Just over a year ago Orbea launched the Rise - a lightweight, mild-assistance eMTB. That bike
made a great first impression and has been a big seller for the Spanish brand. By using a carbon frame, a restricted version of Shimano's EP8 motor, a modest battery and lightweight components, Orbea dropped the weight towards the realm of pedal-only bikes, reportedly giving the Rise a "normal bike" feel ... for those who could afford it.
Predictably, they're now releasing an alloy version that weighs a little more but costs a lot less. Less predictably, they've actually increased the battery capacity with this cheaper model, from 360 Wh to 540 Wh.
Orbea Rise Hydro Details• Hydroformed alloy frame (1 kg heavier than carbon)
• Larger 540 Wh battery (600g heavier)
• 140mm rear travel, 140 or 150mm fork
• 29" wheels
• Claimed weight: 19 - 20 kg / 42 - 44 lb
• 77° seat angle, 66° head angle (140 mm fork)
• Sizes: S, M, L, XL
• Price: €4,999 - €6,799 / $5,299 - $7,299 / £4,599 - £6,099
•
orbea.com Orbea reason that buyers of the alloy bike won't typically want to pay extra for the range extender they offer for bigger rides, so they decided to pack plenty of capacity into the main internal battery.
Motor & BatteryBoth the carbon and alloy versions are compatible with Orbea's 252 Wh range extender battery, which costs €499 and weighs 1.4 kg. But thanks to the milder electrical assistance of their Ride Synergy (RS) motor tune, Orbea claim the internal 540 Wh battery is good for around 3,500 meters of height gain in Eco mode, 2,200m in Trail mode and 1,600m in Boost mode.
As always, e-bike range varies a lot depending on riding style, terrain, rider weight and more, so take those numbers with a pinch of salt. But Orbea think the range should be enough for most people.
If you do want more, the 252 Wh range extender increases capacity and range by almost 50% and Orbea claim you can get 5,000m using the range extender in Eco mode - though you'll need strong legs for that.
It's worth noting that, according to Orbea's numbers, the weight of the alloy bike is barely heavier than the carbon bike with a range extender and has just 12% less battery capacity. Plus you can use the bottle cage for, well, a bottle.
Unfortunately, the carbon and alloy bikes have different battery mounts, so you can't fit the larger battery to a carbon Rise or the lighter one to the alloy bike. Also, the Rise Carbon and Rise Alloy have two different range extenders. They are both 252 Wh and cost the same, but they use different cables and battery communications so the range extenders are not cross-compatible.
The Rise Hydro uses the same RS tune version of the Shimano EP8 motor as the carbon version. That means the motor torque is limited to 60 Nm (not 85 Nm) and the assistance peaks in the 75-95rpm cadence range, where the motor is most efficient. The motor itself weighs the same as the standard Shimano drive unit, but the RS tune gets more range and ride-time from a smaller battery, and the reduced torque makes it possible to use lighter drivetrain components.
The Rise's 540 Wh battery uses the latest 21700 cells and weighs 2.7 kg (600 g more than the 360 Wh battery in the carbon Rise). It's claimed to retain 80% of its capacity after 500 charge cycles; that compares to 60% for smaller 18650 cells. To put that in context, if you're averaging 40 km from a full charge, then 500 cycles correspond to 20,000 kilometres of riding. Alternatively, if you ride the battery from full to empty once a week, you'll do 500 charge cycles in about ten years. Of course, the battery should keep working beyond that point, just with less than 80% of its original capacity. On the other hand, battery degradation in the real world can vary so, again, I'd take these numbers with a little salt.
Frame Details Another way Orbea avoids unnecessary weight is by having an intact downtube, rather than having a door in the tube to allow removal of the battery. This does mean
removing the battery involves first removing the motor and you can only charge the battery in the bike; you can't take it out for off-bike charging.
According to Orbea, the alloy frame weighs 1 kg more than the carbon version, at 3.4 kg. The hydroforming process is what gives Orbea's alloy bikes their
Hydro name; the tubes are also triple-butted and feature high-polish smooth welds for a carbon-like look.
Thanks to the bigger battery and alloy frame, the Hydro bikes weigh around 1.6 kg more than a carbon bike with the equivalent build. Claimed weight goes from just under 20 kg for the H30 base model down to around 19 kg for the top-tier H10.
Geometry The alloy Rise shares the same geometry as the carbon version; both are unashamedly trail bikes with modern rather than boundary-pushing numbers. The geometry is nearly identical to the Occam trail bike, though the Rise has 5 mm longer chainstays. Going for the 150 mm fork will slacken the angles by half a degree, but this is no "mini-downhill bike" either way.
