Giant and Liv have unveiled a new range of youth road bikes at the Eurobike show in Frankfurt, featuring bespoke geometry and components developed especially for kids to create bikes “designed and purpose-built for aspiring young road riders”. The more wallet-friendly Seek 2 also comes with previously unseen Microshift electronic components, part of a new groupset that appears to be named ‘Cypher’ according to the logo on the rear derailleur. 

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Liv Seek 1 side
Liv Seek 1 side (Image Credit: Giant)

Aimed at budding cyclists between 130-150cm tall, the Seek range features Giant’s lightweight ALUXX aluminium frame, and is built around 650b wheels. The geometry is designed to offer “balanced control” to riders who are still learning their bike handling skills, with a longer bottom bracket drop for a lower centre of gravity, plus an altered fork trail and head tube angle compared to Giant’s adult bikes. 

Liv Seek 1 - 1x Drivetrain with 130mm Cranks
Liv Seek 1 - 1x Drivetrain with 130mm Cranks (Image Credit: Liv)

The specifications suggest that almost every part of the bike has been optimised for younger riders. The cranks are just 130mm, the Grit Core Lite saddle is narrower at 125mm, the maximum size for the single chainring is 44t, and a universal derailleur hanger has been chosen to simplify any modifications your child might want, as well as improving the durability of the rear mech.

Those 650b wheels can take tyres up to 37mm wide, more than enough for gravel or towpath riding, and lucky kids who receive the Seek 1 for their birthday or Christmas will even get Giant’s SLR 1 40 carbon hoops thrown in for good measure.  

It’s with the entry-level Seek 2 model that things get really interesting, though, because it appears to come with components from budget drivetrain specialists Microshift.

Microshift Cypher 1
Microshift Cypher 1 (Image Credit: Rebecca Bland)

While the Seek 1 features TRP’s Vistar electronic shifting coupled with a 12-speed Shimano 105 cassette, the Seek 2 has a 10-speed Microshift Sword cassette paired with ‘Microshift e-shifting’ according to the spec sheet. It looks like that e-shifting will be called Cypher, and so far we’re not too sure if it’s been created specifically for this project, or whether Microshift plan on bringing the tech to adult bikes too.

Giant does say that some components were “in some cases specially designed” for the Seek bikes. When you’re a bike brand as giant as Giant (and its female-specific sister brand Liv) there’s naturally more cash to create and fund projects such as this one; however, we wouldn’t be surprised if Microshift Cypher is officially released in the future, as the components brand currently only offers mechanical groupsets. 

Microshift Cypher 2
Microshift Cypher 2 (Image Credit: Rebecca Bland)

One part that was definitely created especially for the smaller bikes is the handlebar, the Giant Contact SL Lite. This is shaped with a shorter, 62mm reach and 100mm drops compared to adult bars, while the width is 32mm at the hoods. Giant also says the brake levers are designed for shorter hands, being 35% shorter from the drops and 30% shorter from the hoods, with a flared shape to improve ergonomics. With TRP and Microshift both providing levers for the Seek 1 and 2 respectively, this also suggests both brands made new levers especially for this range of bikes. 

The Seek 1 features fully hydraulic braking, whereas the Seek 2’s is operated via a mechanical lever courtesy of Giant’s MPH Brake system, offering “as much as 20% more power than a mechanical only disc-brake system” according to Giant.

Giant Seek _Color A-D-1
Giant Seek _Color A-D-1 (Image Credit: Giant)

The TRP-equipped Seek 1 will be priced at £2,499, and the Seek 2 at £1,399. There are various colourways in the Giant and Liv-branded versions of the bike, and total bike weights start at 7.4kg. Giant and Liv’s UK websites are currently displaying product pages with full details and specifications, but there are no prices or options to buy at the time of writing. 

Will we see Microshift Cypher move over to full-sized bikes any time soon, likely providing a more affordable alternative to options from the likes of Shimano, SRAM and Campagnolo? We’ve asked Microshift for more details, but for now you can get more info about the Seek 1 and 2 bikes on Giant’s website.