Orbea additionally has its personal all-new light-weight cross-country race bike within the works. And this prototype we noticed in Nove Mesto over the weekend seems to be fairly acquainted, simply not just like the Orbea Oiz that we all know.
Though it shares the identical core single-pivot format as the present 120mm Oiz, this new OO Lab prototype mountain bike repositions its rear shock, tucked contained in the decrease half of the toptube for a extra built-in, extra light-weight look. However what can we inform from our sneak peek?
2026 Orbea Oiz XC bike prototype noticed in Nove Mesto
In contrast to Scott-SRAM Racing, who have been just about overtly displaying off their new unreleased Spark, the Orbea Manufacturing facility Staff have been being a little bit extra coy with their prototype OOLab XC bike.
In actual fact, the Orbea mechanics had this gorgeous slick customized wrap to cowl up what could also be a model of their unreleased Oiz, already completed within the official Orbea Manufacturing facility Staff paint job? That may recommend that despite the fact that a few of the uncooked carbon OOLab-labelled prototypes nonetheless seemed like a ‘work in course of’, this painted bike would recommend a launch very quickly!
Apart from that bike hidden underneath wraps, we nonetheless noticed a pair variations of the brand new prototype out within the open because it was being arrange, labored on, and raced over the weekend. However a lot of the Orbea riders have been nonetheless racing on the prevailing Oiz.
What do we all know concerning the prototype?
The great bike we bought the perfect take a look at was being raced this weekend by #69 Simon Andreassen.
The all-new bike design takes Orbea’s in-line shock format one step additional, tucking the rear shock up into the decrease half of the highest tube. It nonetheless has a shortened hyperlink to drive a traditional shock, however general, the uncooked carbon prototype body seems extra slender and visually lighter than the bikes nearly all of the Orbea Manufacturing facility Staff have been racing on the Czech spherical of the XC World Cup.
It’s additionally a body design that appears very acquainted. We’ve seen a number of bikes align a toptube-mounted rear shock into the precise tube over time, together with the likes of Commencal, MMR, Trek, and… Yeah, this seems to be rather a lot like a Specialised Epic World Cup to me.
This Orbea Oiz prototype seems to be rather a lot like the present S-Works Epic 9 that launched simply final month, however perhaps it’s even nearer in look to the 3-year-old Epic World Cup.
Even all the way down to the best way the brief linkage attaches from beneath to the smooth-ended seatstays and the one-sided higher shock mount bolt.
Tech particulars we will see?
We don’t understand how a lot journey this new bike will get. A brief hyperlink solely gave the Epic WC 75mm and the most recent link-less Supercaliber, simply 80mm. In an age of extra aggressive cross-country racing, we discover it onerous to think about Orbea introducing a brand new XC race bike with any lower than 100-120mm of rear wheel journey.
That little silver hyperlink does seem like longer, extra in keeping with the present 120mm Epic 9, so fingers crossed. than the Epi
I’m genuinely actually curious to seek out out extra about this machine.
Till then, we’ll have to invest past the easy details that we do know. That this next-gen Orbea Oiz will maintain a threaded backside bracket, UDH dropouts, totally built-in inner cable routing by the headset, and a pair of units of bottle cage mounts inside the primary triangle.
Is a brand new Orbea Oiz coming quickly?
As for when a brand new Orbea Oiz XC race bike will drop? We don’t know that but.
Some indicators, like that team-painted bike being hidden from view, level to an imminent launch. This dusty unfinished, uncooked carbon frameset noticed ready within the Orbea Manufacturing facility Staff paddock at Nove Mesto World Cup may recommend there’s nonetheless a while to attend. However it additionally has what seems to be like a more-finished black anodized brief hyperlink, hinting of a extra commercially-ready product than the uncooked machined hyperlink that Andreassen seems to nonetheless be testing.
I suppose we now have to be affected person.
Oreba.com
