Orbea Occam Series Review: A jack-of-all trades 29er

Images source: orbea.com

The Orbea Occam is a high-travel trail bike that pushes the upper limits of the category, bordering on light enduro capability. 

This bike’s first iteration arrived in 2020. It’s a bike with conventional trail MTB geometry, designed to be comfortable and efficient over long days in the saddle. 

The Occam performs excellently in rough, tight trails where agile geometry, 29″ wheels, and progressive suspension provide versatility and capability. 

This Orbea Occam review will cover the main specs and features, what’s new for 2023, the different builds and LT variation, and finish with our verdict on whether or not you should choose it. 

Orbea Occam 2023 Full Review

The Orbea Occam is the brand’s do-it-all 29er, perfect for riders that want to spend long hours on the trails crushing climbs and charging down most descents.

Additionally, the new lineup features a bigger, more capable ‘LT’ model for riders who demand a little extra from their trail bike. 

What’s New for 2023 

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As mentioned, the Orbea Occam 2023 has split into two models. These include the standard 140mm Occam and the Occam LT (Long Travel) with 150mm travel front and rear.

The other changes include more powerful four-piston disc brakes, 0.5 degrees slacker angles, a raised bottom bracket, the choice between a coil or air shock, and more aggressive tires. All of these changes make for a more capable and self-assured package.  

With the addition of the longer travel model, Orbea removed the geometry flip-chip, and instead, the LT replicates the ‘low’ setting. 

Orbea Occam’s 2023 novelties include a Long Travel build, improved suspension linkage, new groupsets, and progressive geometry.

Another change for 2023 includes an updated suspension linkage. A new two-part design reduces mechanical complexity and the chance of something coming loose while simultaneously improving rigidity and simplifying maintenance. 

Finally, the 2023 Occam is fully customizable through Orbea’s ‘MyO’ Design Your Ride program. This new approach in the bike industry allows customers to configure their bikes during the purchasing process without extra charge in some cases. 

Trail Geometry

The Occam sports a long reach and wheelbase, relatively short chainstays, a lower bottom bracket, and a steep seat angle.

The overall bike geometry of the Occam doesn’t have any notable updates in 2023.

It sports a long reach and wheelbase, relatively short chainstays, a lower bottom bracket, and a steep seat angle.

This trail geometry provides a balanced and stable feel at moderate speeds, over which it becomes slightly twitchy in the front.

One pleasant aspect of the longer reach on the Orbea Occam  is that it leaves plenty of room for you to move around on the bike.

For a long bike, it is pretty agile, but it feels slightly restricted when leaning in corners, causing you to slow down.

Additionally, the steep seat tube angle creates a comfortable and efficient climbing position that enhances the Occam’s climbing prowess. 

Overall, Orbea struck a sweet balance between playfulness and stability, giving to the bike’s all-rounder personality. 

Frame – Aluminum or Carbon 

The Occam is available with a carbon or aluminum frame, resulting in builds that match most riders’ needs and budgets.

The Orbea Occam frame is available in hydroformed aluminum or monocoque carbon fiber, each with rubber guards on the chainstay and downtube.

Regardless of the material, Orbea’s frames are exceptional quality and impressively lightweight, helping to keep the bike’s weight low and making it easier to get the bike into the air and improve your climbing ability. 

Each Orbea Occam frame utilizes a unique asymmetrical design that offsets the shock to the left side of the frame, enhancing the stiffness for a more responsive ride. 

The aluminum frame is remarkably engineered. Orbea utilizes advanced hydroforming techniques to optimize rigidity and reduce total weight without negatively affecting ride characteristics.

The most impressive aspect of the aluminum frame is the carbon-like smooth look that comes from a laborious process of repeatedly polishing and reinforcing the welds to improve fatigue resistance. 

The carbon fiber is equally high-quality and notably lightweight. Thankfully, Orbea uses a single grade of carbon for their frames, resisting the temptation to sell multiple grades (like Yeti or Santa Cruz do). Finally, each frame is guaranteed by the Orbea Lifetime Warranty.

New Two-Part Linkage Suspension and Concentric Pivot 2

The Occam uses a new two-part linkage to enhance the overall performance of the suspension components. This linkage adds extra progression to the end of the stroke for improved bottom-out support. This system works equally well with 140 or 150mm travel and a coil or air shock. 

Orbea tuned the suspension this year for extra progression with a moderately progressive curve and a high leverage ratio. This setup ensures plenty of control under big impacts and a lively rear end with plenty of small bump sensitivity.

Up close and personal with the Occam’s new two-part linkage that enhances the overall performance of the suspension components.

The Occam maintains traction well when tackling rough, tight trails and climbing on loose surfaces. It also has great pedaling performance, thanks to the anti-squat characteristics. However, when the speed gets very high, it feels slightly twitchy in the front. 

How Does the Orbea Occam Perform on the Trail?

The Orbea Occam is the kind of bike that you can take along on huge days at the bike park or discover a new set of trails, thanks to its balanced feel. It’s got the versatility to handle almost anything you throw at it. It inspires confidence on all but the most extreme terrain. 

The premium frames, innovative linkage and pivot engineering, and customizability of this bike make it stand out. 

Where Does the Orbea Occam Thrive?

Thanks to keeping pedal bob in control, the Occam is a phenomenal climber, but it doesn’t lack downhill prowess either.

The Occam is a bike that excels in its capability and consistent performance in every aspect of trail riding.

