what you get. Sadly.
Though i am still claiming i'd buy a Reign/Trance with a 0 spec in aluminium in a heartbeat. Don't get why the best ALU bikes costs the same as the second best carbon bike, yet barely has any better specs (well, the ALU version has Sram drivetrain and brakes, so in that regard it is in fact miles better if you ask me, but still...).
Yeah, Eagle is expensive, but so was and is 1x11, if you don't go bargain basement with NX and GX. So not much of a difference here. And dunno, i'd prefer a carbon front triangle (though i certainly do not need carbon) and Eagle with Guide RSC (or Ultimate) brakes compared to 1x11, Guide RS and completely aluminium bike for just a bit less money. It's just not reasonable. Even though the Patrol is REALLY nice. Give me a Patrol 2 for 3500 € and i'd think about it, since that's the price of a Meta AM V4.2 with 1x11. An Eagle equipped version costs 4000 €, while, like i said, a Canyon is 3600 €. Sadly i am not paid enough to be able to spend a third more for a worse spec (with no gains in other places to boot).
If you can get the bike with the spec you want then yeah a full bike makes sense but I couldn't. That and the suppressor was frame only lol Going up to 650b would have been too expensive even with a full bike
Don't tell me about the spec, i'm all in when it comes to Sram. Luckily the Reign 1 was more or less a dream spec in that regards. And Meta AM V4.2 and said Strive are as well (well, i want a metric shock for the new bike, so there's a problem with the Strive). The Transitions, both 1 and 2 (1 is actually PURRFECT, bar the carbon hoops which are not needed and needlessly raise the price, at least on the aluminium version), are also practically ideal spec wise.
Only concern would be reading that the saddle couldn't get any lower as the dropper post had limited travel. Of course that could be sorted with a different dropper. But could the whole unit be slid down low enough in the frame so that the saddle in the lowest dropper position is really proper low? Otherwise if you can't move your body around properly, it is definitely going to kill the fun and make for an unnecessary unstable scary ride. But I expect you can slide the dropper all the way down to where the top bushing meets the seatpost clamp, can you?
Thanks for expanding my vocabulary !
Sure man, I totally understand. Its not like I'm saying go Aluminium or go home, at the end of the day its all down to personal preference. I am currently on a carbon frame/alu seat/chainstays and the trails I ride and the days I get in a year its just makes more sense for me.
It also doesn't mean that full carbon bikes are better that hybrids..just saying.
I mean even the aluminium chain stays have issues...
Like i mentioned, all down to personal preference.
There are alot of different facts separating the brands/models. Whatever the travel...
Head angles,reach,bb height,specifications even go as much as the whole carbon layout for Liv Bicycles is different over Giant. All these aspects are to be take into consideration because all of them affect the ride quality and feel of the bike.
Liv is by far the only brand that is really pushing the whole woman bike scene...by just painting a Trance a different color isnt what its all about.
Liv do woman specific bikes. They do their research and homework. PERIOD!!
@mudmandhbrazil: I'd prefer a steeper (actual) seat-tube angle. And a larger diameter for the seat-tube.
But yeah, i don't see a reason to go any more extreme with the geometry, like i said, maybe make the actual seat tube angle a bit steeper (have less of a bend), increase the top tube length to bring the seat to about the same position in regards to the handlebar as currently (for people with more seat post outside the frame). Doing this the rear end could be shortened by a few mm, to keep the wheelbase in check, but it's not needed, the CoG is quite far to the rear as is, at least when seated.
This is all quite pathetic really.
Just another way a real bike shop(not a giant store) has a problem having the right stuff in to sell to the customer.
or is this a "does gender really exist" thing?
Jesus Bike industry...Grow up!
Continue dreaming Giant.
I can buy car and motorcycle for that money.
Come on guys.