@@twatts4436 I agree, its odd. Orbea do offer a riser bar option for a relaxed position but the standard geometry on mine is certainly nothing like a synapse. It's a great bike really happy with it.
I’ve got the OMX. I’ve also got a Felt endurance bike and a super aggressive 2010 race bike. The Orca geometry splits the difference. Slam the stem and it’s definitely a race geometry. Set it up high, and it can be more relaxed. It’s a nice balance. Set up your bike too low and you won’t be able to stay low in the drops for long. This lets you get a reasonable setup without a ton of spacers. The OMX has better aero and lower weight, but at a higher price. The handling,, especially on descents, is exceptional. The compliance is wonderful, so the OMR must be silky. The integrated cable design is brilliant. The only compromise is that the head tube is a bit wider than it could be. Oh well. It’s practical. I went electronic to avoid cable drag. Aside from that risk, I agree that better wheels would be more valuable than electronic shifting. I love the OMX. On rough roads and a tighter budget, the OMR would be a good choice. But I wouldn’t call it an endurance bike. It’s not that short and tall. It’s more of a comfortable race bike with integrated cables and customization at less than super bike pricing,
I find it weird that they describe this as an endurance bike, mine has similar geometry to my tarmac thats why I bought it. It has an optional extra as a riser handlebar, I think that is where the endurance confusion started.
I have this bike in the M20Team with Shimano Ultegra. Ohio had a record cold winter, limiting the number of rides. After 60 miles I can report that this is frame responds exceedingly well to rider input while absorbing road bumps. My favorite 15 mile daily road circuit includes 1000 Ft of climb i which the 11/28 50/34 gearset handles well. It matched my average speed of 16mph on the first ride, on a 35°F sunny day. We're placing too much emphasis on Aero in every day cycling. If I'm not concerned with finishing my ride 15 seconds early.
Finally a review on this OMR. I ordered this exact one but with the Fulcrum 800 wheels and the regular ultegra crank. I couldn't make a decision on the custom color so I went for the green which I loved in the first place. Ordered mine in October, and hopefully it will arrive at the end of this month. I went for the di2 because I think when I will sell the bike in let's say 5-10 years it will be worth more with the di2 then regular ultegra aka more future proof. With the d-fly module you can use the extra buttons to play with the gps/shifting mode/... I can buy more aero wheels afterwards and eventually take them with me on the next bike. At the end it's easier/cheaper to upgrade the wheels than the groupset.
... worth more than* ... And kudos on the Ultegra crank decision. They look (and work) so much better than those hideous FSA parts they slapped on to save a few Euros.
I ordered M20 team with Fulcrum 800's as well. Simply for looks and a bit of aero advantage. I'll upgrade them as well though. I wonder how those Fulcrums will hold up. Got to wait for my bike till may so I'm curious of your thoughts when you get yours. Cheers!
@@matthewbork8908 I had a feeling they would be and I'm very happy that I was correct, because since I want to race on this, I was already gonna be buying some more aero wheels...
Got this bike a couple of months ago for my first road bike and it’s amazing, I put a 53t oval, 11-23 Ultegra cassette and Continental GP 5000 tires 28c and can go with any group so far, I think I will look into getting some better wheels soon
Nice to see another review of the OMR! Waiting for my M20i Team to be delivered within the next month, and part of the reason I chose this bike is the lacklustre wheels. Being a tech nerd I knew going in I would regret not getting a bike with Di2. I did look at Trek Domane and Specialized Tarmac, but getting those bikes with Di2 makes the whole deal prohibitively expensive since the builds with Di2 also give you nice carbon wheels and other smaller build upgrades. So the Orca OMR fits my needs perfectly being "reasonably" coming with Di2. I do plan to upgrade the wheels later, but that's both easier and more convenient than upgrading from mechanical Ultegra to Di2.
Good review, here are my thoughts. I'd go for Di2 and pay extra to spec better wheels. Di2 works better with complex internal routing like this. Also, retrofitting Di2 later is very expensive and a total pain. Secondly, I don't buy that aero-optimized frames make any noticeable real-world difference so I think the comment here about this bike being "a lot of work" to keep at speed is more likely due to the more upright position and wheels than the frame shapes. Thirdly, the fact that Orbea offers custom paint at no additional cost (but certainly additional wait time) is very compelling and something more brands should offer. Lastly, the inexpensive power meter is a great to see but honestly the industry should take a hint from Giant and just include a power meter as standard at this price point. To me, any 2021 bike that costs more than $5k (or 4k pounds) should come standard with a power meter.
Hi David, Simon here. Thanks for your comment - great to hear your thoughts on my review/this bike. I didn't feel the riding position is overly upright - it's certainly at the racier end of endurance. Likewise, I do think aero tubes make a noticeable difference as speeds get higher (proper aero bikes always feel a lot faster, in my experience), though I agree the wheels and tyres are a bigger hinderance to how fast this bike feels. Cheers for watching and have a great day! 🙌
Great comment. I chose for the Sram Force AXS option with 45mm vision wheels, however no power meter. I wonder if I can use this bike for some gravel bikepacking and opted for the sram cassette instead, which is ahead of its game vs the offering of shimano.
@@joeyophof I've got a similar build it would seem. I'm considering using it for gravel adventuring too, the lowest gear is 1:1 gear ratio and with the big tyre clearance, it's pretty capable. Already got a Restrap saddle bag.
Hi! Thanks for the great review! Currently, I'm having a hard time deciding whether I should get the Orca M20iTeam or the Cervélo Caledonia5 Ultegra Di2. Due to the price difference, my budget would still give me the option of upgrading the Orbea to carbon wheels which makes it in terms of the spec sheet sort of similar. Yet, I'd really love to hear your opinion on how these two bikes compare to each other in terms of riding quality, stiffness, comfort, etc. I'm looking for something comfortable which is still efficient for climbing or even faster-paced section (--> aero!) and couldn't decide yet. Thanks in advance, looking forward to reading your professional opinion!
