Equipment:
Road Bike - Liv Langma Advanced Pro 0 (2025), size medium
TT Bike – Giant Trinity Advanced Pro TT frameset (UCI legal), size small, with Ultegra Di2 components, aerodynamic Cadex Wheel combination rear disc, front 4-spoke.
Rider Report: Langma v's Trinity
I recently started riding a new Langma Advanced Pro 0, replacing my old rim brake Liv EnviLiv. The guys at the store insisted that I was booked in for a pro-bike fit, with my old Tri London teammate and bike fitter Farouk. Even though my physical flexibility means I am quite adaptable, the benefits of bike fits on road and TT bikes have been proven to me over the years, so I was all in! Farouk swapped out the standard-length stem for a longer 130mm version (similar to my old Envi) and removed some of the head spacers to lower the front end. I am fortunate to be able to comfortably hold a forward flat position on my road bike. Following my fit, I couldn’t wait to test the new Langma on the cobbled climbs of the upcoming Tour of Flanders sportive in early April. The superlight Langma whizzed up the cobbles, and I started to wonder whether it'd give the Trinity TT a run for its money on a hilly course. I have a hilly bike course coming up in my next race in Pontevedra; ITU Age Group World Champs Long Course Aquabike. I decided to test the two bikes against each other on a known 10-mile course in Brickendon, because I wanted to know that I was taking the right bike for the conditions. Several years prior, I had tested my Avow (TT) against the Envi (Aero Road) on a series of hill repeats, and the Avow came out on top, but this climbing Langma warranted a further look.
Testing
I decided to do a warm-up lap followed by a racing lap on each bike. Because I did not have power data on both bikes, I recorded heart rate and speed only. I was not able to see the data as I rode and tried to give each racing lap my best perceived maximal sustainable effort.
The course profile is pictured below. The loop is kind of a squashed square with two significant inclines midway and at the end.
I did the testing; the conditions were cloudy with no rain but water over the road, and a 13 degree temperature.
Trinity TT bike
I had some technical challenges with the Trinity's gears on both the big hills, causing me to have to change up and down and back up to small ring and freewheel for a bit, which lost momentum.
I also encountered a very loud clicking noise at the foot of Robin's Nest Hill, which turned out to be a cracked bottom bracket cover that was 'interacting' with the chain. I felt quite clumsy on the turns as well, having not been on this bike since October 2024; it just didn't feel like I was cornering comfortably, and my impression was that I was losing time. Regardless, I didn't let any of these technicalities affect my effort and was satisfied I'd given it my best. Heart rate: 147bpm Avg / 158bpm Max.
Langma Road bike
My effort on the Langma included me crouching my upper body tightly to give as much of an aero position as I could. My arms were absolutely on fire, but this took the pain focus off my legs and I really pedalled as fast and as hard as I could.
I felt I cornered much better than on the Trinity, and I actually felt like I was going a lot faster on the Langma than on the Trinity. Heart rate: 144bpm Avg / 158bpm Max
Based on how I felt on the course, I was surprised by the results: the Trinity lap took me 24:49, and the Langma lap took me 26:58. Over 2 mins difference. Knowing what I know about TT set up v's road set up, I was less surprised.
What did surprise me was that I was faster on the TT bike in all of the segments, including the ascents.
This was a really great session and assured me of the correct bike selection for my event. I was spent. I fell asleep in the car when I pulled in at home (in the car park).
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Store ambassador Amy is the co-creator of our women’s cycling club Giant Camden Team Liv founded in 2017. Over the years she has held multiple aquabike and triathlon age group World and European titles.