Test the Liv Devote Advanced 2 – Versatile Gravel bike for women!

Test video summary

My summary

How do you use the Devote Advanced 2 gravel Liv?

The Liv Devote Advanced 2 gravel bike is a lightweight, highly versatile bike with geometry designed specifically for women. It’s ideal for riders looking for a bike capable of adapting to a variety of conditions, whether for road outings, gravel trails or bikepacking adventures.

You might say it’s a bit of a gravel bike, which is true, but compared to others I’ve tested in the past or seen on the market, I find it particularly so. Indeed, it’s a light, maneuverable bike that’s both suitable:

• for pure gravel use (thanks in particular to the possibility of fitting very wide tires)
• as a bikepacking adventure bike (thanks to the many eyelets everywhere, which can be used to attach panniers).

Features

Here’s a summary of the main features of the Devote Advanced 2, but you can find more details directly on the brand’s website:

• Carbon frame and fork
• Hydraulic disc brakes
• 32/48 chainrings and 11/36 cassette
• Flare drop handlebars with 5-degree backsweep (the handlebars turn back towards the rider by 5 degrees, which is more comfortable).
• Tires: 700x40mm
• Weight: 9.66kg in size S (without pedals) according to the brand’s US website
• Sizes available: XS, S, M and L

Our complete Devote Advanced 2 gravel test

Test context

If you follow La Sportive Outdoor, you may already have seen some videos made with Joséphine, co-manager of the Giant store in Strasbourg. I’d never owned a Liv bike, however, despite my strong interest in this women’s brand, and didn’t have much of an opinion on them just by riding them for a few minutes.

I was therefore curious to test it “for real” and jumped at the chance when Joséphine offered to lend me a Devote Advanced 2 gravel bike for a few weeks, so that I could really try it out on a variety of outings. I did just that, taking it on a variety of gravel trails, on the road, up and down hills, but also in pannier-laden bikepacking mode.

Before going into the details of the test in this article, I’ll give you the conclusion: I felt so good on this bike that I decided to sell the gravel bike I had (an Origine Trail, not to mention it) to buy the Devote. All this to say that I’ve been really convinced by the brand!

Design

Yes, bike design is essential! And it’s not just a girl’s thing – I can see men looking very smart with their bikes (and that’s great!). Buying a bike is a real budget and you’re going to spend a lot of time with it, so you might as well find it good-looking, right? Overall, I think Liv bikes are well designed, with beautiful lines.

On the Devote Advanced, the brake cables are well integrated, which contributes to the bike’s clean lines: they only protrude from the top of the head tube and are so tightly glued to the handlebars that you can hardly see them. It’s just that the rubber cover for the seat screw doesn’t stay in place and keeps wandering around, which is a shame.

Colors vary from model to model, and the Devote Advanced 2 is a gorgeous forest green, with a slightly iridescent sheen that I’m in love with (although I used to swear by blue bikes…). I’m delighted with this color, which isn ‘t “girly” and is well suited to gravel, I think.

Please note that the crutch you see in my photos is definitely not standard, it was added by the Giant store in Strasbourg because I told them I found crutches really practical and regretted not being able to attach one… but this is a test version (which is working perfectly at the moment, by the way!).

Flip Chip

The Devote is equipped with a “flip-chip ” on the rear dropouts, allowing adjustment of frame geometry and tire clearance. Basically, it’s a small part that can be flipped over, and will actually move the rear wheel backwards to give more clearance for the tire (from 45mm to 53mm tires) and a “more stable and comfortable” position.

Honestly, I can’t tell you what I think of it, as the bike comes with the flip-chip in the short position (for a more responsive and agile ride, a priori). As it’s quite complicated to change (it involves moving the rear brake caliper…) and I don’t feel the need, I haven’t tried it, but I’ll give you the info 😉

Group and developments

The Devote Advanced 2 is equipped with a mixed Shimano groupset: RX-820 (top-of-the-range gravel) for front and rear derailleurs, RX-610 for shifters and brake levers (mid-range gravel) and RX-410 (entry-level gravel) for hydraulic disc brakes. The cassette is Shimano 105 (mid-range) and the crankset an FSA Omega Modular AGX+.

