News | 175 Year-Old Orbea Release New Occam AM & TR
Searching for ‘Orbea Bikes’ on our favourite search engine presents a rather punctual introduction: ‘Road bikes 37 Bicycles; Mountain bikes 32 Bicycles; Triathlon bikes 13 Bicycles; Urban bikes 13 Bicycles;’ – whether purposeful or otherwise a clerical error, experience doesn’t evade Orbea, especially with 175 years of production to strengthen not only their machining portfolio, but their frames, too.
Starting in the production of firearms, Orbea took a slightly different route to the norm of entering the scene, which wasn’t necessarily a bad direction to take. Producing gun barrels which could handle such high pressure formed a transition into ultra stiff Tour De France racing frames, and although their company has pushed forward into the realms of mountain biking, their ideology still holds true; ‘progress is incremental’.
Who is Occam for?
Occam TR is for trail rider who love the efficiency and speed of 29” wheels – those who prefer long days in the saddle, craving a balance of downhill speed and lightweight stability.
Occam AM is the choice of riders who want more travel and maneuverability – those who are looking for a bit more fun on the descents and want a bike with a rugged specification.
The 2016 Occam bears little resemblance to the first Occam launched in 2008, but look underneath the technological advances and suspension improvements of each successive generation and you will always find the spirit of trail riding. Every Occam was designed to rip singletrack and the pedigree speaks for itself.
Occam was created with an emphasis on design collaboration. Take advantage of the global outlook, sharing input from Orbea riders every- where – from the Pyrenees to the United States, from Barcelona to Australia and Asia. The team of designers and engineers work hand-in-hand with product managers and sales staff to constantly improve the design and function of their bicycles.
To ride everywhere is a tall order. No other MTB category has the same wide interpretation of what makes the perfect bike. Some riders prefer a long-legged trail machine, something just a few clicks slacker and plusher than XC. Another rider’s idea of a “do it all” bike has longer all- mountain travel and is designed to take alter- nate lines and bigger hits. With this in mind, Occam is the largest family of Orbea bikes. Two different models offer different travel and speci- fications in two materials.
Both the AM and TR use ‘Occam Carbon’ – Occam’s own carbon system, which when twinned with the pivot less rear end, makes the whole bike elegantly simple without bearings, axles and stress risers. This saves 120grams compared to other models with rear axles. The Occam also comes with a lifetime warranty.
Spec
Orbea Occam AM M-LTD
Frame: Occam AM 27.5
Shock: Fox Float Factory DPS
Fork: Fox Float 34 Factory 27.5
Crankset: RaceFace Next SL
Headset: 1.5 x 1-1/8
Handlebar: RaceFace Next 35mm
Stem: RaceFace Turbine
Shifters: Shimano XTR
Brakes: Shimano XTR Trail
Rear Derailleur: Shimano XTR 11SPD
Wheels: DT Swiss Spline
Seatpost: Rock Shox Reverb Stealth
Saddle: Fizik Gobi M5
Orbea Occam TR M-LTD
Frame: Occam Trail 29
Shock: Fox Float Factory DPS
Fork: Fox Float 32 Factory 29 120mm
Crankset: RaceFace Next SL
Headset: 1.5 x 1-1/8
Handlebar: RaceFace Next 35mm
Stem: RaceFace Turbine
Shifters: Shimano XTR
Brakes: Shimano XTR Trail
Rear Derailleur: Shimano XTR 11SPD
Wheels: DT Swiss Spline
Seatpost: Rock Shox Reverb Stealth
Saddle: Fizik Gobi M5
Price
Starting off by hitting the wallet at €1999 for the TR H50, the Occam shoots up through five other variants to the highest spec’d TR M-LTD, equipped with Fox Float 32 fork, Shimano XTR groupset and DT Swiss Spline for an understandably eye watering €6999.
The AM, taking a €100 more expensive route for its range, comes in at €2099 for the 140mm AM H50, up to €7099 for the AM M-LTD, sporting the same spec as the TR M-LTD, just with 20mm more travel. So, we guess that finally know how travel is valued in the bike industry; €5 per MM.
For more info, visit: orbea.com
Words: Andrew Richardson & Orbea Photos: Orbea
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