Foresight or good fortune? It’s hard to say which it was, but Orbea’s decision to use a detuned full power Shimano EP8 motor on the original Rise has clearly paid off. Because as the best lightweight e-bikes have shifted to ever-increasing power and torque numbers, the Orbrea Rise has been able to keep in step, and even lead the way.

Orbea has unlocked the full potential of the full power Shimano EP801 motor.

Four years on since the first Rise was released and Orbea has split the range in two. There are now two distinct categories: SL and LT. And let’s face it, some riders want the lightest e-bike possible, while others want an enduro bike with assistance. The 160/150mm travel Rise LT is definitely the latter.

The 2024 Orbea Rise LT M10 is an altogether more capable beast than the previous model.

Frame and geometry

One look at the dimensions of the new Rise LT and it’s pretty clear that it draws inspiration from Orbea’s enduro bike, the Rallon. The frame is full carbon and each of the four frame sizes are tuned to give the same flex response.

Short 443mm chainstays make this 29er SL e-bike super playful. We had to zip-tie the brake hose back to stop it catching the spokes.

In the low geometry setting you get a sub 64º head angle combined with a generous 476mm reach that creates space in the front end of the size L frame without it ever feeling too big to control. Also, the 443mm chainstays are pretty short for a full 29er, and 10mm shorter than the Whyte ELyte 150, so the bike still feels really dynamic and agile, as it’s really easy to pop the front up.

The Orbea Rise LT has two geometry setting – we ran it low.

Orbea achieved this tight rear centre measurement by eliminating the seatstay bridge. But, what’s interesting is that it hasn’t really reinforced the rocker link or suspension pivots to massively to compensate for the missing member. So the bike is actually pretty flexy, well at least the rear end is. More on this later.

The Shimano XT derailleur survived the test, but only just.

The Rise LT frame uses Orbea’s signature concentric suspension design, where the rear axle simultaneously pierces the seatstays and chainstays at the rear dropout to help separate how acceleration and braking forces impact the suspension response. It’s really similar to the ABP design on the Trek Fuel EXe, but because the shock on the Orbea is inline with the top tube, rather than the seat tube, it offers much better placement for a range extender or water bottle.

Hidden tool storage is cool, but the tool bends easily.

With the asymmetric frame design and uninterrupted seat tube, even shorter riders can benefit from longer dropper posts. And while the Rise LT has other cool features – like the FLP tool storage in the suspension link and rear pivots – I’m not a fan of the headset routed cables, as they make basic maintenance way more complicated than necessary – it took Danny over two hours just to regrease the headset bearings when they started creaking.

From any angle, the Orbea Rise LT M10 looks amazing.

Orbea Rise LT need to know

• Full carbon frame, 150mm travel
• Custom Shimano EP801 RS motor
• Two battery options: 420Wh or 630Wh
• Fox 36 GripX fork with 160mm travel
• Optional 210Wh range extender for £399
• Ample seat post insertion for longer droppers
• Shock eyelet flip chip with two geometry settings
• Four frame sizes
• Custom build options
• Range: 950m elevation
• Weight 19.62kg (420Wh battery)

Motor and battery

The Rise LT uses a Shimano EP801 motor with 85Nm of torque and 600 watts peak power. You have the choice of either a 420Wh battery (1.95kg) or a 630Wh (2.9kg). Our bike came with the 420Wh unit, and all-in the Rise LT M10 weighed an impressive 19.58kg, with our Continental control tyres fitted. And that weight is doubly impressive because Orbea is instantly taking on a 600g weight penalty by using a full power motor compared to the dedicated lightweight systems, like the Fazua Ride 60 on the Santa Cruz Heckler SL, or the TQ HP50 motor on the Trek Fuel EXe.

Turn up the power and let the Rise LT do the hard work for you.

