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Kai's time with the Orbea Laufey H10 is over. In his final report, he delivers his verdict on a trail-focused hardtail designed to be able to handle whatever you can throw at it.
The Orbea Laufey has been exactly what I hoped it would be. The simplicity of the hardtail frame makes it feel like a bike that is always ready to go and the low cost but sturdy spec means it’s relatively cheap to keep it running.
The Laufey's versatility, from techy downhill to flat cross-country loops, has got me riding my local trails more than ever.
The geometry and suspension combination creates a fantastic platform that’s easy to tweak to your preference with simple upgrades.
It has quickly become my most ridden bike and I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking for a capable hardtail to ride a variety of terrain.
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Previous updates follow…
Orbea Laufey H10 update one
The first few months with the Laufey H10 have flown by.
It’s got me out riding more consistently than I ever have. I think this is down to the convenience of a bike that I can just pick up and pedal to the local trails.
This has been further aided by the Laufey performing flawlessly so far. Everything on the bike has done its job well, no matter the conditions.
I have made a few tweaks though.
I started by substituting the rotors. It now has 180mm Shimano Ice Tech rotors, front and rear. The only reason for this was to allow the option of running sintered pads. The original rotors were resin-pad only and I find sintered perform better, particularly in UK winter conditions.
Next, I installed some Crankbrothers Mallet E LS pedals. Prior to these, I had always run flat pedals on my mountain bikes. However, these have been a great upgrade. They keep my feet locked in on rough terrain, even when the rigid rear end is bouncing around.
I went with the Crankbrothers pedals due to the extra platform around the cleat mechanism. It provides extra support over an XC-style clipless pedal, which makes a big difference when descending. It also enables you to clip out and rest your foot on top of the pedal when necessary – something I often do while scaring myself on steep trails.
The cockpit setup has also changed. I’ve swapped to a carbon Nukeproof bar and 35mm Nukeproof stem to fit the 31.6mm bar diameter.
I had planned to cut these down to 780mm, but I’ve now become accustomed to 800mm, so I’m yet to decide if I’ll commit to cutting them down.
Finally, I swapped to an SDG Bel Air saddle. This is one of my go-to mountain bike saddles because it’s simple but effective and fits me well.
Overall though, I’ve been very impressed with the parts provided with the bike.
I’m lucky enough to ride a lot of different bikes, many of which are top-spec. This often leads to dreaming of wireless gears and shiny parts for my own bikes. However, the Laufey has reminded me that lower-level parts are all you need most of the time.
I’ve been really impressed by the power of the Shimano M6100 brakes and I’ve found they hold their edge for longer than other, much more expensive, MTB brakes I’ve ridden.
The Deore and SLX drivetrain combination has also performed flawlessly. Sure, they may not be the lightest parts, but it’s a fraction of the cost to replace them and keep everything running well.
The fork has also impressed – 140mm of travel feels like just the right amount and it has handled everything I've thrown at it. I’d say it’s worth investing the extra money on the H10 model over the H30 for the fork alone.
I’m looking forward to spending even more time on the bike and maybe even taking it on an enduro ride to see how it handles the trails I usually reserve for my enduro bike.
Orbea Laufey H10 frame and specifications
The frame is full aluminium and heavily hydroformed to increase strength and remove unwanted flex.
The cables are internally routed but there’s no fiddly headset routing in sight. Instead, they run from the side of the down tube through to the chainstays and up to the dropper, maintaining the sleek look.
There’s 148x12mm Boost rear-axle spacing, a 73mm threaded BSA bottom bracket and two sets of bottle cage mounts on the top tube and down tube.
Also located on the down tube is the brand’s LOCKR internal storage. Integrated with the bottle cage mounts, the hatch opens to reveal a fabric pouch for storing any ride essentials.
I’m known for my lack of preparation on rides, which has resulted in many a walk of shame. This is my first time having a bike with internal storage, so I’m hoping it can help me be more prepared.
This H10 model has a Marzocchi Bomber Z2 fork with decals to match your chosen frame colour. There’s a lockout switch on the right-hand side, as well as rebound adjustment on the underside.
The 2.6in Maxxis Dissector tyres are set up tubeless straight out of the box. They roll on 29in unbranded alloy wheels, which may not be the lightest but are built sturdily.
