NEWS It’s one of the most climb-happy, pedal-friendly bikes we’ve slung a leg over in this segment of the market. This follows what Orbea felt was the general trend in mountain biking over the past couple of years. Your information has been successfully processed! The faster tires, snappier suspension and more upright feel make the Occam more like a trail bike. In terms of travel and intent, the Occam seems much more like a short travel Rallon than it does a long travel Oiz. Riding since the age of 13, Technical Editor Tom has ridden hundreds of bikes over the past few years, from aero race bikes to EWS-ready enduro rigs, with a fair few others in between. You also get a lower specced Shimano brake, but many of the components are the same as much higher-level bikes — this looks like great value for money. Not only is it actually a few pounds lighter it rides lighter. With this set up being such a breeze, it was easy to hop on to the bike and focus on learning exactly how the Occam performed on a variety of terrain. At 6’2” I felt very comfortable on the XL frame. Here’s where things get pretty cool. Orbea Occam H10. Was this an intentional choice on Orbea’s part, to prioritize sharpness over plush? The Hightower sits deeper in its travel and doesn’t climb as well, but it packs a bigger punch. Saddle: Fizik Taiga Kium rail THE DIRT The rear triangle could easily be confused for a Trek ABP, or a Weagle Split Pivot. These two bikes have very similar amounts of travel, geometry and fill the same niche. You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you agree to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. Unfortunately, my checkbook read “Insufficient Funds” or there’s be a shiny new Occam in my house today. There’s a Shimano XT groupset and brakes, with a RaceFace finishing kit. If you’re looking for a trail bike that can pull an extra shift as an enduro bike, the Hightower is the way to go. This added £132 in cost over the original 140mm Fox 34. The Occam M10 comes with a 140mm Fox 34. The riding position is comfortable, it’s very efficient and the customisation options are brilliant. It’s happy to go at your pace. Can you guess what we chose? As a bike for long backcountry rides in big terrain, or one that might need to handle anything from twisty mellow singletrack to high-speed alpine rock gardens to jump sessions, it’s a very worthy choice. The Geometry is of course not as progressive as many bikes that are coming out. Orbea Occam M30. This operated an Orbea branded dropper post. I’m not always the biggest fan of the do-it-all bike. Period. The suspension is now much more progressive through its stroke to give the supple early, supportive mid and ‘safe’ end of stroke that’s so often asked for in a trail bike. By the end of the day I couldn’t stop grinning. The bike comes with a 0.2cc spacer in the shock, so I left this in and added a bit of low-speed compression, to see if I could control it this way. We’re pretty stoked on the tool-free derailleur hanger removal that this latest generation incorporates. You can change direction and squeeze through tighter turns on the Orbea Occam with ease, yet there’s still a great deal of descending potential to be tapped into. If you just want to cruise and take it easy, the bike is happy doing that. The bike doesn’t wallow in its travel either. Find our complete review and final thoughts of the Orbea Occam here! The hydroformed alloy frame has a highly polished finish. Remember the more enduro-focused Rallon that we. A tad unsettling at first, but resolved with a less lazy approach in the corners. The Occam’s 140mm of rear suspension proved plenty squishy in the rough stuff. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window). Chalk that up to a mighty-steep 76.5-degree seat angle, those sweet wheels, and suspension that provides excellent pedal sup- port when mashing. I’m trying to wrap my head around what made me struggle with the Occam for the first few minutes. Geometry on the Orbea Occam is quite average for a bike in 2020 – which is no bad thing – with the size Large tested sporting a 474mm reach and 627mm stack. Wheelset: DT Swiss XM-1650 Spline 30c TLR CL, Star Ratchet, Boost You have to tell it where to go, tell it how to get around a corner and take charge. Ross hops aboard the Orbea Occam M10 – is it really the all rounder it’s billed as? It comes with Performance level Fox 34 and DPS suspension, DT Swiss M1900 Spline wheels and High Roller II tyres, and an XT/SLX mix 12-speed drivetrain. The bike loves getting in the air. The Orbea Occam is an efficient and spritely trail bike for all-day epics. Should you buy the bike directly from Orbea, you’re able to make a number of selective spec changes to items such as tyres, forks, shocks and brakes. The Orbea Occam M10 is built using their OMR (Orbea Monocoque Race) carbon fiber frame, which blends “high-modulus and high-strength carbon fibers” to create a “combination of stiffness, low weight and durability that is unmatched”, in their words. CONTACT US I have mixed opinions about this. The Occam could, therefore, focus on what a trail bike really needs to be: capable up the climbs and very capable back down, too. Charlie Sturgis helped Park City evolve from singletrack zero to hero, Meet the Bible testers and their favorite bikes, Understated, but not to be underestimated, Park City prospers amid a wealth of trails, Subscribe to our free newsletter and stay up-to-date with the latest from Our first day included a number of shuttle runs. At $5,499, the M10 sees a full Factory level Fox suspension package paired with the excellent Shimano XT groupset, DT Swiss XM-1650 wheelset and a Race Face cockpit. There is plenty of mid stroke support to push off of to get the rear wheel off the ground. For all the detailed information, check out our first look article. BIKE REVIEWS Cross-country is getting gnarlier (hence the Oiz TR), and the Rallon was more successful than it imagined it would be. Few