The Orbea Rise burst onto the scene in late 2020, arriving as the Basque brand’s return fire to the Specialized Levo SL. Pitched as a lightweight and lower-powered electric mountain bike, the Rise quickly garnered attention with its gorgeous looks, incredible 16.2kg claimed weight and its custom-tuned Shimano EP8-RS motor. We’ve since spent a load of time testing out the Rise, and there is no doubt that it’s one of the most impressive e-MTBs we’ve ever ridden. If you’ve not seen it already, be sure to check out our Orbea Rise review.
Orbea Rise goes alloy
Up until now however, the Orbea Rise has only been available with a full carbon fibre frame. That changes today with the arrival of a new alloy version.
Despite being considerably cheaper, the Rise ‘Hydro’ frame looks eerily similar to its carbon sibling. The alloy tubing is hydroformed and butted, and a high polish finish is then used to smoothen out the welds for a near-seamless look. According to Orbea, the bare frame weighs just 3.4kg, compared to 2.3kg for the carbon variant.
Material aside, the alloy Rise uses the same UFO suspension design with 140mm of rear wheel travel, and depending on the model, it features either a 140mm or 150mm travel fork up front. It rolls on 29in wheels exclusively, and it shares the same geometry with a 65.5° head angle and 76.5° seat angle.
There’s a bigger battery
The alloy Orbea Rise also features the same Shimano EP8-RS motor, which Orbea has tuned with its own ‘Rider Synergy’ firmware. Peak torque is limited to 60Nm, and the delivery of power is subtle and more progressive.
Where the alloy Rise differs from the carbon model is in the battery size. Instead of the 360Wh battery, it gets a larger 540Wh battery. The design is unique to Orbea, and makes use of the latest generation 21700 cells to keep the form factor very slim and light. Claimed weight for the new battery is just 2.7kg – only 500g heavier than the battery used in the carbon Rise.
Orbea claims you’ll achieve around 1,600m of climbing when using Boost mode, or up to 3,500m on Eco mode. For those scoping out bigger rides than that, the alloy Rise will fit an optional 252Wh range extender battery. That jacks up the total capacity to almost 800Wh, and Orbea reckons that’ll allow you to rack up some 5,000m of elevation gain – as long as you stay in the paltry Eco mode.
Orbea Rise price & specs
As expected, the pricing for the alloy Orbea Rise models is significantly lower than their carbon siblings.
We’ll see two models coming to Australia around March 2022, with prices starting at $8,999 AUD for the Orbea Rise H30. That model comes with a 140mm travel Marzocchi Bomber Z2 fork, which sees the geometry steepening slightly.
In comparison, the Orbea Rise H15 gets a 150mm travel Fox 36, and a Float X shock with a piggyback reservoir. Pricing on that one is $9,999 AUD.
Claimed weight for both complete bikes is 20kg, which isn’t that much heavier than the Rise M10 we tested. It’s also 3-5kg lighter than most alloy e-MTBs on the market.
They’re certainly good looking bikes, and with the sharper pricing and the larger 540Wh battery, we expect there’s going to be plenty of interest. If you’re curious as to how the EP8-RS motor works and how the Rise handles on the trail, check out our Orbea Rise review for our verdict on this lightweight e-MTB.
2022 Orbea Rise H15
- Frame | Hydroformed Alloy, UFO Suspension Design, 140mm Travel
- Fork | Fox 36, Performance Series, GRIP Damper, 44mm Offset, 150mm Travel
- Shock | Fox Float X, Performance Series, 210x55mm
- Drive Unit | Shimano EP8-RS, 60Nm
- Battery | Orbea RS Internal, 540Wh
- Wheels | Race Face AR 30c, 30mm Inner Width
- Tyres | Maxxis Dissector EXO 3C Maxx Terra 2.4in Front & Rekon EXO+ 3C Maxx Terra 2.4in Rear
- Drivetrain | Shimano XT 1×12 w/e*thirteen 32T Alloy Crankset & SLX 10-51T Cassette
- Brakes | Shimano M6120 4-Piston w/203mm Front & 180mm Rotors
- Bar | Race Face Aeffect 35, Alloy, 20mm Rise, 780mm Wide
- Stem | Race Face Aeffect R, Alloy, Length: 40mm (S-M), 50mm (L-XL)
- Seatpost | Orbea MC20 Dropper, 31.6mm Diameter, Travel: 125mm (S), 150mm (M-L), 170mm (XL)
- Saddle | Fizik Taiga, S-Alloy Rails
- Claimed Weight | 20kg
- RRP | $9,999 AUD
2022 Orbea Rise H30
- Frame | Hydroformed Alloy, UFO Suspension Design, 140mm Travel
- Fork | Marzocchi Bomber Z2, Rail Damper, 44mm Offset, 140mm Travel
- Shock | Fox Float DPS, Performance Series, 210x55mm
- Drive Unit | Shimano EP8-RS, 60Nm
- Battery | Orbea RS Internal, 540Wh
- Wheels | Race Face AR 30c, 30mm Inner Width
- Tyres | Maxxis Dissector EXO 3C Maxx Terra 2.4in Front & Rekon EXO+ 3C Maxx Terra 2.4in Rear
- Drivetrain | Shimano SLX 1×12 w/e*thirteen 32T Alloy Crankset & SLX 10-51T Cassette
- Brakes | Shimano M410 2-Piston w/203mm Front & 180mm Rotors
- Bar | OC1 Alloy, 12mm Rise, 780mm Wide
- Stem | OC1 Alloy, Length: 45mm (S-M), 55mm (L-XL)
- Seatpost | Orbea MC20 Dropper, 31.6mm Diameter, Travel: 125mm (S), 150mm (M-L), 170mm (XL)
- Saddle | Fizik Taiga, S-Alloy Rails
- Claimed Weight | 20kg
- RRP | $8,999 AUD
