Liv Cycling has added a new bike to their trail-ready Intrigue range. The new Intrigue LT gets a bump in travel and a new mullet option to make it more capable on technical trails, in bike parks, and to race enduros.
The current Intrigue range consists of a 27.5 wheeled bike that has 140mm of travel and a 125mm 29er short travel trail bike. By upping the travel of their best trail bike by 25mm, the Intrigue LT now features 160mm upfront and 150mm at the rear to better handle rough terrain.
This will also be the first Liv that is capable of running a mixed wheel or mullet setup, which uses a 29er front wheel and 27.5 rear wheel. The concept behind this is that the bike retains its rolling ability with the larger front wheel while the rear end can be made shorter for snappier handling.
This is achieved with the new Maestro 3 suspension which features a three-position flip-chip that changes the head tube angle, seat tube angle, and bottom bracket height to high, mid, or low settings depending on the terrain and wheel configuration. Each setting changes the head and seat angle by roughly 0.4 degrees and the bottom bracket by 5mm. That said, Liv only recommends using the lowest flip-chip position on the M and L bike when running 29er wheels front and back.
The XS and S frame sizes are mixed wheel specific while the M and L will come from Liv in a 29er setup but is mixed wheel compatible if the rider wants to upgrade at a later date.
To complement the longer travel Liv has slackened the Intrigue LT by around a degree settling at 64.8 degrees in the low setting, 65.1 degrees in the mid-angle, and 65.5 in the high setting. The reach and chainstays get an incremental increase while the seat tube angle stays unchanged.
Liv uses ALUXX SL-Grade aluminum for the frameset and has designed a new integrated storage system built into the downtube underneath the bottle cage. Liv also includes a water-resistant bag to store snacks or essential tools.
There are two models in the range: Intrigue LT 1 and Intrigue LT 2. Liv says that the bikes will be available in January 2023, although they haven't provided specific dates.
Liv recently launched a direct-to-consumer service so you can buy your bike online and have it delivered to your door within 5-7 working days. Liv will still retail through bike shops as well if you prefer to shop at your local Giant retailer.
Unusually, the US only gets one Intrigue model, the LT 2, while most other territories get both versions. Pricing is listed as £TBC / AU$4,799 / CA$4,299 for the Intrigue LT 1 and $2,800 / £TBC / AU$4,199 / CA$3,999 for the Intrigue LT 2. For more info, head to liv-cycling.com.
