Test exclusive of the new Orbea Gain (electrically assisted)

With the new Gain, Orbea refines the concept of the electric sports bike, offering a lightweight, dynamic machine with discreet technological assistance and a long range. The Orbea Gain is a bike designed to improve or maintain physical condition, without coming up against the natural difficulties of the terrain. A kind of ultimate bike for those looking above all for pleasure in pedaling.

About Guillaume Peephole – Photos: Mario Cranks / Orbea

Pleasure as a driving force

City bikes and electric mountain bikes have been very popular for several years. The former because they encourage daily travel by bike by avoiding traffic jams and pollution, as well as encouraging sedentary people to take part in physical activity, and the latter because they allow you to tackle very difficult terrain with muscle power alone. This last category of bikes has seen some manufacturers sometimes launch into a power escalation, not always well received by other users of wooded trails or tracks in my area.tagnot, more traditional hikers or mountain bikers for example. Bikes from route and gravel with electric assistance are struggling to really find their audience, because many road cyclists are primarily focused on performance or maintaining physical fitness, which can sometimes – wrongly – be considered contradictory with the use of a form of technological “doping” such as the use of an electric bike.

On route, manufacturers are first limited by regulations. In Europe, beyond 25 km/h, the electric assistance must be cut off (32 km/h in North America). The assistance provided by the engine must be limited to facilitating the passage of most percentstagis that we meet on the route, or multiple restarts after slowdowns. Rather than launching into the race for power, manufacturers are therefore seeking to design increasingly lighter bikes, with behavior as close as possible to that of a classic bike, and increasingly better integrated. The idea behind this type of bike is not to break records, but to make certain routes accessible to all types of cyclists, whether young or old, beginners or experienced, sick or healthy, out of shape or overtrained. The goal is to find pleasure in cycling, and not to suffer excessively if you are out of shape, which could ultimately be counterproductive to ensuring the assiduity necessary to improve health and fitness.

Preserve nature above all

With the Gain, the Basque brand Orbea was one of the pioneers in the field of light, dynamic and discreet electric bicycles., with an almost completely seamless transition between assistance modes and especially the moment when the assistance stops working. The new version of the Gain (this is the third generation) obviously follows the same trend, but The proximity to the behavior of a classic bicycle is here again greatly improved. The use of a new Mahle motor (in the rear hub) with custom settings by the brand and a 350 Wh battery pursues two major objectives: a flexible and progressive assistance that allows you to maintain natural sensations when pedaling, and a truly formidable autonomy, to set off on long distances without really fearing running out of power on the way back. Beyond the battery life, The new Gain is remarkable in that it behaves really like a classic bike, that is to say that despite the slight extra weight inherent in the presence of the motor and the battery, it is sufficiently rigid and dynamic so that one does not have the impression of dragging an anvil once the assistance is cut off.

At the base of the new Gain, there is first of all an OMR carbon monocoque frame, located at the intermediate level in Orbea's nomenclature, between the OME and OMX, and that we have already been able to testbe on a long term basis with theOrca OMR. A chassis that is light, rigid and strong enough to meet the needs of the new Gain, and its new engine supplied by Mahle with the X20 drive unit and its large 350 Wh battery. The frame weighs just over a kilo, and it benefits from a geometry very close to that of a road bike. route classic.

It is to have this type of frame that Orbea has chosen to keep a motor in the rear hub rather than opting for a central motor. This design allows first to keep a classic transmission with two chainrings, and then The maximum torque of 55 Nm delivered by the Mahle is more than enough to meet the philosophy behind the design of the Gain. As a reminder, some central motors used in mountain biking offer up to 85 Nm of torque. Finally, the extra weight at the rear wheel is compensated for in terms of balance by that induced by the large 350 Wh battery placed on the down tube. Orbea did not seek maximum weight savings by opting for a 350 Wh battery rather than a 250 Wh one (300 or 400 g lighter, but with less autonomy, of course), but the whole thing does not excessively disrupt the bike's center of gravity.

For the Gain, Orbea collaborated with Mahle and developed its own firmware so that the assistance is provided to meet the expectations of the bike's designers. The motor was thus adjusted to offer optimal assistance at a pedaling cadence between 75 and 95 revolutions per minute, which corresponds to the habits of cyclists who already have some experience of cycling. Other parameters were then adjusted so that the assistance is progressive and not intrusive, and that it is proportional to the power naturally provided by the cyclist during the effort. Thanks to the Mahle's new X20 system bottom bracket, with a torque and cadence sensor, Orbea was able to tune the assistance system to provide that smooth feeling that is comparable to a good wind at your back, or that brings back memories of being in great shape when we were a decade or two younger.

The adopted settings also provide a gradual power cut when approaching the regulatory limit, so that the transition is almost seamless. In fact, the motor is still active up to 26,5 or 27 km/h as can be perceived by the slight whistling emitted by the system, but it only provides a few watts of assistance before leaving the cyclist alone with his effort., as with a normal bike which certainly weighs around 11,5 kg, but whose rigidity and quality of components offer astonishing sensations of efficiency when the machine is launched.

A wide autonomy

With a reasonable weight for an electric bike, settings that encourage boosts without putting excessive strain on the motor, a 350 Wh battery and excellent efficiency, the new Gain is very efficient in terms of system autonomy. With the assistance engaged, Orbea announces up to 4000 m of elevation gain for a cyclist of 70 kg with the first level of support, up to 2300 m with the second level, and up to 1500 m of elevation gain with the highest level. In the field, we were able to complete a 100 km outing with 1200 m of elevation gain using only 19% of the battery capacity (for a weight of 58 kg), while on the same outing, one of our colleagues who weighs almost 30 kg more and who is less trained returned after using 70% of the capacity.

