In April 2024, Liv expanded its women’s off-road mountain bike lineup with the new Liv Intrigue X Advanced. This mid-travel bike slots in between the existing Intrigue models. Liv designed it for all-around trail riding, with 150 mm of travel in the front and 140 mm in the rear. 

I tested the premium long-travel Liv Intrigue LT Advanced Pro 0 last summer. It’s a highly customizable, tech-heavy design that I enjoyed on steep, techy climbs and descents. So, I was excited to check out the middle child in the Intrigue family. 

I rode the Intrigue X Advanced 0 for 5 months this past summer and fall on the vast trail networks in Crested Butte, Colo. I saw how it performed on widely varied, easily accessible world-class singletrack.

In short: The new Liv Intrigue X Advanced ($4,800-7,000) lineup targets established and expert female mountain bikers with a nimble, lightweight mid-travel mountain bike. It perseveres through rough, steep terrain and is still efficient for pedaling on cross-country terrain. It’s a highly versatile trail bike that’s capable and fun to ride just about everywhere.

Liv: Women’s-Specific Bikes

Liv is an offshoot of Giant Bicycles and one of the only brands to produce women’s-specific mountain bikes. Not every female rider needs or wants them, but some prefer them. Liv’s all-female design team instilled frame geometry based on compiled data on female anatomy. 

The lineups, which are field-tested by women, include small and extra-small frame options. This includes 29ers and mullets (mixed wheel sizes) and doesn’t sacrifice premium components.

Liv Intrigue Models

Liv currently makes three versions of the Intrigue with varying amounts of suspension travel aimed at different riders and terrain. I previously tested the LT (long-travel) version. It has 160/150 mm of front/rear wheel travel and is aimed at more aggressive riders and terrain.

The Intrigue 29 is the shortest travel model with 140/125 mm of front/rear travel. The Intrigue X falls squarely in the middle with 150/140 mm travel front/rear.

This gives riders the ability to choose the suspension travel that best suits their riding style, terrain, and preferences. The word “Advanced” in the model name refers to a carbon fiber frame. For the Intrigue X Advanced, the M and L sizes come with 29-inch wheels front and rear. The XS and S sizes come with mixed wheels — 29-inch front and 27.5-inch rear.

Compared to the Intrigue LT Advanced Pro 0, the 2024 Intrigue X Advanced has simpler tech. It has 10 mm less suspension travel front and rear, and the price is several thousand less.

Liv Intrigue X Advanced 0 Review

Overall, I really liked the lightweight and adjustable frame, and the suspension was exceptional. And I appreciated the internal frame storage and the majority of the top-tier components.

Additionally, while I don’t typically gravitate toward aesthetics, the paint was an eye-catcher and conversation starter, especially in the sun. The Mulberry Glitter color is a Barbie pink meets grape, full of shimmery specks that shine in the sun. 

That said, I had ongoing issues with the drivetrain on this “0” build, which I’ll discuss in detail later. 

Testing the Liv Intrigue X Advanced 0: How and Where

From June through October, I milked mountain bike rides on the Intrigue Advanced 0 in my backyard. I rode in Gunnison, Crested Butte, and Telluride, Colo. I totaled 67 hours and 370 miles in the saddle, plus 61,000 feet of vertical ascent/descent.

My biggest single-day rides were 30 miles with 5,000 feet of climbing. I didn’t opt for any lift-served bike park laps last season, so those digits reflect human-powered riding days only.

The terrain included steep, technical, rocky, and root-laden ascents and descents, with long cross-country style approaches and returns. There was also a fair share of buttery-smooth singletrack and high-alpine slick rock and sand.  

Highlights: What I Loved

Lightweight Carbon Frame

When facing a long climb and you can do a one-armed bicep curl with your bike, it’s worth a smile. The carbon frame and premium build of the Intrigue X Advanced 0 add up to a delightfully lightweight package. Weighing in at around 30 pounds, the Intrigue X Advanced is competitively light among bikes in its category.

During those long climbs, a comfortable saddle is a necessity, and the women’s-specific Liv Sylvia deserves a callout here. It was among the most comfortable stock saddles that I’ve tested. 

Electronic Shifting 

If you haven’t used electronic shifting yet, you’ll love how smooth the operation is. Perhaps counterintuitive, the shifting performs surprisingly well under load. Unlike the old-school technique of shifting in advance, I found it to shift smoothly mid-climb and under power.

