Owner Review: Orbea ORCA M20i Team 2021
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Total rating
Summary
Despite its high price, the ORCA is a high-performance bicycle. Being a mid-range bike, it can be a great option for already advanced cyclists who want to improve it with their own components.
It is a bike that inspires confidence. Its clean cables and easy handling characteristics make it a perfect bike. So, if you are an experienced cyclist or you compete, this is the bike that I definitely recommend.
Pros
- The look of the bike is very elegant and clean. On the front, we find just two cables that are perfectly concealed.
- Orbea bikes, and more specifically the ORCA M20I, have a great possibility of customization.
- The components that the bike brings are branded originals and their quality is quite good.
- Its reactivity on climbs is very high despite its high weight.
Cons
- It comes assembled as standard with the Fulcrum 700 wheels. Made of a material such as aluminum, they give the bike excessive weight and slowness.
- Accompanying the wheels are the Vittoria Rubino tires. These are mid-range tires that feel heavy and in the rain convey little security.
User Review
( votes)Introduction
Over the last few years, the Basque brand ORBEA has made a great leap in quality when it comes to the production and sale of bicycles. In 1840 they manufactured their first bicycle and today they have a wide variety of them in their catalog such as: Electric, gravel, road, or MTB among others.
In this article, I am going to talk about one of their most renowned road bikes, the ORBEA ORCA M20i Team 2021. If you’re looking for versatility, this can be a great option.
By having a large tire clearance, the ORCA M20i gives you a variety of options when mounting one or the other. You can mount tires from 25 to 35, including gravel tires.
Everything mentioned above plus its comfort and very few design difficulties make it a very elegant bike. It is a colorful bicycle, pleasant to look at and the cleanliness it has (you hardly see any cables) is sensational.
It comes equipped with a 12-speed DI2 Ultegra Shimano gearing and accompanied by disc brakes. With a price close to $5,000, this bike can be perfect both for riders looking for maximum performance in the competition or riders looking for comfort and enjoyment.
Build Quality
The ORCA is made entirely of carbon. This makes the vibrations much lower, thus increasing the comfort of the cyclist. Major modifications have been made to the rear tubes. Compared to years ago, the rear tubes have been made more rounded for greater absorption of force and less vibration.
Design
The design of this bike is simple, far from any difficulty. Despite this, the bike looks elegant. The design of its frame is geometrically equal to that of its older brother, since this ORCA is in the second range of ORBEA.
Many users see a great resemblance to the “Cervelo Caledonia“. It is true that they have a great resemblance but each one presents its hallmark. The thickness of the bicycle tubes has increased compared to previous years. This increases comfort but weighs heavily on both the aerodynamics and the speed of the bike itself.
It is a frame designed entirely for the road. It does not have any hook or hole for the placement of saddlebags for instance. Another of its modifications is that it is shorter and higher than other bikes.
Components
The entire bike is equipped with the 12-speed electronic DI2 ultegra Shimano electronic groupset. This was presented in the summer of 2021, but it was not until 2022 that it began to be mounted on the new bicycles. This is one of the best groupsets on the market, so it makes sense that it doesn’t have any faults.
The cycling I do is competition cycling. The importance of not wasting too much time on braking is paramount. That’s why the new brakes made by Shimano are such a great option. Shimano has improved its brakes by finally introducing the bleeder pump in the lever.
Shimano claims that by tapping the brake with the same force, the new version brakes 10% more than the previous one. This is because the pistons open and close more quickly.
The touch is super good and after having tried them, I can assure you that they brake efficiently.
Specifications
- Fork: ORBEA ORCA OMR ICR fork 2021, full carbon.
- Crankset: Shimano Ultegra R8100 39x53t
- Headset: Acros Alloy 1-1/2″ Internal Cable Routing
- Handlebar: OC RP20 Road Performance SL
- Stem: OC RP10 Road Performance ICR
- Shifters: Shimano ST-8170
- Brakes: Shimano R8170 Hydraulic Disc
- Cassette: Shimano Ultegra R8100 11-30t 12-Speed
- Rear Derailleur: Shimano Ultegra Di2 R8150
- Front Derailleur: Shimano Ultegra Di2 R8150
- Chain: Shimano M8100
- Wheels: FULCRUM Racing 600 DB
- Tires: Vittoria Rubino IV G2.0 Foldable 700x25c
- Seatpost: OC XP10 Performance Carbon SB20, 27,2mm, w/Micro tilt adjustment
- Saddle: Prologo Scratch-M5
- Handlebar Plugs: ORBEA Anti-Slippery/Shock Proof
- Front Wheel Axle: ORBEA Thru Axle 12x100mm M12x2 P1 Hollow
- Rear Wheel Axle: ORBEA Thru Axle 12x142mm M12x2 P1 Hollow
Verdict
If you are looking for a high-performance bike, this is yours. Costing close to $5,000 and with many customization possibilities, the ORBEA ORCA M20I TEAM is one of the best bikes on the market, in my opinion.
Jon is a young 19-years-old cyclist who was introduced to the world of cycling when he was only 5 thanks to his father and his brother. He is currently studying Mechanical Engineering at the Public University of Navarra and rides for the TELCO, M-ON CLIMA-OSÉS Navarre sub-23 team.
