Liv Intrigue LT Superior Professional 0 with Fox Stay Valve | Evaluation

The Intrigue LT Superior Professional is Liv Biking’s longest journey mountain bike, rolling up with 150mm within the rear paired with a 160mm fork. Changing the 27.5″ Hail, intentions of the mullet-capable Intrigue LT are broad-brush. With three attainable geometry configurations and an MX or 29″ wheelset, Liv place the Intrigue LT as a motorcycle for park laps, backcountry singletrack and enduro racing.

You will get it in aluminum or carbon. Fashions manufactured from the previous are merely named the Intrigue LT, whereas the lighter carbon choices are filed beneath Intrigue LT Superior Professional. Throughout that spectrum, you possibly can anticipate to pay something from £3,199 to £12,499. The Intrigue LT Superior Professional 0 reviewed herein is that £12,499 mannequin.

Certainly, over the past 2 months, i’ve had the pleasure of testing this eye-wateringly costly path bike that’s pure dripping in high-end componentry. From Zipp 3Zero Moto Carbon wheels to Fox Stay Valve suspension, the Superior Professional 0 is geared toward those that aren’t wanting a bob or two.

Liv Intrigue LT Superior Professional 0 | An Overview

• Bike: Liv Intrigue LT Superior Professional
• Fork Journey: 160mm
• Rear Wheel Journey: 150mm
• Body Materials: Carbon
• Dimension Availability: XS-M (+L in USA)
• Value as examined: £12,500
• Weight, as examined: 13.69 kg (tubeless, with out pedals or bottle cage)

Sizing & Geometry

Liv sells the Intrigue LT Superior Professional in XS-M within the UK, with a measurement L additionally accessible to US-based clients. That four-strong vary covers riders from 150 cm to 181 cm, based on Liv’s sizing chart. The XS & S bikes ship with an MX wheelset (29″ entrance, 27.5″ rear), whereas the M & L bikes each comes as an entire 29er. That stated, the choice stays to run a 27.5″ rear.

Notably, solely the attain and seat tube size enhance as you progress up by the body sizes. Certainly, all get the exact same chainstay size of 442mm which, notably within the context of the XS body’s 402mm attain, is reasonably beneficiant. Whereas many manufacturers have moved in direction of a extra proportional strategy to geometry, rising rear-center size with attain, Liv and Big are but to go down that path.

They do, nonetheless, steepen the seat tube angle for the bigger body sizes. That helps to offset the rearward bias that taller riders, with their taller saddle top, would in any other case be subjected to within the seated pedaling place.

No matter measurement, the Intrigue LT has a 65.1° head angle. That quantity pertains to the center flip-chip place, which the bike is supposed to reach in. Strictly-speaking, a 5mm Allen secret’s all that’s wanted to regulate the geometry, although I’ve to say the job was made immeasurably simpler with using a motorcycle stand.

Although it may be executed, the intention isn’t that you simply modify geometry mid-ride. The flip-chip is there to provide riders freedom to decide on the geometry that works finest for them and the kind of trails they trip most.

The low place slackens the pinnacle and seat tube angles a short while concomitantly decreasing the underside bracket by 4/5mm. Right here, the bike is better-configured for descending on steeper terrain. However, nobody will probably be blown away to learn that the excessive place steepens the pinnacle and seat tube angles, whereas elevating the underside bracket. Right here, floor clearance is best, which ought to show helpful for climbing over uneven floor.

Liv Intrigue LT Superior Professional 0 | Journey Impressions

Setup

I examined the Intrigue LT in a measurement small; at 163 cm tall, I’m smack bang in the midst of the rider top vary for that measurement.

The £12,500 Superior Professional 0 mannequin was shipped to me with the tires arrange tubeless. Sans pedals, it weighs in at 13.69 kg which is impressively mild for a motorcycle of this journey bracket.

As per, I lower the 760mm Big Contact SLR Path handlebar all the way down to my most popular 740mm – a lot of my native trails run by dense plantation forest. It has a 20mm rise. Fortunately, Liv left the fork’s steerer tube lengthy, providing loads of scope for shifting the 50mm stem up and all the way down to dial-in trip top.

