If you like being the centre of attention, you’ll love the Orbea Rallon! No other bike garnered as much attention and as many comments during our tests. For all of those we didn’t meet on the trails, here are the answers to the many questions about how the bike rides.
For an overview of the test fleet head to the group test: The Crème de la Crème – Nine high-end enduro bikes of 2018 in comparison
160/150 mm (f/r) | 13.72 kg | € 6,689
You just have to love the Orbea Rallon! The elaborately manufactured asymmetric carbon frame with a clear view of and access to the shock just looks incredibly good. On top of that, every customer can design the bike completely in the colours of their choice using Orbea’s own configurator – and it’s free. Even the components can be selected according to personal preference. Our test bike in the M-Team version came with a FOX DHX2 steel coilover shock instead of the FLOAT X2 air shock and goes for € 6,689. You get a SRAM X01 Eagle drivetrain, sturdy DT Swiss EX 1501 SPLINE ONE wheels, and stylish Race Face bits to finish it off. We would recommend using the configurator to invest € 39 in a set of SRAM CODEs instead of the standard Guide brakes. The total weight of 13.72 kg is perfectly acceptable.
The looks of a supermodel… but with significantly less affectation. You just have to love the Orbea Rallon!
Once seated on the Orbea Rallon, you immediately notice the rather compact and very comfortable seating position. Thanks to the steep seat tube angle, you sit in a very central position and keep a lot of pressure on the front wheel, even up steep sections. The Rallon is a good climber and takes the sting out of long, hard uphills thanks to the efficient rear triangle (despite having a coil shock). Due to the rather moderate reach (455 mm in size L) and short stem, the bike rides very directly, possessing a successful combination of composure and agility. Orbea has opted to give the Rallon a fork with a shortened offset (44 mm), stabilizing the steering and making it capable of railing through long corners with ease. This behaviour is supported by the low bottom bracket (35 mm BB-drop in X-Low setting), whereby the rider is well integrated into the bike. In tight, slow sections, the Rallon is a bit sluggish and requires some muscling to make it around tight corners. The rear linkage together with the coil-sprung shock is very sensitive and provides sufficient feedback and a lot of traction while braking. Orbea puts the pivot point of the rear linkage exactly on the axle, which keeps the suspension active during braking. However, on very fast, hard hits, the bike lacks the necessary progression (the linkage has only 10% progression) and starts to struggle in the end of its travel. For ambitious riders, the FOX FLOAT X2 certainly is the better choice and can be easily selected in the configurator. We’ve received an air shock from Orbea in the meantime, and we’re curious to see what kind of difference it will make. We will report on our experience with both shocks in a long-term review to come.
The Orbea Rallon M-Team in detail
Fork FOX FLOAT 36 Factory 160 mm
Rear shock FOX DHX2 150 mm
Brakes SRAM Guide RSC 200/180 mm
Drivetrain SRAM GX Eagle
Seatpost Race Face Turbine 150 mm
Stem Race Face Turbine R 35 mm
Handlebar Race Face Next 800 mm
Tires MAXXIS Minion DHF 2.5″ / 2.3″
Wheelset DT Swiss EX 1501 SPLINE ONE
Weight 13.72 kg
Price € 6,689
Even in the high geometry setting, the Rallon rides very stably. If you set the flip chip to Lower, the bottom bracket drops further, and you become even more centred on the bike. This is great for extremely steep trails.
Thanks to the asymmetric frame design, Orbea not only gave the Rallon a special look, but also made room for a bottle cage. We like!
They’re back! More and more new bikes are returning to threaded bottom brackets instead of press-fit. Although they’re less stiff, they are not noticeably so, and they are much easier to maintain and change. Brilliant!
The frame of the Rallon is a real feast for the eyes. If you do not like the paintwork, you can design the bike in the online configurator in the colours of your choice. It gives you a choice of more than 7.4 million combinations – and it’s completely free!
The geometry of the Orbea Rallon
| Size | SM | LG | XL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seat tube | 406 mm | 444 mm | 483 mm |
| Top tube | 583 mm | 611 mm | 644 mm |
| Head tube | 100 mm | 110 mm | 125 mm |
| Head angle | 65°/ 65.5° | 65°/ 65.5° | 65°/ 65.5° |
| Seat angle | 76° | 76° | 76° |
| Chainstays | 435 mm | 435 mm | 435 mm |
| BB High | 343 / 336 mm | 343 / 336 mm | 343 / 336 mm |
| Wheelbase | 1187 mm | 1217 mm | 1253 mm |
| Reach | 430 mm | 455 mm | 485 mm |
| Stack | 615 mm | 624 mm | 637 mm |
Conclusion
The Orbea Rallon M-Team not only scores with its appearance, but also with its enormous versatility. It climbs terrifically and will put a grin on your face on every kind of downhill. However, the rear linkage doesn’t seem to harmonise quite so well with the coil shock. Thanks to the numerous configuration options, you can opt for an air shock instead.
Strengths
+ climbs phenomenally
+ confidence-inspiring geometry on the downhills
+ stunning looks and many configuration options
Weaknesses
– in the case of fast, hard blows, the DHX2 quickly becomes overwhelmed
– loud rattling of the chainstay protector
Uphill
Downhill
Stability
Agility
Value for money
For more info head to: orbea.com
The test fleet
For an overview of the test fleet head to the group test: The Crème de la Crème – Nine high-end enduro bikes of 2018 in comparison
All bikes in test: Cannondale Jekyll 1 | Canyon Strive CF 9.0 | Evil The Wreckoning X01 | Kona Process 153 CR 27,5 | Merida ONE-SIXTY 8000 | Santa Cruz Nomad 4 CC XX1 | Specialized Enduro 29 Pro | Trek Slash 9.8
This article is from ENDURO issue #032
ENDURO Mountainbike Magazine is published in a digital app format in both English and German. Download the app for iOS or Android to read all articles on your tablet or smartphone. 100% free!
Did you enjoy this article? If so, we would be stoked if you decide to support us with a monthly contribution. By becoming a supporter of ENDURO, you will help secure a sustainable future for high-quality mountain bike journalism. Click here to learn more.
Words: Photos: Christoph Bayer, Valentin Rühl