This choice to mix ranges within the groupset was certainly made to keep costs down, which is interesting because it allows us to have a bike with a quality groupset at a controlled weight , without tipping into the very high-end, which would explode the price of the bike. The drivetrain is reliable and pleasant to ride.

Development-wise, we have 2 chainrings (32/48) and 12 speeds (11/36). This gives us a gear ratio of 0.88, allowing us to make some nice climbs while grinding. During my test rides, I climbed some nice trails, but also some nice long climbs on the road, even with the bike loaded down with luggage, and it went very well. Perfect for a multi-purpose bike like this, you know you’ll be able to go just about anywhere, even when traveling.

Comfort

I suppose it’s down to the frame geometry and overall design, but I had a funny feeling when I first rode the Devote Advanced 2: it felt “just like home”. I immediately felt extremely comfortable on it, as if for the first time in my life I’d just been given a bike that fit me perfectly, where everything was adapted (the position, the cockpit, the saddle…) and where I felt I was in the best position to be efficient.

At first, I thought it was the enthusiasm of trying out a new bike, but this impression was confirmed later… What’s more, I’ve so far had no back pain at all, which was a regular occurrence for me (yes, I did do a postural study though).

I then lent the bike to a cyclist friend of mine to get her feedback, and her experience was exactly the same. Could this be the effect of adapting Liv bikes to women’s morphology? Honestly, I don’t know, as I’m just an example and can’t generalize, but for me the test was extremely conclusive and particularly impressive in any case!

Note also that all Devote bikes are equipped with the D-Fuse system in the seatpost and handlebars, which absorbs vibrations and protects the back, shoulders, wrists and pelvis. In fact, despite the stiffness of the carbon frame, comfort is very much in evidence , making this a high-performance bike.

What’s more, tubeless tires further enhance this comfort, and I’ve been particularly surprised to find that gravel outings that used to “tap well” and that I’d felt a bit slippery on before became just pleasant. You just need to adjust your tire pressure, of course, and don’t hesitate to lower it to increase comfort (taking into account your load and the terrain).

Finally, I really like the fact that the handlebars and levers are designed for “small hands”, which makes them much more comfortable to hold. The handlebar grip is also comfortable.

Handling, responsiveness and braking

I find the Devote Advanced 2 really maneuverable and responsive: maybe it’s again the fact that I’m really well positioned on it, but I feel I can really have fun with it on just about any type of terrain. Overall stability is good, I can get my wheel exactly where I want it and descents are smooth, even when the bike is loaded. I feel like I’ve got a bike that’s light, agile and well-balanced, which is a real treat, and I’ve really got back into gravel riding.

As for braking, the hydraulic disc brakes are effective.

Wheels and tires

The rims are Giant P-X2 Disc alloys , and the tires fitted are Giant Crosscut Grip 1 700mm, 40mm wide, tubeless. According to the brand, these are versatile gravel tires suitable for use on 90% gravel and 10% pavement, offering good cornering grip and adaptability to rough terrain while having a fast tread. They feature X-Shield puncture protection.

I tested the Devote Advanced 2 on a variety of terrains: white roads, in the forest, across fields, a little stony, single with a few roots that weren’t too bad, a little mud… I always felt at ease, but note that I don’t ride on overly technical terrain anyway, as I’m not at the right level for it, nor have I tested it on really greasy terrain. I guess that would be the limit of these tires, which are designed for all-round use. And that’s exactly what suits me, because the idea is to go everywhere but not to mountain bike!

After that, there’s nothing to stop you changing the tires for more cramped ones, depending on your use, especially as you can fit up to 45mm if the flip-chip is in the short position (as supplied as standard) and 53mm in the long position.

