2022 Orbea Occam First Look | The spiciest trail bike this side of the Pyrenees

Orbea has been dropping absolute fire this month, with news of the all-new Rallon enduro bike last week, and today the Basque brand has unveiled the all-new Occam and Occam LT.

The last Occam was launched for the 2020 model year. It was the first time we’d seen Orbea employ the asymmetrical chassis and it was a refreshing change from the trail-duro sleds that had been (and still are) gaining popularity. It was built around 140mm of travel, and rolled on 29in wheels and tyres, but the 2020 Occam didn’t have a raked-out front centre or a wheelbase the length of a Mack truck.

Orbea Occam
Want a traditional trail bike that will do everything well? Yep, that’s the Occam. Want a trail bike that can handle burlier terrain and bike park laps? That’s the Occam too, but in the LT version.

It wasn’t perfect, but the Occam was a bike that did most things well and didn’t sacrifice versatility for the sake of being trendy — it was a bike ideal for someone who wasn’t fussed with chin bars, number plates or tyres with a downhill casing.

With the new Occam, Orbea maintained the trail bike personality so many riders love, but also chucked a Carolina Reaper or two into the pot for a bit of extra spice, with the Occam LT.

Related:

Occam and Occam LT

We expect trail bikes to competently fill the gap between XC race bikes and enduro bikes. This void may as well be the Grand Canyon at this point, with riders expecting their trail bikes to perform everywhere from their local loops, to big days out exploring the backcountry, and even a few sneaky shuttle laps at the bike park.

So, Orbea has built a refuge island in the middle of this cavernous gorge, splitting the Occam into two versions. The standard Occam is still a 140mm trail bike that will do most things well, but Orbea has added an LT version to its starting 15. More or less equivalent to the Lunch Ride Edition of Yeti’s SB 130 or the BC edition of the Rocky Mountain Instinct, the Occam LT is based around the same frame but is wearing a party hat.

Orbea has over-shocked the Occam LT by adding 10mm of travel to both ends, using a 150mm Fox 36 on the front, and either a Float X air shock or DHX coil on the rear. To keep you out of trouble when things get a bit rowdy, the Occam LT also has four-piston brakes and grippy aggro tyres.

Adding this extra squish to the rear end is possible thanks to a new, two-part linkage designed for the updated Occam. Unfortunately, this new linkage will not be backwards compatible with the previous models, like the ‘Rally On’ link was for the Rallon. Orbea says with the fresh link on the old bike, there is a risk of the shock hitting the frame in the smaller sizes, and the top tube on the new bike has been modified to prevent unwanted contact.

The Occam and Occam LT are based around the same frame, but the latter is wearing its party pants.

This new link takes advantage of a high leverage ratio for small bump sensitivity, and has a moderately progressive curve to provide a supple and active rear end, that ramps up by 22-per cent through the stroke, allowing the bike to accept air or coil shocks. Orbea has also made space for a OneUp EDC-style multitool that lives inside the main pivot axle and is held in place with magnets.

The rear end is still based around a split pivot, with the rear dropout serving double duty as a concentric pivot. This is a common method that isolates braking forces and allows the rear end to stay active, even when you’re heavy on the brakes.

The Occam’s new rear link allows for either a 140mm or 150mm rear shock.

We’re a bit disappointed that Orbea hasn’t trickled the Lockr box in frame storage from the new Rallon down to the Occam. Obviously, it’s quite an engineering feat to incorporate a hole into a structural tube, but given modifications have been made to the frame to accommodate a new linkage, it seems like a missed opportunity not to carry this feature down.

What has been carried through is the asymmetric frame design. We think the strut on the right side of the frame looks fantastic and it makes for a super-stiff chassis, but the bottle cage bolts are still right next door, and your drinks will continue to rattle against the frame into 2022.

We’re stoked to see a new linkage for the Occam, but it does feel like they have forgotten a few things elsewhere on the bike.

Because the Occam LT is just a build kit, you can always pop a longer shock and fork in the bike, should you opt for a regular Occam and want to add a bit of capability later down the trail.

Geometry

When we reviewed the 2020 version, we were impressed by the Occam’s climbing prowess and its chipper descending qualities; it’s a playful bike begging to be taken off every side hit. All of this will be back for 2022, because the geometry has not changed one millimetre.

However with a longer 150mm fork, the LT build is jacked up at the front, slackening the head angle by half a degree to 65.5-degrees, and by proxy, the seat angle drops by the same amount, measuring 76.5-degrees. Orbea has decided against offering its ‘low’ and ‘lower’ flip-chip on the new Occam, though swapping over to the LT build achieves essentially the same thing — albeit with a hefty price tag.

2022 Orbea Occam Pricing and availability

Both the carbon and alloy Occams will be available in standard and LT builds — they are the same frame after all — and start at $4,699AUD if a metal bike is your jam, or $6,899AUD if plastic fantastic is more your style.

Regardless of the frame material, the LT builds will come with a Fox 36 fork, the option of a Float X or DHX shock, Maxxis DFH/Dissector EXO rubber, and four-pot brakes with a 203mm front rotor. The standard Occam on the other hand has a Fox 34 fork, a DPS or Float DPS shock, two-piston brakes and a 180mm rotor on the front.

Orbea’s Australian distributor Bike Box tells us it will be bringing in three price points for each frame material that encompasses the LT builds, and they expect bikes to be available from February 2022. If you want the full custom experience, the M1 and M-LTD builds are available via the MyO program, which lets you personalise everything from components to the paint job. Orbea offers lots of component swaps, you’ll see these listed in italics, these may influence the overall price.

Orbea Occam M LTD

The minty fresh Occam M LTD is the top-spec model. This version comes stock with a Fox 34 and DPS shock, but can be upgraded to a 36 with a Flow X or DHX Coil

Orbea Occam M10 LT

Oooo doggy that is one good looking Basque trail bike. The LT build of the M10 comes out of the box with a DHX coil shock.

Orbea Occam M10

The M10 is the same frame as the LT but wearing different clothes.

Occam M30 LT

The M30LT is the most budget-friendly carbon long travel build.

Occam M30

The M30 is the most budget-friendly carbon Occam.

Occam H10

The Occam H10 is the top-spec alloy frame, and slots in just below the price point of the M30

Occam H20

The H20 is the only alloy build to feature SRAM drivetrain components.

Occam  H20  LT

With an alloy frame and a reasonable price point, we’d speculate Orbea is going to see a lot of these H20 LT

Occam  H30

The H30 is the entry-level Occam, with an alloy frame a Marzocchi Bomber Z2 and Shimano drivetrain components.

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