Orbea’s 2021 Gain e-road bike is more integrated, more aero, but lighter weight

Orbea was the original development partner for the ebikemotion ebike system and was also the first to bring a bike to market with its lightweight ‘just enough’ assistance model for e-road bikes.

Plenty of the Spanish brand's rivals have adopted the same system to make some of the lightest e-road bikes available thanks to the combination of rear hub motor and 248W/h internal battery.

Orbea has taken the Gain back to the drawing board for a complete redesign that brings its design in-line with the latest Orca OMX and OMR machines, and is offering carbon and 'hydro' (hydroformed aluminium) versions.

			
The 10 best features of the new Orbea Gain

Aero-optimised design of the Orca adopted
Tyre clearance upped to 40c
Simple yet clever hidden cable ICR stem system
Full integration of the ebike's wiring loom
Integrated front and rear daytime running lights
Digital e-system display now included
MYO customisation on all models
Road, flat bar or gravel build options
Lightest model just 11.8kg (size large)
Custom torque mapping provides more ‘bike’-like assistance

The similarities between the Gain and the Orca are most prevalent at the front end, where the bladed aero fork keys into the head and down tube for smooth integration, and sitting atop the head tube is the ICR stem system – which comes straight from the Orca range.

This clever stem has a split design where the lower half of the stem separates from the main body to create a cradle/channel for the gear and brake lines to run straight into the head tube and fully internally through the bike.

This also serves to allow a power line to run from the battery up through the stem and into the out-front mount, which now integrates a 60-lumen, 180-degree visibility daytime running light.

Orbea Gain Carbon ebike — The new Orbea Gain comes out-front mount equipped with an integrated daytime running light. The bike also comes with a display unit (made by Cyclo) that connects with the ebikemotion motor system. - Orbea

The out-front mount can be used with a Garmin, Wahoo or GPS of your choice via the correct insert (the Gain will come with most common interface inserts) or with a new and included head-unit made for Orbea by Cyclo.

This unit displays assistance level, distance, power, and range. The power delivery levels are controlled like all ebikemotion systems via a simple top-tube mounted button – called iWOC. Here you can cycle through power levels and have a quick reference to battery reserves via coloured LEDs that illuminate a ring around the button.

The back-end of the bike is more of a throwback to the previous generation of Orca models with its standard rear triangle (not the dropped stays of the latest Orca) and flowing top tube to seatstay junction.

Also, much like the older Orca, the Gain has a seat clamp rather than a hidden bolt. The clamp, like the out-front mount, also integrates a daytime running light. This red rear LED gives 12 lumens of power and a 180-degree visibility range.

Orbea claims that this new frame design and the carbon layup have improved the ride quality of the previous Gain, with a claimed 15 per cent less weight in the chassis yet a massive increase in lateral stiffness of 22 per cent.

Power rangers

Orbea has a close relationship with ebikemotion and it’s for this reason it was able to work with the e-power manufacturers on an Orbea-specific custom torque simulation algorithm.

The aim from the Orbea engineers was to create a power delivery that closely matched the reactions you’d expect from a standard road bike when it comes to pedal inputs – using the latest iteration of ebikemotion’s X35 Plus system. The engine maps between the modes of assistance have also been custom tuned to Orbea’s preferences – again to offer a more natural feel to the ride while still giving you ample assistance when you need it.

If it's anything like Scott’s latest take on the ebikemotion system, with its new Addict eRide, then we are confident we’ll be impressed.

Orbea also offers a range-extending battery that can be added to any model through its MYO custom program or via Orbea dealers. The piggyback battery adds 208W/h of extra energy – Orbea claims it adds 70 per cent extra onto the bike's range – making for 456W/h of available power.

We have a carbon Gain on order with Orbea and, as soon as it arrives, we’ll be putting it through its paces to see how it compares to the line-up of the latest lightweight e-road bikes.

Orbea Gain geometry

Geometry wise the Gain follows the Orca, but the ride position has been altered making it a little shorter in reach and a little taller in stack, pitching the ride position and handling, according to Orbea, to "a midway point between our Terra gravel bike, our Avant endurance platform and the racing position of the Orca".

