The Liv Intrigue E+ Takes the Sting out of Steep Climbs
The Takeaway: A smooth e-bike with a powerful motor that also feels easier to control and a little less bulky than some others. That makes it more fun to ride.
Who’s It For? Women who like challenging trails and want the assist of an e-bike.
Something We Love: It handles and corners well for a heavier bike.
Something We Don’t: It would be great if it had a walk-assist mode in case you have to hike-a-bike.
Price: $4,830 Buy Now
The Liv Intrigue E+ is an excellent entry-level electric mountain bike. I rode it through the smooth, open single track near Monterey, California, and it could really get going. The 150mm (fork) and 140mm (shock) suspension helped me plow into double-track ruts without veering from my line and are tuned for the added weight of the motor and battery. That makes the bike feel very stable and easier to handle than a bike this heavy might otherwise.
And the motor is powerful and torquey-even going up steep single track I usually just kept it in the lower two assist levels of the five available. That was enough to keep my pace and ascend just slightly faster than I would on a regular bike without breathing too heavy. The highest setting really has some oomph and felt too powerful to use on tight or technical trails. It’s better for the fire road climbs I hit, or cruising on pavement to the trail head or back home after a ride.
A lot of that comes from the 80 Newton meters of toque put out by the Yamaha’s motor. It's got more kick than some others so you don’t need a lot of assist to get over small rises or tough spots on the trail. And the boost seems to hit quickly; Liv says you get full boost (based on your power setting) in 190milliseconds and it did feel quicker than some others when I rode it.
While the battery and motor add weight, the Liv felt lighter to me than other e-mountain bikes I’ve tried. The heft of one will always make it harder to maneuver on technical trails, but the lower weight, good geometry, and torquey motor of this one made it feel less so. That makes this bike a good option for women looking for some balance between power and maneuverability.
The Liv’s E-Assist System
The Intrigue’s motor-control interface sits on the left side of the handlebar, and has an on button, buttons to toggle through the five assistance levels, and lights indicating which mode you’re in. The bike comes with an optional display screen that’s HR-monitor compatible, has navigation capabilities, and will wireless connect to your phone to display messages and calls. That screen also allows you to set up the Intrigue so that it automatically adjusts pedal assist to maintain your desired heart rate.
The Yamaha motor system features an integrated 500 watt-hour battery that (according to Liv) charges from empty to 60 percent in 60 minutes. It has five different levels of assistance, and the higher the level you’re in, the more torquey the boost feels when you pedal.
Everything Else About the Intrigue
The Intrigue E+ aluminum frame comes in Liv’s Chameleon paint, a pretty iridescent blackish blue that sparkles subtly in the sunshine. The moderately aggressive geometry feels a little shorter and tighter than some others and put me in a good position to pedal efficiently when I wanted to really rip. More importantly, it made it a little easier for me, a smaller rider, to control all the power and heft of this bike at slower speeds.
The Intrigue E+ comes with 150mm of fork travel and 140mm of suspension in the rear. That’s pretty standard for a trail bike and let’s you take this bike a lot of pretty wild places. I only rode it on some mostly mild trails for this test, but it feels capable of much more.
It has Giant 27.5 tubeless-ready rims with a Maxxis Minion DHF 2.6-inch tire up front and a Maxxis Rekon of the same size in the rear (with room to switch to plus tires if you’ll be riding extra loose or chunky terrain). These tires are extra knobby, giving them exceptional grip in the corners. The 1x11-speed Shimano Deore Shadow+ (11-46t) plays well with the levels of motor assistance, giving you plenty of room to spin up steep climbs using your own power so you can still get a workout on lower settings.
The lighter gear options also allow for a less-torquey motor engagement when you’re in a higher setting, making for a smoother ride. The bike employs a Giant dropper post, which was really helpful on fast, straight descents because the weight of the motor helps you gain a lot more speed going downhill, so shifting my weight further back felt even more necessary than it does on a regular bike.
The quick-reacting Shimano hydraulic disc brakes gave me more confidence on the descents also, since the 203mm rotors gave me plenty of control over my speed. It comes with a Liv Contact saddle, a women’s specific model that was comfortable enough that I didn’t really think of it while I rode. I had to keep reminding myself to check back into my test ride-I was grinning so hard as I zipped up climbs and bombed back down that I kept getting lost in the joy of the ride.
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