New Bikes To Ride From Liv Cycling
Hello readers! Sorry I haven’t posted an update in a while, I’ve been super busy dashing all over the country and trying to juggle all the different aspects of my career. Thanks for bearing with me.
My intention as I began writing this in a snatched moment aboard a train back to Devon was to give a full round up/update on what I’ve been doing since I returned from Gran Canaria, so I’ve just opened the gallery on my phone to jog my memory about where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing. And in doing so, I realised that there’s WAY too much to condense into merely one post, so I’m gonna need to do a few and do it in a slightly more ordered way than what I initially though.
The first thing I want to tell you about if the new bikes I’m riding. If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen me riding on a couple of rather lovely Liv bicycles, which I’ve been really enjoying getting to know over the last few weeks.
Liv Cycling are a stand alone women’s brand from the people behind Giant, the very first of its kind dedicated entirely to us females. With a range of products for all kinds of riding, Liv aim to offer something for cyclists of all levels.
I was intrigued by Liv’s top of the range models and wanted to try something that would directly compare to the bikes I am already riding or have ridden in the past. I selected a performance hardtail mountain bike, the Liv Obsess Advanced 1 as I’m training for a couple of mountain bike races this year, the Are Extreme Challenge and the Glacier 360. And I also went for Liv’s premier carbon road bike, the Liv Envie with it’s gorgeous one piece aero bar/stem combo, deep section wheels and SRAM eTap electronic gear shifting.
So what are they like?
Well so far, fantastic. The Obsess Advanced is a real weight weenie thanks to its carbon frame and Fox 32 Float SC fork – the lightest fork Fox have ever made. The drive train is Shimano Deore XT 1-11 with a whopping 42 tooth largest cog to help you get up the steepest hills.
The bike rolls on 27.5 wheels (Giant’s XC-1 Wheelset) which I really prefer out of all the numerous wheel sizes on the market – large wheels are great for powering along and over I sometimes feel that 29ers can be a little unwieldy for someone of my size (170cm).
Geometry is spot on and the bike feels fast, responsive, stiff and FUN. The hidden seatpost is a nice touch and looks super cool. So far, the bike gets a big thumbs up from me!
The Envie Advanced Pro is a real dreamboat too. Super duper light, mega aero and phenomenally stiff, this high end carbon bike rides like a dart. Gears come courtesy of SRAM eTap, which is are absolute revelation and sheer joy to use.
It comes equipped with a gorgeous one piece bar/stem combo, which unfortunately didn’t fit me so I’ve swapped it out for a slightly longer 110mm Giant SLR stem and 40cm wide aero bars. The only thing I’m not crazy about is the wheels (Giant’s SLR Aero) which have more flex than I’d like when I sprint.
Over the next few months, I’ll be riding these bikes extensively, both in training and local races. I’ll be on the Envie Advanced in the Matrix Tour Series in May where I’ll be racing as a second claim member of Liv CC – Epic Coaching. Look out for us on the telly box!
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