First Ride: 2019 Orbea Oiz

more riders with this option, but maintain that 29" wheels are the best fit for all but the shortest riders. The top of the line LTD build in the medium size (with no cages, pedals, or tire sealant) is claimed to weigh below 9.6kg (21lbs) built. The frame without a shock is reported at 1.6kg (3.5lbs).




If you are acquainted with the previous generations of the Oiz, the updates on the new version won't be drastically different at first glance, but the new bike is much refined. The cable routing on the frame is cleaner and fully internal. The lock-out for the shock uses Orbea's "Inside Line" technology, keeping everything tucked out of the way inside the top tube. The flex-stay swingarm design works more smoothly and with less resistance than the former dropout pivots. That, coupled with a higher shock-leverage ratio, should make the suspension smoother than before.




Frame Details

Integrated chain retention: While it's not necessary most of the time, it's nice to see top guides included on XC bikes. A small and lightweight integrated chain guide can be the difference of winning or losing a race. For most people, it's keeping the chain on the bike and the grease off their hands and not looking like a Jabroni who doesn't maintain their bike.

Cable routing: The last generation of the Oiz had some complaints with cable rattle. Now, everything is inside and cables are taut to prevent rattling. The routing was carefully thought out and cleanly executed. Orbea also has their patent pending "Inside Line" system that hides the cables for actuating the remote shock lockout.




Two water bottles: The Oiz has space for two water bottles on all frames, except for the small, and you can run a full-size bottle on all frames which is a plus.



Frame Options / Build Kits

The Oiz is available in four different build kit options and two different travel options. The builds start at $4,999 USD (4,599 EU) for the M10 kit with a mix of SRAM GX and X01 Eagle for the drivetrain, Shimano XT brakes, and Mavic Crossmax Elite TL wheels. The top of the line M-LTD build features a SRAM XX1 Eagle drivetrain, SRAM Level Ultimate brakes, and Mavic Crossmax Pro Carbon TL wheels. All bikes have a Fox Float Factory 32 fork, a Fox DPS Factory Evol shock (custom tuned to the Oiz), an FSA stem/handlebar combination. The 100mm XC versions have Maxxis Ikon tires by default.

For those looking for a little more suspension and more of a trail/marathon package, Orbea offers the option to swap out certain parts for a nominal price. The fork moves up to a longer travel, 120mm Fox 34 Float Factory, and while the shock is the same, the stroke is longer (the 100mm bike's internal travel-reduction spacer is removed). You can also add a Race Face Aeffect dropper seatpost and a Maxxis Forecaster/Ardent tire combination. The up-charge for the fork and shock together is $129 EU, the seatpost is $59 EU, and the tires can be swapped for no additional charge.

All of the bikes are customizable from the start with Orbea's "MyO" program. There are a near infinite number of color selections to choose from. You can also add in a custom message or name on the seat stay and, as far as parts exchanging goes, you can have your bike in either 100mm or 120mm travel, with or without a dropper post, and with either of the Maxxis tire options.



Geometry / Kinematics

Orbea is going with the longer-slacker theme that we've seen a lot of brands adopt with their XC bike. It's well suited to modern XC riding or racing and the bike is more versatile, especially when coupled with the optional 120mm travel setup. With the optional 120mm fork, the stroke length of the shock is increased to match the additional travel. The fork sits higher, which slackens the bike out a degree up front to 68 and it puts the handlebar a little higher. Orbea say that makes the bike more capable on steeper and more technical trails and also more comfortable for long days in the saddle and marathon-style racing.

The suspension kinematics have also been refined, with a low-sag design that has more anti-squat, and a much more progressive shock tune. Orbea said that they found the core customer of the bike put too much pressure in the suspension in order to have better pedaling efficiency to the detriment of the suspension's performance. The higher leverage of the new suspension has less stiction and is much more progressive, especially at the end of the shock stroke. Orbea claims, and I can validate, that a harsh bottom-out on the bike is difficult to achieve. The anti-squat of the bike has increased quite a bit from before. It was at 102%, and it's now 114% with a 34-tooth chainring.

Between the 100mm and 120mm suspension set-ups, there are some key differences in the shock. While both shocks look similar, the 120mm uses a different piston, has a longer stroke, and is more linear - standard trail/all-mountain philosophy here.