With Orbea’s RS Tune, the Shimano EP801 motor has custom firmware to give you two distinct profiles. RS+ is a full power mode, or the regular RS setting is a toned-down version with reduced power and torque to increase range. Basically, in RS mode, the Orbea feels like a mid-power bike and in RS+ it’s full power.

The Shimano Ep801 motor delivers impressive numbers for an SL e-bike.

You can switch between both profiles, but because there’s no display on the Rise LT (as standard) you have to get your phone out and connect to the Shimano app to toggle between them. Not something that can be done quickly when faced with a monster climb. So, for me it’s a non-feature really, because I just kept the bike in the RS+ mode, then set a bunch of custom Trail settings in the Shimano app, and simply toggled up and down through those with the handlebar remote switch instead when I needed more or less power/range.

The minimalist approach is nice and all,  but the Orbea needs a better battery display as standard.

You also need your phone to hand if you want to monitor the battery level (or a compatible Garmin watch), which is seriously annoying. So while I appreciate the minimalist approach of the Shimano EN600 Control Switch, I’d like the Orbea Rise LT to come with a display. Thankfully, you can add one at checkout for an extra £135. There’s also an optional 210Wh range extended that weighs just over 1kg and is positioned really low in the frame, which will add another £399 to the bottom line.

Suspension

With top-of-the-range Fox Factory suspension components, the Orbea Rise LT should have felt perfectly balanced front and rear. But that simply wasn’t the case. And it’s because the new GripX cartridge in the Fox 36 fork has too much damping and support, even when running all of the dials wide open.

The new GripX damper on the Fox 36 Float fork is out of sync with the rear suspension.

This impacts performance in two key ways. First and foremost, I felt a lot of pressure through the palms of my hands, especially on anything steep or rough – something that’s not evident on the older Fox Grip2 forks on some of the other bikes in this test. And it’s the primary reason why the new Specialized Stumpjumper 15 that I rode earlier this year uses a custom tuned Fox 36 GripX fork with, you guessed it, less damping.

All of the adjusters on the Factory level Float X shock.

Now, I’m not implying that I don’t want support, especially in a 160mm fork on such a capable e-bike. But the second way that the GripX damper negatively impacts performance on the Rise LT is that it creates a pronounced imbalance front and rear in the suspension behaviour. Set the Fox Float X shock up correctly, and the bike feels like it is pivoting around the front axle, rather than having the front and rear suspension compress at similar rates. Thankfully, the Factory-level Fox Float X shock has low-speed compression adjustment, so you can crank up the damping to help restore balance. Just don’t expect a particularly plush ride from the bike with this approach.

Components

Orbea and Shimano have been bedfellows since day one on the Rise project, so it’s fitting that the new Rise LT uses a Shimano XT drivetrain to help deliver all of that power to the 29in rear wheel. The shifter action is light, and while I like the ability to dump two gears at a time with the 12-speed Shimano XT unit, the Orbea only gets an SLX shifter pod, so it doesn’t have that functionality.

There’s no double down shifting with the 12-speed SLX shifter pod.

Compared to the SRAM AXS T-type drivetrains used elsewhere in this test however, the Shimano XT derailleur is flimsy. As such, the shifting accuracy went out of whack on several occasions, and at one point I almost tore the rear derailleur clean off the bike. Luckily it didn’t snap, and because the derailleur cage is so soft, I bent it back and continued my ride. And I’m not just picking on the Orbea here – we’ve burnt through quite a few Shimano derailleurs when testing full power e-bikes at MBR. And let’s face it, the Rise LT is full power in RS+ mode, so maybe it’s time Shimano made a dedicated drivetrain? They could even call it “E-type”.

More padding on the Fizik saddle please.

