LIV Envie Advanced Pro 0
Just last month, the top of the range LIV Envie Advanced Pro 0 won the 2015 Bicycling Editor’s Choice Award “This bike lives up to its name: Testers were queuing up to get on the Envie!”.
La Velocita’s Sarah Grove takes a very close look at the LIV Envie Advanced Pro 0
Photography: Kirsty Baxter & LIV
I’m lucky enough to have been riding my own LIV Envie Advanced Pro 0 for 3 months and I am totally in love. Actually more than in love, let’s call it infatuated!
I’ve reviewed my ride as I can’t help but share how amazingly awesome this bike is and the range of bikes that LIV bring to the female cycling market.
About
The Envie is the areo race specific road bike in the LIV range of bikes. With four models in the LIV Envie range, they have designed a bike for most budgets and levels of riders.
Prices start from a $2,499 for the Envie Advanced 2, right through to the $7,899 premium Envie Advanced Pro 0 – the top of the range in the Envie class. The Envie is designed as a performance areo road bike and provides the rider with all the luxuries that go with it.
Ride
I’ve raced criteriums, climbed mountains, ridden on the flat and cruised on coffee shop rides. The LIV Advanced Pro 0 has it all and does it all! As with most cyclists, the look comes first, but most importantly is the feel of the bike when you are out tearing up the roads.
As soon as I jumped on the Envie I felt like the bike was made specifically for me. The reach to the bars felt much closer and more compact than my previous GIANT TCR Advanced. The brake leavers fit easily into my small hands, and the drops are in the perfect position when wanting to get that little bit more aero.
Handling descents and corners is not an issue with the bikes new ‘Overdrive 2’ steerer tube and Speed Control SL brake system. Sounds fancy – and it is! Top of the range and makes handling that much sweeter.
If you love racing, then this bike is right up your alley. The bike comes standard with ultralight weight 55mm Aero Wheels for ultimate aero, speed and of course looks! Given my size (or lack of) though, the deep rim wheels can become a thing to be mindful of in cross winds. But if you understand your riding conditions and ride to your ability, the wheels don’t become much of a concern at all.
You could also opt to have a set of standard wheels to swap over for those windy days for peace of mind and save the race wheels for special occasions.
The tyres that come standard on the Envie (and most bikes) are a soft grade and aren’t the most indestructible when it comes to flats. You may want to consider changing these for harder grade tyres for this reason. I also found when riding in the wet they seemed to have little ‘grip’ when out of the saddle and sharp cornering. An easy change over though on an otherwise close to flawless bike!
Build
I always felt there was a gap in the market for a top of the range female road bike, and then along came the LIV Envie Pro 0. As top of the range as they come!
You only have to take one look at this bike and fall in love. The stealth black, detailing in the paint work, gold trimmings, aero shaping and premium EVERYTHING including Dura-ace Di2, you couldn’t ask for anything more out of a bike.
Whenever you roll up on this mean machine, expect people to stare!
Frame
The bike is a light weight in its category thanks to the premium everything it is tricked up with, along with the the High-performance T-700 raw carbon fiber that is used to produce custom composite material in Giant’s own composite factory. So if weight is your worry, you need not worry!
Size
I ride an XS and am 5foot 1inch (157cm) tall. The fit is perfect for me in both reach and height. I dropped the head stem as low as possible and the seat post has plenty of movement up and down for varying heights.
This bike ranges from XS, S and M. All LIV bikes use a simple guiding principle call ‘3F’, LIV’s product design philosophy which stands for “Fit, Form, Function.”
LIV deemed these characteristics critical to every bike’s performance and appeal and the 3F label is a promise that every LIV bike has been designed specifically for female riders.
Price
This premium bike does come with a price tag – so it’s not for everyone, but if you have the money to splurge then this is what I’d be splurging my money on!
The Envie Advanced Pro 0 retails for $7,899 and I believe is worth every dollar! But if you are looking for something that won’t be as heavy on the pocket, other bikes in the Envie Range include:
- Envie Advanced Pro 1 $5,299
- Envie Advanced 1 $2,999
- Envie Advanced 2 $2,499
Overall
This bike has it all. If you are looking for a top of the range racing performance road bike, designed specifically for females, then you need not shop anywhere else!
Sarah Grove rides for LIV and is supported by GIANT South Yarra and is a Triathlon Performance Coach with Holistic Endurancewww.holisticendurace.com.au. Sarah is a regular contributor to La Velocita.