Yes I totally agree with you regarding the wheel set. I was going to order the M20i Team with Shimano electric shift but decided decent wheels were more important and went for the M25 Team that comes with Vision Carbon Wheels. Unfortunately Orbea couldn't supply the M25 Team in sensible timescales, so I opted for the standard M20 Team and upgraded the bars to carbon and purchased my own wheelset, FFWD Ryot 44 with 28mm Schwalbe Pro One tubless. Bike should arrive at the dealers in the next couple of weeks, can't wait to get to grips with it!!
Finally a review on this frameset 😂 I've had mine for months but I've only just started riding it now spring's here. I got a M21ETeam (Force AXS) from my LBS for £4,500 (10% cycling club discount), with Vision SC40 wheels. Mine came with Rubino Pro tyres but I've replaced them with GP5000 TL's. I've already replaced the bars with the Ritchey Superlogic Evo Curve, as over the past year I've realised I like its bigger bar size with my big hands. I used the MyO customisation to pick the same colours as my cycling club's team colours. I did consider the OMX or Orca Aero, but concluded that I tend to have back problems on bikes that are too racey for me, so I really just wanted something I could chew up the miles on. Fortunately I didn't have to choose between nice wheels and electronic groupset, I could afford both! My dream bike :)
Thanks for the comment! We agree that race oriented bikes aren't always going to be the best option, glad to hear you're enjoying getting out in the warmer weather!
I've been drooling over these for just over a month now but you've confirmed my suspicions that it is still rather heavy for over $5000 and that the wheels are lacklustre. I have been looking at the M25 for the carbon wheel option but I really want the Di2 as well! Looks like my 2011 Allez Comp M2 will get more use until a more affordable and interesting combo comes along. Thanks for the detailed review!
You’ll never buy a new bike then 🤪 I understand where you are coming from. But this is an OMR model. OMR used to be their high end (flagship) carbon layup. Back then, they offered OMP and OMR. Now, they offer the OMR and the OMX. Just because the base model is an OMR, doesn’t mean OMR is an entry level cheap carbon. It’s a former flagship layup.
@@ariffau Oh good to know, I have since bought a used 2016 Sworks Tarmac SL6 which has fit the bill just fine. Just need to upgrade the wheels however...
The top end one with the blue and the geometric pattern on the fork is the best looking bike made. I've been lusting after it from pictures and finally saw a guy fly past on one the other day. I don't care how it rides I want one.
Just test rode a 2022 OMR M20i Team. It now has the newest 12 speed Di2 8170 (LOVE the new levers!) and a MUCH improved wheelset IMO....the Fulcrum Racing 600DB. Had it not been that "green" color, I would have bought it right away. Instead, I ordered the "gloss matte/black" version. I'll keep the Fulcrum wheels as a dedicated "gravel/urban" wheelset and pickup a set of the new Zipp 404 Firecrest for the road.
I have the AXS version of this bike and I'll have to agree that the wheelset is the weak point of this bike. I swapped them with my DT Swiss 1400 wheels and the bike feels a lot livelier. Response and acceleration is very noticeable and the ride quality greatly improved. Smoother and faster were the differences I felt straight away.
I also have this bike. I changed the wheels to dura ace c50s tyres to pirelli pzeros, cranks to ultegra, pedals to wahoo speedplay powerlink zeros, handelbars to fsa slk carbon and the bike is absolutely fantastic with these upgrades! Handling, comfort, stifness and power transfer is excellent! Climbs great descencts incredibly welI i love it!
Good review but I was cringing at the size being ridden, 100% you are a 55 in an Orbea (assuming half decent flexibility). The wheels, not uncommon for bikes even at this price point now coming with an average set (similar Specialized Roubaix 5k no power meter). Aero frame, get the right size and get your body into an aero position first and foremost. I ride the OMX version and it is one of the best handling road bikes I've ridden, compare the wheelbase and particularly the front end to other road bikes and the bikes goes where you point it. Size wise I went down to a 53cm and normally ride a 56cm, my other road bike a Trek Domane pro endurance. Lastly Orbea come with a lifetime warranty, I think this detail is worth mentioning in reviews as some bikes only have a lousy three Year warranty.
I picked one of these up recently with a 51cm frame. My dealer just had it come into stock, it has the raw carbon finish and feels great. It was fitted with those standard wheels, but I've just ordered some Zipp 303s wheels. I think these should make it great.
@grahambowes756 I’m also looking at a 51cm frame but am curious about the sizing (none are currently available nearby for me to test ride…) do you find the fit to be slightly larger than other bikes? The sizing shows I should be the lower to middle end of the 53, but I have shorter legs for my height. Do you mind sharing your height and inseam length?
@@christopherhyatt6785 hi. My inseam is 79.3 and height 168cm. Getting shorter as I get older! Interestingly Orbea seem to come up large. I bought a preowned Orca originally, it was a 53. And it was too big for me. The 51 is just right, I recently had a bike fit which confirmed this. This also has 170 cranks. The only change I need the make is the bars. It came with 400 which I need to change to 380. Hope this helps and that you get what you need.
had the M20Team for 3300 Euros. in Size 51 it weights around 8.5 kg without pedals. That was the reason i send it back. Now i got an ultimate CF SL 8 Disc. Weight is 7.54 kg and 2.700 Euros
Thats alot of weight for a 51. Ive got a merida scultura 6000size 56, its 8.6 with pedals and bottle cages discbrakes. Not as light as canyon but got a great deal for 2450 euro.
@@MsPietpaaltjes Second hand racer from 1997, oversized tubing, no carbon, 8.6 without pedals, £550 complete build (Dura Ace + Campa Record). With carbon could be easily made 8 kilo. Guys, if you want smth light and cheap and reliable at the same time, go second hand, there are great deals there.
