Liv Cycling Updates the Aluminum Intrigue Trail Bike with 29er Wheels and a Flip Chip

Liv Cycling has a new aluminum trail bike model on offer, with 29″ wheels and flip-chip adjustable geometry. The Intrigue 29 absorbs trail features with a 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm with the GRIP damper and 44mm offset, while a Fox Float DPS shock takes care of the 125mm of rear axle travel. The original Intrigue rolls on a 27.5″ platform, with 140/150mm of travel respectively, and according to the Liv website that longer travel option is still available.

This capable looking new 29er is shaped by the Liv 3F design philosophy that the brand says is “combined with suspension testing conducted by women for women, and tuned to perfection through iterations of female athlete prototype testing.” With a 65.8° headtube angle and steep 77° seat tube angle in the low position, this bike is built for rowdier descending than its conservative travel numbers might suggest. Reach measurements are on the shorter side across the small, medium, and large frames, at 415mm, 430mm, and 451mm respectively. The 438mm chainstays and deep 40mm bottom bracket drop should give the Intrigue 29 a nicely balanced and planted feel in the dirt.

This is the first frame from the women’s specific brand to employ flip-chip technology, allowing riders to adjust the head tube angle by 0.7°, seat tube by 0.8°, to cut the chainstay length by 3mm, and to shift the reach measurement by 8-9mm depending on the size. That’s one powerful little chip.

The Intrigue 29 2 build spins a full Shimano SLX drivetrain with a 10-51t cassette and scrubs speed with a set of 4-piston SLX MT520 brakes. A pair of Giant MT29 wheels are shod with a Maxxis Minion DHF 29 x 2.5″ tire under the handlebar and a 3C Maxxis Dissector 29 x 2.4″ at the rudder end. The seat post, handlebar, stem, and saddle are a mix of Liv and Giant house-brand bits.

With a press fit bottom bracket and fully internal cable routing the Intrigue 29 will take a few extra tools to tinker with, and the sleek cable ports give the bike a decidedly clean profile.