Now I wasn't expecting that: Orbea Rallon RS

[Scott_123]

I’m going to be 64 in May. At my age I would not even consider a $13K+++ bike with a 40Nm road bike motor, no matter how nice everything else is. Orbea made a really nice bike BUT it won’t appeal to older people who are more likely in a position to afford it. Younger people who might be interested, can select from other SL bikes that are much more affordable and will ride just as well on the trail. A few pounds here or there on a consumer grade EMTB is trivial once you are out on the trail. Orbea could have made the same bike with a TQ60 and a larger battery while still doing all the new battery integrations they did on this bike.

Orbea made a bike which is an orphan in the marketplace.

 

[Fangs2k]

Orbea made a bike which is an orphan in the marketplace.

Or, they just made a bike that doesn’t interest you, so move on?

Hopefully the concept will lead to something a bit more ‘mainstream’, the TQ60 and a larger battery would add north of a kg to the weight, at which point it becomes less clear what it’s about versus all the other ‘SL’ bikes around 19-20kg etc.

I know my 17.5kg Levo SL rides much better than my heavier e-bikes on anything other than steep rough downhills, so weight is (as it always has been) an important consideration for some.

It’s not difficult to spend £10k+ on an e-bike, the question is always whether you should really. The answer for me is ‘no’, regardless of what it is.

 

[Bajakid]

Orbea have prioritised DH handling performance over climbing power. In the PB review they did say it was one of the best handling bikes and it might be even better than the regular Rallon due to having a low down mass. Personally I like this approach and currently use myself two bikes that have a power of 35Nm. I find this is enough power to get up techy climbs that I couldn’t otherwise manage on a non assisted bike.

I think if Orbea had specified the TQ60 motor it would have needed a larger battery and therefore added weight.

Or, they just made a bike that doesn’t interest you, so move on?

Hopefully the concept will lead to something a bit more ‘mainstream’, the TQ60 and a larger battery would add north of a kg to the weight, at which point it becomes less clear what it’s about versus all the other ‘SL’ bikes around 19-20kg etc.

I know my 17.5kg Levo SL rides much better than my heavier e-bikes on anything other than steep rough downhills, so weight is (as it always has been) an important consideration for some.

It’s not difficult to spend £10k+ on an e-bike, the question is always whether you should really. The answer for me is ‘no’, regardless of what it is.

Scott_123 just can’t get passed that someone made a bike he doesn’t like . He feels the need to continuously come into this thread and rub his negativity. Sadly, he is wrong . Because I love the idea, the bike and the price is what it is, not like Sworks has t been in that range for a decade, and guess what, they sell! After reading all the comments, I agree, it’s not for everyone. Not everything is .

 

[Scott_123]

Or, they just made a bike that doesn’t interest you, so move on?

Hopefully the concept will lead to something a bit more ‘mainstream’, the TQ60 and a larger battery would add north of a kg to the weight, at which point it becomes less clear what it’s about versus all the other ‘SL’ bikes around 19-20kg etc.

I know my 17.5kg Levo SL rides much better than my heavier e-bikes on anything other than steep rough downhills, so weight is (as it always has been) an important consideration for some.

It’s not difficult to spend £10k+ on an e-bike, the question is always whether you should really. The answer for me is ‘no’, regardless of what it is.

Why “move on”? I’m a consumer and expressing my opinion. This thread is 3 pages deep and not one person has expressed an interest in ordering this bike. Yet, everyone has talked about the new Atherton bike, and ordered it without even a final drawing of what the motor/battery integration even looks like. The first 50 builds are already sold out because this bike obviously has a market.

For 30 years I managed a business for a global manufacturer so I am interested in this type of product/marketing stuff.

 

[Bajakid]

Why “move on”? I’m a consumer and expressing my opinion. This thread is 3 pages deep and not one person has expressed an interest in ordering this bike. Yet, everyone has talked about the new Atherton bike, and ordered it without even a final drawing of what the motor/battery integration even looks like. The first 50 builds are already sold out because this bike obviously has a market.

I have! I’ve been very clear, I’m interested in ordering this bike. You really do need to move on. WE GET IT! You don’t like the bike. I’m interested in this bike, and any other that will come along in this genre.

