We were given a new 2025 Liv Langma Advanced Pro 1 Di2 pre-launch so I’ve been lucky enough to get a fair few ride hours in on it.
The Langma is the sister bike to the Giant TCR, and a perfect road cycling all-rounder – it claims QOM level efficiency thanks to its reengineered frame set and integrated components, plus gap-widening aerodynamics.
Now, to be clear – I am more likely to be found in the woods on a mountain bike than fighting for a QOM on a road climb, but in my efforts to gain practical knowledge in all areas of cycling I was happy to volunteer to get some miles in on the Langma. Call it method acting if you will.
What I didn’t expect was how much I actually LOVED riding this bike. My experience with drop bars is limited to a pandemic purchase gravel bike that was much too small for me, but this bike was a world apart from that.
Liv Langma Sizing
For reference, I am 163cm tall with an inseam of 755mm and the bike is a size small. We had to take around 1.5cm off of the seatpost to allow me to get it to the right position but other than that it was pretty spot on size wise.
I tend to be inbetween sizes – when I was ordering my pandemic gravel bike I didn’t have much frame of reference as I had to order online and was told to size down, which I did and then later regretted.
The Langma sizing chart suggests I could ride an XS but experience told me I’d be more comfortable on a S and I’m happy to report I was right.
Liv Langma Components
The Liv Langma Advanced Pro 1 features Shimano’s electronic 105 Di2 groupset. This was my first time using Shimano’s electronic system, and the shifting was so smooth/consistent it did leave me wondering why your average cyclist would ever need anything more.
Shimano 105 hydraulic disc brakes made light work of the hills of the South Downs – I never felt concerned about stopping power so was happy to take my fingers off the brakes and let the bike fly.
Liv ensure that their bikes come with components that are suited to the majority of womens’ proportions and I must say the Liv Contact SL cockpit did work perfectly for me. With a little bit of help from Keith in our Gatwick store we got the bars into an appropriate position and I haven’t had to touch them since. No pressure, no pain, no adjustment needed. The S model of the Langma comes with a 36/38cm width bar, and they size up or down appropriately depending on the size of bike. Likewise with the Giant Contact SL AeroLight stem (the small Langma comes with a 90mm length).
Moving downwards the bike features a Giant SLR 1 Carbon wheelset and Giant Gavia Course 0 700x25c (28mm when inflated) tubeless tyres. As mentioned, I don’t have a tonne of experience with road components at this point, however this combo seemed to provide plenty of grip and minimal rolling resistance. The Giant SLR 1 Carbon wheels are stiff and lightweight, which seems to translate nicely into power transfer.
Liv Langma Advanced Pro 1 Ride Feel
As I touched on above, my drop bar experience is fairly limited so I can’t honestly compare how the Langma would feel compared to another aero bike.
What I CAN tell you however, is that this bike has fully opened my eyes to road cycling and how enjoyable it can be when you have the right tool for the job.
I’m used to wide handlebars and knobbly tyres so I was sceptical of if a drop bar bike could really feel that stable, but I had zero issues with confidence once I’d taken a couple of miles to adapt.
What I particularly love is how fluid the bike feels in corners. It turns beautifully and really gave me the confidence to hit corners at speed.
Coming from mountain bikes where it feels like a lot of your power input is lost in the suspension/tyres etc, it felt extremely freeing to ride a bike that aims to maximise your pedalling efficiency. It just MOVES. Being able to cover 20 miles in just over an hour on my own pedal power was a new experience!
I spent a lot of time riding an e-MTB and then another chunk of time not riding much at all full stop due to life’s various responsibilities, so I was a little worried that the bike would feel like hard work and I wouldn’t feel very fit. However it’s amazing how quickly it all comes back to you. The bike encourages you to ride fast and push yourself, but it’s equally enjoyable just cruising down the lanes at a chilled out pace.
Liv Langma Advanced Pro 1 (2025) – Final Thoughts
I have never ridden a female specific bike before, and if I’m being completely honest in the past I have been a bit sceptical as to whether they’re really needed. But to be able to jump on a bike that isn’t mine and feel at home on it straight away speaks volumes. There’s also nothing more annoying than buying a high-end bike and having to change half the parts (bars, seat etc) straight away, which there was no need for on the Langma. Consider me a convert!
