First Look: Orbea's 2023 Rise eMTB Gets Even Lighter
It's been two years since Orbea launched their Rise Carbon ebike, one of the lightest eMTBs on the market. Since then they launched an aluminum version, the Rise Hydro, which offered a bigger battery and a lower cost while still maintaining a respectable weight.
Now it's time to update the carbon version. The main news is that Orbea have made it around 400 g lighter than the previous carbon Rise. That gives the lightest version a complete bike weight of 15.9 kg / 35.1 lb (claimed), which is lighter than some motorless trail bikes.
Orbea Rise 23 Details
• Claimed weight from 15.9 Kg (35.1 lb)
• Frame and battery ~ 400 g lighter than previous RIse
• Headset cable routing
• Updated Shimano EP 801 motor
• Shimano Di2 automatic shifting
• 29" wheels, 140/150 mm travel
• Price: $6,499 to $11,499
• orbea.com
• Claimed weight from 15.9 Kg (35.1 lb)
• Frame and battery ~ 400 g lighter than previous RIse
• Headset cable routing
• Updated Shimano EP 801 motor
• Shimano Di2 automatic shifting
• 29" wheels, 140/150 mm travel
• Price: $6,499 to $11,499
• orbea.com
That's assuming the same battery capacity as the old Rise carbon (360 Wh), but the new bike is also compatible with the 540 Wh battery from the Hydro model. Choosing the bigger battery adds 800 g to the weight, but there is now the option of 50% more range for only a slight weight penalty compared to the old bike.
Motor & Batteries
The Rise was built around a custom-tuned version of Shimano's EP8 motor that delivers 60 Nm of torque (instead of 85 Nm) in order to help improve efficiency and range with a smaller battery. Now they're using an updated version, Shimano EP801, with a more refined response and up to five assistance modes that can be configured in Shimano's app.
The big change is the battery. Weighing in at 1.9 kg, the smaller 360 Wh version is 300 g lighter than the one in the outgoing Rise, making up the bulk of the weight savings. The new battery also has mounts integrated into the battery; these save more weight and also make it cross-compatible with the 540 Wh battery first seen in the Rise Hydro. That means you can now get the Rise Carbon and the Rise Hydro with a choice of 360 Wh or 540 Wh batteries.
Orbea's (possibly optimistic) range estimates.
There's also an optional 252 Wh range extender, meaning you can pack up to 792 Wh of energy on board with either frame material. Couple that with the light build, relatively frugal motor and fast-rolling tires and it should be possible to get over 3,000 m (10,000 feet) of height gain on a single charge.
Frame Details
Like with their full-power Wild ebike, Orbea have decided to switch to through-headset cable routing. Not only that, the wire that connects the bar-mounted remote to the motor will be routed through the handlebar and stem in some models thanks to a Shimano Di2 compatible handlebar. You can swap to or spec a regular handlebar, but like it or not, all the cables have to go through the headset.
Less obviously, and less controversially, Orbea has reworked the carbon layup to save another 100 g from the frame weight, most notably from the rocker link.
Geometry
The geometry has not changed since the original Rise. It's designed to be an all-around trail bike, not an enduro sled.
Only the LTD model has a claimed weight under 16 kg. The mid-range bikes get 150mm Fox 36 forks instead of 140 mm Fox 34s, making them a much better choice in my book.
Pricing and specifications
Specifications are customisable on Orbea's website using their MyO ("My Orbea") program, so the standard specs above are just a starting point if you're buying online. Top models get Orbea's new in-house Oquo wheels. Some models get Shimano's new XT Di2 gearing, which can shift while coasting or even automatically. It's also interesting to see Orbea speccing Galfer rotors with Shimano brakes, like their EWS race team.
Orbea say the new Rise Carbon will be available to buy by the end of the year.
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And similarly to your buddy, my wife ate shit on her bike, fractured the shit out of 3 bones in her hand, requiring surgery, 18 screws and 3 plates. She fell on a sandy patch on a completely flat fire road 1.5 miles from the car while trying to brush a honey bee out of her helmet. This is something that can happen to anyone, regardless of what kind of bike they are on.
So, take your overly aggressive myopic view of other people's situation and their usage of bikes and keep it to yourself. You're free to think whatever you want, but when you do so aggressively and without any frame of reference, you become even more lame then the dudes on 70lb, diy ebikes dressed like football players from the 70's.
lexcept whats wrong wwith 70s football players?
I ended up in a group of MTBers that it was all I could do to try and keep up. We'd go passed a jump and they'd go around and I was left thinking "We aren't going to session this?"
When I talked to them later, they were all about fitness, wheels never leave the ground.
So your assumption would be if I got an ebike to keep up with them, I'd be riding faster than my skill.
The truth is, I don't give a damn about this thread, I don't give a damn about what people think about my wife on an ebike. I'm here, reading a website and killing time. My day is not impacted by what I say to you, or what you say to me, nor am I about to get "emotional". If you are interpreting this as someone "losing it on you", then you've done well in life without conflict.
it simply isnt true. don't do whatever appeases someone just for the sake of appeasment. A woman has no more intrinsic value than a man does.
if you want to boil it down to a trite saying, go with "happy spouse, you get to keep your house!"
Man, you are just stringing up the hits in this thread. My personal faves:
1) Anybody wanting/needing/appreciating an e-bike must be riding outside their still level. Let's just conveniently forget that some people take chairlifts to the top of the lines they ride and we have an entire subclass of biking that doesn't time the uphill sections. Totally ridiculous.