This bike is a super efficient climber and outperforms most others in this category with equal suspension travel. In addition, the pedal bob is almost imperceptible, the frame is lightweight, and the geometry is suitable for long seated efforts. 

On descents, the Occam is lively and fast handling, confidently managing rough trails up to moderate speeds. With the LT model, you’ll have an even more capable descender that can thunder down chunky trails more confidently than the standard model.

What Can Be Better?

One minor noticeable issue is that the cornering is a little slower than ideal due to the steeper geometry. Otherwise, the Occam performs as expected of a trail bike with this spec on rough terrain at higher speeds.  

The other issue is that the non-LT versions only have two-piston brakes, a slightly underpowered inclusion for a high-travel trail bike. 

Orbea Occam Builds

The Orbea Occam price ranges from $3,299 to $9,499 and is available in five aluminum (H) builds or six carbon (M) ones.

Each bike is expertly crafted and comes with components from leading manufacturers, including Shimano, SRAM, Maxxis, Race Face, and Fox. 

Carbon (M) Builds

Orbea Occam LT with a carbon frame and a stunning purple paint job.

Four of the six M (Monocoque) models are standard, and two are LT. The four standard models include the equally priced M30 (Shimano SLX/ XT mix) and M30 Eagle (SRAM NX/GX mix). Both use a 140mm Fox Float DPS Performance shock, 34 Float Performance fork, OCR dropper, 2.4″ Dissector (f) and Rekon (r) tires, and Race Face AR 30c wheels. 

The other standard models are the M10 (XT 8100) and the M LTD (Shimano XTR). Each one upgrades from Fox Performance to Factory suspension in the front and rear.

The M10 gets Race Face Turbine R-30 wheels, Next R handlebars, and an Aeffect R stem. As the top model, the M LTD has a premium Fox Transfer Factory Kashima dropper and Race Face Next-SL wheels.

The Long Travel models include the M30 LT (Shimano XT/SLX mix) and the M10 LT (XT). The M30 has a 150mm Fox Float X Factory shock and 36 Float Performance 150 Grip fork, Race Face AR 30c wheels, and a Minion DHF 2.5″ front and Dissector 2.4″ rear tire. The M10 has improved Fox DHX Factory shock and 36 Float Factory GRIP2 fork suspension, and Race Face Turbine-R30 TLR wheels. 

• Orbea Occam M30 – $4,699
• Orbea Occam M30 Eagle – $4,699
• Orbea Occam M30 LT – $4,999
• Orbea Occam M10 – $6,499
• Orbea Occam M10 LT – $6,899
• Orbea Occam M LTD -$9,499

Aluminum (H) Builds

Budget-friendly aluminum Orbea Occam H10.

The standard aluminum models include the H10 (XT), H20 Eagle (SRAM GX/NX mix), and H30 (Deore M6100), each with a 140mm Fox Float DPS Performance shock. In addition, the cheaper H10 has a Marzocchi Bomber Z2 fork and a Selle Royal saddle, while the H20 Eagle and H30 both have a Fox 34 Float Performance fork and Fizik Taiga saddle. 

The LT models have 150mm Fox Float X Performance shocks and 36 Float Performance forks, Minion DHF 2.5″ and Dissector 2.4″ tires, and four-piston disc brakes. 

• Orbea Occam H10
• Orbea Occam H20 LT
• Orbea Occam H20 Eagle
• Orbea Occam H30 LT
• Orbea Occam H30

Orbea Occam Sizing

The Orbea Occam frame is available in four sizes, S to XL, fitting riders from 59.1″ to 78″ (150-198cm) tall. 

• S – 59.1″ – 65″ (150-165cm)
• M – 63″ – 68.9″ (160-175cm)
• L – 66.9″ – 72.8″ (170-185cm)
• XL – 70.9″ – 78″ (180-198cm)

Riders who fall between two sizes should find a local Orbea dealer to test-ride both and see which fits better.

Alternatively, you can compare the reach and stack against a similar spec bike you’ve ridden to see which matches closer. 

People Also Ask

Bottom Line: Should You Buy an Orbea Occam

The Orbea Occam balances stability, comfort, agility, and liveliness in one stylish package, backed by a lifetime frame warranty. 

With Orbea’s MyO design options, you can completely personalize your bike with the level of components and design that matches your riding style and preferences. 

This versatility, customizability, and choice of aluminum or carbon make the Occam a desirable option.

In the right hands, this bike will be able to set trail records and clear the most creative lines on the trail. On top of that, the do-it-all personality offers plenty for trail-focused riders who like to spend long days on the mountain or in the bike park. 

No matter your budget, if you’re searching for a reliable 29er trail bike, you’re not going to find many that beat the Occam. 

Buy Orbea Occam (Jenson USA)    Buy Orbea Occam (evo.com)

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About the Author

Jordan Grimes

Jordan Grimes is an avid cyclist who loves to travel and has found his bike to be perfect company on road trips in the USA, through national parks, and in countries such as Canada, Ireland, and Spain.

His passion for travel and work in the tourism and hospitality sector has allowed him to live in incredible places like Ireland, Canada, the USA, and the Cayman Islands. He has since relocated to southern Spain, where he works as a freelance writer, practicing Spanish and cycling in the famous Sierra Nevada mountains. He specializes in writing cycling blog articles, health and performance-related topics, and other informative pieces. You can contact him on Linkedin.