Bike Check: Rae Morrison's Liv Hail - Calestano Superenduro

May 26, 2018
by Owain  

Rae Morrison
BIKE CHECK
Rae Morrison's
Liv Hail
Photography and writing by Owain Lund


Kiwi rider Rae Morrison heard such good things about the Italian Superenduro format of racing that in between EWS races she stopped over for the 2nd round in Calestano to check it out. As she was in town, we took the chance look at her race bike after Saturday's practice day.

Coming off of a strong couple of seasons with top fives at EWS', 1st at Crankworx Air DH in Rotorua, and 3rd at the Megavalanche, Rae is hoping to keep the momentum going into the 2018 season with two strong 7th places in France and Chile already.

Returning with Liv for 2018, Rae's bike of choice is the Hail long travel enduro bike, with a few key changes made to the team's sponsors for 2018, with DVO and Shimano coming on board. For this season Rae has chosen to ride a medium frame, having previously tried a large, but prefers the maneuverability of the smaller frame with a 45mm stem. Her fiancé and mechanic Jesse has given her bike a few personal touches such as a Mudhugger front mudguard, inner tube and tire lever/power link pliers under the top tube, and foam under the shock to stop mud from gathering.
Rae Morrison
Rider Name: Rae Morrison
Age: 29
Hometown: Nelson, New Zealand
Height: 5'7" / 170 cm
Weight: 128 lb / 58 kg
Instagram: @rae_morrison

Rae Morrison
Fresh from practice with the mud to prove it.

Rae Morrison
Saint brakes.
Liv Hail
Frame: Carbon front with alloy rear
Shock: DVO Topaz T3 Air, 160mm
Fork: DVO Diamond, 160mm
Tires: Maxxis Minion DHF and Aggressor
Drivetrain: Shimano XTR derailleur/shifter with XT 11-46 cassette
Brakes: Shimano Saint with 180mm rotors
Cockpit: Pro Carbon handlebars + Koryak stem
Size: Medium
Weight: 30 lb / 13.5k g (approximate)
More info: www.liv-cycling.com/us/bikes-hail

bigquotesI'm loving being on Shimano, the parts seem to last a long time and I love the Saint brakes. It just works!—Rae Morrison


Rae Morrison
The center tread has been cut out of the Maxxis Aggressor tire to help it shed mud faster.


Rae Morrison
Rae Morrison
Shimano brakes, gears and Pro finishing kit.

Rae Morrison
Fresh for 2018, Rae's getting on very well with her new DVO suspension.


Posted In:
Reviews and Tech Bike Checks Enduro Bikes Liv Liv Hail Rae Morrison


Author Info:
OwainLund avatar

Member since May 17, 2018
8 articles
Report
Must Read This Week
First Ride: Fox Releases New Grip X & Grip X2 Dampers
76942 views
First Ride: Rocky Mountain's 2024 Altitude Has a Completely Revised Frame Design
75946 views
Thank You For Everything, Pinkbike
68490 views
How to Watch the 2024 Mountain Bike World Cup [Update: Staylive Offering Access in New Zealand, South Africa & More]
59085 views
First Ride: The 2024 Giant Trance X Advanced
49147 views
First Ride: Forbidden Dreadnought V2 - More Travel & Longer Chainstays
46248 views
[UPDATED] Final Elite XC Results & Overall Standings from the Mairiporã XC World Cup 2024
38841 views
Staff Ride: Matt Beer's NZ MTB Rally-Spec Ibis HD6
36342 views
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup

45 Comments
  • 23 0
 Looks like Giant Reign
  • 1 2
 Looks like a S...lash? Wink
  • 1 1
 Uhhh yeah... it is a reign...
  • 3 0
 @Leo48333: Did you hear a "whoosh"?
  • 5 0
 @indotrails: A Giant Raen?
  • 15 3
 First post I've seen in the last week that doesn't mention "XTR", "12 speed", or "expanded range" Thank god Pinkbike!
  • 14 29
flag thankspapa (May 27, 2018 at 5:12) (Below Threshold)
 God bro, with a capital.
  • 8 0
 Well. Actually It says she’s running an XTR derailleur with XT cassette

