Liv Intrigue LT Advanced Pro
Wheel Size: 29’’ front, 27.5’’ / 29’’ rear — size dependent, see below for details
Travel: 150 mm rear / 160 mm front
Geometry highlights:
- Sizes offered: XS, S, M, L
Headtube angle: 64.8° (Large / Low) 65.1° (Large / Mid), 65.5° (Large / High) - Seat tube angle: 77.3° (Large / Low) 77.6° (Large / Mid), 78° (Large / High)
- Reach: 459-467 mm (size Large)
- Chainstay length: 443-440 mm (size Large)
Material: Carbon fiber
Price:
- US-spec builds: $7,000 to $12,500 USD
- Canadian-spec builds: $4,999 to $14,199 CAD
Intro
Earlier this week, Liv announced their Intrigue LT Advanced Pro, which is their highest-performance, and longest-travel bike, dropping in the Summer of 2023. Stemming from their Intrigue LT, which was launched in January 2023, the new Intrigue LT Advanced Pro features a variety of upgrades and several key differences.
Liv developed the Intrigue LT Advanced Pro bike as a means of catering to the more advanced and progressive riders while sticking to their principles of bikes designed by women and for women.
The Intrigue LT Advanced Pro features notable differences in the frame, geometry, and grouping, all of which advance Liv’s lineup into the higher-end realm, plus some really unique features for customization and fitting.
The Frame
The design of Liv’s Intrigue LT Advanced Pro is a step up from the previous Intrigue LT models. It is built with Liv’s Advanced-Grade Composite frame, whereas previous Intrigue models were only available in aluminum. The Advanced-Grade Composite frame is composed of raw carbon and a custom resin, built at Liv’s composite factory. This is a monocoque construction, applied to both the mainframe and rear swingarm of the Intrigue LT Advanced Pro. The frame is the same across all the Intrigue LT Advanced Pro models.
Fit & Geometry
At first glance, the most intriguing aspect of Liv’s Intrigue LT Advanced Pro is the vast options for adjustable geometry. They use their “Maestro 3” design to adjust frame geometry, which gives you a choice in rear-wheel size. This “MX configuration,” means that for frame sizes Extra Small and Small, they are equipped with a 29’’ wheel up front and 27.5’’ in the rear, and are dedicated to that configuration. Size Medium and Large frames are equipped with 29’’ wheels at both ends, but can accommodate a 27.5” wheel in the rear, if the rider chooses.
The Maestro Flip Chip also allows for adjustment of the head tube angle, seat tube angle, and bottom bracket height. This flip chip is located on the upper rocker arm of the rear suspension and enlists the option for a “High,” “Medium,” or “Low,” position.
Liv states that the average difference between each setting (three settings are offered) is 0.4° for the head tube and seat tube angles with an average difference of 5mm of bottom bracket drop. Liv provided recommended flip chip positions for each of the sizes, and the “Low” position is not permitted on Medium and Large frames when running a mixed-wheel, or “mullet” configuration.
Worth noting, Liv isn’t just a brand that claims to make a women-specific frame. Liv uses body dimension data and riding experience to custom-design bikes specifically for women, and they centered this in the design of this latest bike.
The Builds
Liv is releasing three versions of the Intrigue LT advanced Pro, denoted by 0, 1, and 2, with “0” being the top end. All three offer the same options for mixed-wheel configurations with the Maestro 3 flip chip, but there are some pretty big distinctions both in groupings and price points.
For reference, the complete build options are as follows:
- Drivetrain: SRAM XX1 Eagle AXS
- Brakes: Shimano XTR M9120 w/ 203 mm front / 180 mm rear rotors
- Fork: Fox 36 Factory Live Valve
- Shock: Fox Factory Live Valve
- Wheels: Zipp 3ZERO MOTO
- Dropper Post: TranzX travel-adjustable dropper, remote
- Drivetrain: SRAM GX Eagle
- Brakes: SRAM G2 RSC w/ 200 mm front / 180 mm rear rotors
- Fork: Fox 36 Performance Elite
- Shock: Fox Float X Performance Elite
- Wheels: TRX 2 29 WheelSystem
- Dropper Post: TranzX travel-adjustable dropper, remote
- Drivetrain: SRAM SX Eagle
- Brakes: Tektro M745 w/ 203 mm front / 180 mm rear rotors
- Fork: Marzocchi Bomber Z1
- Shock: Fox Float DPS Performance
- Wheels: Giant TR 1 29 WheelSystem
- Dropper Post: TranzX travel-adjustable dropper
Some Questions / Things We’re Curious About
We will soon have the Liv Intrigue LT Advanced Pro in for long-term testing, and there are several questions that arise as we wait for the trails to melt here in Crested Butte.
- How does Liv’s commitment to women-specific builds and geometry compare to similar bikes that take a more unisex approach? Are these differences obvious, minor, or indistinguishable?
- With so much potential for customization and altering of geometry, how different is the ride experience among the different chip settings? How easy is this design to adjust, and who might benefit the most from having these different options? Since the bike we are receiving will be large, we will mostly be speaking about the differences between the “Mid” to “High” settings.
Bottom Line (For Now)
The Liv Intrigue LT Advanced Pro is an exciting bike to hit the market because it shows the top-end potential of what is available in women-specific design, from a brand that is dedicated to centering women’s riding experiences. Given its potential for rear wheel size swapping and geometry finetuning, it offers a lot to be intrigued about. Stay tuned for a whole lot more info as we spend some time on it this summer.