ARIN & ONIX of ORBEA - which one to choose
- Thread starter yamagold
- Start date
I like the Orbea Orca and Onix, but haven't ridden any. Frame choice always needs to consider your size, weight, power, and what you plan to do with the bike. EG, if you're an elite-level competitor, trying to win the Mt Washington Hill Climb next year, weigh 130 lbs and stand 5'5", I'd pick the scary-light AL 950 gram frame and not worry about anything else.yamagold said:
However, if durability is a concern as you stated, I'd not pick the lightest AL bike on the market. A 950 gram AL frame, with 0.6 mm wall thickness has got to be very prone to handling dings and crunches too. Even if it's fatigue-resistant as Orbea claim, it has to hold up in the real world too. By contrast, the "workhorse" Columbus Zonal 7005 series AL has a 1.0 mm wall thickness. That's a big difference.
Handling-wise, would also think the AL frame is likely to be flexy, unless you're unusually small and lightweight. You need some strength in the BB for crisp response on accelerating and sprinting, and enough torsional stiffness between the head tube and seat tube to give solid, wobble-free descents at high speed. Unless Orbea has found some magic in dimensions, believe this frame is likely to be flexy.
Bottom line, I'd go with the CF Onix and never look back. The added 300 grams (about 1/2 a water bottle) is well worth it, IMO.
Well Orbea claims 15% more stiff on the Arin over their other alus.dhk said:
I have ridden an Onix and in fact i have one. For some reasons, ill be changing bikes and i'm considering the Arin. Im a 68 kgs rider. The LBS recommends the Onix when durability is to be considered. Or perhaps i may have to choose the 2005 bike of the year ORCA.
I can't comment on the Arin, I was able to ride both the Orca and Onix for extended periods. The Dura-Ace equipped Orca felt smooth and extremely responsive with the type of feel like it was ready to climb like a goat. On the flats the Orca was a speed monster that tracked a line with no wander. It was all around smooth but still had the feel of a Crit muncher in thight turns. All aroud a fantastic bike.
The Chrous equipped Orca however, felt dead to me. Don't get me wrong, it felt alomst like a luxury car. On centuries I think it would be a great bike. With any bike, it all depends on what you are looking for in a bike. I would certainly find a LBS that will let you demo all of the bikes for extended periods.
Personally, I ended up with a Record equipped Look 555. Not to steer you away. What ever you decide on, make sure you demo the bike for a long ride to make sure it's the one for you.
The Chrous equipped Orca however, felt dead to me. Don't get me wrong, it felt alomst like a luxury car. On centuries I think it would be a great bike. With any bike, it all depends on what you are looking for in a bike. I would certainly find a LBS that will let you demo all of the bikes for extended periods.
Personally, I ended up with a Record equipped Look 555. Not to steer you away. What ever you decide on, make sure you demo the bike for a long ride to make sure it's the one for you.
Well that's one (ORCA) that i would consider too.wugga said:
You see i have the ONIX for a while until it suffered a crash and broke its seatstay. Im weighing things which crash replacement would i get. I dont want to make any mistakes here. I agree the CF bikes ride is much better than the non-CF's but i must admit i cant make up my mind on the CF and getting the same model. When you break a CF bike then it cant be erased in your mind that should you crash again the same things will again happen. Why didnt the handle bar broke instead of the seatstay.
I had been interested in Orbea as a potential second bike. However, I ruled it out as an option after riding one at a recent trade show. I rode one of their higher end carbon models (Onix, if I remember right), and I was disappointed. It felt dead to me compared to some other high end carbon frames I tried the same day.
Since you're looking to buy a new frame, if you decide on carbon again, it might be good to test ride some other brands to see how they feel to you.
Since you're looking to buy a new frame, if you decide on carbon again, it might be good to test ride some other brands to see how they feel to you.
I dont have the option of getting another bike brand. I can go for a different model though. You see im getting a crash replacement from ORBEA. I have never ridden another CF bike so cant compare the ONIX over other CF brand bike. But i was satisfied with the ride on the ONIX plus the compliments and remarks the other cyclist usually say about the bike are always favorable. I consider the ONIX though their lower end CF bike as ORBEA now has the ORCA, OPAL then the low end ONIXnbfman said:
.The best thing with ORBEA is their lifetime warranty on the frames. Your email inquiries too gets a reply fast usually on the same day.
