Liv Langma Advanced Pro 1 2025

The Liv Langma Advanced Pro 1 is an exceptional lightweight road bike with racing pedigree yet an ability to remain stable (and fast) on the flats. It's a great all-rounder, and quite competitively priced, too. So, if a women-specific frame is on the cards, I'd highly recommend getting your leg over one of these.

For 2025, the lightweight climbing bike we know and love has undergone some subtle changes. These include an increase in the overall frame stiffness, the introduction of integrated cables up front and, somehow, a reduction in the frame weight.

Liv Langma Advanced Pro 1: Ride

Diving straight in with how it rides – fans of the Langma from previous generations will be pleased to know that it's as sublime as ever. Perhaps I'm biased, as I live in a part of the world that favours hills, and with the terrain my legs have adapted to appreciate a decent incline and sigh a little when the road is flat for too long.

But isn't there just something wonderful about a lightweight, thin-tubed carbon fibre road bike? The Advanced Pro 1 might not be the top-of-the-range model from the Langma series, but it rides and performs like it could be.

It weighs 7.24kg in total, which with a not-so-lightweight Shimano 105 Di2 drivetrain, is pretty light. And it rides like it weighs nothing. I'd even hedge a bet that you could indulge in a Christmas-style dinner every day for a year and the Langma would still make hills feel more palatable.

If I were a weight weenie and really wanted to shave the grams, there are a few key areas where that's possible – the groupset and the wheels, for starters. But for most riders, and particularly those looking at this middle part of the spectrum when it comes to road bikes, 7.24kg isn't anything to sniff at.

What I really enjoyed about this bike was the superb power transfer. You tilt the bike and climb out of the saddle and it just responds. Acceleration is straightforward, there's no wrestling of the handlebar just to get back up to speed. Instead, it's just a joyous machine to pedal, particularly when the road points up.

And it's not just my anecdotal evidence that backs this up – Liv itself claims the new model of Langma boasts a 2.5% increase in pedalling stiffness, and 6.75% in torsional stiffness.

Another point to note about the ride is the handling. As Anna noted in her review a few years ago, the handling on the Langma is towards the more lively end of the scale. If you want something really agile and responsive, it's ideal. But if you want something a little lazier, a little more predictable, then I'd look at something else.

It definitely leans towards racing as well as mountain climbing, but as with most bikes there is a degree to which you can work around the original setup to get it to work for you as an individual.

Liv Langma Advanced Pro 1: Frame and fork

The new Advanced Pro frame is lighter than its predecessor, through the use of Liv's Advanced carbon composites. The top-end framesets use Advanced SL technologies, but the model I tested only uses those in the fork. The frame is manufactured using Advanced carbon composites, instead.

In practical terms it means that Liv has found a way to make the frame stronger with less material, resulting in a 44g reduction compared with the outgoing model. This has also meant Liv could play around with the frame design. The geometry has stayed the same, but the head tube has changed slightly to a D-shape, in the quest for less drag and more comfort.

The tubing now includes truncated ellipse features, which Liv says has been developed through Computational Fluid Dynamics to improve aerodynamic efficiency across a range of yaw angles. For you and me that boils down to the bike moving more efficiently through several wind directions, not just head-on.

The frame also now boasts a 1mm increase in tyre clearance (up to 33mm from the previous 32mm). And one thing Anna will be pleased to hear is that internal cable routing has finally been adopted with this new model.

Further updates include changes to the handlebar, stem and wheels. The new model comes with a 38cm handlebar, 90mm stem and Giant SLR 1 40 Disc wheels on the size small. If I were to be super picky, I'd like to see smaller bars available – 36cm is not an uncommon size for women these days, although it is usually the first to go out of stock.

Liv Langma Advanced Pro 1: Geometry

The geometry of the Langma hasn't changed from the outgoing model. Which is quite interesting considering it's been a few years since the previous update to the frame. Instead of changing the geometry, Liv has redesigned the tubing to feature more aerodynamic efficiency, as I discussed above.

What it does mean is that if you didn't get on with the Langma before, you probably won't now, either. As a women's road bike, it features shorter chainstays and a shorter reach than most other road bikes of similar sizes.

This is to account for the difference in female anatomy compared with men's. Now I could write an essay on whether or not you actually need a female-specific bike, but instead I'd say go to a bike-fitter or local shop with the necessary jig and get measured up to find a bike with your ideal measurements.

But I digress. The size small has a reach of 377mm, a stack height of 532mm, head tube angle of 72 degrees, a wheelbase of 977mm and 405mm chainstays.

If we look at the Giant TCR Advanced Pro model from this year, the reach is 6mm longer and stack is 4mm lower than the Langma. Interestingly, the chainstays are the same length, but compared with something like the new Scott Addict, that bike's chainstays are 15mm longer, which is more common in unisex/male road bike frames.

Liv Langma Advanced Pro 1: Groupset

The model I tested, the Advanced Pro 1, comes with a 12-speed Shimano 105 Di2 groupset. This is the cheapest in the Advanced Pro range by £100. If you want SRAM Rival AXS you can spend another £100, or if you want to go for a full Ultegra Di2 groupset then be prepared to spend just under £6,500.