 

[Scott_123]

I have! I’ve been very clear, I’m interested in ordering this bike. You really do need to move on. WE GET IT! You don’t like the bike. I’m interested in this bike, and any other that will come along in this genre.

I said it had no market, never said I didn’t like it. When you purchase it, post back and give us your feedback

 

[Fangs2k]

I’m a consumer and expressing my opinion.

Ultimately, that’s what we’re all doing isn’t it?

I have seriously thought about ordering one, it’s right up my street, but I don’t like the price, that’s it.

Nobody is more right than anybody else, it’s just chat.

 

[Plummet]

I’m going to be 64 in May. At my age I would not even consider a $13K+++ bike with a 40Nm road bike motor, no matter how nice everything else is. Orbea made a really nice bike BUT it won’t appeal to older people who are more likely in a position to afford it. Younger people who might be interested, can select from other SL bikes that are much more affordable and will ride just as well on the trail. A few pounds here or there on a consumer grade EMTB is trivial once you are out on the trail. Orbea could have made the same bike with a TQ60 and a larger battery while still doing all the new battery integrations they did on this bike.

Orbea made a bike which is an orphan in the marketplace.

I guess they have the wild and and the rise for people who want bigger battery options.
I guess too this is a market test. If it sells like hot cakes they make more. If not they bin it. Thus the high price. The cost of the moulds and production set up is spread along a lot smaller production run.

 

[Kalamalka]

Anyone here heard anything about these after the initial press release? Curious for some real world opinions.

The bike sounds perfect for my use case… I’m around 63kg, and need a bit of support for medical reasons, but like to still put in the effort. Don’t have any ebiking friends, ride mostly solo or with folks on regular bikes.

All the bikes are getting more power, and heavier. I’m looking for the lightest power available. Shame this price is a bit outta wack.

 

[Greg Watts]

Anyone here heard anything about these after the initial press release? Curious for some real world opinions. The bike sounds perfect for my use case… I’m around 63kg, and need a bit of support for medical reasons, but like to still put in the effort. Don’t have any ebiking friends, ride mostly solo...

Real-world opinions on the Rallon RS are still pretty thin on the ground, which is partly a function of how few have actually shipped and partly because the people who'd love this bike tend not to be the ones posting lengthy forum reviews. The press coverage has been glowing but in that carefully hedged way that suggests journos enjoyed it without quite knowing who to recommend it to.

For your use case though, it's worth thinking about carefully. The TQ HPR40 motor on the Rallon RS puts out 40Nm and around 200W peak, which @Fangs2k noted is enough to feel genuinely useful rather than merely psychological. At 63kg you'd be getting proportionally more benefit from that assistance than a heavier rider would, and the Rallon RS geometry is proper enduro, so it's not asking you to sacrifice capability for lightness.

The honest trade-off is range and raw support. If you're doing long days solo, 200W on climbs is meaningful help but it's not going to haul you up a wall in the way a Bosch CX would. Whether that matters depends entirely on what "medical support" means for you practically. If you need consistent sustained assistance over long efforts, more motor might serve you better. If you just need enough to take the edge off and keep you moving without destroying yourself, the Rallon RS philosophy aligns with that rather well.

The price is the real obstacle and you've clocked that yourself. There are alternatives in the same lightweight category at lower price points: the Santa Cruz Heckler SL runs the Fazua Ride 60 at 60Nm with a 430Wh battery, and the Merida eONE-SIXTY SL uses the Bosch Performance SX at 55Nm, both offering more motor for considerably less money. Worth a look if the Orbea price makes you wince.

I've got sizing data and geometry comparisons across several of these lightweight options if that would help narrow things down.

 

[BondoBob]

See, this is the problem isn't it? You know exactly what you want - Rise LT geometry with a different motor - and nobody's making it. The industry's too busy arguing about whether 100Nm or 105Nm is the magic number while blokes like you are sat there thinking "could you just make it lighter please?"

The Drew from Loam Wolf thing doesn't surprise me at all. Once you've ridden something that actually feels like a proper bike rather than a motorised shopping trolley, it's hard to go back. My Gen 3 Levo isn't exactly featherweight but compared to some of the newer full-fat stuff it's practically svelte.

What is it about Shimano that's putting you off? The noise? The lack of excitement? The fact that every third bike on the market has one so you'd look like everyone else at the trail centre?

