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Wheelbase are pleased to announce that we have added another fantastic bike brand to our folio! Say ‘hola’ to top Spanish bike brand Orbea; founded way back in 1840 in the city of Eibar in Spain’s Basque country. Orbea originally manufactured guns before diversifying into bicycle production, using their in-depth knowledge of steel tubing to produce premium, race-ready road bicycles. Leap forward 182 years and Orbea is now recognised around the world as being a bike brand at the cutting edge of bicycle design and production across a multitude of cycling disciplines including Road, Gravel, Mountain and E-MTB with racing success through the years within the biggest road races in the world and more recently, at the mountain bike Enduro World Series and World Cup Cross Country mountain bike races.
Today Orbea can rightfully claim to be one of the very best, most-influential bike brands within the industry as they continue to develop cutting-edge bikes that are born out of the performance demands of racing competition but are designed to enhance the riding experience of cyclists at every skill and fitness level. We have had Orbea on our radar for a long time and have been relishing the chance to work with them so that we can bring you some really fantastic bikes including their sublime Rise e-MTB which promises to deliver a completely new e-MTB riding experience and is already garnering a lot of well-earned attention on the Wheelbase shop floor. We’ve focused in on the Rise e-MTB for an in-depth product feature below as well as picking out another few key models that we think stand out for all the right reasons…
Orbea was founded in 182 years ago in 1840 by the Orbea brothers in Eibar in the Basque Country of Northern Spain.
Product Feature – Orbea Rise E-MTB
Check out the stunning Orbea Rise e-MTB! No, that’s not a typo or a slip of the keyboard, this sleek mountain bike does indeed possess an e-MTB motor and internal battery. It’s just so discrete it really is a case of blink and you’ll miss it. Orbea is a new brand to Wheelbase and when we sat down to decide on the key models we were going to initially stock the brilliant Rise was at the very top of our list; we knew the minute we set eyes on it, that Orbea had set out to do something entirely different with the Rise compared to most other e-MTB’s on the market and we were keen to learn more about the design principles behind the light, agile e-MTB.
Orbea’s design brief was simple for the Rise – create an e-MTB that was less ‘e’ and more ’bike’. A lightweight e-MTB that’s more agile and maneuverable but can accommodate a full day of riding, helping riders to push the limits without conceding to an overly powerful motor and heavy battery; aspects of a conventional e-MTB that can sometimes take some of the fun away from a long ride on the trails. In a nut-shell Orbea gives a more authentic ‘acoustic ride’ feel with just the right amount of pedal assistance to help you reach more epic locations and strike out on longer mountain bike adventures; this is a whole new e-MTB riding experience and will suit a great number of mountain bikers who so far have been put off by the extra weight penalties of a typical e-MTB.
Blink and you’ll miss it; the Orbea Rise M20 e-MTB is so svelte it’s easy to miss that this is an e-Mountain bike.
At the heart of the Orbea Rise is their unique Rider Synergy (RS) Concept. The Orbea design team wanted to deliver a new riding standard – ‘less e delivers more bike’, helping the riding to become more natural with a motor which enhances the ride, without dominating it. Orbea call this sentiment ‘rider synergy’ (RS), reflecting a design approach which sees range, power and interface being considered as one.
The RS motor was developed in partnership with Shimano and consists of the already popular EP8 e-MTB motor but with modified hardware. The unique Orbea RS firmware means the motor responds with more power; when you pedal harder the Shimano motor responds with more power giving full assistance in the right places at the right times. It’s smooth rider assistance responding to rider force with no lag or drag, just and elastic, natural pedaling feel. The unique RS firmware has changed the behaviour of the EP8 motor with a smoother power band and responsive echoing of cadence input, especially in the 75-90rpm range.
The compact Shimano EP8 motor has been specially tuned to work with Orbea’s Rider Synergy (RS) firmware.
The Shimano EP8 motor’s Orbea RS firmware provides a subtle yet powerful 60Nm of torque (limited from the motor’s standard 85Nm) so that the RISE feels completely natural, giving an enhanced feel of your body’s own engine. Orbea developed their own RS battery, creating the lightest, smallest and most discrete battery out there; because of the bike’s light weight battery consumption is greatly reduced; a greater reliance on your legs means battery range is extended, with 4 hours of riding on one charge or for even longer rides you can use an Orbea range extender and give an additional 612Kw of power for up to 8 hours of riding and more than 8,000m of climbing in Eco mode. The low weight of the RISE also makes it feel agile and sporty, and battery consumption is significantly reduced. And with RISE you can keep pedaling for longer as the bike is designed to take you further. The total ride time with the onboard battery and portable range extender is 8 hours and more than 4,000m of climbing in Eco mode.
Find out more about the Rise and its unique Shimano EP8 Rider Synergy (RS) tuned motor.
