Forget lightweight, low-torque drop-bar bikes, Orbea wants to give you the full-powered experience with the new Shimano EP801-equipped Denna electric gravel bike.
It's not just the choice of a motor usually found on electric mountain bikes, Orbea has also given us a custom control system that uses Shimano’s left-hand shifter to control the bike's motor levels.
The Shimano EP8 RS motor has the potential for 85Nm of torque and combines with a custom 420Wh battery. This makes the Denna a power-laden e-gravel bike that's an alternative to the lightweight all-road 50Nm/350Wh Mahle X20-equipped Orbea Gain.
The Orbea Denna M20i we’ve got our hands on for an exclusive test sits one rung below the range-topping SRAM Red XPLR AXS-equipped M11e.
The Denna range starts with the CUES-equipped Denna M30. All models share the same frame and fork, and Shimano powertrain.
The Denna is offered in versions featuring either gravel tyres or road tyres. Gravel incarnations get Vittoria’s 45mm Terreno Dry Gravel G2.0 TLR rubber and the road option comes with Pirelli’s P Zero Race SmartEvo TLR 30c treads.
The new Orbea Denna M20i is priced at £7,299 / $7,599 / €7,599.
Custom power delivery
Orbea hasn’t simply bolted a Shimano EP8 Gen2 RS motor to the Denna. Instead, it has worked extensively on two custom profiles: Gravel and Gravel+. The bike comes set up in Gravel mode and can be switched to Gravel+ using the Shimano E-tube ride app.
Neither mode utilises the full power of the EP8 motor that's usually reserved for enduro electric mountain bikes. Through the tunability of the Shimano motor via the E-tube app, you can always define your own full-fat performance mode, though.
Programming power modes is all well and good. However, the genius move is using Shimano’s Ultegra Di2 levers on an off-road build and reassigning the left-hand shifter's Di2 triggers, which are redundant on a 1x bike, to control the motor modes.
That means you’ve effectively got 12 gears to control with your right hand and three power levels with your left. It’s akin to having a ratio switch on a 4WD, and this combination works brilliantly off-road (based on my few test rides so far).
I’ll report back further once I’ve finished testing the Denna.
Ample range that can be extended
Range-wise, Orbea claims the 420Wh battery can reach up to 3,500m of elevation gain in Eco mode. If that’s not enough, you can equip the Denna with the 210Wh Range Extender, which is smaller than a water bottle and weighs less than 1kg.
On my first ride out on the Denna in standard Gravel mode, I achieved 52.425 miles / 84.37 kilometres with 3,593 feet / 1,095 metres of climbing. This included plenty of mode-switching, and lots of technical singletrack and mud.
The internal battery is Orbea’s own custom design, but it's built to Shimano’s exacting standards. Shimano has agreed to handle all battery warranties alongside its motors for the Denna range.
Off-road focused geometry
Orbea’s impressive Gain ebike is very gravel-capable, but its geometry is much more from the all-road space. The Denna slots into this gap with its much more off-road-focused shape.
It sports a long top tube and short stem – 90mm on my large test bike – combined with a short seat tube and low standover height. Each size gets a specific fork offset to avoid toe-overlap and set a longer trail figure to help you keep control in the rough.
My size-large bike gets a 67mm trail. The bottom bracket is lower than on a standard non-assisted all-road bike and the wheelbase is extended by 30mm – to aid control and stability on rough surfaces. Add in a rough-stuff-ready 50mm tyre clearance and the new Denna looks good to go really wild.
Premium build
The Denna M10i is an expensive bike with a premium build. The drivetrain is intriguing because it mixes Shimano’s Ultegra Di2 and XT Di2. You may ask, why not GRX? The simple answer is that the current GRX Di2 isn’t compatible with XT, which Orbea wanted to use because of the extra gear range available for 1x.
Up-front, Orbea’s own stem clamps Easton’s EC90 AX bar. At the back, it's Orbea’s own RP10 carbon post, topped with a Selle San Marco Shortfit saddle.
The M10i rolls on Orbea’s own Oquo RP45 Team carbon wheels, wrapped with Vittoria’s Terreno Dry tyres in a 45mm width. It's not the ideal choice for muddy springtime rides in the UK, but a solid-performing tyre in the dry.
Orbea Denna M20i spec highlights
- Weight: 13.9kg (large)
- Powertrain: Shimano RP8 Gen2 RS motor, Orbea custom 420Wh internal battery
- Drivetrain: Shimano Steps EM600 crankset, Alloy EP8 42t chainring, Shimano Ultegra Di2 shifters, Shimano XT Di2 rear derailleur, Shimano CS-M8100 11-52 cassette, Shimano M6100 12-speed chain
- Brakes: Shimano R9270 hydraulic
- Wheels: Oquo Road Performance RC25TEAM carbon wheels
- Tyres: Vittoria Terreno Dry Gravel G2.0 TLR 45mm
- Handlebar: Easton EC90 AX
- Stem: Orbea RP10 alloy 90mm
- Seatpost: Orbea carbon XP10 Zero offset
- Saddle: Selle San Marco Shortfit 2.0 Start Up Off Road Xilite
- Price: £7,299 / €7,599 / $7,599
