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The Orbea Occam Twins
Apr 29, 2024
What's better than one Occam? Two of course!
Why has Orbea made two different Occams you ask? Amanda reveals all.
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Hi, I'm Amanda from Single Track World and in this video we're going to go over the new
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Occam from Orbea, or rather the Occams, plural, because Orbea now has two models called Occam
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Why on earth does it do that you may ask? The simple answer is that an Occam is a trail
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bike but the category we call trail bike is now so broad that Orbea has decided to cover
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it with two bikes instead of one. The two bikes in question are the Occam SL and the
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Occam LT. Now then, if you were to solely focus on the amount of suspension travel that these
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two Occams offer, you may roll your eyes and wonder what all the fuss is about. There's
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not that many millimetres of difference here. The SL has 140mm rear travel and the LT has
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150mm. Without wishing to give the game away so early into the video, it's the difference
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between the two bikes frame geometries and the suspension kinematics where the distinction
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between them is found. If you've ridden full suspension mountain bikes for any amount of
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time, you'll already be aware that the amount of travel they happen to have is not always
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the be all and end all of how that bike handles. Geometry is the main thing. Geometry closely
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followed by suspension actuation. So let's delve into some geometry charts of these two
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Occams. Whilst there are a few geometry numbers that are basically the same on each, the bottom
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bracket, the chainstay length, the head tube length and the seat tube length, there are
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many more geometry numbers that differ. The Occam SL has a longer effective top tube
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in the rear and reach. The Occam LT has a longer wheelbase. The SL has a steeper seat
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angle. The SL has a lower stack height. The LT has a slacker head angle. These are all
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with the Occam LT in its low geometry setting because, let's be honest, that's where all
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flip-chip bikes live in the real world. But what do all these geometry differences actually
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mean out on the trail? As ever, the answer is complicated with far too many variables
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to be 100% definitive about it. But this is kind of what we're here to do, so here goes
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The Occam SL is the lower slung, quicker steering machine, whereas the Occam LT is the more
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heads up and stable ride. Heads down versus heads up, if you will. Or maybe fair miles
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versus air miles, maps versus laps. Obviously, this is a very crude way of putting it and
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you can always tweak and push a bike here and there in its attitude purely by virtue
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of adjusting a few settings or swapping some parts out. But in broad strokes, that's how
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we approach these two different Orbea Occams. Delving into more geeky territory, we have
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the black arts of suspension kinematics. Fathom and explain. Now then, both Occams have a
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relatively high level of anti-squat throughout the suspension stroke. It never really dips
3:28
below 100%. Without getting bogged down in suspension theory, this essentially means
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that both Occam models have a strong focus on pedalling response, not just bump absorption
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In layperson's terms, they shouldn't squidge under power. Your rider input should result
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in instant bike output. If you want an Orbea with less of a pedalling priority and more
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of a focus on heavy hitting, traction focused riding, have a look at the Orbea Rallon. In
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terms of the progression of the suspension on both of the Occams, they are similar in
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one regard and quite, quite different in another. They offer the same degree of progression
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approximately 22% from sag, but the shape of the curve is different. The Occam SL suspension
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is delivered much more linearly than the Occam LT. So what does this mean on the trail? It
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means so many different things at so many different times because that's the nature
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of mountain biking. But in a couple of nutshells, it means the SL has a higher level of support
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in the middle, whereas the LT has a softer mid stroke but ramps up at the end. This makes
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sense in that the SL is more about hustle and pump and the LT is more of a get out of
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jail technical terrain tamer. Turning towards less complicated matters, there are some practical
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differences between the two Orbea Occams. The Occam SL comes with remote suspension
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lockout and the shock yoke is made from carbon fibre. The Occam LT has built in geometry
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adjustment via the quick flip chip and the yoke shock mount. Officially, this adjusts
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the head angle by half a degree and the bottom bracket height by 8mm. It also adjusts the
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seat angle and the reach by approximately one smidge. In terms of build kit, there are
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some items that leap out straight away as being indicative of the two different attitudes
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and intentions of these two different Occams, namely the forks, the rear shocks and the tyres
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The Occam SL sports 140mm travel Fox Float 34 up front and a Fox Float shock at the rear
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both with remote lockout. The Occam LT gets a girthier Fox Float 36 fork with a generous
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160mm of travel and this M Team Spec model gets that eye-catching orange Fox VHX coil shock at
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the rear. The SL comes with Schwalbe Wicked wheels and the LT comes with Maxxis dissectors
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Looking a bit further down the spec sheets, plenty of other component choices help to
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illustrate the Occam's different duties. The SL gets SRAM Level Series brakes
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whereas the LT gets beefier SRAM Code brakes. The wheelset on the SL is the lighter and narrower
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rim Aqua Mountain Performance compared to the wider rim and sturdier Aqua Mountain Control
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wheels on the Occam LT. Even the saddles tell a tale, the SL having more of a minimal padding
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heavily shaped Fizik Terra Rhydon X1 compared to the more cushioned and flatter Ergon SM
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Enduro Comp on the LT. So enough about the differences, what do these two Occams have
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in common besides a name? Steep and deep, excuse me. Steep and deep is how Orbea chooses to describe
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its seat tubes. Basically, it means the frames have steep seat angles for efficient and comfortable
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climbing whilst also offering steep dropper insertion due to the lack of obstructions in
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the seat tube. Orbea claims that pretty much everyone should be able to run a 230mm travel
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dropper in an Occam. This short seat tube and impressive standover also means that riders can
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choose to size up if they prefer a longer reach frame without running into any standover or saddle
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height issues. Both Occams feature a storage compartment in the down tube called Locker for
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holding spares, snacks and even layers of clothing. And stashed away in the fully loaded Pivot is a
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bespoke multi-tool with a 2, 3, 4 and 5mm Allen key. There's a 6mm Allen key in the rear wheel axle
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So there you have it, the Orbea Occam SL and LT. Both trail bikes, both very different rides
#Extreme Sports