Orbea Urrun 10 review

In the Basque language, 'urrun' means far, and the Spanish brand says the Urrun 10 is designed for "long rides and big adventures".

At first glance, it’s hard to tell the Urrun is even an electric mountain bike. Its elegant shape is accentuated by the way its cables are hidden inside the frame, and the quality of its paintwork and finish.

Accordingly, it's more expensive than some of its rivals.

Orbea Urrun 10 frame

The sleek aluminium frame has a slim down tube housing a compact, lightweight battery.

This powers a specially tuned Shimano EP8 RS motor, said to be up to 1.5 times more efficient than the standard version, so the 540Wh powerpack should provide assistance equivalent to 810Wh on a standard electric bike.

Geometry is pretty modern, including a relatively relaxed 66-degree head angle for calmer steering. The frame sizes are way smaller than most, though, with the 440mm reach on the large size more typical of a small frame on many modern full-suspension mountain bikes.

Orbea Urrun 10 spec details

Up-front, the Fox 34 Performance fork feels exceptionally smooth, especially over exposed tree roots.

The steerer tube on my review bike was cut too short though, so I couldn’t add spacers to raise the bar for a more upright riding position.

I pumped up the fork to 120psi to keep it high in its travel. You could also buy a higher-rise bar; neither is ideal.

The Maxxis Rekon tyres are fast-rolling but grippy and pack a more protective EXO+ casing, and Shimano’s 12-speed XT drivetrain is high-quality and smooth.

However, the Magura MT5 brakes don’t have enough bite when really trucking downhill and the 160mm rear rotor is too small, meaning they’re simply not powerful enough.

Orbea Urrun 10 geometry

Orbea Urrun 10 ride impressions

Being tuned for long distances (or massive ones if you buy the 252Wh range extender), the Urrun gets you out into the wilderness with smooth assistance and a natural feel when coming on or off the power.

There’s noticeably less torque and boost on top of your own pedalling power than with the regular EP8 motor found on other electric mountain bikes, though, once gradients tip upwards.

Orbea has designed it this way, limiting the bike to 60Nm maximum torque (rather than the 85 to 90Nm of full-fat eMTBs).

This means peak power stays within a range that allows Orbea to spec ‘regular’ trail bike parts, such as lightweight wheels, which makes the Urrun easier to manoeuvre, lift and carry.

The RS motor is quiet in operation, with just a background whir in each of its three assistance modes, and the internally routed cables are rattle-free.

The long 70mm stem creates an old-fashioned, cross-country style riding position, with your backside up and head down.

This puts your centre of gravity forward, which helps with climbing balance and ergonomics (making up for the RS motor having less power), but it can feel twitchy on technical trails.

At faster speeds, the Urrun is much less capable than rival bikes on off-road trails.

Because each frame size is short and the bottom bracket high, your weight gets pitched forward if you ride down anything steep, and this has you feeling hesitant when the terrain isn’t super-smooth.

The weight distribution also results in the highly sensitive fork getting overloaded in berms and compressions, and the front tyre wanting to tuck under you.

This is at odds with what I’d expect based on the bike’s head angle, but it’s noticeable – even when pottering about a campsite with a washbag slung over the bar – how much less manoeuvrable and stable-steering it is than rival bikes.

On top of this, the slim frame feels really stiff. It’s uncomfortable on bumpy ground, transmitting a lot of trail feedback through the bar and frame.

The Urrun isn’t that easy to handle on techy trails and feels so much less sure-footed through steep sections that I didn’t even tackle one particularly tight corner, because I was worried about the lack of braking power and being unable to get my weight back.

While this isn’t what bikes such as this are designed for, it’s a good indication of what a novice rider might experience on mellower terrain.

Orbea Urrun 10 bottom line

Orbea's new electric hardtail is a stunning-looking bike that lives up to its Basque name thanks to a sizeable range that can be extended further and quiet, smoothly delivered power.

Some lightweight parts choices make it easier to throw around, but a stiff frame means things become uncomfortable when the going gets rough.

The forward ride position and twitchy steering can cause the Urrun to come unstuck at higher speeds off-road and the lack of braking power is a further limiting factor.