Mechanical Gears over Electronical Gears @13:10 I DISAGREE. I own the Orbea Orca OMR M30. Braking is fine. Shifting is straight garbage. Gear cables aren’t able to handle the tight bends fully hidden cable like this bike has to offer. However, on fully external cable bikes (like we used to have many years ago) and semi internal (think Giant TCR, Factor o2), mechanical shifting are actually perfectly fine. I am thinking of moving to electronics shifting. Just unsure to go eTap AXS or Di2. Both has its perks 😆
What 'gravel' tires would you recommend using with this bike? 35mm clearance seems a bit of a niche as most well regarded tires are mostly 36/37mm. Do you know if 36mm fits or what would you guys advice in this?
Yes, a better wheelset is more useful than an electronic-shifting upgrade. I'd also add the appropriate Shimano cranks because they look and perform better than that cheap FSA thing they put on there (since Orbea is FSA's official distributor for Spain and Portugal, they probably had to, though). Then, I'd toss that stupid all-integrated stem. A "clean" cockpit looks nice but is an absolute nuisance if you have to service any brake or shifting parts, and in case of a crash takes months to get the necessary replacement.
I’m currently waiting for my M25TEAM to arrive through MyO. I got a good deal as i paid £,3025 (rrp £3,399, now £3,850!) but now wondering if i made the right decision in not going for the OMX! Didn’t realise the tube profiles were different!🤦🏽♂️ In terms of geometry, these are pretty similar to the new supersix evo, so wouldn’t say endurance.
I agree on what you say about the geometry. I also think it isnt that 'endurance' as they say. If you get rid of the spacers you can get prety agressive. I think they considerate this bike as an endurance because of the tyre clearance and a bit more compliance. Other than that its just a racer in my opinion.
I'm between this and the Caledonia. Would absolutely go Ulterga mechanical and upgrade the wheels. Wish Cervelo let me choose the colors and I admit being able to go dark blue is a selling point... but I feel like the Cervelo is ultimately the better bike
Great Review, reminds me of the new "Rose Reveal Disk". I know they stopped selling to the UK, but continental Europe should not be a Problem. tbh. I cannot decide.... Ultegra mech is great, but DI2 is great too; and now with the 12 speed coming (and SRAM beeing wireless already), I think mechanical is slowly dying, at least in the mid to top segment. But I have no problem going with Ultegra or even 105 mechanical. Wheels can be upgraded later, or some of us may already have sets of wheels we love....
Hmmm I've got a 2021 OMR team M20 like this one (MYO) and the M30 2021 OMR . His point about 'less racy ' ... and complaining about the wheels .... so who uses the standard wheels anyway - you throw them in the shed and put what you like on them . The Team bike I have is slammed at the front with narrower cockpit . It definitely not setup as an endurance machine . The Other M30 is the endurance version - It's the same fame with a setp Fast Forwards , 28mm tires and the OC High Rise bar (Look it up ) .. It has replaced an Avant and it's position it about 16 mm higher .. The bars are wider was well . So while he is talking 'endurace ' the OMR is not a 'One Size Fits All ' an d that are 5 different wheels setups , 3 different bars..... I'm happing with mine ........(And my Son has a M30 OMR as well ) ... beats me
Thanks for the review. I have this very bike but selected the mechanical instead of the di2. Question? What carbon wheel set and tires would be best to get the full performance out of this bike while staying in the middle of the road budget.
Hey, thanks for watching. Hard to give specific product recommendations, but we've got a long list of the best wheelsets we've reviewed on our website: www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/buyers-guide-to-road-bike-wheels/ Hopefully you can find some inspiration there! Cheers, Simon
Excellent review! I’m currently waiting for a M20 team power. I did read some complaints regarding noise with the Ultegra drivetrain. On your experience have you had any issues with the Ultegra R8000 drivetrain? Thank you.
Personally I'd rather have the electronic shifting. After riding a friend's bike who has it, I'm already planning on making that same upgrade to mine. In the context of the Orca, I would save a bit more money and just get the OMX version. Groupsets and wheels can be changed, frames can't.
Wheels give you more benefits than electronic shifting. Although having now my first Di2 Bike i would never ever move back to mechanical shifting again. Luckily, my new bike choice also included nice aero wheels 😉
For people considering the mechanical version I would strongly recommend DI2 if only for the peace of mind of never having to faff around with the internal routing to change cables + housing
For the peace of mind I would go mechanical, never risking that you forgot to charge it and you're stuck in a completely wrong gear a 100kms away from home. Internally routed mechanical cables are actually not that hard to change. It maybe takes 10 minutes longer than non-internally routed mechanical cables. Also how often do you actually change your shifting cables, as well as most roadies don't know how to maintain their bike anyways so they let the bike shop do it.
Well, Di2 is in fact forced upon the customers for this bike, because mechanical shifting, with gear cables rammed and bent a million times on their way through the stem and the headtube is going to be horrendous. And it's a mess to go through for a mechanic as well
@@dh7314 I'm a mechanic in a shop that stocks these - that's my experience not only with this orbea but many new bikes in general. When compared to older designs with cables run outside the shifting is really noticably worse.
@@kubagajda7347 I own both hidden and external cabled bikes and no noticeable difference in shifting. I guess I'm just lucky or my cables were set up correctly.
You can't fit mudguard mounts on a carbon frame, because they would weaken its integrity. Use SKS race or speed blades, they work just as well as permanent ones, but are removable when you don't need them.
Why don't you use control wheelsets and tyres when reviewing bikes? Surely using an unknown tyre completely destroys any meaning conclusion you can come to on how fast the frameset is?
