Orbea Wild: First Ride and Pro Tips from Gully

[@slick-riq]

Great design, looks futuristic! I appreciate how Orbea is always front running on innovation

[@bikersedge]

They do a great job. Awesome bikes.

[@AdventuresWithClair]

Your videos are top notch man, keep killing it I'll keep watching it!!!!!

[@bikersedge]

Hey thanks for the kind words!

[@pedalpoonces]

The bad news is I still haven’t bought an ebike. The good news is amazing new e-bikes like this Wild keep coming out and giving me even better choices! Great vid as always! Thanks BE Bikes!! 🎉

[@bikersedge]

They're only getting better.

[@zorqis]

This bike checks all boxes. Amazing how they integrated this power and range in that weight. Orbea covered it well: you want a light and capable all-mountain bike, get a Rise M. For most people though, I think the Wild is the choice. I still intend to keep my Rallon for long time, though :).

[@bikersedge]

Yeah I think they crushed it on this one.

[@craigsteele8178]

You always have a wonderful informative videos on Rad bikes. Am a big fan of you guys. Keep up the great content. 🤟

[@bikersedge]

Hey thanks! I appreciate it!

[@KennethGalea]

Great review..Lovely bike... One of the bikes in this video totally had me! in fact it s inspired my myO M10 custom which should arrive in a couple of weeks! Thanks!!

[@bikersedge]

Het thanks! I love that bike. Wish mine was in my garage already.

[@davehamilton4761]

Love the video! Glad u had fun making it as well!

[@bikersedge]

Hey thanks! Glad you liked it.

[@TeamCykelhold]

Thanks for the vid. Cool bike, it's great to see a Bosh cockpit that doesn't look like a spaceship. It's one of the reasons I never got a Bosh bike.

[@bikersedge]

Yeah. It’s great to see it cleaned up a lot.

[@JoelZieve]

Great video Conner - and you are an excellent student - nice work!

[@bikersedge]

Why thank you very much. I Appreciate it!

[@Teufelnator]

So jealous. Sounds like you had a great time! :)

[@bikersedge]

Great times were had.

[@micheandmikey]

I just watched Gully's, round 2! 😆😆 Great video as always Connor.

[@bikersedge]

Hey thanks! His video was a ton of fun. He's not too bad at bikes.

[@havenoutdoors584]

Great video! Rad looking bike.

[@bikersedge]

The bike is pretty stellar!

[@martinery93]

Great content! Cheers!

[@bikersedge]

Much appreciated!

[@outlandishmtb]

Great video. I bought the LTD version with the 750 battery. I love the bike! I ride 5-6 days a week, I couldn't do that on my old mtb. I would love to get over to Spain for a few months and do some riding there. I'm on Vancouver Island. Cheers. Maybe we can get a ride in when I'm touring through SLC after riding Sedona and Moab this spring!

[@bikersedge]

Amazing. From what hear Vancouver island is the spot. Hit us up if you come through SLC

[@brighamyates]

Great video.

[@bikersedge]

Thanks!

[@jerryspeedbumps512]

Love the Ibis bikes. I've had both AF's and the Ripley V4. I think after having ridden them all, I should be on the Ripmo. The Ripley is the best maybe trail bike until you start finding consistent DH or features where you find the end of the suspension too often. The Ripmo would fix that. HOWEVER. I Would buy an Orbea E bike before an Ibis! This is pretty cool! Also like to lightweight e bikes as they'll feel most like a bike I assume. I've only tried an off brand hub motor e-bike for 10 seconds on a street. It was novel and I could see how it'd be awesome on my climb heavy trails. Can't wait to try a real one some day.

[@bikersedge]

This one is pretty special. Can't wait to get more miles on it.

[@jeremybub]

Nice work!

[@bikersedge]

Thanks!

[@323johnnybravo]

Ebikes are evolving soooo quickly !! By next year you won’t be able to tell them apart from acoustic bikes.

[@bikersedge]

They're getting really good. the progress is exciting to watch.

[@andreasfritsch4831]

Great Video. Thanks a lot for your work. By the way: Please review the new Yeti lineup 😉

[@bikersedge]

Hey thanks! As soon as we can get the new Yeti bikes in for review we will.

[@walterreyes7664]

Muy Bueno...!!!!....Excelente..lll...👍👍👍

[@bikersedge]

Muchas gracias.

