MBA FEATURE
Riding the
Orbea
Homeland
of Spain certainly proved the Occam to
be a very capable and versatile bike on a
variety of terrain. The geometry balanced
efficiency and agility, and the bike felt
comfortable being laid over in the air.
THE PLUS-SIZE LOKI
It’s getting to the point where manufacturers don’t feel their model lines are
complete unless they include a plus-size
bike. The 27. 5+ Orbea Loki is an affordable hardtail designed for riders who may
be new to the sport and are looking for an
advantage in traction and comfort. It also
offers versatility in that standard-width,
29-inch wheels will fit in the frame without any issues and won’t mess with the
geometry; however, plus-size hardtails are
so much fun that we only see ourselves
using standard-width tires in a race. If this
sounds even remotely crazy to you, we
strongly suggest trying a plus-size hardtail
so you can experience for yourself exactly
what we’re talking about.
Available on some models of the Loki,
the all-new Digit seatpost certainly caught
our eyes. A simpler, more reliable and more
affordable alternative to complex dropper
posts, the Digit seatpost mechanically
limits the height to which the saddle can
be raised or lowered. Riders tighten down
an adjustable set screw that limits the
saddle to a height that feels comfortable
for climbing, while a lower-limit set screw
prevents it from dropping down further
than it needs to. One portion of the clamp
is screwed down to keep the Digit clamp
in place, then the height adjustment of the
post is achieved via a quick release that
allows riders to simply open the clamp, pull
the saddle up as high as it is able to go
and clamp it back down. This way the rider
can be assured the saddle is in the ideal
position for climbing.
RALLON
Named after a national forest in Spain
that is well-known for its technical trails,
the 2016 Rallon (pronounced ray-yoan)
only received a few changes this year.
Let’s get fat: Orbea has introduced
the Loki as their first plus-sized bike.