The Orbea Oiz Gets Rowdy For 2019

The Orbea Oiz, a full suspension XC bike, has been around for 12 years now – our man Stu Taylor has just ridden one at high speed round the Highland Trail 550. Today, tapping into the ‘XC bikes doing a bit more and getting a bit rowdier’ market, Orbea announces its 2019 models: the 100m travel Oiz XC and the 120mm travel Oiz TR.

As is also the trend, the new model’s numbers are where you might expect: a degree slacker in the head tube at 69°,  5mm shorter chain stays at 435mm, and reach that’s grown from 417mm to 435mm (for a Medium size).

Both make use of Monocoque EPS carbon fibre frames, where the carbon sheets are pre cut and moulded to use as little carbon fibre as possible – keeping the weight down by not having any unnecessary overlapping or extra material. Both also have what Orbea calls ‘Advanced Dynamics’ – here’s what Orbea has to say on the matter:

‘Advanced Dynamics is not a design, but a development process. Our unique method transforms virtual models into real, highly-refined machines – Bikes for demanding riders that are faster, more fun to ride and far beyond ordinary.

The suspension kinematics of the Oiz are perfect for efficient XC riding. Sag can be set low for a firm pedaling feel and the design still delivers a full 100/120mm of travel when needed. The leverage ratio increases for the first 3/4 of the shock stroke, then switches to a falling rate to overcome the progressive nature of the air shock to achieve full travel on large impacts. Custom tuning of the damper minimizes bottom-out forces and keeps the suspension riding high, maintaining geometry and efficiency.’

The bikes are available in two wheel sizes: 27.5in with a Small frame, or 29in with a Small, Medium, Large or X-Large frame. From Medium up, the new bikes have room for two bottle cages thanks to new cable routing they’re calling ‘Inside Line’. Both models of Oiz come with a proprietary rear shock lockout, which Orbea claims is hidden from mud and keeps out of the way of any parched grabs of a water bottle.

As well as the additional travel the Oiz TR model comes with slightly wider tyres, and a components list that favours toughness rather than pure speed and weight saving – including a dropper post as standard. It’s not a straight up set menu of components though – Orbea has its ‘MyO’ customisation scheme, which gives you the choice to upgrade certain components. The M-Team offers a Shimano XTR based build from £6,299, while the M-Ltd (£6,699), M10 TR (£4,299) and M10 (£4,199) come with a base SRAM dub XX1 chainset and optional SRAM upgrades.

Stu will be telling us how he got on with last year’s – or currently available, depending on how you look at things – model  very soon. Will he be eyeing up a new model Oiz for his HT550 next year? And would he pick the 120mm option, or is 100m enough? Watch this space.

Below you can watch the Orbea OIZ in action:

Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

More posts from Hannah