Giant might not be the first name you think of when it comes to off-road racing, but they really should be on the radar given their storied history in both cyclocross and mountain bike across all disciplines. Whether it was John Tomac racing prototype carbon bikes in the 1990s or Marianne Vos dominating the CX world, winning three world titles between 2012 and 2014 aboard a Giant TCX, they have a long history of making bikes designed to excel at the sharp end of competition.
In more recent times, Jayco Alula rider Alan Hatherly swept to XCO World Cup victories in Crans-Montana and Lenzerheide to claim both the Elite Men's World Championship title and the overall World Cup series. The racing heritage runs deep and wide. When Giant and Liv introduce a new race platform, it arrives with that weight and experience, combined with Giant's engineering and high-end carbon manufacturing technology.
Which makes the launch of the Giant Revolt Advanced SL and Liv Devote Advanced SL a big deal, and it's not just frames; there's also a new tyre and wheel system too. Gravel racing has grown up rapidly, and Giant and Liv have responded accordingly.
Giant Revolt Advanced SL
The Revolt Advanced SL is built from the ground up through what Giant calls its Total Speed System philosophy – basically designing the bike as a complete system rather than its constituent parts. All five elements were developed, wind-tunnel tested and race-tuned together as a single platform. Giant isn't the only brand to have done this, but it's a luxury many smaller brands don't have.
The result is a complete system that is 288 grams lighter than the previous-generation Revolt Advanced Pro and produces 18.99 watts less total resistance across the terrain and distances of elite gravel racing. Those are significant numbers in any context. Across five to ten hours of racing at 30–45kph, where aerodynamic drag compounds kilometre by kilometre, that's a considerable gain that's hard to ignore.
The frameset itself weighs 839 grams – 51 grams less than the outgoing frame, which is achieved through a proprietary high-modulus carbon resin formula incorporating Carbon Nanotube Technology and cold-blade cutting that maintains fibre continuity throughout the layup. Giant is one of the leading carbon manufacturers and produces everything in-house, unlike many brands that rely on third parties, which means it controls every step of the process.
The fork drops from 395 grams to 385 grams. Giant's AeroSystem Shaping is applied across the entire front end as a single aerodynamic unit, with tube profiles developed specifically for the speed range of elite gravel racing rather than borrowed from its road platform and adapted for gravel. The frameset alone reduces aerodynamic drag by 3.72 watts compared to its predecessor.
Handling stiffness has been addressed with equal rigour. An updated OverDrive headset and an oversized steerer tube, along with the structural contribution of the new one-piece Contact SLR XR Integrated Handlebar, which comes in at just 295 grams, combine to deliver a 35.2 per cent improvement in front-end stiffness over the previous platform.
The geometry is the most aggressive Giant has ever put on a gravel bike, too. Stack drops from 586mm to 557mm on a size medium, a 29mm reduction that gives riders a much more aggressive position. Reach extends to 395mm. The seat tube angle steepens from 73.5 to 74.5 degrees, shifting rider weight forward over the bottom bracket and opening up the hip angle for improved pedalling efficiency at race pace. A 1,033mm wheelbase paired with 433mm chainstays should make for a stable but fast ride. Tyre clearance is 53mm, which, compared to some competitors, is a little on the conservative side, but it is designed to work optimally with its own Cadex wheel-and-tyre system.
Five frame sizes are available, S, S/M,M,L and XL with prices from £3,899 / $5,000 / €3,999 to £9,999 / $12,000 / €9,999
Cole Paton, a three-time top-five finisher at the Life Time Grand Prix, and Brendan Johnston, two-time Australian gravel national champion, both contributed to the development and have been racing prototypes at major events this year. "The Revolt Advanced SL is the first gravel bike I've ever ridden that feels like it was 100 per cent engineered for the demands we face," Paton said. "The aero advantage, the way it carries speed over rough terrain — it changes what's possible in every race situation."
Liv Devote Advanced SL
The Devote Advanced SL arrives alongside it, applying the same philosophy to a platform developed specifically for women. Liv has been offering high-performance solutions for female athletes for some time now, and this latest bike is no different; this isn't just a simple case of rebadging the smaller frame sizes and passing it off as a new product.