Without an uninterrupted seat tube, the Rise LT frame easily swallows the 200mm Fox Transfer post, and with room to spare. At the opposite end of the low-slung top tube, the OC Mountain Control handlebar on the Orbea Rise LT lacks sufficient back sweep, but I can live with that. What I probably couldn’t live with however, are the cables routed through the headset. Yes, they help tidy up the cockpit so they are out of sight, out of mind, that is until the headset started creaking and we had to spend two hours taking it apart to re-grease the bearings. And it wasn’t just the headset bearings that needed attention, the bearings in the concentric dropout pivots at the rear axle also needed some TLC, and that was after only several rides.

For once the Shimano XT brakes has a consistent bite point.

I’ve been moaning about Shimano XT brakes and their variable bite point for almost a decade now, but the brakes on the Orbea performed consistently, offering predictable, albeit grabby, stopping power with the bigger 203/180mm Galfer rotors fitted front and rear. I also like how Orbea lets you choose from three different levels of Maxxis tyres at check out – fit EXO+ to save weight, or full DH casings to reduce punctures. The choice is yours.

Performance

“Less e, more bike”, is Orbea’s tagline for the new Rise LT. But given the full-power Shimano EP801 motor, it’s actually more ‘e’ than all but the Cannondale Moterra SL in our 2024 SL E-bike of the Year test. That said, it’s very different to the Moterra SL. The Moterra SL feels like a full power bike that’s been put on diet, whereas the Orbea Rise LT feels much closer – at least in terms of frame flex – to an analogue trail bike with an e-bike system that’s been integrated.

Climbing

Stick the Orbea Rise LT in RS+ mode (actually it’s the only mode you need) and I could take the Orbea Rise into terrain where the other SL bikes in this test were not be able to follow. Best of all, with the high density 420Wh battery, it also gets better range than the Trek Fuel EXe, Specialized Turbo Levo SL, and all three Bosch SX equipped bikes in this test, even though it’s pumping out more assistance.

Up, up and away. The Rise LT is rapid uphill.

The steep 77º effective seat tube angle put me in a great position for navigating technical climbs, while still keeping enough weight on the rear tyre to maintain traction. Also, with the extra power,  it’s much easier to keep momentum, and balance, when the going gets really steep or technical. In fact, all that’s missing now is the ability to turn up the overrun directly in the Shimano app. Oh, and a saddle with more padding than the Fizik Terra Ridon X5. I don’t care if it adds a couple of hundred grams to the overall weight of the bike – I simply need better isolation when riding roughshod over choppy terrain at a constant speed of 15.5mph.

Descending

First ride on the Orbea Rise LT and I couldn’t understand why the palms of my hands were hurting so much. Especially given that this wasn’t the case on the other bikes with Fox 36 forks fitted. As I reached down to unwind the compression damping I suddenly realised that it already was wide open and that the Rise LT was the only bike in this test to get the brand new GripX damper. Sure, it has stacks of support, but it kinda feels like the old Fox 36 from two generations ago, before Fox introduced all of its cool friction reduction tech. It’s not that it’s harsh, it just put a lot of pressure onto my hands. And as I mentioned before, it’s out of sync with the rear suspension.

Full enduro mode, albeit without the painful transition stages.

Still, I could ride the Orbea Rise LT really hard on the descents. The position on the bike is commanding, and the geometry is totally dialled, so I instantly felt super confident on the bike. At least until I really started to push it, because the frame (and possibly the wheels) have a lot of flex. Yes, this flex allows you to find grip, where other bikes struggle.

Flex in the frame make it easy to find grip on off-camber trails.

But it’s a double-edged sword, as there are times when the flex can make the bike feel vague, especially in high g-force situations. Land sideways off a jump and the rear tyre buzzes the inside of the seatstays with predictable regularity. So for bigger, heavier riders that like to push the wheels into the ground for grip, the Orbea Rise LT will not feel solid under foot, and I’m not convinced it will last either. With stiffer (read heavier) wheels, the Rise LT could probably strike a better balance between pure grip and overall stiffness and confidence. But it still needs the suspension to feel more balanced.

Stiffer wheels and a SRAM T-type transmission would take the Orbea Rise LT M10 to the next level