[@Roaming50]

I think Orbea is killing it at the moment. This looks like a nice bike. Call me vane, but I love the looks. If I had the money (I don't) I would probably replace my Rise with this, and then getting one of the new TQ or Fasua 60 bikes for a trail bike. I like my Rise but the Shimano rattle drives me mad..

[@bikersedge]

They are for sure killing it on everything they do. I have a feeling they’re dominating the industry in a few years.

[@TeamCykelhold]

Yep I have a Rise too and although I was looking mostly at the Trek Exe this one looks good too. I too HATE the EP8 rattle. I thought I could live with it but it's just annoying every time. The Rise rides really well though, even if the back end is super flexy.

[@ThunderStruckMTB]

Looks like a fun trip and it's awesome you guys got the invite... congrats! Cables through the headset is still a pig and no matter the color lipstick the marketing team applies, it still oinks. Question regarding motor assisted bikes, do airlines let you leave the battery installed or do you have to remove it from the bike?

[@bikersedge]

Living in dry Utah I’m not too bothered by the headset routing. I rarely have to change my headset bearings. I can see how folks who live in wetter climates would dislike the idea. The weather sealing on this system is really good though. As far as I know airlines won’t let you fly with an e bike, battery installed or uninstalled.

[@PoorPaddy]

Best bike ever. The 38"s are a deal breaker.

[@bikersedge]

Amazing bike. Love mine.

[@outlandishmtb]

​what! I love the 38, so much better than the 36 on my old bike.

[@wolfgangrehulka6240]

I would have loved to see some direct comparison to the 22 model - what was improved / changed?

[@bikersedge]

It’s been so long since I’ve ridden the older model. Wouldn’t be too fair. I can say the new one is completely different and in my opinion a huge improvement in geometry and suspension

[@aleszverca]

Hey there, always enjoy your reviews as they are unbiased towards any brand...what was the majority of your assistance settings and what percentage of the battery did you finish the ride with...am interested how thirsty the Race motor is?

[@bikersedge]

I used Race mode very little. Apart from that the race motor isn’t really any different than the normal Bosch motor. I used mostly tour and EMTB with short spurts of Race for certain features. Battery life and ride stats are in the video.

[@ioannisparaskevopoulos1120]

Awesome bike! Do you think the Race motor would be too much and more difficult to handle for most riders? Also, did you experience any hand fatigue on the descents due to the stiffer frame? This bike is definetely added on my list! Waiting for the full review!

[@bikersedge]

The race motor only feels different in the highest assist level. I found it’s not a mode you’d really pedal in for the majority of your ride. So no I don’t think the race motor would be more difficult to handle. It can get away from you at times in the highest assist mode but I think it’s probably something you’d get used to. I didn’t notice hand fatigue on the ride. The trails we rode weren’t overly chattery though.

[@bikespike711]

I was particularly interested in this particular video because I bought the Orbea Wild H20 two months ago after reading /watching rave reviews / videos on KZbin, the last bike I bought after KZbin endorsement was the entry model Specialized Turbo Levo which I loved (2019) - got stolen! My concern is that the Ebike brands are soliciting paid reviews of their top, most expensive models from the popular KZbin channels, tellingly these paid reviews all come out at the same time, literally. There is a big problem with this platform - the reviews profusely embellish the super expensive bikes (some of which may be true of course), however, ordinary joe like me are much more likely to buy the entry level bikes in the hope that they ride very similar to the top models. EMTB - ordinary joe/jane - middle aged with kids, short on time, relatively new to or returned to biking, investing oversized sum to feed his/her hobby. None of the top earning channels review the entry level bikes, nor do they actually say anything negative because of the conflict of interest. Hence, it is not clear, who is this bike for? The beginner, or the pro downhill enduro ace? We hear far too many numbers - so many millimetres or angles this and that (chain stay, BB, reach etc.) and not enough about how they ride and whether these bikes are value for money? Hence, the KZbin channels are complicit in letting the industry get away with hastily thrown together lower end bikes that are seriously flawed, and still demand thousands of dollars/pounds/euros! My view after 2 month ownership is a degree of disappointment. The H20 is a monster truck, way too heavy, I did not expect that given that the top product is 20.8Kg! This is a major problem for intermediate/ early biker. The sheer weight detracts from being able to jump, turn, develop skill, and the poor fork/suspension platform can only described as dull and lacklustre. The internal battery and the ridiculous complicated headset with internal cables is just nuts. Importantly, something you did not point out - this is a front heavy bike, much more noticeable in my size small bike with big 750 battery taking up the whole length of the down tube. It is difficult to convince this bike to jump (more speed, more hop) and then control the tendency of front end dipping. Why oh why do I have to spend several thousand of hard earned cash to bring it up to speed? Should I really even try to bring the weight down - not possible. The result is that 2 months down the line, I am desperately trying to sell the bike and buy a Specialized - the market, as it is, I can't even get half price for a 2 month old bike. I do not believe the Orbea Wild 2023 Alloy models are value for money - period. It turns out, all the R&D went in to developing the carbon race winning models. There is a unhealthy collusion between industry and channels/social platforms that promote these bikes - it makes it impossible to get an honest view of products that are more expensive than the cars we drive.