I’m prepared for the downvote
  • 3 2
 @thankspapa: not for the thinking man
  • 12 0
 Always cut off the excess knobs in your life
  • 5 1
 My girl loves her Liv Hail!!! We’re shredding tomorrow! Keep it up Rae!!!
  • 3 0
 I am curious about the suspension setting for a such light rider. What psi? How the fork and shock tuned?
  • 12 0
 Hey mate. Shock is at 135psi with 3 bands in the positive and 1 in the negative making it’s quite supple and progressive for her. The compression is shimed fairly stock but rebound is lighter than stock. Fork it’s at 91/92 psi and it’s run 16/17 clicks (again fairly fast). High speed and low speed compression is run wide open but with 3wt rather than 2wt in the damper. OTT sensitivity is usually set to zero.
  • 3 0
 When you're running compression and Off the Top fully open, you know you don't weigh much..... Cheering you on from Aussie RaeRae
  • 2 0
 @JesseRae: Thank you very much for your kind reply! This is quite informative cus I am trying to dial my dvo diamond / topaz combo for my bike. May I ask you a few more questions? What does a volume spacer in a negative air chamber do? Also, what's the benefit using a thicker oil with fully open damper setting (vs. a thiner oil with maybe a little closed compression)?
  • 3 0
 No worries mate. Raes set up is super unique due to her very low weight, and riding style so by no means is this how you should set your bike up but i hope it helps you find your ideal set up, the team at DVO are super helpful so it will always pay to give your local distributor a call and help them get you dialled. If you run no spacers in the negative it’s super supple in its initial stroke, however doing this can makes the rear wheel feel a bit stuck to the ground at low PSI so finding that balance between them is key. With the oil in the damper it’s not somthing that many riders can pick up on especially when the compression valve isn’t wide open. We have found the slightly thicker oil makes the fork feel a bit smoother and more consistent on longer race runs.
  • 1 0
 @JesseRae: thanks a lot again, I am learning a lot! Yes, it's an amateur mistake to copy a pro's setup. I reached out DVO, and got my shock tuned. DVO guys were very friendly and gave me good advices---but I still feel the shock can behave better. How did you set the bladder pressure? (BTW, I am a guy with a very light weight, so actually I pay more attention to women pro riders' bike checks than mens haha)
  • 5 1
 Great looking bike!
  • 2 1
 Never used to like the look of the Giant/Liv bikes but they've come along nicely over the years.
  • 2 0
 When you live and ride in NZ especially in Nelson literally the only brakes worth having are Saints. The do just work.
  • 3 0
 Good to know, will upgrade my XT's before I move from Flatsville Melbourne.

#Makingbetterlifestylechoices
  • 3 1
 But how many PSIs????
  • 1 0
 Just a straight up sick bike. Would ride. Keep it up Rae!
  • 1 0
 The paint on the Hail looks way better than the 18 Reign.
  • 1 1
 Anyone know what fender that is?
  • 3 0
 Mudhugger.. it's a thing.
  • 1 1
 Mudhugger
  • 1 1
 Mudhugger shorty
  • 3 1
 Lol... Says in the article... "Her fiancée and mechanic Jesse has given her bike a few personal touches such as a Mudhugger front mudguard..."
  • 1 0
 @headshot: it is in the UK
  • 1 0
 Saint Girl! Smile
  • 2 3
 That topaz doesn’t look stock. @dvosuspension
  • 2 1
 It’s stock for Giant bikes at the moment.
  • 2 3
 @Xc2dh1: @Carlharl: I think he meant the shock doesn't look like a standard off the shelf Topaz. Maybe camera tricks and angles but it definitely looks like a different design.
  • 4 1
 Sticker says Topaz2. Id guess that its going to be a 2019 shock. Does look very different.
  • 2 1
 @Xc2dh1: yep, it's the Topaz 2 that's currently only available OEM with Giant. It has HSC, LSC, HSR, LSR. Apparently will open up to all on the after market next year.
Below threshold threads are hidden







Copyright © 2000 - 2024. Pinkbike.com. All rights reserved.
dv65 0.052568
Mobile Version of Website