How can you make an e-MTB more modern, longer, quieter and stiffer and still save over a kilogramme on the frame? The answer is as simple as it is radical: you do away with the hole in the down tube for removing the battery. From a technical point of view, this makes sense, but Orbea's new Wild is likely to cause some headwinds among e-mountain bikers.
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A clear edge for an e-bike whose predecessor was appreciated not least for its qualities as a downhill all-rounder. The new Orbea Wild is much more extreme, although the key data of the new model is still very similar to its predecessor. The Wild still rolls on 29-inch wheels and still offers 160 millimetres of travel at the rear. The battery - either Bosch's 750 or the new 625 Powertube, which is around 800 grams lighter - sits particularly low and is now firmly installed in the new frame. Nevertheless, the frame is already prepared for a range extender. This has not yet been presented for Bosch's Smart System, but should give the new Wild a noticeable increase in range.
The new Orbea Wild: The most important e-bike facts at a glance
- Motor: Bosch Performance CX Smart
- Battery: Bosch Powertube 625 or 750, permanently installed
- Material: Carbon or aluminium
- Frame: 50 per cent stiffer, around 1kg lighter than its predecessor
- Suspension travel: 160 millimetres, optional 170 mm fork
- Wheel size: 29 inch
- From 20.9 kilos (top model, 625 battery)
- Three aluminium models from 5699 and 6999 euros
- Four carbon models between 7299 and 11999 euros
- Colour for carbon models via the MyO configurator according to customer requirements
Concept and frame of the new Orbea Wild
The chassis is made entirely of carbon, and the Basques have even had the shock absorber rocker and the cover of the charging port made of carbon fibre on the new Wild. This has hardly any functional advantages, but it does look high-quality. The frame of the e-MTB is said to weigh just 2.75 kilograms, without the motor and battery, of course. Saving weight is a means to an end in order to positively influence the handling of the bike.
The increased stiffness should also have a positive effect on the handling. The Orbea developers say that the lack of a hole in the down tube for removing the battery alone makes the frame 70 per cent stiffer with the same wall thickness as its predecessor. The final e-bike goes into series production a little softer. 50 per cent more stiffness than its predecessor should be the ideal compromise between neutral handling at high speeds on the one hand and sufficient compliance in rough terrain on the other. For comparison: In absolute terms, the new Orbea Wild is therefore about as stiff as the Enduro Rallon without motor.
The geometry of the new Orbea e-bike: modern and playful
In addition, the chainstays of the new Wild Enduro have been shortened to 448 millimetres for more playfulness and the bottom bracket has been left in a similarly low position as its predecessor with a BB drop of 25 millimetres. The longer reach of 480 millimetres in size L and a slacker steering angle of 64 degrees are now standard for more downhill safety. To ensure that the new Wild still climbs well, Orbea has made the seat angle quite steep at 77.5 degrees. This brings weight forwards on the climbs and prevents the front from becoming too light too soon. A positive side effect: the seat tube runs almost straight and maximises the insertion depth of long seat posts.
Steering stop, durability and suspension: frame details of the new Orbea Wild
To ensure that the frame lasts as long as possible, Orbea uses expensive bearings from Enduro Bearings in both the headset and the rear triangle of the new Wild, while a rubber lip on the bearing covers forms an additional barrier against the ingress of dirt and water. Speciality of the new Orbeas: The Wild also comes like the new cross-country bike Oiz with an in-house steering stop that works via a groove in the stem of Orbea's own brand OC-Components in combination with a special bearing shell. This allows the cables to run safely through the headset into the frame, while seals also prevent water from entering.
Classic stems can still be used, but then the advantage of the steering stop integrated into the cockpit is lost. In addition to the stem, Orbea has also introduced its own range of aluminium and carbon handlebars. The carbon models in particular, like the frame itself, have been optimised to achieve a good compromise between stiffness and comfort. A development goal that Orbea has also realised for the newly presented wheels of the Oquo own brand is the goal. Optimising not only the chassis but also the cockpit and wheels according to your own ideas sounds convincing and should ensure maximum performance on the trail for the new Wild E-Fully.
In terms of suspension, Orbea has stuck with a classic four-link rear suspension and only optimised the kinematics in the details. As a result, the shock is positioned classically in front of the down tube and leaves plenty of room for a water bottle or the future range extender. Unusual: The new rear suspension is less progressive than its predecessor. This means that Orbea is bucking a modern trend here. The new Wild should ride more lively in the first third of its travel, stick less to the ground on bunny hops and not be quite as firm in the final progression.
Orbea Wild: Aluminium frames, models and prices 2023
In addition to the model with a full carbon frame, the new Orbea Wild e-bike will also be available with an aluminium chassis. The model named "Hydro" by Orbea because of the hydroformed tubes comes very close to the look of the carbon bike with polished weld seams. The battery is also permanently installed here, which also gives the aluminium model a significant weight advantage over its predecessor. The frame is said to have been reduced by 1100 grams.
