ORBEA’S NEW RIDER SYNERGY CONCEPT AND NEW BIKES

For those that want a lighter e-bike

Orbea is bringing out a new batch of electric-assist mountain bikes, called Rise, offering much lighter bikes with less assistance to provide riders a more natural feel and increased maneuverability on the trail while simultaneously offering greater range. They call it the Rider Synergy concept, or RS for short. Rise is aimed squarely at those who want a bike that can provide subtle electric assistance to allow them to go farther.

Their idea was to combine power, distance, interface and weight are addressed as a single, cohesive system. Originally, Orbea wanted to develop their own motor system, as other brands have done, but when they learned about the new Shimano EP8 motor, they decided to go with that. The EP8 maxes out at 60Nm of torque, far less than many others on the market (e.g. Bosch’s 4th generation CX motor puts out 85Nm) but also smaller and lighter than many motors available.

The bike itself has a very minimalist look, with a 360Wh battery integrated into the down tube and an optional 252Wh external range-extending battery that they claim will provide range comparable to a 900Wh battery on a regular e-bike, also claiming 8 hours of riding with 4000m of climbing (in Eco mode). The main (internal) battery weighs in at a svelte 2.2 Kg and is made of 21700 li-ion cells.

Note the power button on the seat tube, and the charge port with cover flipped open next to it.

The 252Wh Range Extender mounts on the down tube and plugs into the charge port. Total capacity between the internal and external battery is 612Wh.

The design of the bike is to be as minimalist as possible. Instead of an LCD or LED display, they use a simple system which has an unobtrusive rocker switch on the lefthand side of the bars and a junction box in front with two small LEDs that shows which support mode you’re in, as well as broadcasting wireless data to your smartphone.

Note the rocker switch on the left and junction box in front of the stem, keeping the cockpit very clean.

Borrowing construction technology from Orbea’s Occam and Rallon, the frame is made of 2.3 Kg of OMR carbon. It falls under Orbea’s MyO program, allowing a rider to choose frame and accent colors. The bike itself weighs in at 16.2 kg on the M LTD and 17.5 kg on the M Team.

Riders can connect their smartphones to the system via the E-Tube app, allowing custom tuning and two different rider settings. The system is also compatible with the Garmin ecosystem to work with cycling computers, watches and other Garmin units.

FOUR MODELS TO CHOOSE FROM

There are four models. The top level is the Rise M-LTD. It features 140mm Fox Float DPS Factory Kashima suspension with 140mm of travel, a Shimano XTR9100 1×12 drivetrain, Maxxis Recon tires and optional Fox Transfer Factory Kashima dropper post with either 150mm or 175mm of travel. That bike will sell for $10,499.

The M-Team model uses a Fox 36 Float Factory fork with 150mm of travel and a Fox DPS2 Factory 3-position EVOL Kashima rear shock, also Shimano XTR 9100 1×12 drivetrain, and three choices of Fox Transfer Factory Kashima dropper post with 125-175mm of travel. This one goes for $9499.

The Rise M10 features the same suspension as the M-Team, with lower spec’d components, like a Shimano SLX drivetrain and staying with 140mm of travel front-and-rear. The M10 will run $7999.

Finally, the Rise M20 uses Fox Float Performance suspension and Shimano SLX drivetrain for $6499.