The new 2025 Orbea Rise - my wish come true?

Intended Use
Trail, All Mountain, and I guess Enduro
Motor
Shimano EP801 RS+ gen2
Battery
420 or 630 Wh plus 210 Wh extender
Fork Travel
140 & 160 mm
Rear Travel
140 & 150 mm
Weight
From 16.26 kg (M-LTD size XL)
Price
£ 7.999-11.999
A few months ago, I wrote an article about a great bike that didn’t exist and how the Orbea Rise could be that bike. The new Orbea Rise is here, did they hit it out of the park with this one?


The Shimano EP801 RS+ motor and bigger batteries​

Let’s start with what’s possibly the most interesting news. The motor and batteries! Orbea is using the same old battery enclosures, but they now contain the new 5.8 Ah cells. The smaller battery is up from 360 to 420 Wh while the 540 Wh pack has been bumped up to 630 Wh. Either battery can be combined with the 210 Wh range extender weighing 1.1 kg.

The new 420 Wh battery
The 630 Wh battery combined with the range extender
The 210 Wh range extender battery has a claimed weight of just 1.1 kg.

With these bigger batteries, surely the 60 Nm RS motor software is gone? No, and yes. The Shimano RS gen2 motors have two profiles. Orbea decided to label them “RS” and “RS+”. The first profile is quite limited at 54 Nm of torque, that can be changed in the app though. The RS+ however, offers 85 Nm! Did Orbea do it? Did they create a lightweight full-power emtb? Can I say “yes and no” again? Torquewise, it’s just as strong as the regular Shimano EP801 motor. But Orbea says the maximum motor power is reduced by 100 W. So, if Shimano claims 600 W, this one should be 500 W.

There is no need to limit the motor for bikes running the 630 Wh battery. The battery can handle it. The big advantage of having a slightly limited motor is it will work with 420 Wh battery. You can choose the lightest possible configuration and still get whats almost a full-power emtb. Another bonus is Orbea doesn’t have to keep track of what models get which software. After all, they’ve forgotten to install the RS software altogether on previous Rise batches.

The new Shimano EP8 RS gen2 motor
How can you tell this is the new Shimano gen2 RS+ motor? The S is red.
Orbea attaches the Shhimano display to the stem. Photo: Jérémie Reuiller

Riding the new Orbea Rise​

I haven’t ridden one yet, but “Rob rides emtbs” has. The new EP801 RS gen2 feels powerful and Rob doubts many will miss the extra peak power. When riding at below max power, it feels as generous as the EP801.

Rob weighed the lightest Rise SL M-LTD 140mm to 16.26 kg in size XL. And frankly, that’s lighter than necessary for his riding. The heavier Rise LT feels more stable and more familiar. A mild emtb doesn’t have to be superlight, perhaps the sweet spot is around 19+ kg? See Rob’s video for the full story.


4 different models​

The Rises launched today are the M-Ltd, M-Team and M10. As you probably noticed, that’s only 3 models. The bike comes in two flavors, the Orbea Rise LT and the Orbea Rise SL. They’ve all got a carbon frame, so no entry-level M20 or alloy frames. I’d be very surprised if Orbea have decided to discontinue the cheaper models. The way I see it, those were the strength of the Rise-lineup.

The 2025 Orbea Rise LT M-Team


An Orbea Rise SL with 140 mm travel​

The Orbea Rise SL M-LTD and M10 look very much like the previous Rise with 140 mm rear travel. And I’m happy Orbea is still offering a mid-travel Rise. I think the handling of the 140/140 travel 29er Rise was quite special. The lower font end and bottom bracket gave it a nice connection to the trail. I felt like I was flying low and fast over the dirt and pine needles.

The shorter travel Rise head angle is down by 0.5* to 65.5*. Depending on frame size, the wheelbase is up by 13-24 mm. The bottom bracket drop of 37 mm is barely altered. Chainstays have shrunk by half a centimeter to end up at 440 mm. While the frame geometry is relatively similar, it seems more modern.

Orbea Rise SL M-LTD. Photo: Jérémie Reuiller
Orbea Rise SL carbon geometry

An Orbea Rise LT M-Team and M10 with more travel​

I’m quite excited to see the old 150 mm forked models being replaced. To me, they fell between two chairs, or categories. Adding a 10 mm longer and burlier fork didn’t make it that much more capable on the descents. It seems Orbea very much fixed that with the new LT. They bump the travel up to 160 mm front and 150 rear while keeping the 29er wheels. The weight remains low with the M-Team weighing in at 17.97 kg.