Hi Kionne, thanks for your comment. Using control wheels and tyres is something we've considered/occasionally done in the past. Sometimes it makes sense if you're trying to isolate the frameset, but ultimately we're reviewing bikes like this as a full package, so it's only fair for us to take into account how the wheels and tyres affect the performance of the bike as a whole. Cheers for watching! 🥳
I recently purchased an orca and love it. My only complaint about it is the front wheel geometry. It is nearly impossible to track stand at a light or turn sharp because the tire always hits the toe of my shoe
Hi Marek, that's correct, but the FSA Powerbox Alloy is also an optional upgrade - I'm mentioning the different power meter upgrade options as I know many people care about weight. Personally, I don't find it makes much/any difference, but not everyone agrees with me! Cheers for watching! Simon
Hey Jon. All of BikeRadar's reviews are 100% editorially independent. Any sponsored content we produce will be clearly marked as such but, in any case, our reviews will never be for sale. You can learn more about how BikeRadar makes money here: www.bikeradar.com/news/how-does-bikeradar-make-money As for the supply issues, you may find this piece interesting as it suggests, as you say, things won't be back to normal for quite some time! www.bikeradar.com/features/long-reads/pandemic-brexit-bike-prices/
@@bikeradar thanks. I wasn’t suggesting this review was bias in any way, I’m implying that Orbea sent you a bike to review which seems pointless as currently there is no way of buying said bike.
Hello there! I totally disagree about your review concerning performance... I bought one ORCA 30 and I nade few changes on it.... I replaced wheels to Specialized Alpinist HG and S-Works tyres. I can assure that this bike is fast enough sustaining high velocity.... and climbing is a piece of cake due to geometry.
Hi João, Simon here. Thanks for your comment. I said the frameset was great but it needs better wheels and tyres to get the most out of it - so sounds a lot like you actually completely agree with my review!? Thanks for watching and have a lovely day! x
hmm i'm not sure about the bike. for it's price it's way too heavy imo. orbea doesn't promote the bike as an endurance bike so it could be a bit more racy. on the other hand it's a good allround-bike with a clearance of 35mm tyres. it's good at everything but not great. if you would offer me that budget I would buy 2 bikes with 105, something like a canyon ultimate and a cheap gravel bike like a trek domane AL. the idea of an allround bike is nice but a dedicated bike for it's purpose is the way to go if you ask me. if you want to ride real gravel 35mm is too small and if you want to ride fast, the geometry is too endurance-heavy.
£4,700 for a bike with mediocre wheels and not a lot of integration in my book is nowhere near a legitimate contender for my next bike. The colour options are a tempting selling point it has to be said. Doesn't even spec with complete shimano Ultegra having an FSA crankset a little cop out and cost saving which is not really acceptable for the premium asking price.
Hi Chris, the FSA crankset is an optional upgrade - it's actually an FSA Powerbox powermeter crankset, which costs £359 through Orbea's MyO customisation programme. As I said in the review, I think it's a great power meter, but if you didn't want it, the Orca OMR M20i Team comes with an Ultegra R8000 crankset as standard. Cheers for watching! 😃
Paid £3550 for mine, including the WiFi module. My one concern was the wheels, however does a couple of hundred grammes make that much difference overall when I weight 90+ kgs and is the fact that the bike is about a kg heavier than some rivals (again pales into insignificance given my weight) an issue. Not really. A plus side to the fulcrums, for me at any rate is a nice quiet freehub.
What do you think of the Orbea Orca OMR? Is a better wheel-set more important than electronic shifting? 🚲 Let us know your thoughts in comments!
I thought the ORCA was orbeas race bike? Why does it have a geometry so close to an endurance bike (you mentioned the synapse)
@@twatts4436 Check out the geometry tables, it's not an endurance bike.
@@dh7314 that was my thought when reading them a while ago. Thats why the comments relating it to the synapse made little sense.
@@twatts4436 I agree, its odd. Orbea do offer a riser bar option for a relaxed position but the standard geometry on mine is certainly nothing like a synapse. It's a great bike really happy with it.
RIP off! More than £4000 for a bicycle... Ridiculous
I’ve got the OMX. I’ve also got a Felt endurance bike and a super aggressive 2010 race bike. The Orca geometry splits the difference. Slam the stem and it’s definitely a race geometry. Set it up high, and it can be more relaxed. It’s a nice balance. Set up your bike too low and you won’t be able to stay low in the drops for long. This lets you get a reasonable setup without a ton of spacers.
The OMX has better aero and lower weight, but at a higher price. The handling,, especially on descents, is exceptional. The compliance is wonderful, so the OMR must be silky.
The integrated cable design is brilliant. The only compromise is that the head tube is a bit wider than it could be. Oh well. It’s practical. I went electronic to avoid cable drag. Aside from that risk, I agree that better wheels would be more valuable than electronic shifting.
I love the OMX. On rough roads and a tighter budget, the OMR would be a good choice. But I wouldn’t call it an endurance bike. It’s not that short and tall. It’s more of a comfortable race bike with integrated cables and customization at less than super bike pricing,
Simon here. Thanks for the in-depth comment Jon, really appreciate your view on this!
I find it weird that they describe this as an endurance bike, mine has similar geometry to my tarmac thats why I bought it. It has an optional extra as a riser handlebar, I think that is where the endurance confusion started.
I have this bike in the M20Team with Shimano Ultegra. Ohio had a record cold winter, limiting the number of rides. After 60 miles I can report that this is frame responds exceedingly well to rider input while absorbing road bumps. My favorite 15 mile daily road circuit includes 1000 Ft of climb i which the 11/28 50/34 gearset handles well. It matched my average speed of 16mph on the first ride, on a 35°F sunny day. We're placing too much emphasis on Aero in every day cycling. If I'm not concerned with finishing my ride 15 seconds early.