The dropper seat put up got here in its 120mm drop place. With my saddle top of 620mm (with the inventory 170mm cranks), I used to be capable of take full benefit of the longest journey setting with 150mm drop. Very pleasing certainly. The one different change was to exchange the Liv Sylvia saddle with my most popular SQlab 6OX Infinergy Ergowave Lively 2.1 saddle.

Liv shipped the bike with its flip-chip set to the excessive place. That’s the geometry place that gives probably the most floor clearance, the steepest head tube angle (65.5°), and the steepest seat tube angle (77°). It additionally provides the longest attain of 421mm, and the shortest efficient rear-center size of 440mm. Within the context of the lengthy journey bikes I’ve examined not too long ago, that attain quantity could be very a lot on the shorter finish of the spectrum. And, within the context of different manufacturers’ suggestions for a 163 cm rider, it’s once more comparatively quick.

Liv suggest a sag of 25-30% for the rear shock. I ran it at 29% sag, and by no means felt a have to deviate from that. I arrange the fork as per the weight-based suggestions on the again of the fork leg; that’s 68 PSI for my 60 kg, with the rebound damping dial set to 14 clicks from totally closed.

Preliminary Ideas

For the primary trip, I headed straight as much as the native enduro trails by way of the fireplace highway. The very first thing that hit me was the easy velocity supplied by the fast-rolling tires and the low weight of the bike total. The 2 mixed make pedaling really feel like a breeze. After a summer time of driving the comparatively heavier and slower-rolling YT Capra Core 3 enduro bike, this was pleasantly refreshing.

For the sake of attending to grips with how the bike’s dealing with is in its acoustic state, if you’ll, I left the electronics of the Fox Stay Valve system off – no less than for the primary few rides. For seated pedalling, the rear suspension does bob up and down a good bit – one thing that may be rectified with the Stay Valve System switched on – i’ll go deeper on that later.

Climbing

In each the excessive and low geometry positions, the Liv Intrigue LT felt like a spritely climber of technical terrain. Whereas its fast-rolling rear tire was energy-saving on hearth roads, it did generally tend to interrupt traction over moist or free rock, particularly when the gradient tipped up.

When grip was maintained, the comparatively lengthy chainstay got here in useful for climbing steep sections. I did really feel the seat tube might have been a little bit bit steeper to bias weight even additional ahead, however it wasn’t too unhealthy with the saddle pushed ahead on the rails. I’m probably not a fan of 170mm cranks, and I reckon Liv might have simply justified use of shorter 165mm cranks on this small body – solely the XS will get these.

The low geometry place isn’t so low that I had any challenge with common pedal strikes, even with these 170mm cranks.

Descending – Excessive Geometry Place

Dropping right into a steep, technical enduro path, the bike instantly felt like a handful. Its mild total weight and the evenly damped suspension mixed to make it really feel full of life and too energetic for my liking. On steep sections, the conservative 65.5° head angle of the excessive place made itself obvious. On the entire, the bike was out of its depth.

Fortunately, slowing down the rebound velocity on each the fork and shock improved issues drastically. The bike was now extra calm, and fewer of a rocking-horse on the rougher, chunkier sections of path. That made it much more manageable.

The bike felt rather well suited to trails with comparatively much less gradient. It’s a fast handler, and actually shines on the nibbly, technical tracks that snake down the hillside with compressive, swoopy turns, and off-camber rooty sections that appear to come back at you relentlessly.

Flicking and slotting the bike into tight turns was an actual pleasure. The Intrigue LT invitations you to have enjoyable with it, squaring off turns within the data that it’ll effortlessly decide up velocity once more because of its mild body and wheel mixture.

On the flip-side, the bike was not probably the most confidence-inspiring on fall line sections. Past a sure gradient, the geometry felt unbalanced, throwing me ahead onto the fork. There was little drama to report, nonetheless, owing to the truth that the Fox 36 proved to be very supportive in these eventualities. Even supposing the low velocity compression was set to completely open, the fork remained confidently excessive in its journey.

Descending – Low Geometry Place

Nonetheless, the feeling was a little bit unsettling, and so I switched the flip-chip to the low place within the hope {that a} slacker hand angle (now 64.6°) would enhance the state of affairs. And, it did, however not as a lot as I hoped.