With our less trained colleague, we were able to complete the outing together, whereas it would have been very difficult otherwise.tagand this moment without assistance.

But it is worth noting that we were able to complete the release together, while it would have been very difficult without assistance. The brand offers an optional additional 177 Wh battery that can be placed in the second bottle cage, and which offers another 1500 m of additional altitude difference. Which means that Completing a Marmotte or a Stage of the Tour with the electric assistance running on all the climbs is entirely possible.

Battery usage obviously depends on the type of route and the use you make of the bike. Overall, The smooth, progressive and transparent assistance allows you to save 1 watt per kg over an entire demanding section, which changes everything in terms of sensation, as those who are specialists in training or practicing on Zwift will appreciate. The Orbea Gain boosts performance and sensations, but does not transform the bike into a moped. With the maximum assistance level engaged, you can get up to around 240 watts of boost, which makes it possible to easily clear a steep section by simply accompanying the pedal stroke, without however being completely disconnected from the notion of effort. If on the contrary we decide to give ourselves completely, the 240 watts are added to those that we provide, which can give something like 600 or 650 watts over a few minutes. It is enormous, but the cardiovascular solicitation is in this case severe and very real.

The three assistance modes can be changed via an easy-to-reach button on the horizontal tube, which indicates four color codes depending on the modes engaged: white (system switched on but not active), green (first level of assistance), orange (second level), purple (third level). The modes can also be changed via small buttons placed as an option on the pilot station.tage, very practical to act almost like gear changes (for example by changing the assistance mode for a few hundred meters in the event of a percentage variationtage in the middle of a slope). The system finally has a specific counter, which indicates the speed, the mileage, the battery level and the remaining autonomy, in percent.tagand in kilometers. This meter mounts to a Garmin or Wahoo type mount, and can be replaced by connecting the bike to a compatible GPS meter. Like the previous generation Gain, The bike is connected to two integrated lights at the front and rear, a plus for visibility. 

Finally, the battery charging port is located on the bottom bracket, which remains relatively classic in this case.

A range of six bikes

The new Orbea Gain with carbon frame and Mahle X20 motor is available in six versions, of € 5499 to 9999 €. This range is added to the Gain Hydro with aluminum frame and Mahle X35 engine which does not have the same settings and which is offered from €2999. For the model that interests us here, we find for the route the following models:

• Gain M30 at €5499, with Shimano 105 11-speed groupset and aluminum wheels.
• M30i gain at €6299, with Shimano 105 Di2 12-speed groupset and aluminum wheels.
• M20i gain at €7499, with Shimano Ultegra Di2 12-speed groupset and Orbea 42 carbon wheels
• M10i gain at €9999, with Shimano Dura-Ace 12-speed groupset and Orbea 42 carbon wheels (our test model).

To these four models, Orbea adds two Gain equipped in Gravel mode, since the frame accepts tires up to 35 mm in section:

• Gain M31e 1X at €6599, with Sram Rival AXS 12-speed groupset in single chainring, with aluminum wheels.
• Gain M21e 1X at €7599, with Sram Force AXS 12-speed groupset in single chainring, with aluminum wheels.

A version in Sram Force that we were able to tester on around thirty kilometers of paths, and which also turns out to be very fun in the sense that, off-road, you find yourself less limited by the regulatory speed to which an electric bike is subject. A model with very strong potential from our point of view given the versatility of a gravel bike in general, even if the 35 mm maximum section encourages avoiding very wet or very muddy conditions.

Note that like most Orbea bikes, the Gain is available in three standard colors, but it is eligible for the MyO program, which allows the buyer to customize the paint of the bike when ordering, and to modify certain equipment, such as the handlebars, tires or saddle for example.

Our opinion on the Orbea Gain

Like most bikes, route With electric assistance, the new Gain is aimed at riders who are out of shape, poorly trained, with health problems, or those who want to accompany a group of more experienced cyclists on difficult courses. But not only. Thanks to its general behavior, the holding of route which it demonstrates and extremely close to a bike route traditional even in the series of tight turns or steep descents, and thanks also to its overall performance, it also ranks as being a very addictive machine for regular users. 

Because the assistance settings offer a very sensitive but non-intrusive boost which allows, for example, to tackle the difference in altitude while remaining in the endurance zoneThe power delivered is sufficient to reduce the intensity felt by 10 to 20 heart beats per minute during full effort, so as to avoid suffering on the one hand, but also to train more productively most of the timeWe know that to maintain good health, endurance efforts must be prioritized, and that for those aiming for performance, it is first necessary to go through a long cycle of low-intensity training.

Of course, it is also possible to use the engine's capabilities to add to those of the cyclist, in order to climb faster. Not as if you were riding a scooter, but rather as if you were enjoying a good tailwind. It's enjoyable, and thanks to the battery life, it can last a long time. The involvement in this case is very real, and the cardiovascular or muscular work is very effective. These features are in any case in the direction of more pleasure, and that was Orbea's initial objective in creating this bike.

The most surprising thing about all this is the very neutral behavior of the bike once the assistance is cut off., either because we exceed the regulatory speed, or because we want to save battery, or because we simply want testand our natural possibilities of the moment. The Gain is compact and rigid, and it offers in this version with a Shimano Dura-Ace groupset real high-end behavior. Let us conclude by specifying that the M20i model in Ultegra Di2 at €7499 seems to us to be better value for money, taking into account the difference in price and weight (barely 250 g).

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