When it comes to the connection between bike and rider the Orbea Rise RS Interface is sleek and simple. Orbea were clear at the outset – they didn’t want any unnecessary displays, sensors, extra wires or glowing buttons; a traditional, uncluttered bike was what the designers were aiming for and this was critical for their RS concept. There’s a compact button shifter on the left of the handlebar allowing you to toggle between Eco, Trail and Boost modes along with two tiny LEDs to broadcast data.
We already love the Orbea Rise e-MTB; it signifies a bold approach from the Spanish brand and promises a more authentic ride feel with a sensible amount of assistance and a really natural ride quality. We’re confident there’s a considerable audience for exactly this kind of e-MTB and it’s great to see Orbea at the forefront of this sort of technology. In the short amount of time that we’ve had the Rise on our shop floor we’ve heard plenty of people questioning whether or not it’s an e-MTB they’re looking; it’s a stunning looking bike that promises a whole new e-mountain biking experience.
The Orbea Rise promises a whole new e-MTB riding experience.
Full Specification:
- Frame: Orbea Rise OMR 2021 140mm travel 29″ C-Boost 12×148
- Rear Shock: Fox Float DPS Performance 3-Position Evol custom tune 210x55mm
- Fork: Fox 34 Float Performance 140 3-Position QR15x110
- Drive Unit: Shimano EP8-RS
- Battery: Orbea RS Internal 360Wh
- Display: Shimano EW-EN100 Junction
- Remote: Shimano E7000 switch unit for assist
- Charger: Orbea RS Charger (36V-2A)
- Rear Derailleur: Shimano SLX M7100 SGS Shadow Plus
- Shifters: Shimano SLX M7100 I-Spec EV
- Crankset: e*thirteen Plus Alu
- Chain: Shimano M6100
- Cassette: Shimano CS-M7100 10-51t 12-Speed
- Brakes: Shimano M6100 Hydraulic Disc
- Rotors: 180mm Front /180mm Rear
- Handlebar: OC1 35mm 12mm Rise 780mm
- Handlebar Stem: 3D Forged 35mm interface 7º
- Dropper Seatpost: OC MC20 Mountain Control Dropper, 31,6mm
- Dropper Lever: Shimano SL-MT500 I-Spec EV
- Saddle: Fizik Taiga S-alloy rail
- Headset: Acros Alloy 1-1/8 – 1-1/2″ Integrated
- Wheels: Race Face AR 30c Tubeless Ready
- Front Tyre: Maxxis Rekon 2.40″ 120 TPI 3CMaxxTerra Exo+ TLR
- Rear Tyre: Maxxis Dissector 2.40″ 60 TPI 3CMaxxTerra Exo TLR
Other Key Bikes in the Orbea Range
The Orbea Wild FS is a fun and capable full-suspension e-MTB that features progressive, trail-focused geometry with 160mm of travel to handle the most technically demanding descents you can find. Large 29er wheels roll over the roughest terrain, helping you carry your speed regardless of whether you’re pointing the Wild uphill or downhill; speaking of uphill the Wild FS range includes powerful Bosch motors to help ferry you back up to the top of your favourite trail. If you suffer from ‘range anxiety’ you can even fit a second battery to extend the Wild FS’s range up to a massive 1125 Watt Hours.
Orbea Occam Full Suspension Mountain Bike
The Occam is Orbea’s super-agile trail or ‘enduro-lite’ mountain bike available in either carbon or alloy and featuring 140-150mm of travel with the rear suspension configuration able to accommodate either an air or coil shock. The Occam can boast modern, confidence-inspiring trail geometry which includes a slacker head angle, lower bottom bracket, longer reach, steep seat angle and a longer, more stable wheelbase.
Orbea Laufey Hardtail Mountain Bike
The Laufey is Orbea’s versatile alloy hardtail designed to bring the fun to your mountain bike riding. It’s a slack, simple trail bike which can handle fast, frenetic riding and big hits. Featuring large 29er wheels shod with wide 2.6” tyres there’s plenty of grip on tight, loose terrain and those large-diameter wheels will help you carry more speed while enjoying a smoother ride. All Laufey models feature long-travel 140mm suspension forks to help you blast down the most technically demanding trails you can find while relaxed, trail-friendly geometry will have you railing turns and tackling steep drops with new-found confidence.
Orbea’s great-looking Terra gravel bike is available in alloy or carbon options and represents a truly versatile option when it comes to a light, durable and super-fun-to-ride mixed-terrain bike. Both the alloy and carbon options feature fully-integrated cockpits with internal cables running through the stem and into the frame and fork. The carbon Terra includes Orbea’s Lockr system which provides a storage area inside the downtube and both bikes include multiple mounting points. Tyre clearance is always an important consideration when choosing a gravel bike; the Terra can accommodate 700c tyres up to 45mm wide and 650b tyres up to 50mm wide.
Written by Johnny Dodgin
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