New Orbea Oiz Review

With its latest Oiz, Orbea is sticking to a classic winning formula that hardly any brand dares to pursue anymore: ruthless weight savings paired with maximum stiffness. The result is an insanely fast race-and-trail bike in the ten-kilo class. Does this radical ditching of trendy fluff mark the technological spearhead of evolution? Or is it simply a reboot of a familiar story? We’re getting to the bottom of it not only with a real-world ride test, but also with lab testing rigs and an in-depth kinematics analysis.

The current mountain bike market has lately been heavily shaped by trends like deep frame integration, flip chips and other adjusters for geometry and kinematics, and widespread electrification of bolt-on components. The bike media has celebrated it. But critical voices are increasingly calling these developments tech-driven showboating that loses sight of what really matters in the sport. A hidden shock layout or a wireless dropper looks slick, but on the trail it doesn’t improve the ride experience—or only by a hair.

On singletrack, it’s primarily the measurable weight savings, razor-sharp steering precision, and a flawlessly working rear suspension kinematics that dictate fun factor and efficiency. You could almost get the impression that many developers’ focus on looks has often pushed these core physical qualities into the background in recent years.

As a tangible consequence of this trend, the average weight of modern mountain bikes has steadily crept up. We’ve got an extra article that clearly documents the weight evolution of CC bikes. With that progression in mind, 10.4 kg for a trail bike is all the more surprising.

At the same time, the maintenance burden for modern bikes has grown. Reviews featuring bikes that require up to seven separate batteries and whose setup is inevitably tied to a smartphone app highlight an increasing level of tech creep. Plenty of riders are stoked on that, but just as many view the trend critically.

With its MYO configurator and a wide range of spec options, Orbea manages to give customers full control over the build kit. There’s no arm-twisting when it comes to choosing components. Whether it’s suspension with a mechanical lockout, boutique parts like a Trickstuff Piccola brake, or the option for more travel—if you like to keep it mechanical, Orbea still delivers.

With a verified frame weight of under 1,500 grams including the rear brake mount, Orbea is making a serious statement in the high-end full-suspension frame segment. We’ve never weighed a full-suspension frame this light before. The table makes that crystal clear.

The Specialized Epic 8 (over 1,680 g) is clearly left in the dust when it comes to weight. Even factoring in the manufacturer’s claims for the new Epic 9, the Oiz stays on top, while the current Canyon Lux Worldcup—despite its killer weight—has to concede by a razor-thin 10 g.

This record weight paves the way into the race-ready sub-10-kilo league. The top-tier model in cross-country spec tips the scales at just 9.6 kg, undercutting comparable flagship builds from Canyon and Scott—sometimes drastically—by at least half a kilo.

In race scenarios where athletes are riding right on the limit, every extra gram turns into measurable drag. You can’t cheat physics when you’re punching it hard: a lighter overall weight cuts the effort required and delivers noticeably more intuitive handling on technical singletrack. The Oiz serves up an agile feel that translates every input at the bars instantly.

Thanks to its high get-up-and-go efficiency, this bike doesn’t shine only on gnarly downhill tracks. That signature flow feeling kicks in even on flat forest roads, where every pedal stroke translates into an instant surge of forward drive. On big all-day missions with more than 1,500 meters of elevation gain, that lively, effortless feel preserves the rider’s fitness reserves for the long haul.

The main focus of the ride test was how the no-compromises lightweight concept holds up at high speed on rough trails. Stripped of marketing superlatives, it delivers impressive composure: in both the 120 mm and 130 mm versions, the suspension shows zero structural weaknesses in demanding terrain.

A key driver behind this performance is the insanely high frame stiffness. Testing on the magazine’s in-house test rig backs up the engineering: with a measured value of 61 N/mm, the new Oiz sets a new benchmark in the category and even outpaces heavier trail bikes like the Santa Cruz Tallboy.

The high stiffness delivers razor-sharp steering and gives the rider a huge dose of confidence when speeds ramp up. Where softer frames twist under heavy load and get vague and sketchy through rooty sections, the Oiz holds the intended line with pinpoint accuracy. The frame handles the leverage forces of a longer 130 mm fork with ease—clearly setting it apart from classic, fragile race whippets.

From a design standpoint, Orbea hits these stiffness numbers with a clever bridge that broadly ties the linkage (Rocker) into the rear triangle’s seatstays. This concept—also used in a similar form on the Specialized Epic World Cup—is considered the Goldstandard in modern frame design for the ideal balance of minimal weight and maximum stiffness.

In addition to stiffness, the proprietary rear-end kinematics are a key factor in the bike’s ride feel. Looking purely at the leverage ratio, Orbea goes with a regressive curve where, in theory, the system ramps down and feels plusher toward the end of the travel. In practice, though, combined with the built-in flex-pivot seatstays and the inherently small air volume of modern cross-country shocks, you end up with a balanced overall progression that’s super predictable and easy to stay on top of.

In a direct head-to-head with the progressive Canyon Lux Worldcup, which only coughs up its travel very reluctantly in the final part of the stroke, the Orbea Oiz delivers a noticeably more planted ride feel. In the heart of the travel the suspension soaks up a ton of energy and effectively keeps rider fatigue from constant trail buzz in check, even if—when you’re absolutely hammering—it’s a bit more prone to bottom-outs once you start pushing into the limit.

The proven geometry remains largely untouched and continues to rely on modern 29-inch wheels. While the industry is doing heavy R&D behind the scenes on future 32-inch systems, market readiness isn’t expected any earlier than 2027 due to pending component and hub standards. The current Oiz makes a strong case that a well-engineered 29er will stay the undisputed benchmark in the mountain bike world for the foreseeable future.

A technical highlight on models with a mechanical suspension setup is the in-house Squidlock lever. This clever in-house design controls fork and shock simultaneously via a precise three-position mechanism, clearly outperforming the stock Fox levers in both ergonomics and lever feel. Thanks to high anti-squat values of over 100 percent at the preset sag point, the rear end stays impressively pedal-neutral even with everything wide open.

Exclusive weight weenie builds naturally live in the premium price bracket—though Orbea plays it pretty aggressively on a few trims. Entry into the lineup starts at 3.799 Euro with the M30 model, which is even cheaper than Canyon. The most tech-heavy option centers around the Oiz M10 AXS including Flight Attendant suspension and rings in at 7.000 Euro. With a claimed weight of just 10,8 kg, Orbea delivers a market-leading bang-for-buck compared to Canyon, Cube, or Scott. The tested flagship sits at the top of the portfolio at 12.000 Euro.

A true wild card is the free MyO customization program. High-end models can be spec’d with a bespoke paint job at no extra charge, carried out directly at the company’s Spanish HQ. This organizational flexibility is largely rooted in the brand’s unique setup: Orbea is structured as a worker cooperative, which traditionally steers its strategy toward long-term substance and rider-first focus rather than short-term profit maximization.