Orbea Occam 27.5 rear quarter.

Orbea Occam 27.5 rear quarter (click to enlarge).​

Update: June 29, 2016

Now that this bike is available in the US, we wanted to update this story to refresh folks on the glorious bikes Orbea introduced last year. Learning key lessons from their very capable 160mm travel Orbea Rallon, the Occam inherits the slack head angle and steep seat angles optimized for today's riding styles. Optimized for dropper posts, these bikes climb well with the seat forward during climbing but out of the way during descending.

One of the real revelations about this bike is how light and stiff it is. One year later, when all the competition has released their entries in this arena, no one is able to touch the sub-25 lb weight of the top-shelf Occam. It's light and it rides extremely well with no compromises in components and tire choice.

Rocks were plentiful in the Pyrenees.

Rocks were plentiful in the Pyrenees.​

July 6, 2015

What is it?

We traveled to Spain to check out what Orbea has been up as they launched three bikes in their growing mountain bike line. The biggest news of the lot is the new Occam trail bike. Now in its third generation, Orbea has matured from a popular road bike, TDF player to a legitimate mountain bike manufacturer. Learning from the very capable Rallon introduced in 2013, Orbea delved deep into modern mountain bike geometries. The Rallon was the most enduro of many All Mountain bikes, perhaps too rowdy for some as it demanded to be ridden hard all the time. Orbea merged some of that knowledge with their sculpted carbon wizardry and created the Occam.

Orbea understood that trail bikes are at a crossroads right now with some riders wanting to carve berms and catch air on big descents while others want to go far and fast on big, epic rides. To this end, they created two Occams, a 27.5 wheeled bike with 140mm of travel and a 29er with 120mm of travel. The 27.5 version has slacker geometry and beefier spec for more aggressive terrain the the 29er version.

The rear triangle is sculpted and shaped to form a very light structure.

The rear triangle is sculpted and shaped to form a very light structure (click to enlarge).​

2016 Orbea Occam Highlights

  • Top end 27.5 bike is under 24 lbs.
  • Available in AM 27.5 wheels with 140mm travel and TR 29er model with 120mm of travel
  • Carbon model has a UFO flexion rear triangle to allow rear suspension movement
  • Alloy model has a concentric pivot for suspension movement
  • Boost 12x148mm rear axle for shorter chainstays
  • Internal cable routing
  • Enduro sealed bearings
  • Removable high direct front derailleur mount to allow clean 1x or 2x options
  • Modified (2-bolt) ISCG 05 mount with frame protector on carbon models
  • Fits most 2.4-inch tires
  • Waterbottle mount in front triangle

The frame is incredibly light and stiff with with internal cable routing.

The frame is incredibly light and stiff with with internal cable routing (click to enlarge).​

Our favorite of the the two versions is the Occam AM which gets the smaller 27.5 wheels and 140mm travel front and rear with a slacker head angle. It is lively, capable and playful in aggressive terrain. The 34 mm stanchions on the Fox fork and beefy Maxxis tires gave this bike a large sweet spot when it came to descending.

We weighed the top-tier Occam AM in size medium, and found it to tip the scales at just 10.97kg / 23.79lb without pedals. A sub-24 lb bike with a dropper post and aggressive tires was a delight indeed as it could climb the big mountains of the Pyrenees.

Product Manager Xabier Narbaiza weighs the Occam.

Product Manager Xabier Narbaiza weighs the Occam (click to enlarge).​

With Boost hubs, the rear chainstays are short at 435mm while still allowing large 2.4 tires on wide rims. The front fork will be a 110mm boost spacing as well. The buyer will have the option of running a 1x or 2x setup on the bike as both sets of chainrings will come on the top spec of the Occam.

Continue to page 2 for ride impressions »

Occam 27.5 tackles the rocks and the views of the Spanish Pyrenees

Occam 27.5 tackles the rocks and the views of the Spanish Pyrenees (click to enlarge).​

How did it ride?

We did several rides on the Occam in the Zona Zero area of Spain, nestled in the mountains of the Pyrenees. This region is hosting an Enduro World Series this year so they have been reclaiming historic trails for years and they have been eager to show the world the results of their labor. The trails are rocky and incredibly scenic. Some rocks are embedded and some are loose but they are ever-present as these long trails snake down the mountain.