The bike does however feature a lower bottom bracket to accommodate for the growth in tyre clearance, while shortening the chainstays of the previous Gain should make the bike feel more nimble and help to better centre the weight distribution of the down tube battery, which Obea claims will make for a more balanced and stable handling bike.

Orbea Gain Carbon geometry

	XS	S	M	L	XL
Seat angle (degrees)	75	74.5	74.5	74	74
Head angle (degrees)	71	71.5	72	72	72.5
Chainstay (cm)	42	42	42	42	42
Seat tube (cm)	45.5	48.5	51.5	54.5	57.5
Top tube (cm)	50.7	53	54.7	57.1	58.9
Head tube (cm)	9.5	12	14.6	17.2	19.6
Bottom bracket drop (cm)	7.6	7.6	7.4	7.4	7.4
Bottom bracket height (cm)	26.5	26.5	26.7	26.7	26.9
Wheelbase (mm)	986.14	1,000.98	1,021.50	1,040.60	1,048.97
Standover (cm)	70.8	77.1	78.573	81.95	87.268
Stack (cm)	52.5	55	57.5	60	62.5
Reach (cm)	36.6	37.7	38.8	39.9	41
Fork Length	40	40	40	40	40

Orbea Gain Hydro geometry

	XS	S	M	L	XL
Seat angle (degrees)	75	74.5	74.5	74	74
Head angle (degrees)	71	71.5	72	72	72.5
Chainstay (cm)	42	42	42	42	42
Seat tube (cm)	46	48.5	51.5	54.5	57.5
Top tube (cm)	50.7	53	54.7	57.1	58.9
Head tube (cm)	9.7	12.2	14.6	17.2	19.6
Bottom bracket drop (cm)	7.4	7.4	7.4	7.4	7.4
Bottom bracket height (cm)	26.7	26.7	26.7	26.7	26.7
Wheelbase (mm)	988	1,002	1,017	1,036	1,050
Standover (cm)	75.2	77.6	80.3	82.9	85.6
Stack (cm)	52.5	55	57.5	60	62.5
Reach (cm)	36.6	37.7	38.8	39.9	41
Fork Length	40	40	40	40	40

Orbea hasn’t skimped on the details either, with a much more secure compartment for the expensive battery, along with a new ‘hatch’ on the underside of the down tube/bottom bracket that is held in place with custom pattern screws – with a dedicated tool that comes with the bike and in the tool-kit of Orbea approved dealers/mechanics.

The ebikemotion speed sensor is now completely hidden in the driveside chainstay and the power-line hidden in the non-drive chainstay, though here the chainstay is a U-channel shape with a custom cover so you can still separate the power line from the rear hub to allow for easy wheel removal/replacement.

The down tube is only slightly oversized to accommodate the internal 248W/h battery and the down tube design has lost the bulge of the previous model. The bulge was there to accommodate clearance for standard bottle cage bolts. The new down tube incorporates captive threads and specific bolts for bottle cages without disrupting the lines of the design.

2021 Orbea Gain range

The carbon Gain is available in three different builds: one road-biased with standard 2x drivetrains and 30c tubeless road tyres, and either alloy Fulcrum wheels or new OC Carbon tubeless wheels from Orbea; a flat-bar version; and perhaps more interesting, a new gravel build with 1x drivetrains and 40c Schwalbe G-One tubeless tyres.

With Orbea’s MYO customisation programme you can mix-and-match components to meet your needs; so you could create a 2x gravel bike or a flat-bar e-gravel machine, or even a GRX-equipped road bike isn’t out of the question, replete with your own custom colour scheme if one of the three standard colours doesn’t suit.

The Gain Carbon range starts at £3,599 and tops out at £7,999.

Alloy ahoy

Alongside the new Gain Carbon, Orbea also has the Gain Hydro (as in hydroformed aluminium). The alloy range tops out at £3,399 for the Ultegra-equipped D20 and starts at £2,299 for the D50 with Shimano Claris.