Cheers
Wow, that must have been a serious crash!
At least from what I have heard from friends Orbea has great customer service and their warranty is also great from what my friends tell me. If it was not for the fact I scored a Look 555 frame at a killer price, I probably would have gone with an Orca; killer ride on that pup!
At least from what I have heard from friends Orbea has great customer service and their warranty is also great from what my friends tell me. If it was not for the fact I scored a Look 555 frame at a killer price, I probably would have gone with an Orca; killer ride on that pup!
yamagold said:Well that's one (ORCA) that i would consider too.
You see i have the ONIX for a while until it suffered a crash and broke its seatstay. Im weighing things which crash replacement would i get. I dont want to make any mistakes here. I agree the CF bikes ride is much better than the non-CF's but i must admit i cant make up my mind on the CF and getting the same model. When you break a CF bike then it cant be erased in your mind that should you crash again the same things will again happen. Why didnt the handle bar broke instead of the seatstay.
Didn't realize you had the Onix and broke it in a crash. So, you already know you like its ride and handling. I'd stay with it, or upgrade to the Orca.yamagold said:Well that's one (ORCA) that i would consider too.
You see i have the ONIX for a while until it suffered a crash and broke its seatstay. Im weighing things which crash replacement would i get. I dont want to make any mistakes here. I agree the CF bikes ride is much better than the non-CF's but i must admit i cant make up my mind on the CF and getting the same model. When you break a CF bike then it cant be erased in your mind that should you crash again the same things will again happen. Why didnt the handle bar broke instead of the seatstay.
Agree with your LBS, if durability and crash-worthiness is a concern, a 0.6 mm AL tubeset frame would be the last choice....it's likely the most fragile bike you could find on the market. I'm a big fan of AL/CF bikes, but if you plan on crashing or otherwise beating up the bike, believe steel (and perhaps Ti) are better choices.
Here's a review on the Orca, and it gets top marks.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech.php?id=tech/2004/reviews/orbea_orca_jelly_belly
Perhaps my poor impression of Orbea carbon frames was the result of riding something less. Since you need to change to another Orbea, the Orca definately sounds like a good choice.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech.php?id=tech/2004/reviews/orbea_orca_jelly_belly
Perhaps my poor impression of Orbea carbon frames was the result of riding something less. Since you need to change to another Orbea, the Orca definately sounds like a good choice.
I have yet to hear some bad remarks about ORBEA and then change bike brands. The LBS i bought the bike with (UBG Houston) has likewise excellent before and after sales service. Prior to my buying the bike, he was the most accommodating bike dealer i have got to talk to. I know this pretty well since i have called almost all the bike shops around the Houston area. If you're in Houston and deciding to have a new bike visit him at UBG and look for Tom.
Yup the crash was a serious one, the car i made in contact with suffered a big dent, i was sent flying into the pavement, my helmet broke as it was my head that hit the ground. Except for the cracked seatstay and a scratch on the saddle there were no other scratches on the frame. of all the places i least expect the crack to be (4 inches above the hanger), there it happened. there was no stone/rock around so i figure it must have been hit by the metal part of my cleat when we both hit the ground as it has a dent on the broken point.
Definitely ill get another ORBEA, it will be a toss up between the ONIX and the ORCA (i hope they will give me the same deal on the ORCA).
Yup the crash was a serious one, the car i made in contact with suffered a big dent, i was sent flying into the pavement, my helmet broke as it was my head that hit the ground. Except for the cracked seatstay and a scratch on the saddle there were no other scratches on the frame. of all the places i least expect the crack to be (4 inches above the hanger), there it happened. there was no stone/rock around so i figure it must have been hit by the metal part of my cleat when we both hit the ground as it has a dent on the broken point.
Definitely ill get another ORBEA, it will be a toss up between the ONIX and the ORCA (i hope they will give me the same deal on the ORCA).
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