Whereas it was comforting to see extra wheel out entrance, the feeling of being thrown onto the fork was not drastically diminished. Liv’s geometry desk, I can hazard a guess as to why that’s. Transferring from the excessive to the low place will increase the bike’s rear-center size (to 433mm) whereas concurrently lowering the attain (to 413mm). So, the rear wheel trails additional behind, whereas room within the cockpit is barely decreased.

That merely didn’t work properly for me, and a sense of vulnerability remained. I additionally felt that, on the exit of compressive turns, I had an inclination to take a seat my weight again into the bike, in search of a center that wasn’t fairly the place I used to be anticipating it to be.

I discover bikes which can be extra equally matched of their reach-to-chainstay size ratio, or these the place the attain barely exceeds the chainstay size, really feel extra balanced total, and ship a extra confidence-inspiring trip when the path will get very steep.

It’s price stating that my expertise on this small body will not be in any respect in keeping with a taller rider’s expertise on the medium or giant body. On the medium, the rear-center size and attain match at 442mm apiece. On reflection, I might seemingly have tolerated the longer attain of the medium fairly properly, however on the expense of shedding out on bum-to-saddle clearance that will include the 30mm taller seat tube.

In keeping with the bike’s intentions, I did pilot it across the native enduro race. The one spec change I made was on the rear tire, the place the Dissector EXO was changed by a Continental Kryptotal Fr Enduro which affords improved braking traction and a extra puncture-proof casing.

The bike impressed on the flat-out, chunky sections of monitor the place carrying velocity is paramount. Pumping by options was generously rewarded. It once more impressed when the monitor demanded quick, sharp, out-of-the-saddle efforts. As alluded to earlier, it fell wanting expectations when pointed down the steeper tracks, forcing a sure tentative strategy from its rider.

Fox Stay Valve | An Overview

Fox Stay Valve is the electronically-controlled suspension damping system that launched again in 2018. Nonetheless, only a few bikes are geared up with the system, the Liv Intrigue LT Superior Professional 0 being certainly one of them.

It contains an accelerometer on the fork arch, an accelerometer close to the rear axle, and a 3-axis accelerometer on the principle management unit that, on the Liv Intrigue LT Superior Professional, is positioned on the underside of the highest tube.

The fork and swingarm accelerometers report on the severity of bumps occurring at every wheel, whereas the central unit’s machine studies on gradient; i.e. it tells the system whether or not the bike is rolling alongside the flat, pointing up a climb, or pitched down a path.

Collating that info, with measurements taken 1000 instances per second, the system makes selections on whether or not the suspension’s mid-to-low velocity compression damping circuit needs to be open or closed. There’s an electromagnet contained in the dampers that controls the valve, opening it or closing it inside 3 milliseconds; i.e. a lot quicker than you or I might function a distant lockout.

So, Stay Valve can management whether or not the bike’s suspension is agency, or whether or not it’s plush, the previous being preferable for outright pedal effectivity, and the latter being preferable for bump absorption when descending. There isn’t a intermediate place; the valve is both open or closed.

It’s user-tuneable, although. One can use the Stay Valve App, or the management unit on the bike itself, to maneuver the system between settings 1-5. To clarify, i’ll use the 2 excessive ends of the spectrum.

First, it’s vital to notice that in all settings, Stay Valve is biased to the closed place, delivering a agency suspension really feel. It’ll “look” for causes to open the damping. In setting 5, the Stay Valve system must expertise the largest bumps to ensure that the compression damping to open up. In setting 1, the bump threshold is way decrease, so smaller bumps you may discover on a gravel highway needs to be adequate to open the valve, softening the suspension.

After the threshold-exceeding bump has triggered the valve to open, it would revert to closed once more after a sure period of time has handed – until one other threshold-exceeding bump is hit once more, through which case the timer begins over. In setting 5, the desired time is comparatively quick, whereas in setting 1, the desired time is for much longer, permitting the damping to stay open for longer. The system additionally adjusts the timing based mostly on whether or not or not you’re climbing or descending. We’re additionally advised that the decision-making for the shock and the fork could be separate, relying on the state of affairs.

How did I check the Intrigue LT Superior Professional 0 Fox Stay Valve System?

I spent a day driving the identical 90 second descent over and over, altering the Stay Valve setting between runs. The monitor is mellow in its gradient, however suffering from roots, rocks, steps and compressive turns. Altogether, there’s so much occurring, with solely two or three (very temporary) clean, flatter sections to talk of.

