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hen the box marked ‘Orbea’ arrived at the Cyclist offices, I didn’t leap off my chair to open it, in the way I might have done with some of the more

‘notable’ arrivals. I don’t think of myself as a bike snob, but I’ll admit that some bikes get me more excited than others, and I guess I was expecting the latest Orbea Orca M-TEAMi to be just another Ultegra Di2-equipped carbon road bike, much like those from a dozen other brands. But I don’t mind admitting when I’m wrong.

Ask a bunch of UK riders to name 10 high-end road bike brands and I’d wager Orbea wouldn’t be on anyone’s list, but that’s possibly just a reflection of its modesty in self-promotion on our shores. Elsewhere in Europe it’s a much bigger player. In fact the Basque manufacturer has a heritage that would put most of the ‘big-hitters’ in its shadow. Amazingly, this year sees the company’s 175th anniversary (not all in bike building, admittedly). Its first bikes were produced in the early 20th century,

and from its base in Eibar, close to Bilbao in northern Spain, Orbea produces one of the largest bicycle inventories on the planet.

Humble in successIn its time, Orbea has been heavily involved with racing, sponsoring professional teams since 1970, amassing an enviable palmares along the way. Pedro Delgado was the company’s first Grand Tour winner, with victory in the 1985 Vuelta a Espana, which led to the company’s expansion and a boost in global bike sales.

Orbea also had a long and successful relationship with the Basque squad Euskaltel-Euskadi until it disbanded in 2013. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Orbea bikes won gold medals in both the men’s road and mountain bike races (not to mention a silver medal in the mountain bike event too), yet the brand remains humble compared to most, rarely shouting about its achievements. It certainly knows its stuff when it comes to high-end bike building

Orbea Orca M-TEAMiThis Spanish brand may be modest about its achievements, but it has a lot to shout about

WThe specModel Orbea Orca M-TeAMi

Groupset shimano Ultegra Di2 6870

Deviations None

Wheels Mavic Ksyrium sLR

Finishing kit FsA Os-99 stem, FsA K-Force compact handlebars, FsA K-Force Light Di2 seatpost, prologo scratch saddle

Weight 6.65kg

price £5,800

contact orbea.com

Words Stu BowerS

TUbe pROFiLesThere’s less of an aero feel about the new Orca than there was with its predecessor, but there are still a few subtle tube profiles with wind cheating in mind.

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and I’m sure if this were an American or Italian brand, things would be markedly different.

The Orca was launched in 2003 as Orbea’s flagship race machine, but fast-forward to 2015 and this fifth generation is the race bike for Team Cofidis this season. Having tested a previous iteration, I can say that this is a far prettier version, losing some of the bulky faux-aero traits of its predecessor and becoming a lot sleeker in appearance. It’s lost a chunk of weight in the process too, and this is the lightest ever Orca. Orbea, again perhaps over-modestly, chooses not to quote actual frame weights, but our scales measured the complete test bike (size 55cm) at a very svelte 6.65kg, which puts in the same territory as some of the lightest race bikes.

I’m also a fan of the blue and pink paintjob, but that might be mainly because it makes a nice change to see a bike that isn’t simply matt black. (Of course, a matt black option is available for those who want the stealth look). It’s undeniably a striking and attractive colour scheme,

and that’s not just my opinion. When I did a poll of various friends and random strangers, I’d say the positive reactions to the pink and blue outweighed the negatives by about 20:1. As an aside, Orbea uses only water-based paints as part of its commitment to providing better air quality for its workers and less harmful waste in the environment, which has to be applauded.

Above and beyondDespite my initial indifference to the Orca on its arrival, as soon as I took to the road the M-TEAMi impressed me. It possesses a level of responsiveness and comfort that far exceeded my expectations, and I quickly found it becoming the bike I most looked forward to riding on test days. The geometry of the 55cm bike suits my fit coordinates almost to the millimetre, which helped me focus immediately on the bike and not have to fuss over early niggles and continual minor adjustments to the set-up. The only change I made was to swap the Prologo Scratch saddle for my preferred, flatter Zero II model by the same brand.

On the road the Orca M-TEAMi feels smooth yet purposeful. Out of the saddle, the fork’s wide stance helps to delivers solidity up front during short sprint

The M-TEAMi possesses a level of responsiveness and comfort that far exceeded my expectations

ULTeGRA DRiveTRAiNThe Ultegra level of Shimano’s Di2 drivetrain once again proves faultless and makes you wonder why you’d ever need to step up to Dura-Ace.

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Orbea’s OMR full carbon fork is a unique design. Rather than the fork legs tapering evenly all the way from the head tube to the wheel axle, they remain as narrow as possible for the upper section before, at about three-quarters of the way down, stepping out to meet the front hub. It creates an unusual look, most noticeable when you’re riding out of the saddle and viewing from above. It looks purposeful, and performs in kind, handling lateral loads with a solidity that gives you confidence in the front end, whether you’re sprinting or descending. The fork also offers ample feedback and vibration absorption.

The detail

bursts and punchy hill efforts. The bottom bracket area and rear end do the same, as do the Mavic Ksyrium SLR wheels with great lateral rigidity, all of which helps to keep things moving quickly on the climbs, especially when the gradient gets really steep, as it often does in my favoured testing ground around Dorset’s coastal lanes.

Seated, the power transfer feels equally assured, as does the handling on descents. Despite the solidity, the ride never feels overly harsh – a combination that most brands aim for but only a few attain. The 27.2mm seatpost certainly helps with the comfort, but it’s the final additive to a well-designed frame, rather than the main ingredient. Plenty of bikes spec the same FSA carbon post and don’t achieve the same sensation.

Orbea claims the smooth ride feel is due to frame construction techniques borrowed from its highly successful Alma mountain bike, which have been adapted for use in the 2015 Orca. It appears to have worked. The Orca coped admirably with all I threw at it, including several gravel rides on a short trip to northern California during this test, with the only change being a switch out of the Mavic Ksyrium SLR wheelset for a tubeless Bontrager Aeolus wheel and 25c tyre set-up, predominantly for puncture protection.

With this upgrade, the bike’s performance steps up another notch. The subtle improvements the Bontrager wheel and tubeless tyres bring to the ride quality makes it an even more exciting prospect and I thoroughly enjoyed every hour on board the Orca on those rides (which you can read more about in an upcoming issue). At the end of a gruelling 80-miler, I felt ready for more, and that’s a rare thing.

Initially my expectations for the Orca M-TEAMi were as modest as the brand itself, but having had the pleasure of its company this past few months, it impressed me so much that now I’ll genuinely be sorry to hand it back.

Despite the solidity, the ride never feels overly harsh – a combination that most brands aim for but only a few attain

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bOTTOM bRAcKeTOr rather, no sign of a bottom bracket: the press-fit 86 design provides the bearings with a wide stance for maximum lateral stiffness, plus it looks super neat and clean too.

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