To that end, Liv developed Georgia - a next-generation wind tunnel mannequin built using the body dimensions of Liv AlUla Jayco athlete Georgia Baker as a reference point. Constructed using advanced 3D printing with realistic torso shaping and dynamic riding adjustability, Georgia enables aerodynamic testing in realistic gravel-race positions rather than male-referenced approximations. That distinction, I think, is really important and shows the brand's intentions for female riders and racers.
The Devote Advanced SL 0 complete system weighs 4,223 grams, saving 297 grams over the previous flagship despite running wider 45mm race tyres. Compared to the outgoing Devote Advanced Pro system, the new platform delivers a 25 per cent improvement in pedalling stiffness-to-weight efficiency and a 38.5 per cent improvement in handling stiffness-to-weight efficiency, using the same carbon technology as the Revolt.
The geometry follows the same race-focused logic as the Revolt, with a lower stack and longer reach; unusually, it also features a steeper head tube angle, reduced trail, and a longer front-centre, all optimised around 45mm race tyres with clearance for up to 53mm. Head tube angles have tended to get slacker as gravel has progressed, taking cues from the MTB world, so the sharper handling of a steeper head angle signifies a more race-inspired set-up. The result, as Ludi Scholz, Liv's Gravel and Off-Road Category Manager, puts it plainly, is "our fastest, lightest, and most race-focused gravel platform yet."
Tessa Neefjes and Melisa Rollins, both competing at the highest levels of gravel racing as Liv Racing Collective privateers, contributed directly to the development, informing handling characteristics, efficiency targets and overall race performance priorities. The Devote Advanced SL is available in XS, S, M and L with prices from £5,499 / $7,300 / €6,499 to £9,999 / $12,000 / €9,999.
Cadex Max GXR WheelSystem
Then there are the wheels, which, much like the frame and forks, draw on Giant's long history in carbon manufacturing to deliver a serious set of race hoops. The Cadex Max GXR WheelSystem and accompanying GXR tyre were developed in parallel with the Revolt and Devote platforms to deliver maximum gains as an overall gravel-racing package.
At the core of the Max GXR is a 50mm carbon rim profile paired with integrated Cadex Super Aero carbon spokes and a unified hub structure, all functioning as a single aerodynamic unit to reduce turbulence at the wheel centre and improve airflow across the wheel-tyre interface. The complete wheelset weighs a very impressive 1,320 grams with tape and valves. That's an impressive weight for any wheel, even more so for a 50mm-deep version designed to cope with the rigours of off-road racing.
It's not just light either, with Wind tunnel testing data from Giant signalling a total system gain of 4.61 watts versus the Cadex AR 35 – a 3.74-watt reduction in aerodynamic drag and a 0.87-watt reduction in rotational drag across a broad range of yaw angles. Rear-wheel transmission stiffness increases by 24.8 per cent, and transmission stiffness-to-weight improves by 19.9 percent over the existing AR 35.
The inner rim width of 25mm, which is hookless, as is now standard across the Cadex road and gravel range, supports higher-volume gravel tyres at lower pressures, expanding the contact patch for traction and compliance across rough terrain. Wide Guard technology reinforces the rim sidewalls to 5mm, a feature often seen in high-end MTB rims to help guard against pinch flats when running lower pressures on rocky trails. Hub engagement is quick too, with the 60-tooth ratchet offering faster pick-up than youd find on many wheels.
The GXR tyre completes the system. Available in 700x45c and 700x50c, it features a fast-rolling centre band with refined shoulder knob geometry that should give some decent grip in corners and off-camber sections. They have a 170 TPI supple casing which should make for a supple tyre, while Dual Shield protection under the main tread and sidewalls provides bead-to-bead puncture and abrasion resistance without the weight that typically comes with it. The GXR's 3.03-watt reduction in rolling resistance over the previous Cadex GX 40mm tyre is an impressive claim and goes a long way towards the new platform's efficiency improvement claims.
The Max GXR WheelSystem is priced at £3,499 / $4,000 / €3,799. GXR tyres are £65 / $85 / €99 each.
Taken together, the Revolt Advanced SL, Devote Advanced SL and Cadex Max GXR are a clear statement of intent from one of the world's largest manufacturers, and look like a serious contender in the fast-growing gravel race segment. We have a test bike on its way to us, so keep your eyes peeled for a full, in-depth review coming soon.
