Hot on the heels of the recently introduced Orbea Occam come a refreshed Rallon all-mountain/enduro bike and the all-new Loki 27.5+ hardtail that's meant to entertain or provide an improved entry into mountain biking. Sit back and listen to the highlights before diving into the numbers and our initial ride impressions.
Rallon Geometry
Loki Geometry
Rallon Initial Impressions
The 2015 Rallon got a pretty positive review during the Vital MTB Test Sessions last year. In fact it was among the best of the enduro bikes we tested the entire year, prompting our test riders to write things like:
"Pointed downhill, holy moly! The Rallon rallies! The calculated combination of the geometry and BOS suspension really make this bike come alive, and it was truly an eye opening experience. It begs to be ridden faster and faster and launch higher and farther, and we never felt as though the bike was overwhelmed. It can be casually ridden as well, although the slack head angle makes it really shine at speed."
"The Orbea Rallon oozes confidence. It inspires its pilot to push harder all the time and rewards those that oblige. Rough and chunky terrain are where it excels most, but it’s no slouch elsewhere. We'd be hard pressed to find a trail that the Rallon would struggle to rally."
"We haven’t thrown a leg over many bikes in the last few years that felt as comfortable and eager so quickly."
"Orbea knocked the ball out of the park with this one, and we’d recommend the Rallon to any aggressive rider. It’s a great ride, especially if you live for the descents."
So where did Orbea go from there? The slightly longer reach, slacker head angle, and Maxxis tires only add to the bike's capability, and the cleaner look for 2016 is just icing on the cake. It still features "Low" and "Lower" adjustable geometry via the shock mount for those wanting to drop the bottom bracket 7mm and slacken the angles by half a degree. Moving to aluminum wheels makes the high-end model quite a bit more attainable, too.
Regarding set up, know that those who spend time dialing in the BOS suspension rave about performance. That said, it wasn't as easy to set up as a FOX 36 or RockShox Pike, and we always felt like we got just a little too much feedback through our hands due to high damping levels. It's massively adjustable though, and with some dedicated time to optimize the settings it could realize that potential.
“Where’s the carbon frame?” Orbea’s stance is still that the rider looking for the best ride will benefit more from custom-tuned high-end BOS suspension and great components than saving a few hundred grams on the frame. For now...
Loki Initial Impressions
The Loki was a bike none of my group of aggressive, enduro/dh racer types expected to enjoy. We made up names for it, we made fun its not-quite-fat-bike looks, and generally wrote it off as the efforts of yet another bike company chasing a potential trend or dollars.
Then we ate our words. Every last one of us. In some test circles it was the favorite bike, and to everyone it was a surprise.
Orbea's motivation for the Loki was to create a first bike or a second bike, not necessarily the last bike you'll ever need as some 27.5+ marketing campaigns seems to suggest. Personally I think this is really where the "Plus" bike philosophy shines. We've all seen it: beginner rider, cheap hardtail with 1990's geometry, crappy suspension, long stem and skinny tires, struggling to find confidence and struggling even harder to find traction. The Loki minimizes so many of these factors it's hard to overstate. Where even the Rallon (and all bikes like it) got nervous at speed over chunky rock and gravel trails, the Loki just goes in a straight line. The plump 8-10psi inflated tires taking care of the trail irregularities with ease. Poor line choice around protruding rocks? No problem. Instead of paying for the mistake with a jolt through the handlebars and some quick reflexes, the Loki just stays put in whatever direction it was going.
Truly, it's a bike that softens the initial learning curve for beginners both climbing uphill and descending back down. Eventually, yes, they may want to trade-in the hardtail frame and plus-size tires for something more aggressive and quicker handling, but that's sort of the point. Rather than being discouraging to novice riders, 27.5+ bikes could potentially be confidence builders.
For more advanced riders the Loki is just good fun, with little of the sluggish feel associated with fat bikes, and far more practical as a second bike for sloppy early season rides or long days in the back country with your mates. In group rides with the Loki, Rallon, and Occam, the Loki easily kept pace on all but the paved road transfer back to the trailhead, and even then it felt no worse than pedaling a sticky-tired enduro racer around on paved ground (better really, if we're honest).
Racers and traditionalists are lining up to mock the 27.5+ movement (guilty as charged), but one has to wonder if creating bikes for slightly older, less aggressive masses or outright beginners rather than racers is the smart path forward. Yes, in capable hands the Rallon is a weapon, but for your average rider or weekend adventurer a slightly more forgiving, more comfortable, and ever so slightly slower ride like the Loki might just be the ticket.
Rallon Models
Loki Models
Pricing
Visit www.orbea.com for more details.
Photos and ride impressions by Lee Trumpore.
View replies to: First Look: 2016 Orbea Rallon 27.5 and Loki 27.5+
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