Orbea’s new updated Rise builds on the success of the original model, with more power, more range, and a split range with the SL model targeting light weight, and the LT wrapped in a hardcore build with aggressive geometry. As well as being a pioneer in the lightweight full-suspension e-bike category, Orbea’s Rise was notable for using the Shimano motor, detuned to 50Nm and paired with a small battery. The new bike keeps the Shimano drive unit but unleashes its full 85Nm of torque and backs that up with two new battery options filled with the most advanced cells on the market.

We reckon a lot of riders will be excited by the prospect of riding the new Rise LT.

Orbea Rise MY25 need to know

• Lightweight carbon e-bike with full power Shimano EP01 motor (85Nm/600w peak power)
• Two battery options – 420Wh or 630Wh, plus 210Wh range extender also available
• All batteries use the latest cells, boasting the best energy density on the market (more battery per kilo)
• Two Rise versions – LT and SL
• LT (long-travel) gets longer/slacker geometry and more travel (160mm front/150mm rear)
• SL is designed with minimum weight and maximum efficiency in mind (140mm front/140mm rear)
• Two models available in each version, with prices from £7,199

Shimano EP801 with RS mode and up to 85Nm

When Orbea launched the Rise back in 2020 it was something of a surprise that the Spanish brand decided to run with a Shimano motor (then the EP8) rather than a bespoke lightweight unit like the Fazua Ride 50. Why? Well instantly the Shimano motor came with a roughly 1kg disadvantage compared to the Fazua at the time. And Orbea restricted the EP8 motor to 60Nm from its maximum 85Nm, partly so riders wouldn’t burn through the 360Wh internal battery in the blink of an eye, and partly to let the brand spec lighter components that were more suited to a low power system than a full-bore e-bike. Four years on and that has all changed. The new Rise still gets a Shimano motor (the updated and more powerful EP801) but now you can access the full 85Nm torque, making it a different beast altogether when it comes to tackling vertiginous climbs. All made possible thanks to Orbea’s new larger batteries.

Orbea sticks with the Shimano motor, but the new RS + mode unleashes the full 85Nm of torque.

To access the full power there are now two modes: RS and RS+. These two modes utilise profile 1 and profile 2 on the Shimano system, with RS mode geared towards range dishing out a maximum torque of 56Nm optimised for a cadence of 70-90rpm. RS+, on the other hand, unlocks maximum torque at lower cadences (30-50rpm), so you can still winch up seemingly impossible slopes or navigate technical climbs where you need instant torque at slow pedal speeds. It’s easy to switch between these two profiles on a ride as needed using the Shimano e-Tube app.

Orbea points out that, compared to the first gen Rise, the new model lets you access 15% extra power at nearly 20% lower cadences. In that respect, it’s a lightweight e-bike with less of the limitations compared to a full-fat model, and follows a similar concept to Cannondale’s Moterra SL.

The straight seat tube gives maximum dropper insert, while two battery options let you choose weight and range.

Light or long range batteries

In order to give a decent range alongside more power, Orbea has overhauled its internal and external batteries for the Rise. Instead of just one internal battery and one external, there are now two internal options: 420Wh and 630Wh. The range extender continues, and while it’s slightly smaller in capacity, its considerably smaller physically, and significantly lighter. All the new batteries come with some of the most advanced cells used in the bike industry. These 21700 5.8Ah cells deliver 16% more energy per gram, giving it what Orbea claims is the highest energy density on the market. According to Orbea’s figures, the 420Wh battery weighs 1.96kg, giving an energy density of 214Wh/kg. The 630Wh unit weighs 2.88kg giving an energy density of 218Wh/kg. The best competitor is the Bosch SX motor, with its InTube 400 battery giving 400Wh at a weight of 2kg, or 200Wh/kg. It’s worth remembering, however, that the Shimano motor gives up 700g compared to the Bosch SX unit, so the Bosch system still wins the overall weight war.

The new range extender is lighter and more compact than its predecessor.

