Hannah
Liv Hail Advanced 0
I’ve spent this year trying to ride as many different bikes as possible to broaden my experience of different geometries, and it’s a close call for me on this one. I spent a truly teeny tiny amount of time on a Pivot Switchblade with 29er set-up that left me wanting to ride one more to see what it could do, but it’s been just pipped to the post by the Liv Hail Advanced 0. I managed to get a day riding on this in Sedona, Arizona, on unfamiliar trails and in alien dusty conditions, and this bike made me feel like a trail ninja. I’ve long been a women’s specific sceptic, but this bike really worked for me. With 160mm travel, you expect it to be good on the descents, but what comes as a pleasant surprise is how responsive it is to pedalling. Quick to climb, confident to descend, and planted yet responsive, this is a bike that I need to ride more. 2017 will have a gaping hole in it if it doesn’t feature a good chunk of time thrashing a Hail up and down my local trails.