The Rise LT M-Team is lass than 18 kg, barely.
Orbea Rise LT carbon geometry

The new Rise LT seems a great platform for those who want a beefier Rise. The 64.5* head angle is a great choice for a capable yet maneuverable bike. If that is too steep, set the bike to the low position for 64*. The wheelbase is increased by 2 mm in the Low setting, putting a size L frame at 1.260 mm. If you want maximum frame reach, set the frame to High for 485 mm (size L). Chainstays are the same 440 mm as found on the SL. Geometry looks promising for an aggressive, lightweight emtb.

Specs and prices​

Orbea Rise LT M-Team: £9.999 / €10.999 / $11.999
Orbea Rise LT M10: £7.599 / €8.499 / $8.999
Rise SL M-LTD: £10.999 / €11.999 / $12.999
Rise SL M10: £7.199 / €7.999 / $8.699

Orbea Rise LT M-Leam
2025 Rise LT M10
Orbea Rise SL M-LTD
2025 Rise SL M10
LT M-Team specs
LT M10 specs
SL M-LTD specs
SL M10 specs

My take​

My dream bike is currently a lightweight full-power bike with decent battery capacity at a low price. Light, cheap, good range and strong. Yes please, I want my cake and eat it too. Not an original wish, but an obvious one. Orbea could have made that bike a few years ago, when they put the bigger 540 Wh battery in the Rise. But they didn’t. So, I wasn’t sure they would do the right thing this time around.

And technically, they still haven’t. Motor power is still software limited. Does it matter though? Many of us will probably be perfectly happy with this new RS+ motor.Power is likely similar to the old EP8 (800), which everyone considers a full-power motor.

We expect the redesigned rear triangle is nice and robust.
The new Rise has room for long dropper posts, starting at 200 mm travel!
Who's excited about a coil shock on the Rise LT?
A nice and clean Rise cockpit

But the new Rise isn’t cheap! Does Orbea plan on keeping the previous model for the lower price points? My guess is Orbea is introducing the more expensive versions first because of limited availability of say the new 5.8 Ah cells. As production ramps up, I hope and expect cheaper models will be available. If you want a bike right away, be quick about it! To my knowledge, bikes are currently being shipped to stores in limited numbers!
About author
knut7
Main editor at emtbforums.com and owner of emtb.no.
https://emtb.no/contact/

Comments

Does this use the UDH so the SRAM Transmission can be mounted??
It looks like they have an SL version running SRAM XX T-type, though none of their specs highlight it.
It looks like T-type is not an option on the LT version of the bike.
 
I feel like this bike is a sideways move for Orbea.

I get that they are trying to give the rider a full-powered e-bike in a lightweight package, but I bet that a new Rise LT with the 630Wh battery and the coil shock in a size large comes really close to 50 pounds (full powered e-bike weight class). Jessie-May over at Pinkbike was riding a small with air shock and small 420Wh battery at 42 pounds. She also killed the battery pretty quick.

Personally, I am not a fan of Shimano's interface. Their app sucks. You never know what your battery percentage is, only just how many bars you have left. It also doesn't connect to my Garmin anymore which is maybe a result of the new bike arrival, but I will definitely see about that. You also need 2 apps--an app for making adjustments to the bike and then an app for riding. It's kind of first gen now. Everyone else seems to be getting the app and rider connection down at this point--come on Shimano.

As a current Rise owner, I can tell you that Shimano components are not on my love list anymore. I still run their brakes, but I have gone through 4 chains and 2 cassettes with my Rise. My SRAM Transmission bikes out-shift my Shimano bikes all day long. I am assuming that Shimano's parts just can't handle the torque of their motor yet, so what's going to happen with a now 85nm motor? Are you going to wear out XTR in less than 500 miles now?

It looks like the new Rise will allow for SRAM Transmission and it is even available on the SL LTD model--great news there! BUT...

WTF is the deal with headset cable routing. Get rid of that shit. It's like 27.5+ tires. (n):rolleyes:

The coil shock is a great option, but what about the Fox Float X2? I am thinking the new frame, which is designed around being able to run a 230mm dropper, is still not offering X2 compatibility. The only option for an air shock on the LT model is a Float X. Also, why keep offering the 34 Fork? Just make it 36 across the board. If I wanted to lighten the rise with a 34 fork, I would just take my Blur out for a spin and love life riding a 22 pound bike. I am willing to forego getting a couple of grams difference by running a 34 stanchion vs. a 36. The 36 is just so much better for descending.