Also redesigned to fit Orbea’s new asymmetric frame design, the range extender brings 210Wh of extra juice, and weighs a claimed 1.1kg. That’s a big advantage over something like Specialized’s range extender, which weighs 1kg but only delivers 160Wh of extra power.

What’s worth underlining is the flexible approach, that gives riders the option to choose their battery at the checkout (selecting the 420Wh unit comes with a €199 saving) according to their priorities. That, and the fact that combining the 630Wh battery with the 210Wh range extender gives 840Wh of total capacity – more than enough for most riders and, in Orbea’s own range tests, sufficient to clock up 4,600m of climbing in Eco mode (or over 1,600m in Boost mode).

The geo flip chip only comes on the LT model, but can be switched without removing the bolt in just a few seconds.

SL for light weight speed, or LT for shredding

While the old Rise came in just one flavour that was clearly geared towards the less aggressive end of trail riding, the new bike has a split range with a more hardcore LT version and a weight-conscious SL option. Both use the same frame, motor, and battery components, but different shock extenders change the rear travel and geometry, and different forks are used up front. Both bikes are full 29ers – there’s no mullet option available.

Orbea Rise LT geometry and sizing

If we look at the LT first, as this is the bike that gets us the most excited, and goes up against the one of the most popular mid-power models out there currently – the Specialized Turbo Levo SL.  This bike gets 150mm of rear travel paired with a 160mm fork. The geometry is skewed a little more towards descending, with a slacker 64º head angle, a 77º seat angle (effective), 34mm BB drop, and 440mm chainstays. Offset shock hardware in the extender gives two geometry settings, where the numbers quoted are in the low/slack position. Loosening the bolt and rotating the chip (no need to remove the shock or bolt) raises the BB by 8mm and steepens the angles by 0.5º.

There are four frame sizes, with the reach starting at 430mm on the small and increasing in 25mm increments up to 505mm on the XL. Running the Rise in the steep position increases those numbers by 5mm. Orbea has also used short seat tubes across the size range, with just 430mm on the Large and 460mm on the XL, but the straight design gives loads of insertion depth, so you can run a 200mm dropper on the Small frame, and a 230mm on the L and XL.

The Rise SL gets fixed geo, steeper angles, and less travel.

The new Rise frame, without shock or motor, in size medium, is a claimed 2.2kg, which is pretty light. Claimed weight for the LT M-Team (with coil shock and 420Wh battery) is 17.8kg – also impressive if it’s accurate.

Moving on to the SL, this Rise is all about weight. Or rather the lack of it. The top-of-the-range Rise SL M-LTD weighs a claimed 16.2kg in size medium. That’s pretty light considering the extra weight of the Shimano motor, and compares favourably to the Focus Vam2 at 16.2kg, the Pivot Shuttle SL at 16.44kg, and the Whyte E-Lyte 140 at 16.4kg.

A carbon shock extender saves a few grams on the Rise SL.

Most of that weight saving comes from being able to fit lighter components – 34mm forks instead of 36mm, inline shock instead of piggyback – and that comes down to Orbea reducing the travel to 140mm front and rear. Instead of a shock extender with geo adjust, there’s a fixed carbon yoke that saves a few grams. The knock-on effect on the geometry is a 65.5º head angle, 78º effective seat angle, and 5mm longer reach across the board. Orbea has tweaked the kinematics of the suspension across both models. The new Rise starts with a higher leverage ratio on both versions, so it’s more supple at the beginning of the stroke. On the SL it mirrors the curve of the old bike, giving similar progression, while on the LT it’s a lot more progressive – 24% over the entire curve. Anti-squat is slightly higher on the SL than the LT, and is relatively high overall on both bikes, being above 100% for the first two-thirds of the travel. Anti-rise is consistently around 60% for most of the travel on both bikes, which should balance out maintaining a stable geometry, with remaining active under braking.

Every Rise comes with a custom stem mount for a Garmin, Wahoo, or Sigma.

