Road cyclists who were unaware of the rise of lightweight and aero bikes must have been living under a stone. In the last few years, nearly every lightweight bike has gained an aero tube profile, to the point where a fully aero road bike looks like an endangered species. Long live the Specialized Venge.

While the change in UCI tube profile regulations has breathed new life into the aero bike field, Orbea has taken a completely different direction with its new 2024 Orca series, reverting to rounded tube profiles on the high-spec Orca OMX bikes.

Orbea says there are too many compromises required when designing lightweight aero bikes. The complexity of construction and extra materials needed to make a lightweight bike more aero also means that it cannot be as lightweight as a bike that is not trying to be aero.

"This is why it makes no sense to increase the weight of a lightweight bike in exchange for aero features. On climbs, the lighter the bike, the better; at higher speeds, the more aero, the better. A mid-weight bike with aero features is not going to win anywhere," claims Joseba Arrizaga, Orbea's road product manager.

To prove his point, the 2024 Orbea ORCA OMX frame in size 53 has a top spec of 750 g and a fork weight of 360 g. This includes aero profile tubing on the seat tube, down tube, seat stays, and seat post.

Orbea says this change in direction gives the new Orca easy climbing and acceleration, and the agility and responsiveness that only a true lightweight bike can offer. He also says the round tubes reduce vibration transmission to the rider and conserve energy.

According to Orbea's tests, a lightweight bike saves about 3 watts of energy at 5% gradient and about 6 watts at 10% gradient by reducing frame weight by 500 g more than an aerobike.

Orbea has not completely abandoned aero, nominally in areas where the aero effect can be achieved without increasing weight. The Orca OMX includes integrated cable routing, a new seat post clamp, and fork profile, all of which are said to improve the bike's aerodynamics. The brand also points out that the "MyO" online custom bike configurator allows riders to select more aero wheels and bars, and frame sizes and stem lengths that allow them to ride in a more aero position.

According to Orbea, the weight reduction of the new Orca OMX frame was achieved by using fewer carbon fiber prepregs, 90 fewer total. This means that more precision is required when laying down the prepreg sheets in the frame molds, but it also reduces the number of overlaps between layers

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The weight of the frame is further reduced by designing the geometry so that resin does not accumulate in corners and sharp edges.

Orbea also worked with in-house component and wheel brands to design the bike and components together. Orbea states that the RP10 stem is one of the lightest available, and the new HP11 bar for the Orca OMX weighs only 190g. This bar has a flared shape and a narrower hood for a more aero position.

The latest Oquo RP35-LTD lightweight wheelset is said to weigh 1,380g for the top-specification bike, and there are also lower-specification Team and Pro wheelsets in three depths of 35mm, 45mm and 57mm. The wheels are available with carbon or alloy rims, both with an internal width of 21 mm to accommodate wide tires.

Finally, Orbea claims that the paint weighs about 15 grams and the frame hardware only 20 grams.

The result, according to Orbea, is a complete top-spec bike weighing 6.7 kg. However, the company claims that frame rigidity does not need to be compromised to achieve this weight, and that the head tube, downtube, and chainstays are torsionally resistant, allowing for efficient power transfer no matter how many watts the rider outputs.

Orbea has kept the geometry of the Orca almost exactly the same as the previous generation bike, with a chainstay length of 408 mm and a shorter wheelbase.

Other new features include saddle rails in different materials and a seat post for round or oval sections.

Along with the Orca OMX, Orbea also offers a low modulus OMR frameset with a frame weight of 1030g and a fork weight of 410g.

The frame comes in seven sizes: 47, 49, 51, 53, 55, 57, and 60 cm; while the OMX frame is available in two colors, the OMR frame is available in three. Orbea also offers a MyO custom color configurator.

Orbea's six specs in the Orca OMX series are priced from £6,299 ($5,999, €5,799) to £11,999 ($11,599, €10,999), while the five specs in the Orca OMR series are priced from £3,599 ($3,599, €3 6,399 pounds ($6,899, 6,399 euros) to 6,999 pounds ($6,899, 6,599 euros).

The new Orbea Orca is available immediately and will be entered in the Tour de France Femme by the WNT Serratigit team and in the Clasica San Sebastian by the Euskaltel Euskadi men's team.

However, if you are craving an Orbea aerobike, don't despair. Orbea sells the Orca Aero with aggressive aerodynamics, along with the new Orca OMX and OMR lightweight bikes.

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