2) Super aggressive responses to anyone who disagrees, classic
3) Ageist Boomer joke on a mountain biking forum where the guys and gals that invented and built the sport (maybe even built the trails you ride) are Gen-Xers in their 40's and 50's.... many of whom would be super skilled riders and for some father time may not allow them all to keep up to their 18 year old kids, or busy moms shedding some baby weight, or dudes who enjoyed one too many DIPAs and are hoping to avoid a cardiac event on the grind up. Whatever their rationale, it's individual dude, and not your business.
4) Math issues: claims 1/3 of people are agreeing with him, when quite clearly the ratio is more like 10-1 against.
Anyway... you seem like a real treat of a human. It's fine to dislike e-bikes, but maybe approach it in a less judgmental, less know-it-all, way.
I'm 47 and hanging on to a peddly bike (including a steel HT) for as long as I can. I can still ride with riding buddies in their twenties, but I can foresee that my own groms will be out-pacing me in 5-10 years... it's going to be awesome to see, and you can bet I'll do anything I can to be there, even if it requires a battery.
SO HELP ME IF THIS BECOMES A STANDARD IN MTB
i know weight isn't everything (or even a majority of things) but my alloy 180mm nomad from 2014 was lighter than my carbon everything s-works stumpy evo
I rather ride 15-16kg Enduro than 12kg when going Fast.
I used to strap lead Bars to my Bottom Bracket when i did local DH Races on the Enduro
These parts are also structural allowing a designer to save some other weight. Furthermore, the motor includes the BB and crank spindle weight.
So basically, subtract about 7-8#s in the same spec for the bike weight with no motor/ battery.
Bigger wheels, beefier tyres, piggyback/coil shocks, beefier forks, droppers, more durable frames.
Did I forget anything?
Weight, strength, price: pick two because you can't have the third.
I think there's more material proportionally as well though, to cope with the harder riding modern geometry enables.
2. Everything is bigger, longer, more robust, allowing for dramatically more potential.
3. Not sure, but I bet DD/gravity tires are bigger, burlier, and heavier than their 2014 counterparts. And I bet we all flat less for it.
Lighter 650b tires weight sometimes 500g less each, so 1kg alone in tires
That being said, I cannot fathom why they would updated the frame molds and not make some rather obvious changes. Notably, the seat tubes are easily 10-30mm too long on each size (particularly the xl), the flip chip helps but they should have made the head angle 1 degree slacker then the original for a 65/65.5 hi/lo setting. And I absolutely, cannot believe they did not change the charge port location on the carbon model... at least they moved the power button so it doesn't interfere with the seat post.
And headset cable routing... neat. This bike (and many ebikes) are already annoying enough with internal routing that isn't fully sleeved, which requires dropping the motor. Because of this, it's very easy to pinch the dropper post housing in the battery or motor bypass, which can make motor removal a requirement for moving the post or removing the post from the frame. Normally, this would be a perfect use case for an AXS dropper.... PROVIDED YOU DON'T MAKE THE STUPID SEAT TUBE TOO LONG AND NOW I HAVE TO USE A 150MM DROPPER ON AN XL WITH A 34" INSEAM.
At any rate, I've got 2,500 miles on mine in 12 months. I loved it when I got it, I still love it and there hasn't been a bike on the market yet that is enough of an upgrade from the original rise carbon to justify moving on from mine. If they had made the changes I noted above and not used headset cable routing, mine would be for sale already. But now I'll ride it for another year and another 2,500 miles and then move on.
65nm is plenty of power for anyone who’s not trying to integrate a chairlift into their riding experience (large bodies excepted, where power to weight makes the extra assistance vital). I ride mostly Eco with occasional Trail mode when I’m tired and the range is great, phenomenal with the extender.
The new EP-801 motor is the only reason I might want the new Rise instead. If they got rid of the rattle and pumped up the peak watts from 500 to 600, that would be amazing. Hopefully we get more info on the motor update soon…
1 degree slacker is pretty noticeable.
Just last week I swapped bikes with a buddy for a trail or two, so he could try mine. The difference in HTA was about 1.2 degrees, but otherwise the bikes are pretty similar (same travel front/rear, both size L). And I can tell you the difference between 64.3 and 65.5 is easily as noticeable as changing stem lengths by 10-15mm.
Like those above, I'm surprised that they didn't slacken it some. With more than a few proper XC race bikes having HTA's that are dipping below 66 degrees these days, having a longer travel ebike with 66.5 seems a bit conservative.
disagree on flip chips - unneeded weight and complexity, this bike doesn't really need to be slacker, they'd need to come out with a "lightweight e-rallon" for what you want - the Rise is a great balance of playful yet stable. just doesn't fit the bike's intentions.
headset routing...we're all F'd on that front (BUT this is likely enabled a significant part of the frame weight savings)
Its not using the square/plug mount that Specialized used (thank god!) but this mounting style with a direct mount to the clevis/yoke is really hard on shocks since its not allowing for frame flex to be mitigated with a DU bushing/hardware... Add a DU and some hardware to help comply for rear triangle flex and you have a friendlier mount for shocks..
These lighter eebs do seem to be getting there.
For me that would be perfect. Easily can use any 200+ dropper with that seat tube.
And a slammed dropper on the seat tube looks nice and clean and doesn't creak like crazy.
The cable headset routing however is an absolute deal breaker for me.
It's a long bike... and with the added weight, dare I say my hardest bike to descend on (need to pay the most attention)
Then as someone who by most accounts on my height (5'8") needs a Medium, but by my Reach prefers a Large, the standovers are high and then the corresponding dropper options become limited.
As someone who likes a long bike, for my size, I always look for reach > seat tube + 35-40mm at least
Exactly Mark. I want 485-490mm reach and a 440-450mm seat tube...
Now it has headset cable routing.
Sorry Orbea. This otherwise nicely spec’d and good weight ebike is now officially off my list for anything for myself, and I won’t recommend it to anyone else.