As a beginner rider looking to purchase their first road/gravel bike, I just couldn’t wrap my head around why the hell Liv bikes are MUCH cheaper than Giant men’s when the specs are THAT big of a difference. What I require is disc brakes (mechanical/hydraulic), decent shifters, good wheeels, good saddle and overall, a decent entry-mid level bike. Just take a look at the differences in pricing for these “Liv” and Giant bikes I found online.
Let me know what I’m missing because if hydraulic brakes and Shimano 105 make a bike worth 1000 usd more? May god help me.
Pricing in USD:
Liv – 930 dollars
Giant – 2230 dollars
by Agitated_Increase617
4 Comments
Giant black is good bike. Hydraulic brakes are nice
You’re not comparing like with like.
The equivalent of an Avail AR 3 is a Contend AR3.
The lower the number in a Giant / Liv model the higher the spec (and price).
In Australia they have an identical RRP, and I imagine the same would be true where you are.
In Australia an AR1 is 50% more expensive than an AR3. The screengrabs you show have two different currencies, but you suggest that the AR1 is more than twice the price of an AR3, which does seem excessive.
You’re right to think the giant isn’t twice the bike the Liv is given its pricetag. Bikes have always been sold in tiers with significantly diminishing returns, if you look at the very highest end you’re paying thousands of USD to lose a few hundred grams.
Anyway the difference here is primarily about group sets. The Liv has Sora and/or microshift which is heavier and has less gears than the much more premium 105 on the Giant. To be honest it’s not a huge difference any more but historically the group set has always been an indicator of weight and overall component quality. 105 does cost a lot more than Sora, and it does have hydraulic brakes which is quite a big upgrade.
They are both overpriced imho.
In EU you could get a bike with hydraulics and 10 speed Tiagra/CUES for 1000ish$ +/- price range.
Hydraulics are worth it, seriously.