[@bikersedge]

Damn. I must have missed my check in the mail.

[@bikespike711]

😀What?! Orbea didn't pay you for the suck up video? That sucks! Here I am stuck with a monster truck with shoddy suspension as a result 😀@@bikersedge

[@razorree]

I'm just curious, why it took half a decade !! for Orbea (other brands too, however new Wild is 2 years behind Specialized Turbo Levo gen3 !) to create ebike with decent geometry ??? (comparing to my analog bike from 2018, which is quite similar). Is it because ebikes were targeting (were designed for) sunday warriors before and not for racing/professionals/aggressive riders ? and now, when ebikes started to be more popular among fast riders, it's time to make them more aggressive ? Controls still looks a bit crappy.

[@bikersedge]

Controls on the wild look crappy? I think everyone would disagree with you there. It’s easily the cleanest eMTB cockpit to date. I think you’re probably right on the geo thing. A lot of ebikes were made for folks who didn’t ride all that aggressively. That’s definitely shifting though.

[@razorree]

@@bikersedge controls looks like MASSIVE improvement comparing to previous Bosch releases, but still a bit clunky comparig to Specialized. Ok, 'crappy' was an exaggeration :)

[@bikersedge]

Not sure how it’s clunky. The controller is tiny, wireless and all the battery/mode levels lights are neatly integrated into the top tube.

[@jeffahn]

Ibis folks are looking at the integration of the same system on the Wild and must be absolutely kicking themselves.

[@bikersedge]

Haha. They certainly are.

[@TeamCykelhold]

Yep, it's weird that they went for the spaceship look when they usually have pretty simplistic looking bikes. The Oso might ride really well but it just looks a bit ugly and especially the cockpit area is a mess. As much as I dislike the cables in headset it's 100 times better than what they did with the Oso.

[@mateusztyll8064]

Very nice video Conner :-) but can tell me how do you compare Orbeas suspension vs Santa Cruz Heckler ??

[@bikersedge]

Hey thanks. I don’t really have enough time riding the wild to make any comparisons just yet. When the media bike gets here I’ll get a full review done as quickly as I can.

[@SylvainLasnier]

Wahoo. This is the 1st none ugly Bosch integration. Congrat Orbea 👏👏👏 This bike looks a game changer. How do you feel it vs Altitude / Instinct ?

[@bikersedge]

They've crushed it. Looks amazing. It's tough to make any comparisons at the moment. I don't have enough time on it yet.

[@dannyk4095]

What a Nice bike and exzellent Review! Considering to get me a Wild Myself i Have a Little trouble figuring out which size will suit me Best? I‘m 185cm and the orbea- website tells me M/L and even XL would fit?! How tall are you, riding an xl size? Cheers, Daniel

[@bikersedge]

I’m 6’2” riding an XL. It's worth mentioning this video is about the 2023 model which has S, M, L, XL. The older 2022 and previous mode had S/M, L and XL.

[@LOZ22]

As you went for the XL could i ask how tall you are? Thank you.

[@bikersedge]

I’m 6’2”

[@elijahbroughton9907]

I know a bunch of new bikes just came out such as the 2 new yeti's but would you ever consider doing any fat bike reviews?

[@bikersedge]

Fat bikes are so tough to come by. We’ve tried but logistically it’s difficult.

[@simongermain7456]

Cool bike and video!! How do you compare to the Transition Repeater?

