Orbea will officially launch its new Orca later this year, but the Basque company gave the world a sneak peak at the Tour. Cofidis rider Geoffrey Soupe is aboard the all-new frameset that marks a styling departure for Orbea. Round tubes, slender seatstays and a semi-integrated fork are obvious changes. Orbea also plans to offer a disc brake version of the bike (Image credit: Nick Legan)
Soupe runs a 42cm FSA bar and a 13cm stem. His reach, from tip of saddle to the midpoint of his bar tops is 56cm(Image credit: Nick Legan)
The new frameset clears 28mm rubber and gives huge clearance for the Kenda SC 25mm tubulars that were mounted for the start of the Tour(Image credit: Nick Legan)
Like the entire Cofidis team, Soupe runs Dura-Ace derailleurs, with FSA pulleys installed on the rear. Soupe ran an 11-25 cassette(Image credit: Nick Legan)
Alligator brake cables save a bit of weight. Gluing the Di2 junction box to the underside of the stem is a nice touch too(Image credit: Nick Legan)
An FSA SRM measures the French lead-out man's power. 172.5mm crank arms turn 53/39 rings. The round down tube is a departure from Orbea's typically angular styling. It also allows for a lighter frame. A BB 386 EVO frame standard is used to allow for maximum crank compatibility and larger frame structures(Image credit: Nick Legan)
Soupe runs his Prologo Nago saddle at 74.5cm from the axis of the bottom bracket(Image credit: Nick Legan)
As you'd expect from a new bike in 2016, the Orca is compatible with both electronic and mechanical shifting drivetrains (Image credit: Nick Legan)
Soupe, normally Bouhanni's last lead-out man, is now free to race for himself (Image credit: Nick Legan)
Gone is the separate seatpost collar, with a clean integrated expander located in the top tube/seat tube junction(Image credit: Nick Legan)
While it's debatable what performance gain there might be in integrating the fork into the down tube, the look is fantastic (Image credit: Nick Legan)
The new fork has a semi-integrated crown that flows nicely into the down tube. It is 5mm shorter than the previous Orca's fork, while the head tube was extended to retain the same stack figure. Orbea representatives were quick to emphasize that the new bike handles very differently from its predecessor (Image credit: Nick Legan)
FSA's sister company Vision provides wheels for Cofidis, with Soupe on Metron 55s(Image credit: Nick Legan)
Covered in dazzling white pinstripes, one bike in the Cofidis team parking lot was not like the others. Beyond the paint, the unique Orbea's lines were rounder, more delicate in places. Assembled and ready for action underneath one of Nacer Bouhanni's lead-out men, Geoffrey Soupe, the bike – Orbea's new Orca – is stunning.
The Orca will launch officially later this year, with pre-ordering starting in August. Both rim and disc brake versions will be offered. A Shimano Ultegra mechanical rim brake bike will sell for €3,500, with higher-end builds available. Orbea will also offer the new Orca as part of its MyO custom paint and component selector program.
The new look of the frame is to save weight and prioritize updated handling. Orbea engineers and product managers were at the Cofidis hotel to receive firsthand feedback from Soupe and to loop in media on the new bike.
Weight savings
Round tubes require less material for similar strength compared to square or angular cross sections. Going this route and using slender seatstays helped Orbea engineers trim 80g from the frameset. The rim brake frame tips the scales at 790 grams for a 53cm.
To sharpen up handling (Orbea engineers wouldn't expand except to say that it's better than the old Orca), the fork's axle to crown is 5mm shorter. This stiffens the fork. To maintain the same stack height, the head tube was extended. A nice aesthetic cue is the semi-integrated fork crown, which blends nicely into a notch in the down tube. Geometry numbers weren't available.
Improved clearance
Moving with the times, the new race bike will easily clear 28mm tires and is compatible with both mechanical and electronic drivetrains. Soupe's bike had 25mm Kenda SC tubulars with loads of clearance. The electronic wiring is very neat as well, with the shift wire entering the frame alongside the rear brake cable.
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Orbea has used the BB 386 EVO standard for some time, but moved to the larger 46mm frame opening instead of the 41mm used on the previous model. Orbea engineers mentioned that they like the spec because of its compatibility with most cranks on the market and the ability to use large frame structures in the bottom bracket area.
For the moment, Soupe's is the only new Orca being publicly ridden, but when the bike becomes available we look forward to learning more.