The Shimano Deore 1x12 drivetrain features an upgraded SLX derailleur.
Shimano M6100 brakes provide the stopping power, with 180mm resin pad-only rotors.
The cockpit consists of an OC Mountain Control 800mm bar, with OC lock-on grips and an unbranded 35mm alloy stem.
The Selle Royal 2058 saddle is attached to an OC Mountain Control dropper post. This has 150mm of drop on my size-medium bike and goes up to 170mm on large and extra-large frame sizes.
All this comes in at a weight of 14kg in my size medium, without pedals.
Orbea Laufey H10 specifications
- Sizes (tested): S, M, L, XL
- Weight: 14kg (30.86lb), M size without pedals
- Frame: Hydro Triple Butted 29" Boost 12x148
- Shock: N/a
- Fork: Marzocchi Bomber Z2, 140mm (5.51in) travel
- Shifters: Shimano Deore M6100
- Derailleurs: Shimano SLX M7100
- Cranks: Shimano MT512 (1×12)
- Cassette: Shimano CS-M6100 10-51t 12-Speed
- Chain: Shimano M6100
- Wheelset: Unbranded alloy, Tubeless, 29", 29c, 32H
- Tyres: Maxxis Dissector Exo TLR 29X2.6in
- Brakes: Shimano M6100 180mm rotors
- Bar: OC Mountain Control MC30, 800mm
- Stem: Unbranded alloy, 35mm
- Seatpost: OC Mountain Control MC21 dropper
- Saddle: Selle Royal 2058 DRN
Orbea Laufey H10 geometry
The 64.5-degree head angle creates a stable platform at speed and remains consistent on steeper terrain.
This has been paired with a steepened seat tube angle, from 75 degrees on the previous model to 77 degrees. This should aid the bike’s ability to winch you to the top of any climb.
The reach on my medium frame is 451mm, which sits right in the range I’d expect of this size. On a small frame, the reach is 427mm, and it rises to 500mm on an extra-large.
The chainstays are 440mm across the sizes. This could be an area of improvement, because size-specific chainstay lengths can improve the relative handling. This is especially true with the fixed rear end of a hardtail.
However, as someone who sits in the middle of the sizing scale, I’ve found this chainstay length to combine well with the rest of the geometry.
| | S | M | L | XL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat tube angle (degrees) | 77 | 77 | 77 | 77 |
| Head tube angle (degrees) | 64.5 | 64.5 | 64.5 | 64.5 |
| Chainstay (mm) | 440 | 440 | 440 | 440 |
| Seat tube (mm) | 380 | 415 | 430 | 460 |
| Top tube (mm) | 572 | 598 | 625 | 652 |
| Head tube (mm) | 95 | 105 | 120 | 130 |
| Fork offset (mm) | 44 | 44 | 44 | 44 |
| Bottom bracket drop (mm) | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 |
| Bottom bracket height (mm) | 310 | 310 | 310 | 310 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 1181.8 | 1210.1 | 1240.6 | 1269.9 |
| Standover (mm) | 770 | 770 | 770 | 770 |
| Stack (mm) | 633 | 642 | 655.5 | 664.5 |
| Reach (mm) | 427 | 451 | 475 | 500 |
Why did I choose this bike?
Living in Bristol means I’m fortunate enough to have plenty of trails only a pedal away, but it's a laborious pedal aboard my long-travel enduro bike.
So, I was looking for a bike efficient enough to enjoy the pedal to the trails but capable enough to not hold back once I got there.
I was drawn to the simplicity of a hardtail mountain bike, despite not owning one for a few years. The steep angles of a 120mm or 130mm cross-country hardtail would have got me to the trails quickly, but I wasn’t sure I’d enjoy the descents quite as much.
This led me to more aggressive hardtails, which is when I came across the Orbea Laufey. It seemed to promise the combination of pedalling efficiency and descending ability I was looking for, with the eye-catching olive green colour and sleek frame design being the cherry on top.
A secondary consideration was bikepacking. I’m relatively new to this form of cycling, but I’m looking to do more trips this year.
The Laufey may not have the host of rack mounts you can find on other hardtails, but the open frame leaves plenty of room for bikepacking bags.
With a few tweaks, I think it could be a mean bikepacking machine. I’ll be putting this to test, just as soon as the UK weather gets a bit more bearable.