Improved stiffness on larger frame sizes and making room for shorter chainstays

The most obvious visual change to the new Rise is the addition of the frame reinforcement brace between the seat tube and the down tube, first introduced on the Occam trail bike. Orbea has done this to tune the stiffness of the frame, or, more precisely, increase the stiffness of the larger frame sizes. Something Specialized cited as reason for the introduction of the Sidearm on its Stumpjumper models, larger, heavier riders often end up on the flexiest frames. So adding these reinforcing braces equalises the ride and handling across a wider range of rider heights and weights.

To put that into some context, Orbea’s in-house testing has shown that removing the brace increases lateral flex between the BB and head tube by 22%. While further optimisations at the rear end and the shock link add to the equation, giving average stiffness gains across the frame sizes of 14% at the rear triangle and 8% at the front triangle compared to the old Rise. But these percentages are more significant on the larger frames, where it matters most.

It’s a move that also mirrors Orbea’s Rallon enduro bike, as well as the current YT Capra. Offsetting the brace makes room for a water bottle cage, allowing Rise owners to run the custom designed range extender.

Orbea’s MYO scheme lets you customise components, and even paint jobs, on all the Rise models.

Orbea Rise – it’s all in the details

Furthermore, redesigning the chainstays with less of an upward kink to the main pivot, and changing the cross-section, has allowed Orbea to increase stiffness and create more room behind the motor, which has allowed them to run short 440mm chainstays across the size range, snipping 5mm off the previous generation. That also keeps them in line with Orbea’s unassisted Occam trail bike.

Other details of note on the Rise include Orbea’s SIC system – a love-it-or-hate-it through-the-headset routing for the dropper post, rear brake hose, and derailleur. While not something we’re keen on, Orbea has at least upgraded the upper bearing to an Enduro stainless steel unit that, it claims, should last for years.

Hidden multi-tool on the Orbea Occam trail bike – the same system is used on the Rise.

While the Rise doesn’t come with a display, either bar mounted or embedded in the top tube like many lightweight e-bikes, it does include bar-mounted controller – Shimano’s EN600-L. This lets you toggle between power modes, and shows both the assist mode and battery level using coloured LEDs. Other connectivity includes Garmin, Wahoo, and Sigma connections if you own your own GPS unit. Here you can display range, battery remaining, assist support, and assist mode. A custom computer mount is included with every bike that lets you mount this centrally over the stem. If you have a Garmin Smartwatch, you can also pair this to the Rise to show battery life and other info, as well as record rides.  Finally, there’s a special faceplate mount that lets you attach a Shimano EN600 display if you want a more traditional set-up.

All Rise models come factory-equipped with a clear vinyl frame protection kit, fully sealed bearings are used throughout the linkage, and there’s a multi-tool hidden inside the pivot for the swing link.

Range overview

Check out the new Rise range, consisting of two LT models and two SL models.

The Orbea Rise LT M10 looks like it’ll be one of the most popular models in the range.

Orbea Rise LT M10 €8,499 / $8,999 USD / £7,599

Upgrades over the M20 include Fox Factory suspension with a Float X shock and Grip X damper in the fork. The drivetrain and brakes move up to Shimano XT, and Orbea’s Oquo MC32 carbon wheels are standard.

For a bit of added flex, the Rise LT M-Team gets a coil shock.

Orbea Rise LT M-Team €10,999 / $11,999 USD / £9,999

Here the drivetrain moves up a notch to XTR or Shimano Di2 electronic, and there’s a Fox DHX coil shock.

Built for speed and efficiency, there’s the Rise SL M10.

Orbea Rise SL M10 €7,999 / $8,699 USD / £7,199

At this level the suspension gets upgraded to Factory level with a 34 fork and Grip X damper. Drivetrain and brakes are courtesy of Shimano XT.

And top of the SL pile is the Rise SL M-Ltd.

Orbea Rise SL M-LTD €11,999 / $12,999 USD / £10,999

Orbea’s top-spec Rise SL comes with Fox Factory suspension and SRAM’s XX Eagle T-Type transmission.