Hey Everyone,
If you didn’t catch our social media post and live story, we have a few very special bikes for demo and are taking you along for the test ride. Every Tuesday for the next four weeks we will have something new highlighted so make sure you check it out!
That being said, let’s dive into our first one!
The Liv Langma Advanced 1 with disc brake was my first test ride. This bike is their performance race and climbing bike, so I figured forty miles with rolling hills and shoulder debris would be a good test on all of Liv’s claims. The Langma (which I learned is what Tibetans call Mount Everest) falls right in between the Avail, which is their endurance road bike, and the Envie/EnviLiv, which is their aero race bike. The Langma is the lightest between those two categories as well, using brand spanking new research to limit the amount of carbon sections to bond together and instead creating more full, complete parts of the bike. Less joining areas equals a stronger and stiffer bike without wasting energy on flexing carbon.
Some of the first things I encountered on my ride was how steady and controlled the bike was. There are a lot of cracks and seams in the road and bike trail around here and at 90 PSI I wasn’t shaken down to my bones. There is also a lot of rock and road debris along the shoulder heading out of Sioux Falls towards Baltic, and even hitting rock didn’t seem to shake the bike one bit. That to me was comforting because I often ride alone and generally on highway so the inevitable no longer felt like an issue or worry to me. At one point a prairie dog bolted from out of the grass right towards my wheel, some quick averting saved both of us and left me upright. This bike isn’t a bit touchy or jerky under quick corrections which made me feel confident that descending wouldn’t be an issue down the road (no pun intended).
The P-R2 wheelset on the bike bike is a carbon, disc, tubeless 700c x 25mm set up. Cornering, rocks, and climbing all felt extremely forgiving on our not so forgiving roads. The Ultegra shifters took little to no effort on some of the bigger climbs to keep my consistent cadence while shifting. The position you are put on on the bike is so comfortable for climbing too. I never once felt like I had to reach for a climb, as soon as I stood, my legs could work and my hands were just where they needed to be to keep me steady. I had no numbness in my hands the entire time, just very comfortable relaxed arms.
During the ride I have about a 10-15 mph head/crosswind. I didn’t feel tossed around or jittery on the long flats or going down hill and a lot of that comes from the smaller tubing on the bike. While it does have a few aero qualities, because of the frame design the tubes can be smaller and still stronger. I think an aero bike in this crosswind wouldn’t have been as enjoyable. I had mostly all tailwind on my way home and was hitting 24 mph without even realizing.
There are a few other models in this lineup as well. For those that like the rim braking capabilities you are covered. For those that are really climb focused, there is a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 option just waiting for you to take it home.
10 out of 10 I would recommend this bike to someone competitive, youth triathlons, sprint triathlons, long supported tours, or anyone that just rides road bike that wants something responsive, lightweight, and efficient. It is safe to say that this was an extremely fun, reliable, and fast bike and would absolutely take it out again! Plus, you see bald eagles, what else could you want out of life?
There are a few other models in this lineup as well. For those that like the rim braking capabilities you are covered. For those that are really climb focused, there is a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 option just waiting for you to take it home.
10 out of 10 I would recommend this bike to someone competitive, youth triathlons, sprint triathlons, long supported tours, or anyone that just rides road bike that wants something responsive, lightweight, and efficient. It is safe to say that this was an extremely fun, reliable, and fast bike and would absolutely take it out again! Plus, you see bald eagles, what else could you want out of life?
