Liv Avail Advanced Pro: Endurance road bike for women on test

The Liv Avail Advanced is an endurance road bike for women. And this is Liv's unique selling point, as the brand develops bikes especially for women - without "shrink it and pink it".

The test bike was brought to the editorial office personally by Judith Schäfer, Liv Project Manager - together with the gravel bike Liv Devote Advanced Pro.

The test bike

We were able to try out the Liv Avail Advanced 1 in size S in winter. The size range extends from XXS to L - so there are smaller sizes than usual on the market, but no large ones. The add-on parts of the endurance racer have also been selected to match. Smaller wheels have shorter cranks (170 mm in size S) and the handlebars have a compact design - low reach and low drop. The new saddle is also specific to women. I usually have to fit my own saddle on test bikes first. Not so with the Liv.

As a rider who is 1.60 metres tall, I actually fit better on the XS. This is also noticeable in the handlebar width. The 400 millimetre wide handlebars are a little too wide. The smaller sizes come with 380 millimetre handlebars - many other manufacturers stop at 400 millimetres, which is still a small plus point for Liv. The reach of the handlebars is comparatively short at 68 millimetres and the drop is also comfortable at just 120 millimetres. Handlebars are often longer and have a larger drop. Neither of these are particularly suitable for shorter people. The frames also differ from the Giant models in terms of geometry, with the Liv being slightly shorter and higher than the Giant endurance bike. Overall, women sit very upright on the Avail. If you are looking for a great sense of security and a good overview, the Avil is the right bike for you. For women with sporting ambitions, however, the position may not be sporty enough.

The test drives

The endurance racer in size S had to complete longer basic training sessions with me, but also mountain intervals. As an anxious downhill rider, I can't give an assessment of the downhill and cornering behaviour. I would have said healthy mediocrity. Without further ado, I put my partner, an excellent downhill rider, on the bike and asked for his opinion. It's practical when the seat height only differs by a few centimetres. He felt comfortable on the bike. The bike was easy to steer round corners, he confirmed "solid mediocrity". Our laboratory tests did not result in top marks for frame stiffness, which is conducive to a safe riding experience at high speeds. However, for the expected low rider weights, the level is not critical and is perfectly okay.

Back on the flat, me on the bike again, now on a gravel section. The wide tyres also feel comfortable on light gravel - and so do I as a tester. Added to this is the truly remarkable suspension comfort of the frameset, which is also noticeable for lightweight riders who otherwise have little of it. However, this is not so much due to the frame, but to the well-flexing, wide seatpost with its specially designed cross-section. I don't notice quite as much at the front, partly because the riding position is very upright and therefore there is less weight on the front wheel. Nevertheless, the laboratory measurements confirm that the Liv flexes slightly better on the handlebars than most other road bikes.

Conclusion on the Liv Avail Advanced 1

The fact that the bike fits perfectly with my windbreaker is a feast for the eyes. But of course it's not about looks when buying a road bike, other aspects such as geometry and handling should be prioritised.

The Liv Avail Advanced 1 is a solid endurance road bike with tuning potential. A special feature is that the bike is also available in very small sizes, where many other manufacturers have long since stopped. The adaptation of the components to small riders could be a little more consistent for my taste, but at least there is one.

The price for the bike with electric gears is very attractive in itself, and you don't get much more for the money from the competition. We see tuning potential in the wheels. With a lightweight carbon wheelset, you can reduce the overall weight considerably. And this also makes the acceleration more lively. The Advanced Pro versions of the Avail offer this as standard, although they are significantly more expensive because they also come with a lighter fork. However, the surcharge of € 1,300 - with an identical groupset - is hefty. Apart from that, the Advanced Pro models (with Shimano 105 Di2 € 4,999; top model with Ultegra Di2 € 6,499) still seem relatively fairly priced.

The Liv Avail Advanced 1 in detail

• TOUR grade: 2,5
• Price: 3699 Euro
• Weight of complete wheel: 8.7 kilos
• Frame sizes: XXS, XS, S, M, L

Geometry

• Seat / top / head tube: 436 / 525 / 145 millimetres
• Stack / Reach / STR: 569 / 363 millimetres / 1.57
• Stack+ / Reach+ / STR+: 609 / 517 millimetres / 1.18
• Wheelbase / caster: 1005 / 70 millimetres

Equipment

• Drive / gearstick (1.0): Shimano 105 Di2 (2x12; 50/34, 11-36 t.)
• Brakes (1.5): Shimano 105 (160/160 mm)
• Tyres (3.0): Giant Gavia Fondo 1 32 mm (eff.: 34 mm)
• Impellers: Giant P-R2 Disc
• Impeller weights: 1570/2182 grams (front/rear)

Measured values

• Driving stability (2.0): 7.58 N/mm
• Rear comfort (1.7): 113 N/mm
• Comfort front (2.7): 97 N/mm
• Ride/ bottom bracket stiffness (2.3): 52 N/mm