Bike features adjustable geometry, remote lockout and internal frame storage across carbon and aluminium models
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Orbea has updated its Occam trail bike, with a more aggressive geometry, neater integration and increased versatility.
Orbea continues to offer the trail bike in two configurations. The Occam SL has 140mm of suspension travel front and rear and the more aggressive Occam LT now uses a 160mm fork and a 150mm shock.
The Occam SL and LT will be available with either hydroformed aluminium or carbon fibre frames.
The Occam SL range starts at £2,999 / $3,199 / €2,799 for the aluminium H30 model, while the range-topping carbon M-LTD is priced at £10,999 / $10,599 / €9,999.
The beefier Occam LT starts at £3,499 / $3,599 / €3,299 for the H30 model and tops out with the carbon M-TEAM build at £8,599 / $8,599 / €7,999.
Orbea says the bikes are available to order now and will be offered in its online MyO bike configurator, which allows for paint and spec to be customised.
How does it ride? You can read our Orbea Occam LT M10 first ride review.
The carbon and aluminium Orbea Occam SL and Occam LT bikes share the same frame. Orbea says the SL is more suited to riders looking for efficiency and the LT is for riders looking to push hard on descents.
The only difference between the frames is the shock extenders. The Occam LT’s shock extender has an ‘Altitude Adjust Flipchip’. Adjusting this changes the bike geometry, slackening the head angle by 0.5 degrees from 64.5 to 64 degrees.
Orbea says this can be done in under 15 seconds – the bolt on the flip chip only needs to be loosed and tightened to change the geometry, rather than removing and flipping chips in the linkage.
The Occam SL has a carbon shock extender which Orbea says maximises rigidity and minimises weight.
Orbea says the shock extenders are interchangeable meaning you could theoretically change your LT into an SL, or vice versa
Orbea isn’t alone in offering its trail bike with different suspension travels. Cannondale does this with the Habit and Habit LT, and Yeti does it with the SB140 and SB140 LR.
The Orbea Occam LT is compatible with a coil shock, with the M-TEAM model coming equipped with a Fox DHX Factory shock.
The SL version comes specced with the brand’s SquidLock suspension lockout and an in-line rear shock.
The system was introduced on the Oiz cross-country bike and uses two levers on the underside of the bar to adjust the fork and rear shock damper. There is also an integrated lever for a dropper post on top.
It works in combination with Orbea’s Inside Line (I-Line) shock lockout technology, which neatly hides the cable in the bike’s top tube.
The biggest update to the Occam SL and LT’s front triangle is the seat tube, which Orbea calls the Steep’n’Deep. This seat tube can accommodate dropper posts with up to 230mm of travel.
The new carbon Occam continues to use Orbea’s asymmetric design, which sees an offset brace span the front triangle from the seat tube to the down tube.
Orbea says this enables material to be removed from elsewhere in the frame, making the bike lighter and stiffer.
The carbon frame is made using a bladder moulding process, enabling less carbon fibre to be used without losing stiffness.
There is only one carbon fibre layup available, Orbea’s Monocoque Race (OMR) composite. This sits below the flagship OMX layup in the brand’s composite hierarchy, which can be seen on its Orbea Orca OMX road bike.
The aluminium frame uses a hydroforming process. Orbea says this enables it to control the wall thickness of tubes to increase strength and reduce weight.
The brand says many of the tubes are double and triple-butted to save weight in the middle of the tube.
Each weld on the frame has been polished down to match the aesthetic of the carbon fibre model, with Orbea also claiming the action reduces fatigue at high-stress points.
Orbea has given both carbon and aluminium versions internal cable routing. Cables enter the frame via the headset.
Unlike the previous generation Occam, the new bike features Orbea’s Lockr internal frame storage. This was introduced on the Rallon enduro bike.
Orbea says the design is different to that found on the Rallon, with the Occam’s Lockr featuring a wider entrance for ease of access.
The Occam also has an integrated multi-tool that sits within a pivot in the frame’s linkage. This features a 2, 3, 4 and 5mm hex Keys.
The frames have an integrated chain guide and protectors on the downtube and chainstays.
Buyers will also be able to spec full-frame vinyl protectors from the factory. Orbea is calling this Second Skin, and offers the vinyl in a dazzle camouflage or map gradient design.
The Occam SL and LT feature more aggressive geometry than their predecessors.
The Occam SL’s head angle has slackened 0.5 degrees to 65.5 degrees down from 66 degrees on the previous Occam.
The Occam LT is now 1 degree slacker than the previous LT at 64.5 degrees, though this can be slackened further to 64 degrees using the Altitude Adjust Flipchip.
Reach measurements have also increased on both bikes, with a size large Occam SL measuring 490mm. This is 16mm longer than the 474mm on the previous Occam.
The reach of the Occam LT has also grown to 485mm in it’s high geometry setting and 480mm in the low setting.
Nick Clark is a digital writer for BikeRadar, focusing on all things mountain bikes. Having raced XC for most of his youth, he has a deep understanding of the sport and loves bounding around the UK to spectate at events. A mountain biker at heart, Nick helped create a community of trail builders in his local forest in North Wales. Nick also loves road cycling, where he has completed the holy trinity of spectating at all three grand tours in their host countries. Described as having a good engine in his racing days, it’s now common to see Nick wheel-sucking on club rides and sprinting for town signs. He also enjoys bike touring and has completed numerous travels on the west coast of Europe, most recently riding from Lisbon to Roscoff. Nick has built many of his bikes from the frame up and has a keen eye for technical detail. He is currently riding a YT Capra on the trails and a Focus Izalco Max for the road.
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