Following that check session, there’s little question in my thoughts that Stay Valve executes on its guarantees. Variations between the Stay Valve settings are considerable, notably when switching between the 2 extremes; going from setting 1 to setting 5.

Driving a steady descent, there is no such thing as a tangible trip really feel distinction between Stay Valve in setting 1, as in comparison with driving the bike with the system switched off fully. Descending is completely uncompromised.

Switching from setting 1 to setting 3, a really refined distinction is detectable. Over the course of that 90 second descent, i’d say there have been simply two or three events the place I felt the suspension revert to closed. That was felt as a sudden, shock harshness, and on each events the consequence was a much less properly managed run.

Then, going to setting 5, the suspension was clearly reverting to closed extra continuously. Runs in setting 5 have been harsh and tiring, and discovering the perfect line proved tougher. For uncompromised descending, you’ll need to depart from Liv’s really useful setting 3, and run it in setting 1 (or probably 2, however admittedly this was not examined).

A second check state of affairs concerned rolling out of a steep, tough downhill path, right into a clean, barely uphill hearth highway dash. Right here, I used to be seeking to see how rapidly the system would revert to closed, firming up the suspension to offer an environment friendly pedaling platform for fast acceleration.

Unsurprisingly, setting 5 was the perfect setting on this state of affairs. Solely setting 5 reacted sufficiently quick sufficient after the transition onto the fireplace highway, with settings 1 and three each maintaining the valve open, and the suspension smooth, too lengthy for my liking.

For a delicate climb on a clean hearth highway, I discovered that setting 5 was the perfect for eradicating the pedal-induced bobbing of the suspension. Settings 1 and three each allowed the shock to oscillate freely concerning the sag level.

Is Fox Stay Valve price it?

This is a crucial query to reply, particularly contemplating that it’s seemingly a contributing issue within the sky-high asking value for the Intrigue LT Superior Professional 0. Sadly, my reply needs to be no.

Within the context of this bike and its intentions, I really feel there is no such thing as a place for a system as complicated as Stay Valve. If I had discovered a single setting whereby steady descending was uncompromised and the damper firmed up rapidly sufficient for a hearth highway dash, then issues may be totally different. As it’s, I discovered no such Goldilocks setting.

I get the impression this technique would discover a higher dwelling on a XC race bike the place effectivity is every little thing. These tracks are inclined to repeatedly undulate, and the calls for positioned on the suspension can change many, many instances over the course of a lap. In that state of affairs, the hands-free expertise introduced by stay Valve stands to be advantageous.

Finally, I really feel the Intrigue LT and its rider can be better-served by a mechanical suspension lockout within the type of a distant on the bar. That approach, the rider would have the ability to lock out the suspension on the climbs, and through a dash, opening it up once more earlier than dropping into the following descent. Sadly, the body doesn’t present routing for that less complicated answer.

On the entire, the Intrigue LT in a measurement small does really feel fairly compact for this 163 cm rider. The quick attain lends itself properly to trails the place fast modifications of course require the rider to duck and dive concerning the cockpit. I might nonetheless, strongly advise anybody taller than 163cm to contemplate up-sizing to the medium, particularly in the event that they really feel the 420mm seat tube can be manageable.

That stated, I discovered the bike was abuzz with agility, additionally owing to its mild damper tune. To my thoughts, this custom-tune is what provides Liv an edge over a few of its opponents. An over-damped shock tune is a standard criticism of mine – examples right here and right here – so it has been totally refreshing to trip a shock that’s better-suited to my weight, and to have the ability to admire the wide selection of adjustment supplied by the exterior dials. It’s price noting that not each mannequin of the Intrigue LT has the identical shock tune, however they’re all custom-tuned with suggestions from the identical rider within the curiosity of consistency.

As for Stay Valve, I’ve a tough time discovering justification for it right here, particularly because the Intrigue LT is marketed extra towards the winch-and-plummet crowd.

Finally, I really feel Liv would’ve executed properly to shorten the rear-center size on the small body (and the XS) to steadiness issues out a little bit. Liv’s off-road product supervisor, Ludi Scholz, explains that the dearth of size-specific chainstays is all the way down to a matter of useful resource availability. This extra proportional strategy to geometry is one thing that different manufacturers comparable to Juliana, Cannondale, Norco and Privateer seem like having success with.