First off, the top end bike is ridiculously light. With pedals, it is just a hair over 24 lbs for the 140mm travel 27.5 version. We've come to love the Orbea Rallon but often felt it was too much bike for the terrain 90% of the time and it made its heft known on the climbs. This Occam was another story as it climbed with relative ease to the top of every hill. The Fox suspension was easy to control with a very adjustable Wide Open mode and an easy to access platform mode for the extended climbs. The steep 74.5 degree was absolutely perfect for placing us right over the pedals to deliver power for the climbs.

A little drifting with the Occam 27.5

A little drifting with the Occam 27.5 (click to enlarge).​

On descents, the numbers were just right starting with a head tube angle of 67 degrees. Chainstays are at a short 425mm or 16.7 inches and bb is low at 340 mm or 13.3 inches. Reverb post, Maxxis High Roller front tire, stubby stem and this bike was ready to take on the rocks of the Pyrenees.

The Fox suspension with EVOL rear shock and 2016 DPS 34 chassis front performed very well. These lightweight suspension options are some of the best available today and they complemented the Occam well. Recovering from stumbles in the past, Fox is righting the ship with highly tuneable suspension in Wide Open mode that offer good support in mid-stroke.

Orbea has touted its relationship with BOS suspension in the past but those parts seem more difficult to tune and to maintain at the highest operating level. So we are pleased with the choice to go with the latest Fox suspension.

Orbea Occam 27.5 Cable Exit
In two days of riding the Occam, we were very pleased with its cornering and descending abilities. It cornered like a champ with its low bb and short stays. It was responsive and easy to throw around as we all took turns trying to impress the designated camera man with our rear-end slides. But unlike the old Orbea Rallon, the tail did now swing out wide a the mere suggestion of a drift. This one was much easier to keep in place.

Descending the big rocks of the Pyrenees, we all managed with a smile. The 27.5 Occam handled obstacles in its path as they came in abundance. We put the suspension in very low damping mode as the rocks came quickly and often.

No Rear Pivot

Unlike the Orbea Rallon or the aluminum Orbea Occams, the carbon version does not employ the rear concentric dropout pivot to allow for the rear triangle movement as the shock goes through its travel. The carbon version accomplishes this by using shaped carbon stays (UFO Flexion Stays) that flex vertically to allow this movement. This has been done before and has generally not been preferred in trail or all mountain bikes since it's seen as a restrictive force that can hinder suspension movement.

Orbea measured that the 25mm of deflection required required a force of 5kg force on the saddle. Given that 250kg of force is required to compress the shock, they see the movement restriction by the UFO Flexion stays as negligible.

In our two rides, we could not detect it at all as the suspension seemed as free-moving as any other bike. We'll play with this more on a long-term test of this bike.

The Occams were very popular during testing.

The Occams were very popular during testing (click to enlarge).​

Overall impressions

We were impressed. Here is a bike that took a no-compromise approach at creating a lightweight trail bike. Sub 24 lbs (with a dropper post) is just a ridiculous weight to achieve. The numbers are dialed and the components are all best-of-breed. We had a honeymoon period in the Pyrenees and it could not have gone better. We hope to get to know this bike more on our home turf.

Continue to page 3 for pricing information, 29er version info and a full photo gallery »

US Pricing

The price of the Occam covers a wide range between $2k and $8k.

The price of the Occam covers a wide range between $2k and $8k (click to enlarge).​

Because of our 5'8" stature and the rough trails of the Pyrenees, we spent most of our time on the 27.5 version of the Occam. But there is a very well thought-out 29er version as well. It sports less travel at 120mm and it has a less aggressive build for better XC and climbing performance.

The Occam 29er sports 120mm of travel and a 68 degree head angle.

The Occam 29er sports 120mm of travel and a 68 degree head angle (click to enlarge).​

Another thing worth noting is the 27.5 version is only available in small, medium and large. The 29er on the other hand is in medium, large, extra large. Orbea is steering very tall riders on to the 29er wheel size and rightfully so. A rider's height after all is very relevant to wheel size choice.

No rear pivot on the carbon version

No rear pivot on the carbon version (click to enlarge).​

For more information visit 2016 Orbea Occam.