ORBEA OIZ TEAM
SCORE
IN THE STAND
8/10
ON THE TRAIL
8/10
OVERALL
8/10
Spanish brand Orbea is a small-player compared to your mainstream brands (Trek, Giant, Specialized, Merida etc.) but they’ve managed to gain broad global recognition across all facets of cycling—from the road to the dirt. ‘Punching above their weight’ is the phrase that comes to mind.
Originating from the Basque region, they’ve been designing bikes since the 1930s and first ventured into mountain biking in 1989. It’s a longstanding history and while they make some killer all-mountain/enduro bikes, they’re probably best-known in cross-country circles—largely thanks to Julien Absalon who rode an Orbea to win gold at the Bejing Olympics.
The Oiz is Orbea’s XC dually; it complements their Alma hardtail to provide options for different rider preferences and terrains. Where some XC suspension bikes blur the lines between XC racing and recreational trail riding, the Oiz is intended as a pure race machine. It’s a bike that focuses on efficiency, weight and responsiveness. It goes head-to-head with the Specialized Epic, Trek Supercaliber and the Cannondale Scalpel. So, let’s shed our baggies and dive in!
In the Stand
Aesthetically, the new Oiz looks identical to the 2019 version; the mould is basically unchanged—at least in the main-frame. The secret sauce for 2021 lies in the OMX carbon that’s used in their top-end models. It features higher modulus fibres and a more labour-intensive lay-up technique that until now was only found on their premium-level road frames. OMX fibres make the carbon
