Orbea Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide: Oiz, Occam, Alma & More

Orbea has been building bikes in Mallabia, Spain for over 100 years and it has been racing them for nearly as long. Its mountain bikes have won some of the world’s biggest races, including Olympic gold, and its current crop of bikes are top contenders in any off-road discipline. If you’re looking for an Orbea mountain bike, this guide will cover the differences between each model so you can pick the bike that’s best for you.

Orbea MTB models explained

Aluminum vs. carbon models

The Alma, Oiz, Oiz TR, Occam, and Occam LT are offered with either aluminum or carbon fiber frames. Orbea’s aluminum frames use lightweight hydroformed and triple-butted aluminum tubing while carbon frames use Orbea’s OMX or OMR carbon fiber. The OMX/OMR moniker refers to the carbon layup of the frame. OMX is the lightest and highest quality. OMR carbon is slightly heavier and marginally less stiff, but it’s more affordable.

OMR carbon frames are 500-600 grams lighter than aluminum frames. OMX carbon frames are another 200-300 grams lighter than OMR frames. Most carbon Orbea mountain bikes use OMR carbon. Top-end (M Pro, M Team, and M LTD) Alma and Oiz models switch to OMX carbon to save additional weight.

Aluminum and carbon models can be identified by the letter following the model name. “H” designates aluminum models and “M” designates carbon models.

Model hierarchy

Orbea model names are accompanied by a number indicating the component build level. Numbers will range from 50-10. Lower numbers indicate that a bike is built with nicer components. Top-of-the-line models will use “pro,” “team,” or “LTD” instead of a number.

Orbea Alma

The Alma is a lightweight XC hardtail and the choice of elite racers who demand the most efficient bike. Aboard the Alma, XC legend Julien Absalon took his second Olympic gold medal in 2008 and Catharine Pendrel won the XC world championship in 2011. The latest version has kept up with industry trends, slacking out the headtube to a confidence-inspiring 68 degrees.

Orbea Oiz

The Oiz (pronounced like “Oy-eth” — the name is Basque in origin) is Orbea’s full-suspension XC race bike. It features a rear shock that is neatly recessed into the top tube to create a sleek silhouette and free up space to fit two water bottles. It also has an impressive race pedigree with several World Cup XC wins and a win at BC Bike Race.

Orbea Oiz TR

The “TR” or trail version of Oiz adds 20mm of travel front and rear to make it more capable on descents. It can be considered Orbea’s “downcountry” bike, a cross-country bike that balances downhill performance and pedaling efficiency. It will hold its own in fast XC races, but it’s versatile enough to satisfy trail riders doing big rides on technical terrain.

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