Liv Avail Advanced Pro 0
£5,999 Endurance build with a racy ride
Weight 7.6kg (size S, inc bottle cages and mount) Frame Advanced-grade carbon Fork Advanced SL-grade composite Gears Shimano Ultegra Di2 12-speed (11-34t, 34/50t) Brakes Shimano Ultegra Di2 hydraulic disc, 160mm rotors Wheels Giant SLR1 36 Carbon Disc WheelSystem Finishing kit Giant Contact SL AeroLight 80mm stem, Liv Contact SLR D-Fuse carbon, 8˚ flare drop, 40cm handlebar, Giant D-Fuse SLR carbon seatpost,
Liv Alacra SL saddle, Giant Gavia Fondo 0 tubeless 32c tyres Now in its fifth generation, the Liv Avail Advanced Pro 0 sits at the top of Liv’s endurance road bike line-up. The sister brand of Giant, Liv is the only road bike company to offer frames built specifically for women these days, taking into account things such as body dimensions, muscular activity and strength patterns. Designed for high-performance day-long riding, the 2024 Avail shares plenty of its DNA with its racier siblings, the lightweight Langma and EnviLiv aero race bike.
The latest carbon frameset has a claimed 19% improvement in transmission stiffness, to harness more of your power. Overall it’s 128.4g lighter, too, meaning the new stiffness-to-weight ratio is a huge 30% better, according to Liv.
However, you’ll find the same aero, easyto-service Overdrive steerer design and ‘Powercore’ oversized bottom bracket area with asymmetric chainstays for better stiffness and stability. Liv’s proprietary D-shaped aero seat-tube and post also stay, along with the internal seatpost clamp (though there’s a better-fitting new rubber bung to cover it). All cables and hoses are still routed internally through the frame, and you can still fit full mudguards, thanks to its stealthy mounts and detachable seatstay bridge. And again, overall looks are lovely.
All clear
So what else has changed in the latest version? Tyre clearance has been upped from 35mm (measured) to a very generous 38mm, with a resulting 4mm increase in wheelbase. This increased tyre clearance may also account for the slackened headtube angle, reduced by 0.5˚ to 71˚, and increased trail, by 3.3mm. With wide tyres, these details should add stability and calm handling. The standover height has increased significantly, by 21mm on my Small test bike, but it wasn’t a problem for me. Reach, stack, top-tube and chainstay lengths haven’t changed though. You also get the Giant PowerPro double-sided power meter, two aero bottle cages and a computer mount, all of which means the full bike weighs 7.6kg.
The Pro 0 comes with a nearcomplete, impressive, 12-speed Shimano Ultegra Di2 groupset, featuring a compact 50/34-tooth chainring paired with an 11-34tooth cassette. This wide-ranging gearing gives a gear just low
enough to grind up a 25% incline, while I could also roll comfortably at over 30km/h. The hydraulic disc brakes have large 160mm rotors for reliable stopping. The only nonseries part is the 12-speed KMC X12 chain, probably to save money, but I didn’t notice any difference in performance.
Giant grips
Liv’s carbon fibre Contact SLR D-Fuse handlebar is wrapped in Liv All Condition tape and paired with the alloy Giant Contact SL AeroLight stem. The narrow hoods of the Shimano Ultegra Di2 shifters are ergonomic and perfect for slightly smaller hands. However, the position in the drops, with the chunky tape wrapped with a lot of overlapping and the chunky 31.5mm-diameter bars, meant I struggled to grip them safely while descending in the drops. Of course, you could rewrap the tape more sparingly, or switch it out for a thinner bar tape, just as I also dialled in the reach on the brake levers, but this is meant to be a women’s-specific fit. I didn’t notice the subtle 8° flare to the handlebar drops, which are designed to add stability.
Giant’s new D-Fuse SLR seatpost is claimed to yield 7mm of flex for plenty of comfort, and its -5mm or 15mm offset means you can move the saddle forwards or backwards to suit you. I found a torque wrench worked best or adjusting the fiddly integrated seatpost clamp, but I’m a fan of the Liv Alcara SL: a mid-range, short-nosed women’s-specific saddle with a cut-out.
Giant’s mid-depth SLR 1 36 Carbon Disc WheelSystem seemed a good balance, slicing through the air without being too tricky to handle in crosswinds. These come set up tubeless with Giant Gavia Fondo 0 tyres in a 32mm width (33mm measured), which I found excellent.
The wide-ranging gears, mudguard mounts and comfort-centric geometry are perfect for riders who enjoy long, hilly days in the saddle through all weathers. The bike’s nippy, too, spurring you on to push on the pedals. It can even handle a little light gravel. A few small changes – primarily regarding the cockpit – would make this a category-leading build. Katherine Moore
“The wide-ranging gears, mudguard mounts and comfortcentric geometry are perfect for riders who enjoy long, hilly days in the saddle” Verdict Wonderfully practical and versatile, but speedy too