For a mid-level road bike, or even an entry-level racer, 105 Di2 has a lot to offer. We often nickname it the 'workhorse' of electronic gearing, but it simply works, and while it isn't as light or quick to respond as Ultegra, for most of us it is a massive step up from mechanical gearing.

The size small comes with 170mm cranks and I usually run 165mm, so that was one small niggle. Other than that, the gearing was spot on: a 52/36-tooth chainrings and an 11-34T cassette. For me in North Yorkshire, this was more than enough to get up the steep climbs.

For braking, the Advanced Pro 1 uses 140mm rear and 160mm front Shimano SM-RT70 rotors. I actually run the 105 Di2 groupset on my own road bike, but I've upgraded the rotors to 160mm front and rear – and if you find yourself heading down a lot of steep descents, I would highly recommend doing the same. There is nothing wrong with a 140mm rotor up front, but just for that little bit extra peace of mind I think it's worth the upgrade.

Liv Langma Advanced Pro 1: Wheels and tyres

New for the 2025 model is more tyre clearance. It might not be a huge leap, 1mm to be precise, but 33mm tyre clearance isn't something to be sniffed at on a road bike.

This model comes with 25mm Giant Gavia Course 0 tubeless tyres, which measured 28mm when inflated. They don't feel like the fastest rolling tyres on the planet, but in terms of grip they're pretty good.

I am also a sucker for tubeless setups on road bikes, so I like that it comes already set up and I didn't need to faff about getting sealant everywhere and wishing I had an air compressor.

The wheelset is the Giant SLR 1 40. It's a hookless design, which may put some off, with a 22.4mm inner width. They run Giant Low Friction hubs, and are pretty quiet on the hub spin test – I liked that, although it did mean I had to use my voice a bit more to alert horse riders and the like when approaching from behind.

At 1,440g it's not the lightest carbon wheelset, but it's also a decent all-rounder option; 40mm is deep enough to see some aero benefit without you being blown all over the road when it gets a bit windy. They're pretty high value, too, at £1,200 for the set, which makes the overall Langma Advanced Pro 1 price of £4,899 feel a bit more valuable.

Liv Langma Advanced Pro 1: Finishing kit

The finishing kit and contact points on a women-specific bike is always a point of contention. You can't please everyone, especially if you're producing a mass-manufactured bike. That being said, I think Liv is doing a pretty good job of getting the overall starting setup of its bikes right for women.

Liv remains one of the few brands that offers narrower bars and shorter crank lengths on its smaller bike sizes. There are four frame sizes, from XS to L, to fit a suggested height range of 152cm (5ft) to 183cm (6ft).

My size small was fitted with a 38cm handlebar and a 90mm stem. It's a Liv Contact SL 31.8mm bar, with an 8-degree flare, so for my setup it measured 36cm on the top and 38cm at the drops. I usually run a 36cm bar, and I did feel the difference on the drops – though I also liked the extra control on steeper descents that the flared bar gave me.

The saddle is a Liv Alacra SL. I tend to stay away from commenting on saddles as they are such a personal contact point, but it did work well for me and my backside. More often than not on test bikes I end up swapping out the saddle for my own after an uncomfortable ride or three, but this time I didn't feel the need.

Liv Langma Advanced Pro 1: Value

It's quite difficult to compare the Langma with anything other than the Giant TCR these days, or the Scott Addict. More and more bikes have aerodynamic leanings in favour of all-out weight saving. I mean, Trek got rid of its climbing bike altogether in a move to create the all-rounder Madone.

That being said, if we compare the price of the Langma Advanced Pro 1 to other road bikes with similar componentry levels, it paints a picture that this is a great mid-range bike but with a bit of a brand price tag.

The Van Rysel RCR Rival AXS Power Sensor is £400 less, at £4,500. And it comes with a SRAM Rival electronic groupset and Zipp 303 wheels. It's more of an aero all-rounder bike than a climbing weapon, but hard to fault for the price.

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If we focus entirely on components rather than frame material, the Sonder Prima Al 105 Di2 jumps out as a great value proposition. It's an alloy frame, and not the most refined, but for £2,599 it's hard to fault with the same groupset as the Langma.

The Orro Venturi STC SRAM Force eTAP Tailor Made from 2024 also hits the mark. It's £200 more than the Langma, and offers a far chunkier frame, but comes with SRAM Force electronic gears and deep-section carbon wheels.

Conclusion

I think where the Liv Langma really makes its mark is in its performance. It's a climbing bike, with climbing heritage, but that doesn't mean it's slow on the flat. With the updated frame tubing and overall shape, the Langma offers a supremely comfortable ride with a racing edge.

Power transfer as soon as the road goes up is incredible, and it really does make you feel like you're dancing on the pedals. If you want to channel your inner Kasia Niewiadoma, this is a great bike to do it on.

Verdict

Quite possibly the ultimate women's climbing bike, with a combination of great components and a stiff, lightweight frame