THIS is how every bike review should be made. Wow you are good :)
Finally a review on this OMR. I ordered this exact one but with the Fulcrum 800 wheels and the regular ultegra crank. I couldn't make a decision on the custom color so I went for the green which I loved in the first place. Ordered mine in October, and hopefully it will arrive at the end of this month. I went for the di2 because I think when I will sell the bike in let's say 5-10 years it will be worth more with the di2 then regular ultegra aka more future proof. With the d-fly module you can use the extra buttons to play with the gps/shifting mode/... I can buy more aero wheels afterwards and eventually take them with me on the next bike. At the end it's easier/cheaper to upgrade the wheels than the groupset.
Simon here, thanks for your comment Mattetten - nice to hear an alternative perspective on the Di2 vs wheels thing. Cheers for watching! 🤩
... worth more than* ... And kudos on the Ultegra crank decision. They look (and work) so much better than those hideous FSA parts they slapped on to save a few Euros.
I ordered M20 team with Fulcrum 800's as well. Simply for looks and a bit of aero advantage. I'll upgrade them as well though. I wonder how those Fulcrums will hold up. Got to wait for my bike till may so I'm curious of your thoughts when you get yours. Cheers!
@@einundsiebenziger5488 yeah than 😅🤓 oopsie! I don’t like the looks of the fsa neither.
I have one and totally love it. Fully recommend with zipp 303s wheels
Is it really that heavy? Because almost 9 kg when the frame is only about 1 kg seems a bit too much and yes, weight is very important to me...
@@thegrall6377 The wheels are horribly heavy. Change the wheels and it’s a solid bike.
@@matthewbork8908 I had a feeling they would be and I'm very happy that I was correct, because since I want to race on this, I was already gonna be buying some more aero wheels...
Me too. I put the same wheels on mine.
Got this bike a couple of months ago for my first road bike and it’s amazing, I put a 53t oval, 11-23 Ultegra cassette and Continental GP 5000 tires 28c and can go with any group so far, I think I will look into getting some better wheels soon
Sounds good ,exactly what i would do if i get one. 👏
Thanks for the review - Had been awaiting one for sometime !!
👍🏼
Thanks for watching! From all at BikeRadar
Nice to see another review of the OMR! Waiting for my M20i Team to be delivered within the next month, and part of the reason I chose this bike is the lacklustre wheels. Being a tech nerd I knew going in I would regret not getting a bike with Di2. I did look at Trek Domane and Specialized Tarmac, but getting those bikes with Di2 makes the whole deal prohibitively expensive since the builds with Di2 also give you nice carbon wheels and other smaller build upgrades. So the Orca OMR fits my needs perfectly being "reasonably" coming with Di2. I do plan to upgrade the wheels later, but that's both easier and more convenient than upgrading from mechanical Ultegra to Di2.
Thanks for watching and for your comment Knut - great to hear a different perspective! - Simon
Excellent review 😀 No one does it better than BikeRadar.
Good review, here are my thoughts. I'd go for Di2 and pay extra to spec better wheels. Di2 works better with complex internal routing like this. Also, retrofitting Di2 later is very expensive and a total pain. Secondly, I don't buy that aero-optimized frames make any noticeable real-world difference so I think the comment here about this bike being "a lot of work" to keep at speed is more likely due to the more upright position and wheels than the frame shapes. Thirdly, the fact that Orbea offers custom paint at no additional cost (but certainly additional wait time) is very compelling and something more brands should offer. Lastly, the inexpensive power meter is a great to see but honestly the industry should take a hint from Giant and just include a power meter as standard at this price point. To me, any 2021 bike that costs more than $5k (or 4k pounds) should come standard with a power meter.
Hi David, Simon here. Thanks for your comment - great to hear your thoughts on my review/this bike. I didn't feel the riding position is overly upright - it's certainly at the racier end of endurance. Likewise, I do think aero tubes make a noticeable difference as speeds get higher (proper aero bikes always feel a lot faster, in my experience), though I agree the wheels and tyres are a bigger hinderance to how fast this bike feels. Cheers for watching and have a great day! 🙌
Agree, I'm only down for the look when it comes to aero frame. Still, I rather get a nice set of deep wheels and a light frame
I'd leave the power meter option to the customer. Why pay for something you might never need?
Great comment. I chose for the Sram Force AXS option with 45mm vision wheels, however no power meter. I wonder if I can use this bike for some gravel bikepacking and opted for the sram cassette instead, which is ahead of its game vs the offering of shimano.
@@joeyophof I've got a similar build it would seem. I'm considering using it for gravel adventuring too, the lowest gear is 1:1 gear ratio and with the big tyre clearance, it's pretty capable. Already got a Restrap saddle bag.
Hi!
Thanks for the great review!
Currently, I'm having a hard time deciding whether I should get the Orca M20iTeam or the Cervélo Caledonia5 Ultegra Di2. Due to the price difference, my budget would still give me the option of upgrading the Orbea to carbon wheels which makes it in terms of the spec sheet sort of similar.
Yet, I'd really love to hear your opinion on how these two bikes compare to each other in terms of riding quality, stiffness, comfort, etc. I'm looking for something comfortable which is still efficient for climbing or even faster-paced section (--> aero!) and couldn't decide yet.
Thanks in advance, looking forward to reading your professional opinion!
Yes I totally agree with you regarding the wheel set. I was going to order the M20i Team with Shimano electric shift but decided decent wheels were more important and went for the M25 Team that comes with Vision Carbon Wheels. Unfortunately Orbea couldn't supply the M25 Team in sensible timescales, so I opted for the standard M20 Team and upgraded the bars to carbon and purchased my own wheelset, FFWD Ryot 44 with 28mm Schwalbe Pro One tubless. Bike should arrive at the dealers in the next couple of weeks, can't wait to get to grips with it!!
That's super exciting! And thanks for watching!