Climbing: We climbed a few thousand meters of vertical over the course of a couple days, less than I would have thought, but enough to get a feel for the bike. The Oiz frame is stiff. It has a very apparent transfer of power from the pedals to the ground. With the suspension open, as I usually had it, the bike climbs well. With the suspension set as Orbea recommends, the bike doesn't want to wallow in its travel, even in steeper sections of uphill trail. I had the opportunity to ride both the 100mm XC and 120mm TR versions. Each bike is distinct in the way it climbs. The 100mm is certainly more efficient, but that's not to say the 120mm isn't. They both feel well supported, uphill and down. I found myself rarely using the suspension lockout - only on the few long paved road transfers we encountered.

The bike seems to have plenty of traction uphill when it's needed. The suspension feels firmly planted on technical rocks and roots and it performed as I would expect an XC bike of this nature should. I found that the lockout was easy to accidentally engage when using the dropper post. That wasn't ideal, but it didn't take long for me to sub-consciously avoid that careless slip of my thumb.

With most of the climbing occurring on smoother pitches, I spent a good deal of time on the saddle. There is one thing that I don't agree with on the spec. The Oiz is sold with a 131mm wide Selle Italia Kit Carbonio Superflow S saddle, which is pretty darn narrow. A medium width saddle, one that fits most people, is generally around 140mm. If your sit bones aren't on the saddle in the correct spot, you can run into all sorts of problems, from general seat discomfort to musculoskeletal issues and circulation problems in your grundle. Back in the day and unfortunately, still, a lot of people believe that a narrower saddle is faster. It can be lighter in weight, but we're trading a few grams saved for big sacrifices in comfort. Saddles are a very personal thing and while the 131mm Superflow S may fit some people, I'd argue that it doesn't fit most. I swapped it out for a wider saddle at the start of the second day and was immensely more comfortable.



Descending Descending, the Oiz is certainly up to the task. For the first day, I was committed to the notion that we were going to do a 2000 meter climb up to the top of this mountain someone had pointed out and then descend from above treeline back into town. That changed when a helicopter showed up to give us a lift. Now, I know what is going to be said...something along the lines of, "you did a heli-drop with an XC bike?" - yeah, we did. You would too, heli-drops are rad. I mean, who doesn't like taking in some sweet views from a helicopter? The bike was set up at 120mm for this ride and we still did a generous amount of climbing throughout the day as the ride was much more a point-to-point than one big descent.

Above the alpine, we descended for quite some time, first through a bike park on machine-built flow trails. Continuing down into the trees, we found up and down, loamy, rooted, rocky, flowy singletrack. It was one of the more diverse rides you could picture - complete with some sketchy wooden bridges across creeks. I was following Orbea's Simon Andre, who knows how to ride a bike quite well and had previously ridden the trails. For me, it was blind, somewhat reckless, but highly entertaining speeds for most of the day. The Oiz was confidence inspiring. It felt as if it had more than 120mm of travel out back. It was easy to jump, turn, and pump through technical sections. It was more playful than I imagined a bike that can do double duty on a World Cup XC course could be, and that's not a bad thing.

The 100mm version: I also did a substantial amount of descending on the Oiz set up at 100mm. It stays composed and transitions seamlessly from up to down, as a solid XC bike should. We rode trails that were loose and raw, with plenty of sketchy bits and natural root-to-root doubles. I kept the dropper on the bike (I think most bikes, even XC race bikes, should have droppers in many situations). Even with the reduced travel, the bike handled well in more aggressive sections of trail. The Oiz had much more of an XC race demeanor at 100mm but it still rode well. I would attribute a lot of that feel to the Maxxis Rekon and Ikon tires used on the 100mm bike, as opposed to the more aggressive Forekaster/Ardent Race combination on the 120mm version I had been riding most of the session.


First Impressions:

Orbea's new Oiz handles very well and is extremely capable in both the 100mm and 120mm set-ups. The 120mm bike offers some additional capability comfort for more diverse trail offerings and longer days in the saddle, while the 100mm bike is completely ready to toe the line of a World Cup XC race, out of the box.

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