Geoff Gulevich Signs with Orbea
Photos: Chris Robanske
“Orbea is excited to welcome Geoff to the family for 2021 and beyond. We feel Gully complements our brand and will be an asset in continuing to show what Orbea mountain bikes can do outside of the tape. We can't wait to see what he gets into in the years to come."
-Parker DeGray, Orbea USA
I am extremely excited to announce my partnership with Orbea Bicycles. A brand that has deep roots in the cycling world and is making their presence known in the mountain bike community. With a remarkable showing in the Enduro World Series, Orbea has made it clear, they are a contender and are here to stay.
As soon as I hopped on my Rallon, I knew this was going to be great relationship. I fell in love with the beautiful asymmetrical designs, custom painting “MYO” program and the build kits that Orbea has to offer.
I can’t wait to showcase the entire Orbea mountain bike and electric mountain bike line, to work with my new teammates and create some incredible stories throughout our adventures.
Looking forward to an amazing season and I hope to see you on the trails!
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"The illiterate of the twenty-first century will not be those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn,"
-Alvin Toffler
I wanted to buy one a couple of years ago and after I test it..I smiled and give it back without placing an order. The frame looked nice but, when riding, that does not really matter.
And, in 2021, the Rallon is short(wb and reach), steep in the HA and slack in the STA, while the kinematics are strange to say the least; with an air shock feels not capable enough - in fact, less capable than my current 130mm bike - and with a coil is dead and inconsistent. If you look, for 2021, only the Rallon is the bike you can still place order on. The good bikes from Orbea, Oiz, Occam and the new electric Rise are sold-out.
When the Occam launched, I tested that as well and, for me, felt more capable than the Rallon. Longer WB for added stability, better pedaling platform, bigger reach much-much better position for pedaling...basically, a better bike for 98% of the time. And in the rest of 2%, the Rallon is a much weaker proposal then mostly every other enduro bike on the market.
So...IMO..**As soon as I hopped on my Rallon, I knew this was going to be great relationship. I fell in love with the beautiful asymmetrical designs, custom painting “MYO” program and the build kits that Orbea has to offer.** ...this is just PR and marketing BS!(and it should be treated as such!)
You tell ppl from experience, explained them in simple terms and words, provide real word examples that can be checked by anyone and everyone and, instead of appreciate the truthfull input, they downvote you for trying to offer them real and knowledgeable insights. It is hillarious.
Remember this: only slow and narrow minds want confirmations, regardless of the truth.
In my opinion, the Rallon was(is?!) more of a trail bike with more travel than an enduro bike. In the same manner my reactor(build in RS style) seems more like an enduro bike with less travel than a trail bike.
That does not change the hard facts. Please ppl, go and check the geo numbers on their page...then check riders opinions on how the damn bike rides; make sure those riders have had or own other bikes in the same category, in order to be able for them to make a baseline for the comparation.
And full reveal, I had 4 Orbeas untill now, the last one was through MyO program, I almost got the Occam but decided in the last second for the reactor(due to some financial constrains) and think about in getting the Rise this year, if I can or in the next. You can actually consider me a fan. I wanted to like the Rallon, I played with the setups...nothing..nada..zero. In my mediocre opinion, it is a weak and poorly designed bike.
Yes, its not as 'hardcore' as some more enduro bikes that have been released in the years since the R4 was launched, but its also more versatile (in my opinion) and while its geo is now slightly dated, I don't see how that is holding it back in 99% of cases - in fact, modern bikes are so good, unless you're a pro, its the rider who limits the potential of what can be done.
Regarding the Rallon, I don't recall winning it any group test; also, general favorable reviews...well, if a brand pays you flight, hotel and riding in some exotic location for a couple of days, you're just not going to say that their newly launched bike is crap. That is why I only trust(..-ish) group-tests. There, a bike, any bike is placed directly against its competitors. If a bike is good, then it is good. If a bike is good-ish at a full-paid exotic volcano location bike launch...then..yeah...not that good of a bike. It is pretty though...now, as it was in 4 years ago when it was launched.