bikes have provided such a good time on so many different types of trail, be it mellow trail centers, flowy bike parks or natural gnar, the Occam provides a great tool for it all. STORE, ABOUT US RETURNS & REFUNDS, Copyright 2017-2020 The Loam Wolf | All Rights Reserved |. You can still run a chainguide, but not a taco-type chainring protector. The person with the smartest and most helpful replies will earn some sweet new gear. I’m not going to lie. I took our Occam for a rip on some classic Park City single track. The stiffness of the carbon rear end is not excessive, with a small amount of give that combines with the relatively compliant DT wheels to strike a nice balance. Subscribe today and get the next 3 issues of your favourite cycling magazine for just £5! The carbon frame that the M10 is built around has up to date geometry with a roomy reach (474mm, Large) and a steep seat angle (77 degrees) to put you in a comfortable, efficient position on the bike. Wait, you want more? The 4-pot XT brakes combined with 180mm Freeza rotors provided consistent braking throughout testing, with no hint of the shifting bite point that has plagued many of its predecessors, and a surprisingly well modulated power delivery for a Shimano brake. It still has an exciting ride quality that keeps you coming back for more. After the next run, I decided to remove the compression damping and fit the 0.4cc spacer instead to give me a better bottom-out resistance, while also being able to run less compression damping on the shock. All of these components except the seatpost will bump the price up in $50-60 increments. This instantly felt better; better sensitivity and more controlled on bigger hits. The Occam makes the perfect sized jump to more modern geometry. It goes up really well and will keep the climbers happy and it goes downhill as fast and hard as you want it to. Having the link joining the down and seat tubes together (rather than top and seat tube) means easier access to the shock’s controls too, apparently. As a customer, you can choose the length of the Crankbrothers Highline dropper post, you can select between Maxxis High Roller/Rekon tires or Minion DHF/DHR rubber, you can opt for a Fizik Taiga saddle or upcharge to a Selle Italia X-LR Ti Flow, and you can further bling up the front end with a Kabolt axle. What’s neat is that the rear wheel’s axle effectively holds the rear triangle together. First, Orbea has done a great job keeping this thing efficient. The supportive nature of the Orbea Occam’s rear end is somewhat of a super-power in fact. The more ‘exciting’ aspect of MyO is the ability to change the colour of the frame, with no additional cost. The cockpit was paired with Shimano’s dropper post lever, neatly synced thanks to its I-spec system. When you do that, it really comes alive. Orbea Occam M10 2020 Review | One Bike, Many Purposes? Finishing the bike off was a RaceFace cockpit — Aeffect R stem and 780mm Next R bar — and Fizik Taiga saddle. Furthermore, if you purchase from Orbea you’ll be able to make use of the MyO program, which lets you pick the various different colours of the frame and logos, as well as have a few words of your choice (name, team etc) printed on to the seatstays. I really like that style of bike and it’s what I’m accustomed to. Up to date geometry, impressive suspension and customisable to your heart's content, The Giant Stance looks to topple pricier rigs, Calibre’s limited-edition Triple B with piggyback shock and sticky rubber radness arrives, Best mountain bike disc brakes: 10 hydraulic discs tested, It’s back to 1990 as Rapha launches retro-inspired collection, Best mountain bike 2020: how to choose the right one for you, Shimano XT M8100 vs Shimano SLX M7100 | weights, specs and differences, Best electric bikes reviewed: our favourite ebikes in 2020. The rear triangle could easily be confused for a Trek ABP, or a Weagle Split Pivot. By our reckoning, this gives you over 31 million different colour combinations, so get creative. Looking at its range as a whole, Orbea decided that the Occam now has a narrower customer profile and this has allowed it to give a more ‘specialised’ suspension feel. Early developments of the new bike included the ‘R-Occam’, which took the Occam’s front triangle and bolted in the Rallon’s rear, with an angle-set to fine-tune the shape. With a slammed 170mm dropper I was barely able to fit. Pumping terrain generates a lot of speed instead of just smushing through 160mm of plushness. There’s rubberised protection on the down tube and along the chainstays, again to keep the noise down and paint/frame protected. Up front was a Maxxis High Roller II and at the back a fast-rolling Rekon: 2.5in Wide trail up front, 2.4in Wide Trail at the back, with the High Roller getting the triple compound treatment. Rear tire: Minion DHR 2.4″ (R) TLR EXO, DRIVETRAIN The smooth frame lines and matte paint finish ooze quality, and the bike arrives fully built up (in what can only be described as a cardboard mansion) so you can get on the trail in a matter of seconds. Nothing unmanageable, but it can lead to a loss of traction under braking from time to time and can have flat pedal riders looking for taller pedal pins. Here, the steep-ish seat angle and stable suspension combine to give a very competent climbing performance. I opted for the size Large Orbea Occam, which at 6’2″ is slightly “too small” for me based on Orbea’s size guide, however I’m not fully sold on the extra long reach movement. This alloy mule let Orbea test various set-ups. Yes, house - bikes belong inside with the humans and pets, not in the cold, lonely garage with the spiders. I’ll indulge. The H10 is the top-level alloy Occam for 2020. The Fox DPX2 and DPS shocks come with a 0.2cc volume spacer fitted as standard, but the bike arrives with a 0.4cc spacer for more aggressive riders, and Orbea says the bike will also perform nicely without any spacers if you’re into the more ‘XC’ aspect of trail riding.