Professionals

• Very mild for a 150mm journey MTB
• Quick-rolling bike with a full of life character
• Adjustable geometry
• Acceptable shock tune for the lighter rider with a superb vary of adjustment on provide
• Adjustable-travel dropper seat put up
• Lifetime guarantee

Impartial Feedback

• Extra of an all-round path bike than an out-and-out enduro race bike

Cons

• Geometry feels a little bit unbalanced (measurement small)
• Inadequate chainstay safety
• Over-priced
• Body storage door rattles when loaded with cage and bottle
• Inside cable routing just isn’t totally guided
• Fox Stay Valve affords no tangible profit on this bike

Element Efficiency

• Fox 36 Manufacturing facility Stay Valve Fork with FIT4 Damper – Clean, supportive, with significant damping changes available.
• Liv custom-tuned Fox Manufacturing facility Stay Valve Shock – Delivers a lightly-damped tune which proved glorious for this mild rider, with a broad vary of adjustment available.
• TranzX Journey-Adjustable Dropper Seat Submit – Tremendous straightforward to regulate drop size with out using any instruments by any means. The put up was clean, and carried out flawlessly all through the check interval.
• SRAM XX1 Eagle AXS Drivetrain – Shifting was flawless out-of-the-box. The rear derailleur clutch is adequate, and I’ve no dropped chain incidents to report.
• Zipp 3Zero Moto Carbon Wheelset – The wheels carried out flawlessly. They’re each mild and quiet, and the ZM2 hub delivers fast engagement because of its 132 POEs. And, the edges didn’t handle to pinch any holes into the comparatively light-weight EXO casing tires.
• Big Contact SL Stem 50mm Stem – No actual qualms, although I ponder whether the velocity of front-end dealing with might have benefited from a barely shorter possibility.
• Big Contact SLR TR35 Carbon Bar – No qualms.
• Liv Tactal Professional Single Lock-On Grips – Good quick size (110mm on XS & S), acceptable for smaller fingers. Rubber is kind of arduous although, and I discovered the closely textured sample made me squeeze the grips tighter than was strictly obligatory.
• Shimano XTR 4-Piston Brakes – Nice to have tool-free adjustment of attain, with bite-point adjustment accessible with use of a screw driver. Brakes have been highly effective sufficient for the supposed use, and didn’t require any bleeding over the course of the check interval.
• Entrance Tire – 29″ x 2.5″ Maxxis Minion DHF, MaxxTerra, EXO Casing – Strikes a superb steadiness between grip and rolling resistance. A better grip possibility can be the MaxxGrip equal, coming on the expense of rolling resistance. That stated, I discovered that grip was all the time plentiful.
• Rear Tire – 27.5″ x 2.4″ Maxxis Dissector, MaxxTerra, EXO Casing – Supplied little or no rolling resistance, but in addition lacked braking traction with an inclination to lock up and skid fairly simply. For enduro, I really feel the bike would profit from an improve to the Maxxis Minion DHRII tire of the DoubleDown casing selection. That stated, I’m completely satisfied to report zero punctures.
• MRP AMg V2 chainguide: I’ve no dropped chains to report. The bash guard portion took a couple of knocks, however continues to be in nice situation.
• Liv Sylvia Saddle – Not examined.

The Worth Proposition

Provided that the Intrigue LT Superior Professional 0 is a number of hundreds of kilos costlier than the Intrigue Superior E+ eMTB, its £12,499 ($12,500 USD) price ticket appears completely stratospheric. Contemplate that the latter additionally will get a full carbon body, Fox Stay Valve suspension, in addition to an 85 Nm mid-drive motor.

Evaluating it with the extra inexpensive Intrigue LT Superior Professional fashions, once more the worth appears wild. The subsequent costliest providing is the Superior Professional 1, coming in at £5,999 ($7,000 USD). It lacks the Fox Stay Valve system, and is downgraded to the Efficiency Elite suspension parts from Fox. It additionally loses the Zipp 3Zero Moto wheels instead of Big’s personal TRX carbon wheelset, and loses the AXS drivetrain for the SRAM GX Eagle cable-operated model.

Nonetheless, the worth distinction between the Superior Professional 1 and Superior Professional 0 appears wholly unjustified from a efficiency perspective.

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