Since eBikes first made an appearance, brands have been on a quest to design a full-suspension bike that’s lightweight, rides like a trail bike and has excellent battery range. Most brands manage two out of the three, but with the Generation 3 Rise, Orbea has hit the eBike trifecta!
Paid partnership with Orbea South Africa
Orbea first launched the Rise in 2020. It was widely praised for its ability to hit the sweet spot as a trail eBike that handled like a regular bike – at 18kg, light enough to be ridden properly without the electric assistance. Orbea’s engineers have spent the last four years fine-tuning the Rise and have delivered two versions of the next generation model – Rise LT and Rise SL.
Discerning riders will know that in mountain bike lingo, LT = Long Travel and SL = Super Light. And that’s exactly what the new Rise models represent. And it’s smart because there really are two main kinds of trail rider and each will quickly know whether he/she is a LT rider or a SL rider…
The Orbea Rise LT comes with 150mm of rear suspension, 160mm of front suspension and an adjustable 64-64.5-degree headtube angle. The Orbea Rise SL comes with 140mm of suspension front and rear with a slightly steeper 65.5-degree headtube angle.
The Rise LT is designed for the passionate trail-shredder. The baggy clothing rider that takes risks, but not chances; that loves to tackle gnarly trails because the bike offers the right proportion of confidence. The Rise SL is ideal for the committed rider that may prefer Lycra clothing, that’s more focused on distance and comfort, that doesn’t need big travel, but appreciates the ability to ride a bike that can ride a challenging singletrack trail with composure.
SO, WHAT’S NEW?
In summary here’s what’s new:
- More suspension travel
- Slacker headtube angle
- Lighter battery with more range
- More torque motor
- More dropper post ‘drop’
The Rise LT has 10mm more suspension travel front and rear than its predecessor. The slightly slacker headtube angle delivers that bit more confidence for steep, fast descents. Attitude Adjust lets you tune the Rise LT from High to Low geometry settings, using the Quick Flip system that takes just a few seconds.
This takes it into Enduro riding territory and increases the appeal to a broader market. Think Jonkershoek, Tokai, Witfontein and Hellsend in the Western Cape. Think Cascades and Giba Gorge in KwaZulu-Natal. Think Sabie and Trailworx in Mpumalanga. Think Hogsback in the Eastern Cape…
The SL comes with a carbon shock extender, which maximises rigidity and minimises weight. The SL is likely to be the more popular of the two versions in South Africa, where endurance riding and racing enjoy great popularity. The bike’s light weight and impressive battery range put the Rise SL into the forefront for those looking for an eBike that’s a true allrounder.
Both models also come with dropper posts that drop away fully. That’s made possible due to a straighter seattube that can accommodate all of the seatpost and give the rider more room to move and greater control on descents, through technical sections and of course, tight turns.
A COMPLETELY NEW BATTERY
In terms of battery design and capacity, Orbea really has moved into new territory. Orbea developed its own batteries to deliver more range and less weight than those on the Generation 2 Rise.
Riders looking for the best handling and lightest Rise will chose the 420Wh battery, which weighs just 1.95kg.Riders looking for the longest range – or indeed heavier riders – can choose the 630Wh battery. This battery weighs 2.9kg. By adding the new 210Wh range extender (sold separately), you can get 630Wh and 840Wh respectively! That’s a lot of range for a lightweight eMTB…
YOU CAN SWITCH TORQUE MODES
In its quest to offer greater integration between rider and bike, Orbea has created Rider Synergy, a system that allows the rider to choose how much torque they want based on that particular ride – or sections within that particular ride. There are two torque options: RS, which offers up to 54Nm of torque and RS+, which offers up to 85Nm of torque. RS+ essentially gives you the torque of a full eBike, such as that of the Orbea Wild. You can simply switch between RS and RS+, which takes less than 30 seconds.
SUMMARY
With the Generation 3 Rise LT and Rise SL, Orbea has taken what was already widely considered the best lightweight eMTB in the world and made it better! Same light weight, more travel, greater range and two torque mode options – all part of a big-brand components package. It’s quite possibly the perfect eBike.
To see in detail the new Orbea Rise LT and SL with respective specs, click here.
The Orbea Rise Gen 3 LT and SL will be available exclusively at Cycle Lab and Chris Willemse Cycles from October 2024.
Paid partnership with Orbea South Africa