Despite some issues, the shifting performance was otherwise impressive. The SRAM AXS POD controller and a wide range of 12 gears were adequate for all the terrain I encountered.

Of course, you need to recharge the battery. I conservatively did this after each ride but the 25-hour claimed battery life is impressive. I’d only be concerned about experiencing a dead battery on a multiday bikepacking trip or a century race. In this case, I would carry an extra battery. 

Mid-Travel Suspension 

Riding the Intrigue X Advanced on easy to very difficult terrain in Southwest Colorado was great for comparisons. The mid-travel length was capable of handling everything that came down the trail without feeling like over- or under-kill. On many bikes, it can be easy to find yourself in situations with too much or too little travel. But the Intrigue X hit the “just-right” sweet spot.

As mentioned, this bike delivers 150 mm of front suspension and 140 mm of rear travel. In contrast, the long-travel Intrigue LT Advanced Pro 0 carried 160/150 mm of front and rear suspension. I never bottomed out with that long-travel setup.

With the mid-travel setup, I reached the end of the travel once or twice on a hard descent. And it was never to a degree that would harm the bike, cause discomfort, or cause a loss of control.

The shock comes custom-tuned based on Liv’s data regarding women’s body positions, height, and weight. That said, there’s plenty of adjustability to further dial in the suspension to your preferences, which I did. 

On my first ride, the suspension wasn’t responsive enough and felt sluggish, even though the sag was set correctly. A local mechanic removed one of the two internal tokens inside the front fork to help match my preferences. Tokens reduce air volume in the chamber and influence the suspension travel rate at the end of the stroke.

Next, I tinkered with the high-speed compression and low-speed compression dials while riding. This took some trial and error. My preference ended up being to leave the high-speed compression relatively open, which I liked for fast, chunky rides.

The low-speed compression has dozens of small increments, and I liked having this more closed. When it was more open, I felt like my forearms were taking the brunt of long descents. 

Geometry Adjustments: A Tailored Ride 

Aside from dialing in the suspension, this bike frame has some huge customization perks. These adjustments allow the rider to tweak the geometry slightly to better match specific preferences, terrain, and riding style.

Namely, the Flip-Chip Maestro 3 makes incremental changes to the frame geometry with three positions to choose from. While that might sound intimidating, I found it was super easy to do on my own. It was pretty amazing how such a simple adjustment could change my on-trail experience.

The flip-chip is literally a small chip in the upper arm of the rear suspension linkage. After loosening, it can rotate 180 degrees to alternate between a low or high setting. A second chip — which comes with the bike and you’ll need to safely stash somewhere — has a mid-level option. 

Each “flip” of the chip delivers a 5mm change in bottom bracket height and a 0.4-0.3-degree change in the seat and head tube angles. The changes are most substantial when going between low and high. This raises or lowers the bottom bracket by 10 mm, and the seat and head tube angles steepen or slacken by 0.7 degrees.

My biggest takeaway was the low Flip-Chip Maestro 3 setting hindered climbing on rocky and rooty trails. With the lower bottom bracket and slacker head tube angle, I hung the bike up more easily. The high position gave me more pedal and frame clearance. I rarely snagged trail obstacles, conserving my uphill momentum.

However, the low position dropped the center of gravity, aiding descents, especially if I hit mud or loose rocks. Either way, the Flip-Chip Maestro 3 was easy to adjust, and the handling differences were noticeable.

The other major geometry adjustment with the Intrigue X is the reach-adjustable headset. It provides positions of -5mm, 0mm, or +5mm. This can further fine-tune the bike’s fit for comfort, handling, and stability to individual preference.

Cargo Space

Inside the frame, the down tube is hollow for storage. The small door of the storage compartment was super easy to open. If you mount a water bottle cage on top, you’ll just need to pull out your bottles first. The storage compartment comes with a small bag for organizing tools, though I never used it.

While not for bulkier items like a tube, the internal storage was adequate for a packable ultralight rain jacket. My jacket never got wet riding in the rain and through puddles despite Liv not deeming the storage area waterproof.

Critiques: Drivetrain Issues 

On my first ride, I had issues with the rear derailleur. It shifted well between the two lowest gears as I climbed a rocky singletrack with a lady crew. But when I dropped to the third lowest gear, suddenly, it wouldn’t downshift. I was still able to climb 2,000 feet — but it was hard and not the most, err, enjoyable. 