Finally a review on this frameset 😂 I've had mine for months but I've only just started riding it now spring's here. I got a M21ETeam (Force AXS) from my LBS for £4,500 (10% cycling club discount), with Vision SC40 wheels. Mine came with Rubino Pro tyres but I've replaced them with GP5000 TL's. I've already replaced the bars with the Ritchey Superlogic Evo Curve, as over the past year I've realised I like its bigger bar size with my big hands. I used the MyO customisation to pick the same colours as my cycling club's team colours.
I did consider the OMX or Orca Aero, but concluded that I tend to have back problems on bikes that are too racey for me, so I really just wanted something I could chew up the miles on. Fortunately I didn't have to choose between nice wheels and electronic groupset, I could afford both! My dream bike :)
Thanks for the comment! We agree that race oriented bikes aren't always going to be the best option, glad to hear you're enjoying getting out in the warmer weather!
Hi Tom :
How do you like the Vision 40 wheels ??
About to place an order.
I've been drooling over these for just over a month now but you've confirmed my suspicions that it is still rather heavy for over $5000 and that the wheels are lacklustre. I have been looking at the M25 for the carbon wheel option but I really want the Di2 as well! Looks like my 2011 Allez Comp M2 will get more use until a more affordable and interesting combo comes along. Thanks for the detailed review!
You’ll never buy a new bike then 🤪
I understand where you are coming from. But this is an OMR model.
OMR used to be their high end (flagship) carbon layup.
Back then, they offered OMP and OMR.
Now, they offer the OMR and the OMX.
Just because the base model is an OMR, doesn’t mean OMR is an entry level cheap carbon. It’s a former flagship layup.
@@ariffau Oh good to know, I have since bought a used 2016 Sworks Tarmac SL6 which has fit the bill just fine. Just need to upgrade the wheels however...
So underestimated bike in my opinion, and I’m saying that not just because I own one ;) Thank you for this review.
The top end one with the blue and the geometric pattern on the fork is the best looking bike made. I've been lusting after it from pictures and finally saw a guy fly past on one the other day. I don't care how it rides I want one.
Just test rode a 2022 OMR M20i Team. It now has the newest 12 speed Di2 8170 (LOVE the new levers!) and a MUCH improved wheelset IMO....the Fulcrum Racing 600DB. Had it not been that "green" color, I would have bought it right away. Instead, I ordered the "gloss matte/black" version. I'll keep the Fulcrum wheels as a dedicated "gravel/urban" wheelset and pickup a set of the new Zipp 404 Firecrest for the road.
I have the AXS version of this bike and I'll have to agree that the wheelset is the weak point of this bike. I swapped them with my DT Swiss 1400 wheels and the bike feels a lot livelier. Response and acceleration is very noticeable and the ride quality greatly improved. Smoother and faster were the differences I felt straight away.
I also have this bike. I changed the wheels to dura ace c50s tyres to pirelli pzeros, cranks to ultegra, pedals to wahoo speedplay powerlink zeros, handelbars to fsa slk carbon and the bike is absolutely fantastic with these upgrades! Handling, comfort, stifness and power transfer is excellent! Climbs great descencts incredibly welI i love it!
Good review but I was cringing at the size being ridden, 100% you are a 55 in an Orbea (assuming half decent flexibility). The wheels, not uncommon for bikes even at this price point now coming with an average set (similar Specialized Roubaix 5k no power meter). Aero frame, get the right size and get your body into an aero position first and foremost. I ride the OMX version and it is one of the best handling road bikes I've ridden, compare the wheelbase and particularly the front end to other road bikes and the bikes goes where you point it. Size wise I went down to a 53cm and normally ride a 56cm, my other road bike a Trek Domane pro endurance. Lastly Orbea come with a lifetime warranty, I think this detail is worth mentioning in reviews as some bikes only have a lousy three Year warranty.
I picked one of these up recently with a 51cm frame. My dealer just had it come into stock, it has the raw carbon finish and feels great. It was fitted with those standard wheels, but I've just ordered some Zipp 303s wheels. I think these should make it great.
Graham - I’d love to see a photo of the raw carbon with the 303S wheels. That is the exact setup I am after. Thank you. tejaykay@gmail.com
@@timkemp5154 email sent :-)
@@grahambowes756 I am going to pick up my carbon raw orca next week and would love to see a pic of yours with the zipps.. you have instagram?
@grahambowes756 I’m also looking at a 51cm frame but am curious about the sizing (none are currently available nearby for me to test ride…) do you find the fit to be slightly larger than other bikes? The sizing shows I should be the lower to middle end of the 53, but I have shorter legs for my height. Do you mind sharing your height and inseam length?
@@christopherhyatt6785 hi. My inseam is 79.3 and height 168cm. Getting shorter as I get older! Interestingly Orbea seem to come up large. I bought a preowned Orca originally, it was a 53. And it was too big for me. The 51 is just right, I recently had a bike fit which confirmed this. This also has 170 cranks. The only change I need the make is the bars. It came with 400 which I need to change to 380. Hope this helps and that you get what you need.
had the M20Team for 3300 Euros. in Size 51 it weights around 8.5 kg without pedals. That was the reason i send it back. Now i got an ultimate CF SL 8 Disc. Weight is 7.54 kg and 2.700 Euros
Thats alot of weight for a 51. Ive got a merida scultura 6000size 56, its 8.6 with pedals and bottle cages discbrakes. Not as light as canyon but got a great deal for 2450 euro.
@@MsPietpaaltjes Second hand racer from 1997, oversized tubing, no carbon, 8.6 without pedals, £550 complete build (Dura Ace + Campa Record). With carbon could be easily made 8 kilo. Guys, if you want smth light and cheap and reliable at the same time, go second hand, there are great deals there.
I don't think I need Di2. Better rims and tires are a must.
