2018 Orbea Rallon M10

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During the 2018 Vital MTB Long-Travel 29er Test Sessions, the Orbea Rallon went head-to-head with four other leading bikes. What follows are our thoughts specific to the Rallon. Be sure to check out the main feature for an in-depth comparison video, timed testing results, and more.

Highlights

• Orbea Monocoque Race carbon frame
• 29-inch wheels
• 150mm (5.9-inches) of rear wheel travel // 160mm (6.3-inches) fork travel
• Advanced Dynamics suspension with concentric rear axle/pivot
• Offset Metric 230x60mm shock
• Shorter 44mm offset fork
• Adjustable geometry
• Internal cable routing
• Threaded bottom bracket with ISCG05 mounts
• 180mm rear brake post mount
• Boost 148mm rear spacing with 12mm through axle
• 1X-specific drivetrain
• Customizable paint and components via MyO program
• Measured weight (size large, no pedals): 31.4-pounds (14.3kg)
• Lifetime frame warranty with two years paint and finish
• MSRP: $4,999 USD base price, $6,890 as shown

Strengths

The Rallon's main strength is the fact that it stays composed through almost any terrain. Once we adjusted the bike to be in the lowest geometry setting, we felt more 'in' the bike and welcomed the stability through nearly every situation. It has a very quiet sense to, calming the terrain as it comes at you and allowing you to look that much further ahead. Like the Transition Sentinel, Orbea is now using a shorter-than-normal offset fork. In the 'Low' geometry setting things weren't clicking 100%, but dropping it into 'Lower' resulted in excellent connectivity to the terrain with the front wheel and allowed for a high level of trust in the bike.

The ability to completely customize the Rallon's build kit and paint job through the MyO program is really unique as well. Orbea even goes into the smallest details like having your name on the frame. You can pick your colors and parts easily, allowing you to tailor the bike to suit your preferences and riding style. Looking to keep the cost reasonable while maximizing performance where it really counts, we chose a mid-tier base build and upgraded to a higher-end FOX Factory 36 Float fork, FOX Factory DHX2 coil rear shock, SRAM Code RSC disc brakes, 25mm longer travel Race Face Turbine dropper post, and 5mm wider DT Swiss EX-1501 rims/wheels.

The bike's suspension was excellent on small to medium-sized hits, and provided a good amount of traction through rough terrain despite one of the narrower rear tires in our test. The frame design isn't super progressive, so we used a lot of travel on bigger hits when paired with the coil shock. Even so, the geometry and overall handling never gave us a reason to distrust the bike. Pumping the terrain with this setup resulted in plenty of speed.

Weaknesses

The Rallon took a bit more tuning than other bikes to make it feel perfect, and we can't help but think it would be better with an air shock and a more adjustable/progressive spring curve. Even with a firmer coil spring the bike would bottom out pretty easily in the rear, creating a slight imbalance. The positive of that imbalance was a more descent-oriented rearward weight bias, but nevertheless it was still an imbalance.

With a middle-of-the-road weight and a decent climb setting on the DHX2 shock, we thought the Rallon would climb a bit better than it did. It had a pretty firm response that wasn't bad, but also not exceptional like the way the Trek Slash has a very light feel or the Specialized Enduro 29 Coil has gobs of traction.

Be sure to take care while making the geometry adjustment, as the thin aluminum bits are prone to cross-threading.

Suggested upgrades for a few hundred dollars: We'd find a way to get a larger bottom-out bumper to give the shock some assistance deep in the stroke, as well a Maxxis Double Down rear tire.

Geometry

Suspension Analysis

Using the bike industry's leading linkage analysis software, André Santos was able to determine a close approximation of the Rallon's kinematics for the purpose of this review. Though they don't always tell the full story, these charts provide great insight into several key factors that impact how it rides.

André's Observations:

• The Rallon has a slightly progressive linkage at 8%, therefore you might need to tweak the shock (either via extra spacers or compression) to achieve more bottom-out resistance.
• This bike has relatively high anti-squat values compared to most bikes in this segment, with approximately 140% on middle cogs. This might provide a firmer suspension feel under hard pedaling.
• The amount of chain growth and pedal kickback is relatively higher than most trail bikes due to the high anti-squat values across the travel.
• Anti-rise values near 50% mean that there is a good balance between geometry preservation and traction under rear braking.
• Overall, the Rallon has almost linear suspension with relatively high anti-squat values.

Vital's preferred suspension settings for a 175-pound rider on stock components: 450# spring // HSR - 3 clicks from closed // LSR - 10 clicks from closed // HSC - 9 clicks from full firm // LSC - 11 clicks from full firm

What's The Bottom Line?

The Orbea Rallon, while not necessarily winning in any category, surprised us with its excellent handling and earned more and more of our trust as time progressed. It is stable and very communicative as to what is going on at the wheels. While the fork outshined the rear shock, creating a slight sense of imbalance, we feel this could be easily remedied at the time of purchase by selecting an air shock which is exceptionally easy with Orbea's MyO bike builder. We feel the Orbea excels in fast terrain, small to medium hits, and anywhere you would appreciate the unique combination of agility and stability, making it a great all-rounder. The frame has very nice details, can be customized to suit your paint preferences, looks well constructed, and is backed by a lifetime warranty.

Visit www.orbea.com and the 2018 Vital MTB Long-Travel 29er Test Sessions feature for more details.

Vital MTB Rating

About The Testers

Steve Wentz - Age: 33 // Years Riding: 21 // Height: 5'8" (1.73m) // Weight: 174-pounds (78.9kg)

"Despite what it looks like, I'm really precise and calculated, which I'm trying to get away from. I'm trying to drop my heels more and just let it go." Steve is able to set up a bike close to perfectly within minutes, ride at close to 100% on new trails and replicate what he did that first time over and over. He's been racing Pro DH for 15+ years including World Cups, routinely tests out prototype products, and can squish a bike harder than anyone else we know. Today he builds some of the best trails in the world.

Brandon Turman - Age: 31 // Years Riding: 16 // Height: 5'10" (1.78m) // Weight: 175-pounds (79.4kg)

"I like to have fun, pop off the bonus lines on the sides of the trail, get aggressive when I feel in tune with a bike, and really mash on the pedals and open it up when pointed downhill." Formerly a Mechanical Engineer and Pro downhill racer, Brandon brings a unique perspective to the testing game as Vital MTB's resident product guy. He has on-trail familiarity with nearly every new innovation in our sport from the past several years and a really good feel for what's what.

Photos by Luca Cometti // Video by gordo with assistance from Suspended Productions