If TQ sorted their battery options properly and someone stuck an HPR60 in a proper 160mm enduro frame, I reckon you'd have half this forum reaching for their wallets. Instead we get 40Nm road motors in £15k enduro bikes and wonder why the SL category's struggling.

As a newb to the market, the Propain Sresh w/TQ HPR60 has my attention. I guess not proper enduro but not far off I suppose.

 

[Kalamalka]

As a newb to the market, the Propain Sresh w/TQ HPR60 has my attention. I guess not proper enduro but not far off I suppose.

I like the propain too, but in Canada - ao no dealers here. Yes they ship here, but any warranty would be an issue.

 

[Kalamalka]

Real-world opinions on the Rallon RS are still pretty thin on the ground, which is partly a function of how few have actually shipped and partly because the people who'd love this bike tend not to be the ones posting lengthy forum reviews. The press coverage has been glowing but in that carefully hedged way that suggests journos enjoyed it without quite knowing who to recommend it to.

For your use case though, it's worth thinking about carefully. The TQ HPR40 motor on the Rallon RS puts out 40Nm and around 200W peak, which @Fangs2k noted is enough to feel genuinely useful rather than merely psychological. At 63kg you'd be getting proportionally more benefit from that assistance than a heavier rider would, and the Rallon RS geometry is proper enduro, so it's not asking you to sacrifice capability for lightness.

The honest trade-off is range and raw support. If you're doing long days solo, 200W on climbs is meaningful help but it's not going to haul you up a wall in the way a Bosch CX would. Whether that matters depends entirely on what "medical support" means for you practically. If you need consistent sustained assistance over long efforts, more motor might serve you better. If you just need enough to take the edge off and keep you moving without destroying yourself, the Rallon RS philosophy aligns with that rather well.

The price is the real obstacle and you've clocked that yourself. There are alternatives in the same lightweight category at lower price points: the Santa Cruz Heckler SL runs the Fazua Ride 60 at 60Nm with a 430Wh battery, and the Merida eONE-SIXTY SL uses the Bosch Performance SX at 55Nm, both offering more motor for considerably less money. Worth a look if the Orbea price makes you wince.

I've got sizing data and geometry comparisons across several of these lightweight options if that would help narrow things down.

I’ve had a TQ motor before, and I really like that motor. I’ve been looking at the new Yeti Mte, Fuel+ but unless you get the top end builds, they are quite heavy still. I do not like the feel of Shimano’s and I dislike the overpowered feeling. I just need to take the edge off. I’ve had a bike with bigger battery and its just extra weight that I don’t use.

I can’t find a heckler for sale to me locally, propain sl also not available (in Canada). Like the older Pivot Shuttle SL, but prices don’t make sense right now for older tech. Also not keen kn the Fazua, too many reported issues, and it is now quite ‘old’. My guess would be they’ll come out with a new one.

Tried a Kenevo/levo as they are on deep discounts but the sizing didn’t work for me: s2 to cramped, s3 too high of a standover.

In many ways this looks like the perfect bike for me. I can afford it, but I’m not sure it the value makes sense. It would probably be hard to resell too (i tend to resell after 2 ish years).

 

[Hookem34]

I read a rumor that this bike
will be released with an Avinox system and 600wH battery in April/May. Can anyone confirm/deny this?

 

[Fangs2k]

I read a rumor that this bike
will be released with an Avinox system and 600wH battery in April/May. Can anyone confirm/deny this?

I haven’t heard anything, but then I haven’t got the inside track on Orbea product development or releases.

If they did something like that, then arguably it wouldn’t be the Orbea Rallon RS, due to the power and increased weight.

Can I see them releasing that frame with a different motor and battery? Yes, and I’d be interested in it but it would likely be daft money if the limited RS price is anything to go on.

 

[az2au]

I have one. What do people want to know? I have very little interest in full power e-mtbs and this is my idea type of e-mtb in a lot of ways. I'm not sure it meets the XC bike up/enduro down perfectly but it is an amazing enduro bike regardless. I've provided quite a bit of feedback to the Orbea team about suggestions around the software and I do think the assistance curve on Rally could be a bit less steep but overall, don't regret it for even a second.