Orbea Occam Review

Whilst we’d all love to have a bike for trail centre weekends, another bike for longer cross-country days and a best downhill bike for trips to Les Gets or Finale Ligure, most of us have only got room for one two-wheeled friend. Pipe down at the back if you’re sitting pretty with more than one!

Whilst Orbea isn’t alone in recognising this, they’ve toiled away to deliver a bike that should shine in each riding scenario we described above. Here’s how they’ve done it…

If you follow the mountain bike game closely, you’ll know of the longer, lower, slacker movement. In short, mountain bikes - in all their guises - have become longer in the top tube, their bottom brackets much lower to the ground and their head tube angles slacker.

Longer bikes, combined with a short stem, helps stability when descending whilst a low bottom bracket keeps things pinned, even under heavy braking. And that head tube angle keeps the steering reassuringly predictable.

As with the Occam’s frame geometry, its new suspension design and kinematics (the way the wheels move in relation to the frame) is available right across the range.

The 140mm shock (Fox DPX2 or DPS dependent on which Occam build you buy) is actuated by a Horst Link system – a type of suspension that provides predictable performance across all terrain.

The most visual identifying feature of the new Occam is the asymmetric design on the frame. A curved link on the driveside of the bike supports and strengthens an area of the frame that comes under a lot of stress when riding.

Beyond increasing stiffness and reducing frame weight, the unique design offers hassle-free access to the shock and space to pop a decent sized water bottle – something you’ll be needing on that big summer XC ride you’ve got planned!

The Orbea Occam is available in two main guises. Carbon versions are abbreviated with the letter M and aluminium versions denoted by the letter H. Orbea then follow that with a simple numbering system to denote the build quality – the lower the number the higher the componentry specification.

Whilst it’d be easy to gush about how good the carbon version looks (the blue and orange version does indeed look very fancy!) it’s the aluminium models that grabbed our attention. The frames have been hydroformed, a production process that can produce complex shapes, whilst retaining excellent strength and weight properties. The Occam’s headtube area is a shining example of this process.

The black model pictured throughout this article is the Occam H20. This bike is a mid-priced option equipped with Fox 34 Float Performance forks, Fox Float DPS Performance rear shock, 1x12 Shimano XT/SLX gearing, Shimano hydraulic disc brakes and an Orbea dropper post.

An option that’s been around for a few years now, which doesn’t make it any less appealing, is Orbea’s MyO programme. Your chance to paint your dream bike in a range of colours! Using the builder function on Orbea’s website allows you to change the main colour of the frame, the secondary colour, as well as the decals and other bits and bobs! You can even put your own text on the seatstays. Cool, right?

Beyond changing the colours of the frame and logos, the MyO programme offers the opportunity to spec your new Occam as you see fit. Lock in a 150mm fork (All stock Occam builds come with a 140mm option), swap out the bars or maybe even change the tyres – it’s all possible with MyO.

Like the sound of that? Learn more about the process on our Orbea MyO guide.