Giant’s sister brand Liv Cycling have announced details of the 2021 Liv Brava Advanced Pro CX bike. Subtle geometry updates aren’t a grand departure from the figures seen on the 2020 Brava SLR, but with these changes come an all-new carbon frameset.
Liv reckon the Brava Advanced Pro offers improved handling and better power transfer for the podium-hunting cyclocross racer. For 2021, they’ve have added a size large to the line-up, now offering four frame sizes to chose from, so riders can get a better fit.
2021 Liv Brava Advanced Pro
The Liv Brava Advanced Pro is their top of the range CX bike. Joining the aluminium Brava SLR in the Liv Cyclocross line-up, the Brava Advanced Pro is, essentially, the carbon composite version.
Liv say the big open-triangle design aids shoulder-carrying and the v-shaped downtube helps the frame shed mud.
On the geometry front, the 2021 Liv Brava Advanced Pro is a little slacker than the Brava SLR, at least at the seat tube. Its angle comes in at 74° in XS and S, slackening off to 73.5° and 73° in L and XL, respectively. The head angle sits around 71°, and chainstays measure up at 430mm, consistent across the size range.
The reach spans a 363mm to 376mm range across the XS-L frame sizes, making the Brava Advanced Pro a little shorter than the aluminium Brava SLR. Seat tubes remain short at 505mm in size S.
Wheels are of course 700c, with sufficient clearance for a claimed 45mm tire. Liv spec the XS Brava Advanced Pro with 165mm cranks while the larger sizes get 170mm cranks.
Liv pride themselves on offering bikes built specifically to work best for female anatomy. It’s not simply a different colorway, or female-specific contact points, or short cranks; like all Liv bicycles, the Brava Advanced Pro’s geometry is designed around worldwide female-only dimensional data.
Liv Brava Carbon Frame Features
The 2021 Live Brava Advanced Pro features their signature D-Fuse seat tube. The D-shape of the tube is designed to damp vibration, resulting in a smooth, compliant ride. It will take both a D-Fuse specific or 30.9mm dropper seat post.
Liv have optimized the front-end steering performance of the new Brava with their Overdrive2 carbon steerer. The headtube takes over sized headset bearings (1 1/2” lower, 1 1/4” upper) and thus, a tapered steerer, which together is said to provide supreme steering stiffness.
You may have noticed Marianne Vos riding a prototype of the Brava Advanced Pro last season. Here’s what she had to say about it: “Last cyclocross season, I rode a prototype of the brand new Brava Advanced Pro. Although my season was shorter than it was supposed to be, this bike stepped up to the challenge and allowed me to push the limits on the course” said Vos.
“The Brava Advanced Pro is a responsive, race-ready bike with a stiff frame that allows for great handling and quick acceleration. This combination — speed and control — is crucial to being successful in cyclocross.”
Pricing & Availability
The 2021 Liv Brava Advanced Pro is available worldwide this summer in sizes S-XL. Liv offer three models, named the 0, 1 and 2.
The Pro 0 is the top-end model, boasting a 1x SRAM Force eTap AXS 12-speed drivetrain, SRAM Force HRD eTap AXS brakes and Giant SLR 1 carbon wheelset. It will cost you $7,699.
The mid-level option is the Pro 1. It offers an 11-speed Shimano GRX RX-810 group set and Giant SLR 2 carbon wheelset for $5,699.
The budget option Pro 2 is built up with an 11-speed SRAM Apex 1 drivetrain with 11-36T cassette, SRAM Apex 1 brakes and a Giant PX2 wheelset. It will set you back $4,299.
