Orbea Occam AM M-Ltd mountain bike
The 2016 Orbea Occam AM is the latest trail bike from the Basque brand which has been building bicycles for 175 years on the Vizkayan Coastline. Orbea have historically been more well-known for their road bikes and fast hardtails, however with the latest Rallon they’ve gained acclaim on the Enduro racing circuit.
The bike is built around the Orbea Monocoque Race Carbon frame. Its Advanced Dynamics suspension delivers 140mm of rear wheel travel through a set of thru-axle 27.5″ wheels, with a Boost rear-end. Travel is managed by a Fox Float DPS Factory 3-Position Adjust EVOL LV shock with a Kashima coating and a custom Occam tune. Up front it gets a matching Kashima-coated Fox 34 Float Factory 140 FIT4 3-Position Adjust fork with a QR15 axle. The frame gets complete internal cable routing and a PF92 press fit bottom bracket.
The first thing about this frame is the fact that the whole thing is made from just two carbon pieces. The entire rear end is one element of carbon and uses flex-stays, which move up to 25mm, to replace the bearings which are usually concentric with the rear axle. (Note, the aluminium versions of the Occam use a standard pivot bearing as opposed to the flex). For Orbea this is proven tech, first developed for their world-championship winning Oiz XC race bike, and they are so confident in it that even this longer travel frame carries a lifetime warranty. Using flex-stays, which Orbea calls UFO technology, gives advantages for stiffness, longevity, and weight. Orbea claims that the large 29″ Occam TR frame weighs 1.99kg, or 4.38lbs without shock. This fully built medium bike, with pedals, weighed in at just a shade over 11kg/24lbs.
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Cranks: Race Face Next SL Boost with a 28t ring (plus 26 & 36t rings also included)
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Headset: integrated FSA 1-1/8 – 1-1/2″
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Bar: 760mm wide Race Face Next SL riser with a 35mm diameter clamp
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Stem: Race Face Turbine
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Shifters: Shimano XTR M9000
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Brakes: XTR Trail M9020 hydraulic
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Rear Derailleur: XTR M9000 SGS Shadow Plus, with a Direct Mount
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Chain: Shimano HG900
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Casette: XT M8000, 11-42t
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Pedals: Not included, but tested with Raceface Atlas flats
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Seatpost: Stealth RockShox Reverb 31.6x385mm
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Saddle: Fizik Gobi M5</p>