Long Term Review: Obrea Oiz

The Orbea Oiz radically questions the motto “everything was better in the past” and simultaneously opens up a whole host of fundamental debates. The longer we rode the Orbea Oiz in our long-term test, the more it opened our eyes. But what is the bottom line on the Orbea Oiz after over 2000 kilometers in our long-term test?

The Orbea Oiz features 120 mm of travel, chunky 2.4-inch tires, a dropper post, and a lockout lever that allows you to completely lock out the bike. This bike has been on the podium of the MTB-CC World Cup under Simon Andreassen and has even won the legendary Cape Epic in South Africa as a part of the Speed Company Racing Team. And yet, to my neighbor at the campsite, it doesn’t seem like a real mountain bike. Not a shredder. Not a rolling syringe pumped with artificial adrenaline. So where on earth does this massive disparity come from?

In our recent newsletter and in Maxi Dickerhoff’s article “Has Mountain Biking Taken a Wrong Turn?”, we have already discussed the evolution of bike sports in detail. And for those looking to buy a bike, an extensive bike type consultation is provided. Reflecting on all my experiences over more than 2000 km on the Oiz, I must clearly state: The Orbea Oiz is a bike that embodies the spirit more deeply than many others.

Because the combination of lightweight yet decent descent capabilities (sure, not as good as the Evil Offering enduro of my campsite neighbor), opens up a hell of a lot of possibilities to experience the spirit of mountain biking.

Before we continue on a philosophical level, let’s start with the facts. After our classic test, we kept the Orbea Oiz for a long-term test for the season. Every year, a different bike has this honor. The Rose PDQ from last summer left big shoes to fill.

Only an excellent individual test is the ticket for the long-term test loop. After all, who likes to ride second-rate material in their free time? In the long-term test, we also take a look at wear and tear and everyday usability. So, let’s get to the point: What broke, wore out, or was annoying?

Overall, the wear and tear except for the seriously worn-out cassette is within the range of what’s expected in mountain biking. The tires hold up surprisingly well.

The internal cable routing through the headset is a hot topic in the community. And the Oiz pushes this routing to the limit. With the seatpost, shock lockout, seatpost cable, and brake line, a total of four cables run through the headset. It looks sleek, but did it cause any trouble?

During the test, the headset didn’t loosen any more frequently than usual. And not a single cable had to be replaced because of chafing or poor performance. Sure, 2000 km isn’t 10,000 km, but our honest experience is: The cable routing through the headset has simply not caused any problems. The tight radii and bottleneck headset create no more issues than routing through the main frame.

Contact points to the body were adjusted over the course of the season. The Fizik saddle that came from the factory simply didn’t fit. The XL grips from SQ Lab offered a bit more cushioning. The original components had to go.

I would have liked to try a 10 mm longer stem, but due to the special spacers required by the headset, only a form-fitting Orbea stem is possible. Unfortunately, we didn’t have one lying around in our workshop for a quick trial. As a result, we never got to experiment with making the riding position more aggressive. A downside of this specific design.

With its 11.5 kg, fast-rolling tires, the Oiz is a bike that can also handle long gravel stretches or tarmac sections without making you want to puke in the saddle. Especially when you fully engage the lockout, it feels like you’re covering ground on a gravel bike. Brilliant.

Because the lockout also has an intermediate position (like a platform) and can be operated anytime with your thumb, it opens up further possibilities. This allows the suspension to be tuned slightly softer in the open mode than usual for a bike with 120 mm travel.

When maximum propulsion is needed, the suspension elements are blocked or set stiff anyway. On the trail, however, the slightly softer setup offers more comfort and control than a normal CC bike. With this – and especially with the fat 2.4-inch tires – truly technical trails become possible. With an adjusted riding style, you can get down almost anywhere with the Oiz.

Our tip for anyone with an older Oiz or a Scott Spark: The lockout with only two levers instead of three is significantly less cluttered and can be retrofitted at any time.

For me, the Orbea Oiz is the perfect piece of the puzzle in my mountain biking perception. Over the last 20 years, I have come to know the sport in all its facets. Initially, the gear was so poor that you wouldn’t even want to veer off the gravel path.

Then the gear improved so much that more daring trails had to be ridden (and first created) to still get a thrill on the descent. Both the early days on spartan hardtails and the enduro highlight times had strong downsides. Today, I no longer want to be one foot in the hospital while riding downhill. And I also don’t want to only practice biking in a few places around the world.

And this is where the Oiz strikes its mark. Whether in Corsica, right outside my door on the Altmühltal-Urtrails, or in the Alps – this bike makes the mountain biking experience possible everywhere. Hop on, start riding, take a breath. This bike doesn’t need special infrastructure to unleash its potential. And “such a thing,” to put it in the words of my campsite neighbor, is a brilliant bike for me.