![\"Liv](\"https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/EnviLiv-Advanced-SL-0-with-new-Liv-Pursuit-Helmet-Liv-Forma-Jersey_3-of-4-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe latest gear drops include a faster Liv EnviLiv aero road bike, a ready-to-ride steel gravel build from Officina Battaglin, and a limited-run Ornot sweater.<\/p>\n
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(Photo: Tom Joy Photo)<\/p>\n
Published March 12, 2026 07:00AM<\/p>\n
Liv ENVILIV Aero bike gets faster using a women\u2019s aero dummy<\/p>\n
Last week the women\u2019s specific Giant brand, Liv launched an update to the premier aero bike in the brands\u2019 portfolio. At a time when other companies have moved away from gender specific bikes, Liv is leaning into it. This bike isn\u2019t about size or color, it\u2019s about being fast and supporting women.<\/p>\n
In this case, one of the ways that works is through aerodynamics. More and more it\u2019s hard to squeeze any change in aerodynamics out of a bike after years of optimization. One way some brands approach the problem is through a systems approach. Not only wheels, tires, handlebars, but also the rider and that means an aero dummy. Women aren\u2019t the same as men so Liv engineers built \u201cGeorgia,\u201d a 3D-printed, fully articulating mannequin with moving legs to simulate how moving limbs disrupt airflow around the seat tube and rear wheel. The dynamic testing resulted in a bike that saves 8.62 watts \u2014translating to about 1 minute and 55 seconds saved over 40 kilometers at race speed.Beyond the wind tunnel, that complete-system approach also hit the scale. The fourth-generation EnviLiv Advanced SL frameset dropped roughly 120 grams (a 7.7% reduction) while simultaneously bumping pedaling stiffness by nearly 15%.<\/p>\n
A huge chunk of that weight savings\u2014and the bike\u2019s new silhouette\u2014comes from the introduction of Liv\u2019s Vector Integrated Seatpost. It completely ditches traditional seatpost hardware to smooth out the ride and create a more direct load path to the bottom bracket. They also widened tire clearance to 32mm and overhauled the front end with a new one-piece aero cockpit and a D-shaped fork steerer.<\/p>\n Curious how that integrated seatpost actually works, or want to see the exact geometry charts for the new sizing? Check the Liv website<\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n Italian framebuilder Officina Battaglin is well known for building one of a kind bikes. It\u2019s a beautifully romantic concept until it\u2019s time to scale up. Every custom builder faces this challenge at a certain popularity level and the only options are going uber expensive or compromising on fully custom. Officina Battaglin is choosing to keep things on the affordable side of the fence with the new Officina Battaglin Milano gravel bike.<\/p>\n With the launch of the new Milano, the brand is pivoting to something entirely different: a complete, ready-to-ride steel gravel bike that arrives fully assembled right out of the box. That doesn\u2019t mean mass produced though. This new bike is faster to arrive but it\u2019s still a hand built bike that\u2019s made in Italy. Alex Battaglin describes it by saying \u201cThe Milano is a different kind of Officina Battaglin,\u201d and going to explain \u201cWe wanted to offer a bike that gets riders on the road as quickly as possible, without compromising on where it is made or how it is built. Every Milano is still entirely made in Italy, and that was never up for discussion.\u201d<\/p>\n To make it all work, the company invented a new production model. The Milano is still TIG-welded from custom double-butted Columbus steel but it\u2019s assembled by builders the company refers to as \u201ccarefully selected local framebuilders from the Marostica area.\u201c Buyers will select from three color options and five sizes, then choose between Campagnolo Ekar GT (mechanical, \u20ac2,500*), Shimano GRX (electronic, \u20ac3,000*), and the Milano SRAM Rival (electronic, \u20ac3,500*).<\/p>\n The Milano is positioned as an option for \u201cbikepacking, multi-day touring, and long endurance rides on both tarmac and dirt.\u201d To support that you\u2019ll find 700\u00d750 tire clearance, dropper post compatibility, support for an additional 35kg of load, front and rear rack mounts, a third<\/p>\n bottle cage mount, a top tube bag mount, and triple-boss cargo mounts on the fork.<\/p>\n For more information visit the Officina Battaglin website<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Liv's](\"https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Livs-Wind-Tunnel-Mannequin-_Georgia__3-of-3.jpg\")
<\/a>(Photo: Liv)<\/p>\n<\/a>(Photo: Officina Battaglin)
\nOfficina Battaglin Milano gravel bike skips the custom waitlist<\/p>\n