I am also skeptical of the '25 Rise performing any better on descents than earlier models even with the coil spring option--they made the frame even stiffer and I feel the suspension design is slanted more towards XC. There are so many bikes out there that beat the Rise from a great descending perspective--EXe, Heckler, and Levo SL and more, though, I can't say first hand with confidence about the Transition, Pivot, Canyon, etc.

This release looks like a stepping stone to pay for the future. If you are new to e-biking and running something a bunch of years older, it is probably a great upgrade. I wouldn't dump my '23 model year for a '25 just by looking at the specs. I will ride it for sure in the future to see first hand though.
 
As with the current Rise, you can probably get the shop to install standard software if you want the full EP801 600W.

My Rise H30 with EP8 software will still do 50km in Turbo so range isn't an issue for me. (lightweight rider)

Clearance pricing on current models or the used market is the place to find affordable Obeas; there's so much choice in emtb's that you don't need to mortgage the farm.

I like this new bike and the current 140mm travel Rise with EP8 software makes a great trail bike.
 
I feel like this bike is a sideways move for Orbea.

I get that they are trying to give the rider a full-powered e-bike in a lightweight package, but I bet that a new Rise LT with the 630Wh battery and the coil shock in a size large comes really close to 50 pounds (full powered e-bike weight class). Jessie-May over at Pinkbike was riding a small with air shock and small 420Wh battery at 42 pounds. She also killed the battery pretty quick.

Personally, I am not a fan of Shimano's interface. Their app sucks. You never know what your battery percentage is, only just how many bars you have left. It also doesn't connect to my Garmin anymore which is maybe a result of the new bike arrival, but I will definitely see about that. You also need 2 apps--an app for making adjustments to the bike and then an app for riding. It's kind of first gen now. Everyone else seems to be getting the app and rider connection down at this point--come on Shimano.

As a current Rise owner, I can tell you that Shimano components are not on my love list anymore. I still run their brakes, but I have gone through 4 chains and 2 cassettes with my Rise. My SRAM Transmission bikes out-shift my Shimano bikes all day long. I am assuming that Shimano's parts just can't handle the torque of their motor yet, so what's going to happen with a now 85nm motor? Are you going to wear out XTR in less than 500 miles now?

It looks like the new Rise will allow for SRAM Transmission and it is even available on the SL LTD model--great news there! BUT...

WTF is the deal with headset cable routing. Get rid of that shit. It's like 27.5+ tires. (n):rolleyes:

The coil shock is a great option, but what about the Fox Float X2? I am thinking the new frame, which is designed around being able to run a 230mm dropper, is still not offering X2 compatibility. The only option for an air shock on the LT model is a Float X. Also, why keep offering the 34 Fork? Just make it 36 across the board. If I wanted to lighten the rise with a 34 fork, I would just take my Blur out for a spin and love life riding a 22 pound bike. I am willing to forego getting a couple of grams difference by running a 34 stanchion vs. a 36. The 36 is just so much better for descending.

I am also skeptical of the '25 Rise performing any better on descents than earlier models even with the coil spring option--they made the frame even stiffer and I feel the suspension design is slanted more towards XC. There are so many bikes out there that beat the Rise from a great descending perspective--EXe, Heckler, and Levo SL and more, though, I can't say first hand with confidence about the Transition, Pivot, Canyon, etc.

This release looks like a stepping stone to pay for the future. If you are new to e-biking and running something a bunch of years older, it is probably a great upgrade. I wouldn't dump my '23 model year for a '25 just by looking at the specs. I will ride it for sure in the future to see first hand though.
Jessie at Pinkbike got 40km and nearly 1300m climbing out of the small battery in the R/S+ profile in boost the whole time. That’s really good in my book - I’m 80 kg but that’s basically what I get from the rise mk1 360 in eco.

They put the 34 out there because it gives them a bike with a low headline weight, and if you’re a light rider/not going big (and a lot of ladies ride these) that’s a good choice.

Fox x2 I’ve mixed feeling about. I’ve had a couple on my regular bikes and they’re expensive to service and unreliable (and tricky to set up well).

I’d like to see linkglide but I’d like to see Shimano do a lighter cassette for it that works on their new free hub.
 
Oh, and no issues here connecting my Garmin 530. I do t use the Orbea app - just the included Steps but mostly just a battery and mode fields on my own screen layout.
 