Models and specifications
According to Orbea, the first bikes are arriving with dealers now.
Even my Local LBS is shredding with DD on the FRONT! The Eminent got EXO+ on the rear, lol.
My gut feeling is that in seven years time this is what a "mountain bike" will look like (maybe with a physically smaller motor and battery due to motor/battery advances). With aggressive trail bikes at 36lbs and and light ebikes at 40lbs I think the majority of people are going to end up with a motor. Not saying I like it, but I reckon it's the future.
As far as I understood, you could even get Assegai+DHR both in DH casing
I’d only upgrade the Rise rotors if I was park riding.
Then Orbea refused warranty. So don’t expect the alu triple reduced version to be reliable.
The Orbea does look nice but I think both the Mondraker Crafty (44#s with a 36mm fork & a full size motor) & the Spesh Levo look like more compelling options overall.
Is it so? Didn’t know that. So sad when companies don’t hold their part of the deal.
As long as they are not doing that, they don't think about their clients, they only think about moneeeeeeey!
most of us have much better components on our bikes. We can we just buy a frame, swap the parts and sell the old frame. Why we must buy bikes with sup-par components and then up-grade them.. spending much more money in the process?
I would buy the frame only as well - but I'm in the industry and have a sweet workshop.
Ever notice how most big brands that do sell frames, sell them for almost as much for the base complete? Yeah, because they hardly sell any and it's for ultra-picky high end crazy custom builds most of the time.
The value is just not there - for them or for the riders. Stupid economies of scale maybe, but it is what it is
[edit: not to mention the liability of the improperly installed/improperly specced nonense - "warranty my frame that I put a 180 fork and this incorrect length coil I had lying around"...selling a frame is asking for those headache.
you sir are probably 100% correct. In my defense, most if not all my bikes in the last years have been custom builds. I have a specific set of components that I prefer then, I also to put some part that a guy somewhere on the right side of the NZ makes machines it, then some specific wheelsets(hubs, spokes and rims that I like) and, without an exception, whatever bike I build, I build it at a loss, of course, paying to much for a frame or paying for a complete bike that I had to disassemble, put the parts I wanted on it then sell the parts I did not, at a loss. Orbea did help a little with this by allowing me to paint the bike in whatever color combo I wanted and select some upgrades that I could use. I still had to partially strip it and rebuild it with my preferred components. For this rise hydro.. I do not want any of the components on the bike so, the hussle/strugle would be pretty big and I am also at a moment in life when the available time is close to zero and so are the finances. I would very much prefer just the frame at a resonable price...around 2500 euro than to buy the entire bike, strip it and rebuild it.
p.s. the only brand that sells its frames at a resonable price is nukeproof... although.. in the last year, they started increasing the frame prices as well, encuraging you to buy full bikes. Still resonable enough to warrant a chance, which is why my next big bike is a giga, probably ready this saturday. #newbikeday.. yeey!
cheers man!
Also has terrible toffee arc rims which struggle to keep a tyre sealed (I know from experience).
But may just get one anyway, seems to fill the gap between the sl and full fat ebike. Test ride here I come.
Then can ride with all my buddies again that have switched to ebikes.
I'm in decent shape and I've never had the Rise battery go below green. I don't ride more than 3 hours and I charge after each ride. But I'm on the light weight side at 140lbs.
I thought one of the reasons that most e-bikes had removable batteries was that in California, law requires the batteries to be removed when being transported on a bike rack outside of the car.
Is that not correct?
Less about what people do, and more about what is required to sell in CA. Similar to reflectors and spoke chain guards.
It's not like Orbea made something special here. It's artificiality nerfed motor and lightweight tires that are not particularly suitable for an ebike.
A bike.
As someone who primarily rides a singlespeed hardtail, this bike is AWESOME and the only eMTB i've ridden that I would really consider buying. (rode an M10 multiple times)
On the road commute to the trails I crank it up but to be honest it's not running for a lot for the road part as I'm over the speed cutout threshold.
Offroad on single track climbs I find full noise is just way too fast for the trails around here as most climbing trails have been designed and built around non ebikes.
I did laugh at the original tire selection though, and am now running the Vee Flowsnap WCE Gravity 2.5 on the front and moved the 2.4 EXO+ Disscetor on the rear..... the Dissector is lasting longer than I thought it would???
On that note, the whole DD/DH tires circlejerk is nuts, yes some riders and locations need them but for most it's a strong disadvantage.
(most?) markets, most riders don't.
Also recommend inserts over heavy casings unless you're cutting your sidewalls on pointy rocks