Mechanical Gears over Electronical Gears @13:10
I DISAGREE.
I own the Orbea Orca OMR M30. Braking is fine. Shifting is straight garbage.
Gear cables aren’t able to handle the tight bends fully hidden cable like this bike has to offer.
However, on fully external cable bikes (like we used to have many years ago) and semi internal (think Giant TCR, Factor o2), mechanical shifting are actually perfectly fine.
I am thinking of moving to electronics shifting. Just unsure to go eTap AXS or Di2. Both has its perks 😆
What 'gravel' tires would you recommend using with this bike? 35mm clearance seems a bit of a niche as most well regarded tires are mostly 36/37mm. Do you know if 36mm fits or what would you guys advice in this?
Maybe look for some 33mm cyclocross tires?
Yes, a better wheelset is more useful than an electronic-shifting upgrade. I'd also add the appropriate Shimano cranks because they look and perform better than that cheap FSA thing they put on there (since Orbea is FSA's official distributor for Spain and Portugal, they probably had to, though). Then, I'd toss that stupid all-integrated stem. A "clean" cockpit looks nice but is an absolute nuisance if you have to service any brake or shifting parts, and in case of a crash takes months to get the necessary replacement.
I’m currently waiting for my M25TEAM to arrive through MyO. I got a good deal as i paid £,3025 (rrp £3,399, now £3,850!) but now wondering if i made the right decision in not going for the OMX! Didn’t realise the tube profiles were different!🤦🏽♂️
In terms of geometry, these are pretty similar to the new supersix evo, so wouldn’t say endurance.
I agree on what you say about the geometry. I also think it isnt that 'endurance' as they say. If you get rid of the spacers you can get prety agressive.
I think they considerate this bike as an endurance because of the tyre clearance and a bit more compliance. Other than that its just a racer in my opinion.
I'm between this and the Caledonia. Would absolutely go Ulterga mechanical and upgrade the wheels. Wish Cervelo let me choose the colors and I admit being able to go dark blue is a selling point... but I feel like the Cervelo is ultimately the better bike
Great Review, reminds me of the new "Rose Reveal Disk". I know they stopped selling to the UK, but continental Europe should not be a Problem.
tbh. I cannot decide....
Ultegra mech is great, but DI2 is great too; and now with the 12 speed coming (and SRAM beeing wireless already), I think mechanical is slowly dying, at least in the mid to top segment. But I have no problem going with Ultegra or even 105 mechanical. Wheels can be upgraded later, or some of us may already have sets of wheels we love....
Hmmm I've got a 2021 OMR team M20 like this one (MYO) and the M30 2021 OMR . His point about 'less racy ' ... and complaining about the wheels .... so who uses the standard wheels anyway - you throw them in the shed and put what you like on them . The Team bike I have is slammed at the front with narrower cockpit . It definitely not setup as an endurance machine . The Other M30 is the endurance version - It's the same fame with a setp Fast Forwards , 28mm tires and the OC High Rise bar (Look it up ) .. It has replaced an Avant and it's position it about 16 mm higher .. The bars are wider was well . So while he is talking 'endurace ' the OMR is not a 'One Size Fits All ' an d that are 5 different wheels setups , 3 different bars..... I'm happing with mine ........(And my Son has a M30 OMR as well ) ... beats me
Thanks for the review. I have this very bike but selected the mechanical instead of the di2. Question? What carbon wheel set and tires would be best to get the full performance out of this bike while staying in the middle of the road budget.
Hey, thanks for watching. Hard to give specific product recommendations, but we've got a long list of the best wheelsets we've reviewed on our website: www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/buyers-guide-to-road-bike-wheels/
Hopefully you can find some inspiration there! Cheers, Simon
Excellent review! I’m currently waiting for a M20 team power. I did read some complaints regarding noise with the Ultegra drivetrain. On your experience have you had any issues with the Ultegra R8000 drivetrain?
Thank you.
Better wheel & tires. First thing I would do to upgrade.
Personally I'd rather have the electronic shifting. After riding a friend's bike who has it, I'm already planning on making that same upgrade to mine. In the context of the Orca, I would save a bit more money and just get the OMX version. Groupsets and wheels can be changed, frames can't.
Wheels give you more benefits than electronic shifting. Although having now my first Di2 Bike i would never ever move back to mechanical shifting again. Luckily, my new bike choice also included nice aero wheels 😉
ah and yes, go and buy GP 5000 and enjoy the noticeable difference!
Another great review of a bike that won’t be in stock for months. This is torture.
Torture it is.
Last year I waited 4 months for my Orca OMX. As it turned out I was lucky. Great bike!
For people considering the mechanical version I would strongly recommend DI2 if only for the peace of mind of never having to faff around with the internal routing to change cables + housing
For the peace of mind I would go mechanical, never risking that you forgot to charge it and you're stuck in a completely wrong gear a 100kms away from home.
Internally routed mechanical cables are actually not that hard to change. It maybe takes 10 minutes longer than non-internally routed mechanical cables. Also how often do you actually change your shifting cables, as well as most roadies don't know how to maintain their bike anyways so they let the bike shop do it.
Why no De Rosa Pininfarina reviews
was this bike actually tested w better wheels?
How is the orbea bottom bracket? Have orbea sorted out the issue yet?
What was the issue?
Hi Simon here - didn't have any issues with the bottom bracket on this bike. It just worked. Thanks for watching! 🤝
Mine is fine, as is every other bottom bracket I own
Well, Di2 is in fact forced upon the customers for this bike, because mechanical shifting, with gear cables rammed and bent a million times on their way through the stem and the headtube is going to be horrendous. And it's a mess to go through for a mechanic as well
Mine shifts perfectly fine.
@@dh7314 I'm a mechanic in a shop that stocks these - that's my experience not only with this orbea but many new bikes in general. When compared to older designs with cables run outside the shifting is really noticably worse.