Odd choice offering 2 battery sizes when the current 540wh + extender seems to be optimal for range and weight.
More squ's these days in the bike industry is wierd.
 
I feel like Orbea's marketing department stepped in too much on this one, trying to leverage the "Rise" brand too much.

The 630 Wh LT version visually and technically is a Frankenstein hybrid between the Rise and the Wild. Perhaps that's where they see the biggest market?

For that reason, the 420 Wh version feels compromised. If you look at how slim that 420 Wh battery is. They could have gone for a simple 150/150mm bike with tiny 420 Wh down tube it would have been perfect.
 
Has anyone weighed the Rise SL version with the 420wh battery or the Rise LT version with the same battery? Please post if you have. If you have the Rise SL please confirm what I've read elsewhere 16.2kg lightest weight in a medium. Thanks so much. Thanks to the author for the article.
 
I feel like this bike is a sideways move for Orbea.

I get that they are trying to give the rider a full-powered e-bike in a lightweight package, but I bet that a new Rise LT with the 630Wh battery and the coil shock in a size large comes really close to 50 pounds (full powered e-bike weight class). Jessie-May over at Pinkbike was riding a small with air shock and small 420Wh battery at 42 pounds. She also killed the battery pretty quick.

Personally, I am not a fan of Shimano's interface. Their app sucks. You never know what your battery percentage is, only just how many bars you have left. It also doesn't connect to my Garmin anymore which is maybe a result of the new bike arrival, but I will definitely see about that. You also need 2 apps--an app for making adjustments to the bike and then an app for riding. It's kind of first gen now. Everyone else seems to be getting the app and rider connection down at this point--come on Shimano.

As a current Rise owner, I can tell you that Shimano components are not on my love list anymore. I still run their brakes, but I have gone through 4 chains and 2 cassettes with my Rise. My SRAM Transmission bikes out-shift my Shimano bikes all day long. I am assuming that Shimano's parts just can't handle the torque of their motor yet, so what's going to happen with a now 85nm motor? Are you going to wear out XTR in less than 500 miles now?

It looks like the new Rise will allow for SRAM Transmission and it is even available on the SL LTD model--great news there! BUT...

WTF is the deal with headset cable routing. Get rid of that shit. It's like 27.5+ tires. (n):rolleyes:

The coil shock is a great option, but what about the Fox Float X2? I am thinking the new frame, which is designed around being able to run a 230mm dropper, is still not offering X2 compatibility. The only option for an air shock on the LT model is a Float X. Also, why keep offering the 34 Fork? Just make it 36 across the board. If I wanted to lighten the rise with a 34 fork, I would just take my Blur out for a spin and love life riding a 22 pound bike. I am willing to forego getting a couple of grams difference by running a 34 stanchion vs. a 36. The 36 is just so much better for descending.

I am also skeptical of the '25 Rise performing any better on descents than earlier models even with the coil spring option--they made the frame even stiffer and I feel the suspension design is slanted more towards XC. There are so many bikes out there that beat the Rise from a great descending perspective--EXe, Heckler, and Levo SL and more, though, I can't say first hand with confidence about the Transition, Pivot, Canyon, etc.

This release looks like a stepping stone to pay for the future. If you are new to e-biking and running something a bunch of years older, it is probably a great upgrade. I wouldn't dump my '23 model year for a '25 just by looking at the specs. I will ride it for sure in the future to see first hand though.
Sorry to hear your Rise isn't connecting to your Garmin anymore. We have two Rise's and both my Garmin watch and our Garmin Edge's still connect without a hitch. We have two 2022 model bikes.
 
Got to see the new Rise yesterday. Looks good, but so does the current one IMO. Dealer has a few unspoken for bikes which is available later this month. Disregarding the elevated prices for now, I'm really not in love with either of the launch colours. There's a toned-down pink one, a sparkly brown one and a see-through blue one which allows you to see all the imperfections in the carbon layers.

If going with a custom colour, I might as fell wait for delivery early next spring.

What's your favourite, if any??
 
Got to see the new Rise yesterday. Looks good, but so does the current one IMO. Dealer has a few unspoken for bikes which is available later this month. Disregarding the elevated prices for now, I'm really not in love with either of the launch colours. There's a toned-down pink one, a sparkly brown one and a see-through blue one which allows you to see all the imperfections in the carbon layers.

If going with a custom colour, I might as fell wait for delivery early next spring.

What's your favourite, if any??
I really like the purple, not sure if this is the blue you mentioned. My Levo has a similar paint work with the exposed carbon layering, I like it!
 

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