Upon inspection (and making sure the battery for my shifter was fully charged), several mechanics determined that the derailleur body pivoted backward when it smacked a rock. This extended the jockey wheel cage forward, reducing tension on the chain. Reduced chain tension can cause the rear derailleur to not shift smoothly or at all in the lower gears.

A strong selling point of SRAM’s Transmission derailleurs is its ability to shrug off serious impacts. That’s good in theory, but it didn’t work in this instance because the pully cage didn’t retract after getting hit. The mechanics checked everything and tightened everything to spec, and I continued to test-ride the bike.

Unfortunately, the issue persisted. If the pulley cage moved too much, it got stuck in the extended position. The only solution was to hop off the bike and push the arm back into place to provide tension on the chain. It wasn’t hard to do. But for someone who enjoys getting in the flow and has goals on tough climbs, this was a major annoyance. 

After finishing my test period, I spoke more with several mechanics. We speculated that one of two things happened. Perhaps the wrong Transmission was on my demo bike (whoops). Or, Liv possibly didn’t test this specific bike frame and rear derailleur configuration (big whoops). SRAM publishes a list of the tested configurations, and according to the mechanics, this specific one wasn’t on the list. 

Regardless, it was a real head-scratcher. In theory, any bike with a Universal Derailleur Hanger (UDH) should be compatible with SRAM Transmission derailleurs. And all Transmission components should be cross-compatible. So, if it works with the GX version, it should also be fine with the XO version and vice versa. Therefore, if one Transmission configuration works on a frame, all of them should be viable. Perhaps that isn’t always true.

It seems unlikely that either Liv or SRAM would knowingly send out products that don’t work well together. And other reviews of this bike don’t mention similar issues. Likewise, other GearJunkie editors have tested numerous bikes with SRAM’s Transmission drivetrains without experiencing any problems.

But with electronics and increasingly more advanced designs, drivetrains are only getting more complex. Every once in a while, things just don’t function properly. There might have been some invisible damage, or maybe it was just a lemon. Whatever the cause, I assume that SRAM’s warranty would cover an issue like this if it happened to you.

Intrigue X Advanced 1: Why You Should Get It 

Liv doesn’t sell all models in all regions, and the Advanced 0 build isn’t offered in the U.S. market. Liv only sells the Advanced 1 and Advanced 2 in the United States. So, picking up either model is a smoother purchase experience if you live stateside. Of the two options, I recommend the Intrigue X Advanced 1 ($7,000).

With the Advanced 1, you’ll give up the Mulberry Glitter finish. But you get a timeless dark chrome that has a gold shimmer — which looks super rad. Yet, the awesome aspects of the design that I personally enjoyed remain the same. The Advanced 1 costs a whopping $2,400 less than the Advanced 0. This reflects the lower-tier, but still excellent, components.

The rear derailleur is the SRAM GX Eagle AXS versus the Advanced 0’s SRAM XO Eagle AXS. In addition to the derailleur, the Advanced 1 differs from the Advanced 0 due to the Fox 36 Performance Elite suspension components, Giant Contact SL TR35 handlebar, and Giant Contact SL stem, plus a different cassette, chain, and crankset. 

If you don’t have that much to spend, the Intrigue X Advanced 2 ($4,800) has the same frame but downgraded but still trailworthy components. Going with an aluminum frame of the Intrigue X ($3,300-3,800) line saves you another chunk of money. But the geometry is the same as the carbon models.

Who Is the Liv Intrigue X Advanced For? 

Despite my — hopefully isolated — shifting issue, the Intrigue X Advanced is a great bike that I think should appeal to a lot of female riders. With middle-of-the-road travel numbers and ample geometry adjustments, it’s an adaptable and versatile trail bike that can do it all.

More competitive, aggressive, or enduro riders who prioritize downhill performance might prefer a longer travel bike. Those looking to cover ground more quickly on mellower trails might opt for something with a little less travel. But intermediate to advanced riders who enjoy the full spectrum of trails, from mellow cross-country to steeper, more challenging routes, will find serious joy on the Liv Intrigue X Advanced. 

Yes, the “0” model isn’t on the table. It’s not sold in the U.S., and I had issues with that particular configuration. But the “1” configuration has all the attributes that I totally loved about this bike and none that I didn’t. Plus, it costs much less than the one I tested.

If you’re looking for a lightweight women’s-specific carbon mountain bike with a highly customizable frame, moderate travel, electronic shifting, internal bike storage, and eye-catching style, the Liv Intrigue X Advanced should be at the top of your list.