Orbea Rise H: Aluminum frame, larger battery, lower price - the Light E-MTB for everyone?

Product news / E-MTB: A bang from Orbea! With the Orbea Rise H, the Spaniards are presenting an aluminum version of their all-round convincing Light E-MTB Rise at an unusual time of year. In addition to the frame material, the Rise H also has a larger battery, as well as slightly more weight and a significantly lower price.

No question - the Orbea Rise is still one of the most exciting E-MTBs on the market. If you are looking for a light E-MTB, you cannot avoid the Basque bike that was presented last year. In our comparison test Last season, the Rise was one of the testers' favorites - but the slim carbon bike had one crucial downer: its price tag. With over 6.000 euros for the entry-level model, you have to dig deep into your pocket for the chic e-MTB. Orbea is aware of this and is therefore now expanding the range of bikes with the Orbea Rise H: A variant with an aluminum frame that is not only cheaper than the carbon counterpart, but also has a larger battery. The other key data remain the same: From the geometry to the Shimano EP60 RS throttled to 8 Nm.

Orbea Rise H: At a glance

Frame material: Aluminium
Suspension travel: 140mm rear / 140 or 150mm front
Engine: Shimano EP8 RS (60 Nm)
Battery pack: 540 Wh (permanently integrated) | Range Extender 252Wh
wheel size: 29 inch

Weight from 19 kg
Price: from 4999 Euro

Visually and technically great frame

Okay, please show your hands if you would have noticed a difference to the carbon model when looking at the Orbea Rise H. No one? No wonder: the two frames can hardly be distinguished from each other even on closer inspection. Appropriately, Orbea told an anecdote during the presentation of the bike: In the past, when test riding or shooting new bikes, you always had to go to great lengths to hide them from the public eye, but with the Orbea Rise H this was not necessary. No other biker noticed that the frame is not made of carbon. The main reason for this lies in the elegantly smoothed weld seams on almost the entire frame, which also has a lot to offer apart from the looks: with a weight of 3,4 kg, it is only 1.100g heavier than its carbon sister model.

Apart from the frame material and its weight, the Rise and Rise H are similar in terms of frame like identical twins: With the Orbea Rise H you also get 140mm of spring travel in the rear, the usual sporty-progressive kinematics on the rear triangle, 29er wheels and the geometry is up to the same last millimeter. Why change something that works so well and has gained so many fans in such a short time?

As the geometry table already reveals: The Rise H will again be available with 140mm or 150mm at the front. However, the dimensions are what we would expect from a modern trail bike. Not too extreme, which should also make it easy for newcomers to enter the (E-)MTB world on the Rise (H), but still so progressive that the bike conveys safety and sometimes irons out a riding mistake.

Shimano EP8 RS now with 540 Wh battery

So while there are hardly any changes on the outside, there is a pretty big (or slim?) surprise in the down tube: the battery now has a whopping 540 Wh capacity. That's an impressive 180 Wh more than the Carbon Rise - despite the same tube diameter! This is made possible by a battery that has been optimized down to the last millimeter and fills all the empty space in the down tube. Of course, that also means that it can't be removed here either, which shouldn't really surprise anyone in view of the dimensions. With a weight of 2,7kg, it is also extremely light - for comparison: a Bosch Powertube 500 weighs a good 200g more despite its lower capacity. The option of a range extender with 252 Wh is also available on the Orbea Rise H: This gives range lovers a total of almost 800 Wh!

Compared to the 360 ​​Wh variant of the well-known Orbea Rise, the additional capacity weighs, of course - actually one of the great advantages of the Rise, even with an aluminum frame. One may wonder why Orbea accepts this additional weight. In the press talk before the bike was presented, the Spaniards explained that the Rise H was intended to appeal to a broader mass of e-mountain bikers. While the well-known Rise relied on a modular battery system consisting of an integrated battery with 360 Wh for shorter tours and a range extender for day trips, the Rise H is a compromise. With the 540 Wh of the integrated battery, in combination with the economical EP8 RS motor, you can easily get through a day tour; Those who travel a lot in boost mode or tackle one alpine pass after the other can then retrofit the range extender. Incidentally, Orbea specifies a range of approx. 2.000 hm in trail mode for the 540 Wh battery for the Rise H. Those who drive in Eco should even manage 3.500 hm.

However, Orbea does not change the overall concept of the drive due to the larger battery. With the EP8 RS, a specially adapted, throttled version of the well-known E-MTB motor is still used. They rely on natural support instead of unbridled power - although the 60 Nm of the drive is easily sufficient even for really steep climbs, as we know from the test of the predecessor. When it comes to connectivity, Garmin users can look forward to a specially developed app in the IQ Store that displays drive information on the bike computer or Garmin watch.

Orbea Rise H Aluminum: models and trim levels

In terms of equipment, the Rise H - as you know it from Orbea - has a lot of options. Each of the three available basic variants can be customized using the MyO program. So you have the choice between different forks and can therefore adapt the bike very well to your own area of ​​use. The same applies to the brakes, where you can choose between different four and two-piston systems, or to the tires. If you want to take a look for yourself and see the possible surcharges for various components, you will find what you are looking for on the Spaniards' website. In contrast to the carbon model, however, the frame color cannot be adjusted.

The three basic variants start at an attractive price of 4.999 The entry-level model, which comes trail-ready with a Marzocchi or Fox suspension, 12-speed Shimano gears, and 4-piston brakes, costs just €6.799. The top-of-the-line model, despite "only" €34, comes with top-of-the-line components – if the Fox 36-inch front wheel isn't quite enough for you, you can also have a XNUMX-inch wheel installed through MyO.

Orbea specifies the weight as 19 kg for the top model and 20 kg for the other two equipment variants - each in frame size M. Our test bike (ride report below!) corresponds to the variant H10, but with Fox 36 in the front, and weighs in frame size L 20,1kg

With the Orbea Rise H, the Spaniards seem to have succeeded in what the industry has been collectively struggling to do for some time: A light E-MTB for the masses! In terms of price, it is in the upper midfield, but weighs a good five kilograms less - respect! Our suspicions should be confirmed and the Rise H should shine just as well in practice like the carbon model, then Orbea should have set the bar quite high for the coming season.

The very best for last: When it comes to availability, which is such a difficult topic these days, there is good news here - the Orbea Rise H is now available from dealers, can be tested and bought - great!

Website

www.orbea.com