@@kubagajda7347 I own both hidden and external cabled bikes and no noticeable difference in shifting. I guess I'm just lucky or my cables were set up correctly.
if it were my build, Id go for mechanical SRAM Force, power, wheels and tires. I feel no need for E-shifting.
Hallo, how tall are you? Thanks.
What bikes do you feel this is up against?
Does it have mounts for mudguards. If not. Dont want it
It doesn't have mudguards, you can hear Simon talk about mudguards on carbon endurance bikes here: th-cam.com/video/pMI3_uH20cw/w-d-xo.html
@@bikeradar didnt hear that.... smiley face. Its stunning but ill stick with my own endurance race with mudguards. Keep up the good work
You can't fit mudguard mounts on a carbon frame, because they would weaken its integrity. Use SKS race or speed blades, they work just as well as permanent ones, but are removable when you don't need them.
Why don't you use control wheelsets and tyres when reviewing bikes? Surely using an unknown tyre completely destroys any meaning conclusion you can come to on how fast the frameset is?
Hi Kionne, thanks for your comment. Using control wheels and tyres is something we've considered/occasionally done in the past.
Sometimes it makes sense if you're trying to isolate the frameset, but ultimately we're reviewing bikes like this as a full package, so it's only fair for us to take into account how the wheels and tyres affect the performance of the bike as a whole.
Cheers for watching! 🥳
Shud i take OMX or OMR?
I recently purchased an orca and love it. My only complaint about it is the front wheel geometry. It is nearly impossible to track stand at a light or turn sharp because the tire always hits the toe of my shoe
The wheel is circular. Did you expect it t be squared? Lol
The weight of the carbon power box doesn’t matter because that’s not what comes with the bike. It’s an upgrade
Hi Marek, that's correct, but the FSA Powerbox Alloy is also an optional upgrade - I'm mentioning the different power meter upgrade options as I know many people care about weight. Personally, I don't find it makes much/any difference, but not everyone agrees with me! Cheers for watching! Simon
What’s the point of this review/product placement when there is no chance of getting one in the UK before September?
Hey Jon. All of BikeRadar's reviews are 100% editorially independent. Any sponsored content we produce will be clearly marked as such but, in any case, our reviews will never be for sale. You can learn more about how BikeRadar makes money here: www.bikeradar.com/news/how-does-bikeradar-make-money
As for the supply issues, you may find this piece interesting as it suggests, as you say, things won't be back to normal for quite some time! www.bikeradar.com/features/long-reads/pandemic-brexit-bike-prices/
@@bikeradar thanks. I wasn’t suggesting this review was bias in any way, I’m implying that Orbea sent you a bike to review which seems pointless as currently there is no way of buying said bike.
Τhe top bike in that section....
Hello there! I totally disagree about your review concerning performance... I bought one ORCA 30 and I nade few changes on it.... I replaced wheels to Specialized Alpinist HG and S-Works tyres. I can assure that this bike is fast enough sustaining high velocity.... and climbing is a piece of cake due to geometry.
Hi João, Simon here. Thanks for your comment. I said the frameset was great but it needs better wheels and tyres to get the most out of it - so sounds a lot like you actually completely agree with my review!? Thanks for watching and have a lovely day! x
@@bikeradar Your reply manages to be both civil and savage at the same time. Highly entertaining.
This review is inaccurate. I consider the orca to be more faster and race oriented not necessarily endurance.
... "more faster" ...???
hmm i'm not sure about the bike. for it's price it's way too heavy imo. orbea doesn't promote the bike as an endurance bike so it could be a bit more racy. on the other hand it's a good allround-bike with a clearance of 35mm tyres. it's good at everything but not great. if you would offer me that budget I would buy 2 bikes with 105, something like a canyon ultimate and a cheap gravel bike like a trek domane AL. the idea of an allround bike is nice but a dedicated bike for it's purpose is the way to go if you ask me. if you want to ride real gravel 35mm is too small and if you want to ride fast, the geometry is too endurance-heavy.
... its* price, its* purpose (it's = it is) ... And if you can only afford one bike, wouldn't be one that is "good at everything ..." the best choice?
Cool
£4,700 for a bike with mediocre wheels and not a lot of integration in my book is nowhere near a legitimate contender for my next bike. The colour options are a tempting selling point it has to be said. Doesn't even spec with complete shimano Ultegra having an FSA crankset a little cop out and cost saving which is not really acceptable for the premium asking price.
Hi Chris, the FSA crankset is an optional upgrade - it's actually an FSA Powerbox powermeter crankset, which costs £359 through Orbea's MyO customisation programme. As I said in the review, I think it's a great power meter, but if you didn't want it, the Orca OMR M20i Team comes with an Ultegra R8000 crankset as standard. Cheers for watching! 😃
Paid £3550 for mine, including the WiFi module. My one concern was the wheels, however does a couple of hundred grammes make that much difference overall when I weight 90+ kgs and is the fact that the bike is about a kg heavier than some rivals (again pales into insignificance given my weight) an issue. Not really. A plus side to the fulcrums, for me at any rate is a nice quiet freehub.
1:37 dirty cross-chaining 😬
"No cross-chaining" has been obsolute since 10-speed groups with narrow and extra-flexible chains were introduced.
For that money I'd expect better wheels & tyres.....
nice bike though
Wider tires, no rim wear
Fuck disc brake.
Heavy disc brakes... Chris Froome is not impressed.
Is it just me or does anyone else notice how bad the callipers and disks look on a road bike?
I prefer the look of disc
Am I the only one who thinks this looks like a rebranded Giant Defy?
It is not unlikely that these frames are manufactured by Giant anyway. Giant makes bikes for about a dozen brands other than their own.
i Hate disk breaks on road bikes lol