[@bikersedge]

Hey thanks. I can’t really make any comparisons right now. Don’t have enough time on it to even form much of an opinion really.

[@paal6846]

Great video! Are the mentioned GEO numbers with the 160 or 170 fork?

[@bikersedge]

Thats with the stock 160mm fork

[@Shibaboy23]

Orbea...the Pagani of bikes

[@bikersedge]

They’re making some awesome stuff right now.

[@RicardoValentemtb]

How tall are you? i´m 1,86 cm and i have an orbea rise in XL, but the wild xl as 5 cm more than between axles, make me a little reluctant, everything else is similar to the rise XL. But will 5m between axles be too much?! and will it show on the trails? Wild's L is smaller in everything, reach, top tube etc.

[@bikersedge]

The Wild should be bigger than the Rise. It’s designed for higher speeds and rougher riding. By downsizing you’d negate those benefits.

[@motoboggle7525]

Which did you prefer this or the Oso ?

[@bikersedge]

I haven't ridden this one enough to really say. Our long-term media bike is still en route. Stay tuned.

[@motoboggle7525]

@@bikersedge but just based on your initial visual thoughts and the first basic ride on both if you had to choose one ……🤷‍♀️

[@bikersedge]

I honestly have no idea yet. The Race motor on the Wild is pretty rad though.

[@Eric.V.]

Sorry! Headset cables 👎 Otherwise, a pretty nice bike. I will continue to pedal my non-powered version, a 21’ Rallon.

[@bikersedge]

Yeah I’m a little torn on it too. I live in dry Utah though so I’m not frequently replacing my headset bearings. Isn’t all that inconvenient for me I guess. The weather sealing on this is good though.

[@Eric.V.]

@@bikersedge Most of my friends won’t replace anything on a bike unless it literally explodes. So ultimately, this should be a non issue!

[@bikersedge]

I think it gets blown out of proportion in the forums, but I can see the argument.

[@tamasvarga67]

I can’t remember ever replacing an upper headset bearing in any of my bikes…

[@paukconuk]

You had me up to the integrated cables and dropping the motor for the battery 👎🏻🙄

[@bikersedge]

I’ll take the stiffer frame and better handling instead of a quickly removable battery all day. I’m also pretty indifferent about the cables. I live in utah and bearings last a loooong time out here. Not really inconvenient for me.

[@johnmccool7551]

Lost me when u said you have to pull motor .👎👎👎👎

[@bikersedge]

It would be nice in some situations to be able to remove the battery without pulling the motor but Orbea wanted the absolute best ride quality. Pros and cons to everything.

[@bfranco1519]

Awesome bikes yet they put crap headsets in their top tier builds ( Acros ) and their paint needs a clear coat over the color. It flakes off too easily. Oh and that headset cable routing trend… Mildly inconvenient to remove the battery?? Still an awesome bike but come on..

[@bikersedge]

I’m with you on the headset cable routing. Wish that trend would go away forever.

[@tonybasoni8443]

I am 100% against e-bikes and won't even watch this video despite the fact that you are my favorite MTB channel. Nevertheless, I do have a question. The main thing keeping me away from buying a real, (non-electric) Orbea mountain bike is that their asymmetrical designs completely turn me off. So, my question is this, did they mention any redesigns for their Occam or even the Rallon that will be bilaterally symmetrical? Or anything new coming maybe in the 120-130 rear travel range? Thanks, Conner. And sorry about my adversity to e-bikes, but I cannot help it, I think they are an abomination.

[@bikersedge]

Sounds like you don't like having fun. We only saw the new Wild. As far as I know there aren't any major updates to the Occam and Rallon. Those are both fairly new. As far as new in the 120 range, they just launched the Oiz a couple weeks ago.

[@TeamCykelhold]

@@tonybasoni8443 Damn son, sucks to be you. I would hate to be a bigot like that :( I feel for you man.

[@bikersedge]

This channel is about bikes-let's keep it that way. No need for any bigotry or politics here.

[@ShitStefanShoots]

Yup - thumbs up!

[@bikersedge]

Hey thanks!

[@DM-fj8wv]

I had a chance to try a new emtb in China, amazing trails and we ate so much BBQ dog and some cat, it was a really great experience. Not so much for the dogs and cat I suppose.