The latest full suspension mountain bike to be pulled out of a big cardboard box at Flow HQ is this bright orange and blue Orbea Occam. Brand new for the 2020 model year, the Occam has been distilled into a pure do-all-the-things trail bike, with Orbea eliminating the TR and AM variants of the previous incarnation. Instead, the new Occam is simply called…err…the Occam. It’s now built solely around 29in wheels, features 140mm of rear wheel travel. You can pair that to either a 140mm or 150mm travel fork, and like every Orbea model, there are about a zillion customisation options available through the MyO program.
Now You See Me, Now You Don’t!
The most distinctive aspect of the new Occam is its asymmetric chassis, which employs a reinforcing strut that connects the middle of the downtube to partway up the seat tube. As well as cutting a unique profile, the strut helps to strength and stiffen the pivot platform for the main rocker linkage. Furthermore, the rocker link is rolling on an oversized splined axle that claims to reduce twisting as the suspension crushes through the travel.
Orbea offers the Occam in both alloy and carbon frame options, and they all feature the same distinctive shape, along with internal cable routing, frame protection, and the Concentric Boost rear suspension platform. You can also fit a water bottle inside the mainframe, but you’ll only be reaching for it with your left hand, whether you like it or not.
Orbea Occam Geometry
There’s been a hefty and predictable update to the Occam’s geometry, with the seat tube angle getting significantly steeper, while the front end had gotten longer and slacker. Orbea has also moved to a reduced-offset fork, and has lengthened the chainstays to 440mm. All-up, it’s got a bigger footprint that should give it more high-speed chops.
- Fork offset: 44mm
- Head angle: 66°
- Seat angle: 77°
- Reach: 425mm (S), 450mm (M), 474mm (L), 500mm (XL)
- Seat tube: 381mm (S), 419mm (M), 457mm (L), 508mm (XL)
- Chainstay length: 440mm
- BB drop: 35mm
- BB height: 336mm
What Occams Can We Get Down Under?
Basically all of them! There are eight Orbea Occam models available for us Aussies, with pricing starting at $4,499 for the alloy Occam H30, and going up to $11,999 for the carbon Occam M-LTD. You can also get a standalone carbon frameset with a Fox Float DPX2 shock for $4,999 if you fancy building up your own bike.
Alternatively, the top two Occam models (M-LTD and M10) can be customised via the MyO program. Be prepared though, because there’s a ridiculous number of paint combinations available. Since every Orbea is painted and built to order in the company’s Basque-based facility, this process doesn’t cost you a single dollar more – Orbea offers the custom paint at no extra charge. It’ll just take a few extra weeks to arrive, providing you can wait that long.
2020 Orbea Occam M10
The bike we’ve got on test is the Orbea Occam M10, which will sell in Australia for $8,299 in its stock configuration. If you want to jazz things up, the standard upgrades include a Fox 36 GRIP2 150mm fork (+$261), DT Swiss XMC 1200 wheels (+$1,746), a Crank Brothers Highline dropper post (+$278). You can even change the tyre spec and the fork’s thru-axle if you so desire.
- Frame | OMR Carbon Fibre, Concentric Boost Suspension Design, 140mm Travel
- Fork | Fox 34 Float, Factory Series, FIT4 Damper, 44mm Offset, 140mm Travel
- Shock | Fox Float DPX2 EVOL, Factory Series, 210x50mm
- Wheels | DT Swiss XM-1650, 30mm Inner Rim Width
- Tyres | Maxxis High Roller II 3C EXO 2.5in Front & Rekon EXO 2.4in Rear
- Drivetrain | Shimano Deore XT M8100 1×12 w/XT 32T Cranks & 10-51T Cassette
- Brakes | Shimano Deore XT M8120 4-piston, 180mm Rotors
- Bar | Race Face Next R Carbon, 20mm Rise, 780mm Width
- Stem | Race Face Aeffect R, Length: 45mm (S/M), 55mm (L/XL)
- Seatpost | OC2 Dropper Post, 31.6mm Diameter, 125-170mm Travel
- Saddle | Fizik Taiga, K:ium rails
- RRP | $8,299
Mick has just gotten back from a whirlwind tour of Derby and Falls Creek, where he was able to put the Orbea Occam M10 through a barrage of trail riding to see just how capable it is. He’ll be giving the bike a good rip around his local test trails in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for his thoughts on this bright blue Basque beast.
In the meantime, you can get more info on the Orbea Occam range and see all those crazy customisation options via the Orbea website.
Mo’ Flow Please!
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