New Liv Intrigue LT: more travel, mixed wheels and smaller sizes

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Liv cycling has unveiled a new long-travel versions of its popular Intrigue trail bike model. Based around an aluminium frame, the Liv Intrigue LT boasts a trail-munching 150mm of frame travel and 160mm fork travel, a mullet set up, 3-position adjustable flip chip and on-board downtube storage.

All these elements make this the most aggressive bike in the Liv line-up, and also the first to offer mixed wheel size or mullet configuration.

 Need to know:

• New 150mm (R) and 160mm (F) long travel trail bike
• 3-position adjustable geometry flip chip
• Aluminium frame
• 4 sizes available globally – XS, S, M and L
• MX/Mullet wheel configuration
• On-board downtube storage

“We developed the Intrigue LT because women who ride need equipment that matches both their fearlessness and drive to advance their skills,” said Ludi Scholz, Liv Global Off-road Category Manager. “There were no compromises with this bike. It’s intentionally designed to give riders everything they need to have fun and shred rugged trails with masterful control and ease.”

Created specifically for women, and therefore a rare entity in the world of bike design, Liv bicycles are designed using body dimension data from only women. Liv also considers elements like componentry and suspension tune to ensure that its customers get as close to a perfect fit and comfortable ride experience as possible without having to do things like swap out saddles.

Frame and geometry tweaks

The new Liv Intrigue LT is available in an ALUXX-SL aluminium frame. At the moment, unlike the non-LT version of the Intrigue, there is not carbon-framed version available.

The bike features the new Maestro 3 geometry flip chip. Maestro is the name for Liv Cycling’s suspension platform, and while pre-existing versions of the Intrigue have the older 2-position flip chip, the Intrigue LT comes with the newer version which offers Low, Mid and High options.

The flip chip allows riders to shift the geometry of the bike to suit personal preference, riding preferences and terrain. Liv suggests that the change between each position is in the region of 0.4 degrees for the head and seat-tube angles, and 5mm of bottom bracket drop.

The Intrigue is also available in an XS size, unlike other versions of the Intrigue. This is good news for smaller riders; with many of bike brands moving away from women’s specific models or streamlining their offerings, this frequently means that models and lines don’t include an XS frame option, limiting choice for riders under 158cm/5’2″.

While the M and S sizes have similar build spec, the XS and L unsurprisingly have slight alterations to better suit their intended riders. This includes the size L featuring 780mm bars where the rest of the size range runs 760mm, while the XS size features 165mm cranks as opposed to 170mm cranks, and a 40mm stem compared to the 50mm stem on the other sizes.

There are a few other geometry changes over the pre-existing Intrigue 29er. This includes a shorter head-tube and seat-tube length, longer wheelbase, longer reach, slacker head-tube angle, and lower standover.

Going mullet

While the Intrigue has been available in a 29er wheel size for some time, the Intrigue LT gets to mix things up a bit with a 29er front wheel and 27.5inch rear wheel, offering, Liv states, the ideal combination of ‘nimble rear end and fast-rolling, stable front end’.

However, it’s not quite a simple as it first sounds.

Only the XS and S models will come as mixed-wheel bikes out of the box. The M and L sizes will come with a full 29er set up, though the rear wheel can be switched for a 27.5inch wheel at their own choice (and cost).

Also, possibly due to the smaller frame size, Liv also doesn’t recommend running the Low setting on the Maestro 3 flip chip on the XS and S.

On-board storage

Good news for riders who like to travel light; the Liv Intrigue LT joins swathes of mountain bikes on the market by having a storage compartment integrated into the downtube.

A small latched door on the inside of the downtube frame opens up, and inside there’s a water-resistant bag for storing snacks or tools, protecting both the contents and the frame.

Liv Intrigue LT range

There are two models in the Liv Intrigue LT range; the Intrigue LT 1 and the LT2.

Liv Intrigue LT 1

• Price: £3599 |
• Frame: ALUXX SL-Grade aluminum front and rear triangles
• Colour: Soap Suds
• Fork: Fox 36 Float Performance, 160mm, Grip damper, Boost, 15×110, Kabolt X, tapered, 44mm offset, custom tuned for Liv
• Shock: Fox Float DPS Performance 185/55, custom tuned for Liv
• Drivetrain: Shimano SLX M7100 , 1×12 with Shimano Deore cassette 10×51
• Brakes: Tektro M750
• Wheelset: Giant AM wheels with [F] Maxxis Minion DHF 29×2.5WT, 3C Max Terra, EXO, TR, tubeless [R, size M] Maxxis Dissector 29×2.4WT, 3C Max Terra, EXO, TR, or [R, size XS and S] Maxxis Dissector 27.5×2.4WT, 3C Max Terra, EXO, TR, tubeless
• Seatpost: Giant Contact Switch dropper

Liv Intrigue LT 2

• Price: £3199 |
• Frame: ALUXX SL-Grade aluminum front and rear triangles
• Colour: Aged Denim
• Fork: RockShox 35 Gold RL, 160mm, Motion Control damper, Boost
• Shock: Fox Float DPS Performance 185/55, custom tuned for Liv
• Drivetrain: SRAM SX Eagle, 1×12 with SRAM SX Eagle 11×50 cassette
• Brakes: Tektro M745, 4 piston, Hydraulic Disc [F] 203mm [R] 180mm
• Wheelset: Giant AM with [F] Maxxis Minion DHF 29×2.5WT, 3C Max Terra, EXO, TR, tubeless [R, size M] Maxxis Dissector 29×2.4WT, 3C Max Terra, EXO, TR, or [R, size XS and S] Maxxis Dissector 27.5×2.4WT, 3C Max Terra, EXO, TR, tubeless
• Seatpost: Giant Contact Switch dropper