I think I was most impressed by this gravel on the road: as I’m very comfortable on trails, and given the width of the tires (40mm), I must admit I was expecting it to be a bit sluggish on asphalt, and was thinking of maybe changing the tires. It’s nothing of the sort, and I’m making really good progress with them, even on the road, and I even found myself beating some of my Strava PRs without realizing it… So I’m keeping the tires! 😛

Saddle

A friend of mine with a Liv bike once told me“the saddle on my Liv is a dinguery, it’s just too comfortable”. Inevitably, this struck a chord with me, as finding the right bike saddle is always a real headache, but as it’s a very personal matter, I left it at that.

But now I’ve tested it myself, and it’s confirmed: at least for my morphology (I repeat, it’s a personal saddle), this Liv Approach saddle is the most comfortable I’ve ever had. I even undertook a 90km ride without shorts, during which I didn’t feel any pain (well, my buttocks are used to doing long distances!).

The saddle has a particular shape, a bit hollowed out: you have to be careful to adjust your recoil correctly to make sure you’re well seated in the hollow, but once you’re there, it’s bliss. What’s more, it has a central opening, which I also appreciate.

Note that all Devote models can be fitted with a round seatpost, allowing you to install a telescopic saddle if you wish.

Integrated storage space

The Devote Advanced’s frame contains a small storage space. Yes, in the frame. I admit I didn’t understand it before I saw it, because I’d never seen it before, but this “secret hiding place” is in the diagonal tube, under the bottle cage. Inside, there’s a watertight pouch into which you can slide whatever you want for storage. It’s really well thought-out!

For my part, I managed to fit an inner tube, tire levers and a multitool without the pouch, playing a game of Tetris, but it’s really tight, especially as the cables also run through the frame. If, like me, you don’t use the pouch, you’ll have to think about what to put in which order, and do some tests, because you could end up with the multitool falling to the very bottom of the frame and becoming a pain to grab 😛 But I’m quite happy, I no longer have to carry a little bag with a repair kit, as I’ve also fixed my pump under the frame.

Fastening eyelets

An important point for those planning a bikepacking adventure with their Devote: the attachment eyelets. The good news is that there are quite a few of them, so you can have several places to hang panniers/bottles/cages/etc:

• Two eyelets on each fork
• Two eyelets on the horizontal frame tube
• Two eyelets on downtube (attached to storage compartment cover)
• Two eyelets under the down tube
• Two eyelets on seat tube
• Eyelets for attaching a luggage rack

Bags

Depending on the size of the bike, you won’t necessarily encounter the same problems as I did, but with the S-size bike , I had a lot of trouble finding suitable panniers. With my size S Origine gravel bike too, I realized that the panniers I was using didn’t fit, even though my saddle is quite long. I simply don’t have enough clearance in the back to put the Restrap saddle bag, nor enough in the front to put my Restrap handlebar bag, even though these two bags were already among the few that fit well on small bikes…

Rest assured, the case is not lost and I have found other solutions. Here’s what I’ve already tested, but I’m sure I’ll be adding more in the future:

• Ortlieb Seat-pack QR 13L (note: the seat-pack QR, not the classic one, as the QR needs very little space under the saddle and runs very diagonally)
• Ortlieb Handlebar-pack QR 11L (here again, the bag doesn’t need much clearance underneath, yet it’s not too wide and still holds 11L… A real gem!)
• I’ve given up trying to find a frame bag that fits inside the triangle, because space is so limited that if you want to keep access to the water bottles (even with a side opening), there’s no point. It has to be said that I put a 950mL canister on the downtube (it fits!). We could probably go for a Top Tube, but I haven’t really looked at what would be compatible.
• Zefal Z Adventure fork cages are compatible with

Conclusion

As you can see, this bike is a real “coup de coeur” for me on every level, and after testing it, I decided to buy it! Versatility, comfort, lightness and responsiveness… It’s got it all.