Help- what's the difference!

LouiseH

I am looking for an upgrade and something different to the first road bike I bought a few years ago - a Giant Defy 3 (2013)

I prefer the fit of women's specific bikes, so am looking at the Liv Envie Tri range. There are two bikes in particular, with a big difference in price, but to be honest I have no understanding of the actual differences I will feel on the road.
https://www.liv-cycling.com/au/bikes-envie-advanced-tri
Can someone please tell me the differences between the two bikes in lay man's terms, and whether the upgraded version is worth the price jump?

I am hoping to test ride them both but the stock near me is quite limited!

noodleman

Both nice bikes. My wife has the Liv Envie advanced pro. Neither of these are full on tri bikes. The more expensive one has lighter components and you will gain a bigger benefit in terms of speed with the wheels on the higher spec model. Curious as to why you are choosing road bikes with tri bars bolted on unless you are planning on time trials or triathlon.
Neither of these bikes are out and out time trial/tri bikes, they just have bar extensions fitted. Are you planning on doing tri's? if not you may be wiser to buy the road version of the bike.

markhewitt1978

The one on the left has better wheels and an improved groupset.

Are you certain you want a Tri bike and not a road bike?

LouiseH

noodleman wrote:

Are you planning on doing tri's?

Thanks guys. Yes I've done some tris and looking to get a bit more serious, my Defy 3 has served me well up to this point but I get bike envy in transition..
I also do a fair bit of solo riding, and thought the tri bikes would be a bit nicer when solo, is that correct? Are they definitely not bikes for group riding or are they a good in between for both group (minus tri bars) and solo?

slowbike

Depends on how serious you are at Tris ...

Dedicated Tribikes will be setup differently to a road bike - you can use/setup a road bike for Tri's but it will always be a compromise.
Generally - on a Tri/TT the seatpost is higher and seat further forwards, the bars are lower down and the shifters are at the end of the TT extensions.
Having ridden a Roadbike with TT bars for TTs I can confirm that there's a few tweaks to be made to convert from TT to road - but the biggest thing (for me) was having the shifting at the end of the TT bar - you can then tweak your cadence more easily as you go along.

simon_masterson

If you are serious about riding TTs/Tris and are prepared to buy a dedicated rig for the job, this is the best solution; a road bike with clip ons is a mediocre compromise. You can't do this in half measures, though - you need to spend time on your position, and then train to adapt to it; i.e. sitting bolt upright because that's comfortable to begin with will be slow, but you shouldn't expect to be able to ride in a super low position straight away.

The short answer is work out what dimensions you need and then buy whatever frameset/wheels/bits you think are prettiest in your price range, and get a handlebar setup that is very adjustable.

noodleman

I'm surprised liv are even marketing these as tri bikes. They're not! Like others have said, decide what your main focus will be but a full on tri bike isn't necessarily good for solo rides unless you are specifically training for tri's. You definitely won't be welcome on a full on tri bike in your local club as they just aren't suitable for group rides unless everyone is on them and it's a fast chain gang type of ride.
You're probably looking at good bikes for your type of riding but don't be fooled into thinking these two bikes are tri bikes. You could buy extensions for most road bikes and have a similar experience to what you'll get with these liv bikes. Having said that, they are great aero women's bikes but go for the high spec road versions and then get tri bar extensions if you feel the need. Your other option if you're really serious about tri's is to forget both of these bikes and get a proper tri bike but be prepared for a very different riding experience than a standard roadbike ie different riding position, poorer braking, more unstable handling through bends and higher weight. Hope this helps.