This radioactive number is best viewed in person, wearing sunglasses. The bike arrived on a glorious summer’s day, but the superb sunshine was outdone by the Orbea’s unique paint job, these photos don’t do the bike justice, it’s seriously flouro.

Orbea are a Spanish brand that was founded in 1840, so the Rallon comes with nearly two centuries of manufacturing know-how. Despite this, Orbea have only been producing noteworthy mountain bikes in recent years, with their older models riding like mountain bikes designed by weight conscious roadies – not a great combination.

The new Rallon is a serious looking beast, packing a burly 160mm of travel at both ends. The alloy tubing looks chunky and durable, the pivots are similarly robust looking and the cabling down the centre of the downtube with minimal internal routing is a smart and maintenance friendly option. One design aspect we especially appreciate for a bike likely to be bashed around ride after ride is abundant frame protection, and the Rallon delivers with a long downtube guard ending just under the bottom bracket and a chainstay guard that protects both sides of the chain stay – a sign that lots of thought has gone into the specific intentions of the bike.

The component spec for the most part is smart and sensible for the Rallon’s early 3000 dollar price point. The RaceFace/SLX drivetrain combo ensures both durability and reliability whilst the FOX front and rear suspension combo is a proven winner for quality suspension on a budget.

Here at Flow we can live without the Formula brakes- we’d take a set of bulletproof Shimanos any day- but we feel this component choice is a nod to the bikes European heritage.

The Mavic en321 wheel set are on the heavy side on first impressions but the true test will be how they handle unloving testing through rough terrain. The 2×10 drivetrain, whilst seemingly out of favour with the majority of riders enchanted by the wonders of 1x, is in our opinion an excellent decision for the Rallon due to its weighty nature in comparison with more expensive, 1x equipped models.

Finally, the RaceFace cockpit is a winner- short and wide- exactly what todays All-Mountain riding requires.

Geometry wise, the Rallon is already telling us that it’s ready to rally the descents. Short 420mm stays should make it a rocket through the corners, but the long 1172mm wheelbase will offer stability at high speeds. The X30 comes with slightly more stability oriented geometry than the more expensive models, which is a good thing for the bikes target audience.

There is a simple geometry adjustment option via a reversible chip at the front shock mount, something we are fond of, should we choose to experiment with slackening or sharpening the bike’s angles. All in all though, the setup looks ready to shreddy!

Look out for a full review soon, we’re really looking forward to seeing how a more budget orientated all –mountain bike handles all of the technical riding Sydney has to offer!

Oh, it’s also available in black and white coloured frame, which may be a better option if you have extra sensitive eyeballs.

While you’re waiting, check out our previous review of one of Orbea’s XC rigs, the Occam 29. https://flowmountainbike.com/tests/tested-orbea-occam-29-s50/