First Look: 2022 Orbea Rallon - Now With In-Frame Storage

Orbea offers a massive range of options for the Rallon thanks to their My-O program, which allows customers to swap wheels, tires, and other components, and even select the frame color. There are four main models, with prices starting at $4,999 USD for the M20, and going all the way up to $9,999 for the M-LTD model.


Frame Details

The aforementioned in-frame storage is called LOCKR, and is accessed by flipping a lever that sits next to the water bottle cage. The compartment isn't as voluminous as Specialized's SWAT compartment, but there's enough room for a tube, a tire lever, and two CO2 cartridges. There's also a mini-tool that's stashed in the main pivot, where it's held in place with a magnet, and another tool at the rear axle, which means most trailside repairs should be able to be accomplished with items stored in or on the bike.

Internal cable guides keep rattling at bay, and there are molded frame protectors at the chainstay and underside of the downtube. Orbea also increased the sealing on the bearings in order to keep mud and grit out. The endless fall rains will be arriving here in Washington any day now, so I'll have plenty of opportunities to put the new seals to the test.






Geometry

The new Rallon now sports a 64- or 64.5-degree head angle depending on the position of the flip chip at the rear shock mount. That's only a half-degree slacker than before, so it's not the most radical change, but Orbea did grow the Rallon's reach numbers by a sizeable amount, around 30mm per size. The chainstays grew too, and now measure 440mm on all sizes. All of those changes were intended to eke a bit more speed and stability out of the Rallon; after all, it is designed to be an enduro race bike.

Another key geometry update is the move to shorter seat tubes and a lower standover height. That makes it possible to run the latest crop of longer travel dropper posts – most riders should be able to run a post with 200mm of drop if they'd like. For mullet-curious riders, Orbea includes a shock extender with the Rallon that can be used to run a 27.5" rear wheel without any dramatic geometry alteration.




Suspension Design

Orbea tweaked the Rallon's kinematics to give it a more progressive leverage rate, and slightly less anti-squat. This was done by moving the main pivot location 20mm forward, and by lengthening the chainstays by 5mm. More progression should help the bike work better with a coil shock, which is one of the stock spec options.




Initial Impressions

I've been riding a whole bunch of heavy high pivot bikes lately, which has been fun, but I'll admit that I'm pretty excited to start spending more time on the Rallon M-LTD that's in for a long term review. It's a touch under 32 pounds, and that's with a coil shock, an impressive weight considering what it can handle on the way down.

I'm only a couple rides in, so it's still very early in the test period, but so far the Rallon seems to uphold the all-round abilities that the previous version was known for. It's a bike that's not a sluggish pig on the climbs, while still retaining a good level of grip and stability on the descents. The reach and chainstays may have grown, but it still maintains a more compact feel compared to some of the longer gravity sleds out there. Stay tuned for a much more in-depth analysis once I put in a whole bunch of miles in on this bike.

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Builds

Rallon M-LTD / $9,999 USD

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Rallon M Team / $7,299 USD

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Rallon M10 / $5,999 USD

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Rallon M20 / $4,999 USD

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Reviews and Tech First Looks Enduro Bikes Orbea Orbea Rallon