As for sizing, the L sized Rallon is pretty similar/smaller-ish than my M sized trail bike. I should also say, but this is from memory and 3.5 years have past, my trail bike is more damp than the Rallon, which felt trail-ish at the moment of my ride abd later, like a heavier, shorter Occam.
MyO is a great selling feature - custom paint job FOR FREE? AMAZING! Asymmetric? I mean the demo was first but the new stumpy is a copy of the asymmetric arm. Why? Because it's works to make a super solid frame that rides great.
I mean..they just signed a legend and the communication is about MyO and build kits?, should not ..in some way..be about effin riding? #askingforafriend
You tested it couple years ago, so you did not test it with 160 mm rear travel ?
As for race wins, what do you mean, if I don't have race wins I can't possibly figure out if a bike feels good or bad, right?
No road gaps for me, sorry. I can clear a DH(non WC lvl, obviously) track on my trail bike at non-DH bike speeds(of course) and the biggest bike I've owned(and ride) had 160mm of travel, thus I wasn't inclined to even try them. It also does not help the fact that I discovered mtb-ing later in life and in the two times I've tried big jumps I ended at the hospital with two broken helmets and head concussion. As I have different priorities in life, I planned to no brake another full-face too soon(hopefully never again) and that means, baby-steps; but, you'll find me mid-pack at my local enduro race, having fun on my bike(and suffer a little on the transfers). I do love tech and natural trails/tracks but, not that keen on big jumps(for reasons stated above); having said that, I do know how to set-up a bike to feel good for me and for how I like to ride and that Rallon, no matter how I tried to set it up, did not work for me; it had too little composure in the rough and not enough damped suspension(it had the float x2, same version as the x2 I've had on my bike at that time); big wheels add roll-over ability and stability up to a point but can't make up for strange kinematics...strange for an enduro bike that is.
Also it's not so easy to get 2021 Rallon, I've pre-ordered it in november and it will arrive in may.
Professional athleets have different requirements than normal riders; so, what he rides and what he thinks about a bike, about any bike is relevant only to riders in close proximity to his lvl. I don't know about you but I'm nowhere near(I'm nowhear near the podium guys in my national enduro races) so, like I have said, what an elite ews lvl rider thinks about a bike is irrelevant. At that lvl, it is more about skill and less about 5-10mm of reach or 3 clicks towards close on the LSC.
Rallon is definitely not for everyone. But it is definitely NOT a bad bike. It has its positives (crazy good uphill performace for type of bike - imagine that some riders do epic alpine descents and have to pedal and hike a bike for 2000 vertical meters or more!) also it has its drawbacks on descents (slightly lower progressivity in graph of leverage ratio). Pedal kickback can easily be mended on descents - just shift in heaviest gear and it is gone! (and charge hard!
it is also definitely not a small bike. 485mm reach is definitely enough for me at 187cm height. Could do with up to 20mm more but it is definitely not holding me back..
long story made short - rallon aint bad bike but it might not be the bike for you. If it is unridable for you, then practice more
Rallon is 2016-17 geo...and the kinematics are bad.
I know ppl who brought one on blind, based on the extremly good riding qualities if the previous model...and then sold them in a couple of months, one of them in weeks even. I was tempted to buy it blind as well but, I waited until I tested one and that was a decision that saved me around 6k USD. The Rallon was a weak proposition in 2018. By today's standards, it is purely crap. My 130mm has better damping, kinematics, it is longer(both in reach and wb) and has better geometry. A 2020/21 real enduro bike would smoke the crappy bike a Rallon is. Too bad as its design is really nice; but a nice design does not replace bad handling characteristics. A new version of it can't come soon enough.
What you fail to understand is that there are some riders who like shorter bikes, they like steeper head angles, they don’t want their trail bike to have the same geometry as their dh bike. The Rallon is not your cup of tea, but bikes would be lame if they were all made the same.
Then I read more about Basque industry and was so impressed by how a small group of people could make such successful global companies like Caixa, Eroski. I work in technology and Basque technical R&D punches way above its weight.
To be fair my wife and I were enchanted by the whole of Spain. Travelling throughout Spain opened our eyes to its diversity and the pride and unique character of each of the different regions. Fascinating history - so rich, so diverse.
What ever happened to Romaniuk ?