Giant and Liv overhaul time trial/tri frameset, finally adding disc brakes
New TT/triathlon frameset launched alongside new Cadex wheels
Giant has launched a new Trinity Advanced SL time trial/triathlon frameset, as well as the parallel Liv Avow Advanced SL women’s version. It claims that the new frames offer lower weight, improved aerodynamics and more control, as well as greater adjustability.
The previous generation 2016 Trinity/Avow was looking decidedly old school, and Giant has swapped to disc brakes from rim brakes and re-designed the frameset, cockpit and hydration/feed solutions for the new bike. Tyre clearance is now 30mm.
We first spotted the new Trinity under Luke Plapp as long ago as April 2024, but the bike is only now being launched.
Giant claims a 558g weight saving for the Trinity and 433g for the Avow, with a 4.36kg frameset weight, and a 5.9 watt improvement in aerodynamics over the previous model at 45km/h for the tri configuration.
At the same time, it’s updated its Cadex disc and 4-spoke wheelsets.
There are two frameset options for the Trinity, the Trinity Advanced SL for triathlons and the Trinity Advanced SL TT for time trials. Liv has so far only announced the tri configuration although it's showing the TT bike used by the Liv AlUla Jayco women's WorldTour team.
The tri version has an integrated hydration system with 850ml capacity for the Trinity (700ml for a size S Trinity and for all but the M size Avow) that sits low in the frame and a bento box with increased capacity that can hold up to six gels. The TT frameset has an external aero-optimised downtube water bottle and cage.
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Giant has switched to its higher spec Advanced SL grade composite carbon fibre from the previous generation frameset’s Advanced grade carbon, which it says accounts for the 558g/433g weight loss, alongside a corresponding increase in stiffness-to-weight and, it says, a much more dynamic ride quality.
At the same time, Giant claims a smoother ride thanks to an increase in compliance of 28 percent at the armrests and 100 percent at the seatpost.
Both tri and TT framesets benefit from a new fork, which helps to shield the disc brake calliper. The frame tube profiles have been updated too, adding to the aero efficiency.
Greater adjustability
Giant has also increased the fit adjustment on offer.
There are four seatpost offsets available, instead of the previous frame’s two. The armrests can be adjusted through 80mm in stack and 75mm in reach, up from 60mm for both. There are now eight armrest width settings instead of six and four width settings for the extensions, up from two. The armrests can be adjusted to three different angles.
Giant says that its spacer system makes adjustment simpler and the two bolt fixing mechanism makes it easier to dismantle for transport.
The Giant Trinity SL frameset is available in four sizes, XS to L, and the Liv Avow in four sizes from XXS to M.
The Trinity tri frameset is priced at £3,749 / $4,400 / €4,400 / AU$6,999. The Trinity TT frameset is $100 / €100 cheaper, although the same price as the tri frameset in the UK and Australia.
There are also up to three full bike specs for the Trinity tri available in certain markets, although the Avow appears to be sold frameset-only in tri configuration at present, priced at £3,749 / $TBA / €4,199 / AU$ TBA.
New Cadex 4-spoke and disc TT wheels
At the same time, Giant’s Cadex performance component brand has launched a new aero wheel-tyre system for triathlons/time trails, with 4-spoke front and rear wheels and disc rear wheel.
The Cadex Aero WheelSystems have a 22.4mm internal width hookless design. Cadex says that the design reduces rolling resistance, increases sidewall support and improves cornering grip.
The Max Aero Disc WheelSystem disc wheel has a claimed weight of 1000g. Under the 1k carbon weave outer, there are carbon spokes which can be independently tensioned.
Cadex claims that, as well as being 150g lighter than its predecessor, the new disc wheel has over 50 percent greater lateral stiffness and over 20 percent greater transmission stiffness.
The wheels spin on Cadex hubs with ceramic bearings, with a claimed 30 percent reduction in friction.
The Aero 4-Spoke wheels share the 22.4mm width hookless rim of the disc rear wheel and roll on a low friction aero hub, also with ceramic bearings.
The front wheel has a 50mm deep profile, while the rear wheel is 65mm deep. Cadex claims better aero performance and stiffness-to-weight than the Roval 51/321 and Zipp 858 wheelsets, based on its testing.
The new 4-Spoke wheels are claimed to be 6.4 watts faster at 45km/h in the new Trinity/Avow frameset than the Cadex 65 WheelSystem in the previous generation frame.
Claimed weights are 880g for the front and 1,047g for the rear 4-spoke wheels.
Cadex offers a lifetime warranty and five year incident replacement on all three wheels. It hasn’t provided prices.
Paul has been on two wheels since he was in his teens and he's spent much of the time since writing about bikes and the associated tech. He's a road cyclist at heart but his adventurous curiosity means Paul has been riding gravel since well before it was cool, adapting his cyclo-cross bike to ride all-day off-road epics and putting road kit to the ultimate test along the way. Paul has contributed to Cyclingnews' tech coverage for a few years, helping to maintain the freshness of our buying guides and deals content, as well as writing a number of our voucher code pages.