First look: Liv Intrigue X Advanced E+ Elite 1

Today, Liv is expanding its women-specific range of bikes by unveiling the sleek-looking, top-of-the-line Intrigue X Advanced E+ Elite. The components reflect those of a good full suspension mountain bike, but with the added bonus of torque.

There are a lot of well-conceived features designed to help a rider dial in to a setup that is comfortable for their body geometry and riding style. There are also some interesting features in the drive unit. The motor is lighter and is now powered by what Liv says is the first ebike-specific battery. The battery is also produced in Giant’s new carbon-neutral facility.

Liv Intrigue X Advanced E+ Elite 1: Built for a serious trail user

This is not a beginner’s ride. It’s more of a graduation from a first bike, whether it be MTB or eMTB, when one realizes mountain biking is a forever hobby and there are some serious trails on the horizon. This full-suspension green and gold carbon-fibre bike has 150 mm of travel in the front and 140 mm of travel in the back, as well as a 29” front wheel and 27.5” rear wheel.

The bike’s design is pretty slick—I’m not just talking about the interesting paint job that I’ve come to associate with Liv bikes or the internal cable routing that allows you to see more of the frame. The bike itself isn’t super chunky. The battery, which is the first ebike-specific battery cell in the world (and Liv-specific), is so slender, it’s well hidden in the downtube, which is only about four inches wide. It’s actually the Fox Live Valve with its wires that sit off the rear shock that kind of draws the eye south to the bottom of the down tube where it’s obvious to deduce it’s an eMTB. But if you were to pass someone on singletrack, it might take a moment (if at all) before you realize that rider has some extra torque!

Dialing it in

Giant’s Maestro suspension technology is part of the bike’s componentry and aims to soak up compressions and chatter. The Flip Chip allows for a pre-ride choice between a steeper headtube angle and higher bottom bracket to clear gnarly, technical terrain, and a slacker setup, for fast, flowy, open trails.

The lightweight, full-carbon fibre bar-stem is pretty wide for some of the narrow Southern Ontario singletrack that I ride. But, it features a proprietary carbon layup and a profile designed to absorb some of the impact and vibrations from riding gnarlier terrain. The stem length and angle can be customized to suit your ideal setup. The top cap can easily be replaced by a mount for a bike computer, light or camera.

The rear shock uses the Fox Live Valve System, which uses sensors to adjust itself to the terrain, so the rider doesn’t have to worry about it. It is powered by the ebike’s battery, meaning there is one less thing to charge. There is also an optional setting that will put you into climb mode, easing the burden of technical ascents.

The need for speed: SyncDrive Pro 2

The SyncDrive Pro 2 motor provides 85 Nm (Newton metres) of torque and is powered by a 400 Wh (watt hour) battery (the first ebike-specific battery in the world), hidden discreetly in the aforementioned downtube. Co-developed with Yamaha, it’s the lightest version of the SyncDrive Pro yet, weighing in at 2.7 kilograms. If you want to take the guesswork out of your ride, Smart Assist Technology uses sensors to determine the appropriate level of acceleration but can be turned off if you want to control the ride yourself. A battery management system helps to prevent the battery from overheating while extending the life of the battery and allowing for a quicker charge. And it’s designed to go farther.

From the small panel on the top of the downtube, you can see where you’re at with power and battery levels, and control which mode you’d like to be in. The bike allows you to ride up to four times your effort. Everything can also be controlled from the Ridecontrol Ergo 3, a small handlebar mount that is so imperceptible I’ll admit I didn’t notice it on my first ride! It pairs with the panel and features three buttons that allow you to power up, power down and enable the Walk Assist mode.

First ride impressions: Liv Intrigue X Advanced E+ Elite 1

My first ride involved downloading the RideControl app for the bike itself and SRAM AXS for the Wireless shifters. Both allow you to monitor rides and data, but you can still take the bike for a spin without. RideControl also syncs up to Strava, and allows you to adjust things like torque settings, it can offer a quick diagnostics report and it makes sure you know exactly where you’re at with your battery levels.

The bike fit well and I was instantly comfortable. My height often puts me between sizes, resulting in past decisions where a bike wasn’t a good fit. But I went with medium and was instantly comfortable. I felt this way when I test rode the Liv Pique 29, as well. Liv prides itself in being designed by women for women, and it shows in the fit and comfort of the Liv bikes I’ve ridden. The bike is available in XS through Large.

I’ve ridden other ebikes and once you figure out your settings and gearing, it’s barely noticeable when the motor kicks in except that you can hear it a little. I recommend really playing around with the gear placement to torque ratios, because once I figured that out, it made for a really smooth, comfortable ride. The bike felt nimble negotiating turns and I zipped up hills with ease. I blasted through a headwind getting back from my first ride, barely feeling the usual misery in the unpredictably cool temperatures of spring. I don’t know why, but I kept picturing Sonic the Hedgehog, but on a bike, whizzing along the trails. In other words, I felt fast.

While the bike is lightweight compared to other eMTBs, throwing it on a bike rack could still be challenging for some. Liv claims the Intrigue E+ Elite weighs 18.8kg (size small). That’s significantly lighter than the Intrigue E+’s 25.6kg, but still heavier than most traditional trail mountain bikes.

The main thing to get used to is making sure the bike is powered up for the next ride. All my bikes are fully analog, so making sure everything is charged is an adjustment. I would set up a little charging station as I do for my bike lights to keep everything together.

To me, this bike would be ideal for a long day in the saddle, where you want to conquer an epic route or an EFT goal. It also makes the climbing quicker, so you can enjoy more downs.

I rode the Elite 1. Two other eMTB also exist in this lineup, the Elite 2 and Elite 3. All three come in sizes from XS to Large, and are available starting in March from Liv and Liv dealers in Canada.