There will be a total of three models from 5700 euros with aluminium frames, the top model H10 will weigh 24.56 kilograms for 7000 euros with the 750 battery and enduro equipment. There is even the option of Fox Factory suspension and lightweight aluminium wheels from Orbea's newly founded own brand Oquo. The Wild E-MTB with carbon frame is available in four models from € 7300, and the aluminium and carbon versions of the Oquo wheels are also only included in the three more expensive versions. At the presentation of the new Wild, the top model is presented before our eyes on a previously zeroed Parktool scale - with a 625 battery but a thick Fox 38 and downhill shock as well as tyres to match, it settles at 20.9 kilograms. Only a few bikes with Bosch's weighty Smart system reach this region.
Customised paintwork at Orbea via MyO configurator
Another special feature of the carbon models: The paint finish can also be customised at no extra cost. Customers can choose the main colour, secondary colour and decals of the frame from a wide range of options and thus match the bike to their favourite look. Once the right look has been found, the bike is specially produced according to these ideas and painted by hand at Orbea's headquarters in Mallabia. The bike is then handed over in the traditional way at the specialist dealer.
Stiff, sporty, responsive: this is how the new Orbea Wild 2023 rides
At the bike launch in the Basque Country, we were able to get a first impression of the new Wild E-Enduro on the top-of-the-range M-LTD model. Unlike the standard model, our bike was fitted with a longer 170 mm fork and heavy Maxxis downhill tyres, which you can add in the configurator. This means that the bike with a 750 battery but aluminium wheels instead of the standard carbon wheels weighs around 23 kilograms.
The powerful Bosch Race motor leaves its mark on the Orbea Wild M-LTD on the climbs. The modulation and feel of the bike are impressive, and the ergonomics of the new mini-remote, which is only connected to the system controller on the top tube via Bluetooth, are also highly praised. For sporty use, this is a much better choice than the familiar LED remote. The suspension of the Orbea E-MTB performs excellently uphill, but due to the long fork and shorter chainstays, the front end is often raised on steep ramps.
Downhill, on the other hand, the new Wild is fully in its element. The stiff chassis gives the Bosch Fully a high reaction speed, and steering commands are implemented quickly and directly. Despite the rather long wheelbase and heavy tyres, the bike feels quite agile for an E-Enduro and can be pulled into the air with little effort. We were also impressed by the rear suspension performance.
The classic four-bar linkage looks very mature and impresses with its high sensitivity, but also remains as confident as possible even with harsh and fast impacts. In combination with the strong fork and the grippy tyres, the bike is difficult to bring to the limit on downhill rides, and the high stiffness did not result in a noticeable loss of comfort on the downhill. For a Bosch bike, the Wild remained relatively quiet downhill, with only a slight motor rattle during our test rides.
Conclusion Adrian Kaether, Editor EMTB
"The new Orbea is a character bike. The lack of a removable battery will put off practically minded riders and many a tourer, while the heavy Bosch system limits the weight and handling ambitions in theory. Against this background, however, the Wild proves to be an amazingly light and well thought-out E-Enduro, which manages an impressive balancing act between direct, light-footed handling and massive downhill qualities."
"Terrain and trails are becoming more and more extreme" - Orbea Product Manager, Markel Uriarte on the new Wild in an interview
EMTB: The battery on the Wild was always removable, now it's permanently installed. How come?
Markel Uriarte: Up to now, e-bikes have been used a lot on easier tours. However, more and more users are travelling on increasingly extreme terrain. On trails that were previously only used by enduro bikers without a motor. This changes the demands placed on a bike and the frame construction is the central adjusting screw here. Thanks to the permanently installed battery, we are far less restricted in the design and can create a stiffness and weight and thus handling that comes very close to a bike without a motor. We can also reduce the frame weight by almost a kilogramme and make the frame more durable at the same time.
How big is the difference in stiffness due to the permanently installed battery?
The hole in the down tube reduces the frame stiffness by 70 per cent while the frame construction and wall thickness remain identical.
What makes a frame that is too soft noticeable on the trail, for example on the old Wild?
This is particularly noticeable when riding the bike actively and when high forces are at work in berms and jumps. The bike behaves less predictably and is harder to control. On sloping roots or when riding more slowly, however, a frame that is too soft is less noticeable. However, the lower weight and lower centre of gravity due to the fixed battery also have advantages here.
However, this means that relaxed touring riders will benefit less. Who is the target group for the new Orbea Wild?
The new Wild is a bike for demanding trail and enduro bikers. Those who are looking for the off-road performance in an E-MTB that they already know from trail bikes or enduro bikes without a motor. However, the lower weight can also be an argument for touring riders.
You also presented the aluminium version, which now also comes with a fixed battery. What does this mean for stiffness, weight and handling?
Aluminium is always a challenge because you simply have more restrictions in terms of design than with carbon. But we wanted to bring the aluminium model as close as possible to the carbon bike and have therefore adopted the same principles for the frame construction, kinematics and geometry. The permanently installed battery even brings a weight saving of 1100 grams compared to the predecessor.
Adrian Kaether
Editor
