2020 Orbea Occam, Medium

I bought this bike at the beginning of the 2020 riding season in order to try out 29" wheels for a change. While I liked the extra speed, I decided in the end that I prefer the snappier handling easier in-flight maneuvering of 27.5 wheels. Upgrades were limited to the DVO shock and swapping out the stock handlebar for a higher rise (20 mm) Raceface Chester. Tires are Schwalbe Magic Mary 2.4 up front, and a 2.4 Hans Dampf out rear. I really liked this combination as it gave good climbing traction and tended to over-steer at the limit.

In general I thought the Occam was a very fun bike, fast in a straight line with excellently supportive suspension that offered the flexibility to be tuned down for sensitivity (i.e. freeride vs. technical downhill setups). Climbing is very comfortable and efficient. With tubes, this bike weighs in at just 31 lbs. With a tubeless setup, and carbon wheelset, getting it down below 30 lbs should be easy.

I'm selling because like I mentioned I decided that the 29er life just isn't for me. The speed increase both climbing and descending is REAL, but not really worth the sacrifice in maneuverability to me.

Full disclosure:
This bike is not without its blemishes. One crash in a rocky corner left the frame with some scars and a few scratches on the fork lowers. All but one of the scratches were superficial and did not damage the carbon layers. The worst of the scratches damaged the top two layers and was sanded out and covered with 3 plies of carbon fiber weave. I've included pictures showing the affected area after the crash, after repair prep, and after repair. The affected area was painted with several coats of primer to prevent any UV exposure from degrading the bare carbon.