Orbea updates its Gain e-bike with more integration and more tyre clearance

Orbea has redesigned its carbon and alloy Gain electric road bikes, with new geometry, internal cable routing in higher spec options, extra tyre clearance and integrated lighting. It says that the new Gain is designed to enhance, rather than dominate, your ride with more speed and more range. 

The Gain’s geometry has been updated, with a lowered bottom bracket for added stability and shorter chainstays. Tyre clearance in the 2021 Gain has been upped to 40mm, so you can fit pretty much any tyre you want for extra comfort or more off-road capability. Two ring specs come with 30mm tubeless tyres and there are single ring bikes with 38mm rubber.

Orbea has also integrated lights into the new Gain. At the rear, the red light is built into the low profile seatpost clamp, while at the front it forms part of the integrated display mount. Orbea supplies the Gain with an ANT+ display unit which gives motor stats as well as other ride data. There’s the option to add a brighter front light too.

On the top spec models, Orbea’s cabling is hidden from the bars through the underside of the stem and into the head tube. The system is used on other Orbea bikes too and works for both mechanical and electronic shifting.

Updated rear hub motor

The 2021 Orbea Gain uses a new Mahle ebikemotion X35 Plus rear hub motor. With 40Nm torque and 250 watts, it’s paired with a 250Wh slimline internal battery in the down tube, for a silhouette that’s hard to tell from a pedal-only road bike. 

The controller doesn’t give much away either: it’s a slimline button recessed into the front of the top tube surrounded by an LED ring that indicates assistance level and battery charge. There’s a new display unit that fits to an out-front mount on the bars for additional information.

The motor weighs 2.1kg and uses a sensor built into the bottom bracket lockring and a new torque simulation algorithm to regulate the motor’s power output to match yours. Once it cuts out at the maximum permitted speed of 25km/h in the UK, EU and Australia (20mph in the USA), Orbea says that it’s almost drag free.

There’s a single cable connecting the motor and battery, hidden under a cover and Orbea says that it’s easy to remove the rear wheel. 

The ebikemotion system is also used by the recently launched Scott Addict eRide and a number of other e-road bikes including the Ribble SL e, and the Wilier Cento1 Hy. You can add a bottle cage range extender battery to up the battery capacity by 208Wh, adding 70% to the Gain’s range.

As with Orbea’s other bikes, in addition to the standard colour options you can use the MyO app to select your own colour scheme for the Gain, and you can select components to suit when ordering too. 

There’s a wide range of specs for the carbon and alloy Gain, from Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 down to Claris and a few single ring options with Shimano GRX groupsets and 38mm tyres.

Orbea Gain selected model specs and prices

Gain M10i £7,999

• Carbon frame and fork
• Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, 50/34 x 11-30t
• OC2 Carbon 42 wheels, Schwalbe One 30mm tyres
• Fizik Antares R5 Versus Evo saddle on OC2 carbon seatpost

Gain M20i £5,299

• Carbon frame and fork
• Shimano Ultegra Di2, 50/34 x 11-32t
• OC2 Carbon 42 wheels, Schwalbe One 30mm tyres
• Selle Royal Asphalt GR saddle on OC2 carbon seatpost

Gain M20 £4,299

• Carbon frame and fork
• Shimano Ultegra, 50/34 x 11-32t
• Fulcrum E-Racing 900 wheels, Schwalbe One 30mm tyres
• Selle Royal Asphalt GR saddle on OC2 carbon seatpost

Gain M20 1X £4,299

• Carbon frame and fork
• Shimano GRX RX810, 40 x 11-40t
• Fulcrum E-Racing 900 wheels, Schwalbe G-One Bite 38mm tyres
• Selle Royal Asphalt GR saddle on OC2 carbon seatpost

Gain M30 £3,599

• Carbon frame and fork
• Shimano 105, 50/34 x 11-32t
• Fulcrum E-Racing 900 wheels, Schwalbe One 30mm tyres
• Selle Royal Asphalt GR saddle on OC2 carbon seatpost

Gain M30 1X £3,599

• Carbon frame and fork
• Shimano GRX RX600, 40 x 11-40t
• Fulcrum E-Racing 900 wheels, Schwalbe G-One Bite 38mm tyres
• Selle Royal Asphalt GR saddle on OC2 carbon seatpost

Gain D20 £3,399

• Alloy frame, carbon fork
• Shimano Ultegra, 50/34 x 11-32t
• Ready GR wheels, Hutchinson Fusion 5 Performance 30mm tyres
• Selle Royal Asphalt GR saddle on OC seatpost

Gain D50 £2,299

• Alloy frame, carbon fork
• Shimano Claris 8-speed, 50/34 x 11-32t
• Ready GR wheels, Hutchinson Fusion 5 Performance 30mm tyres
• Selle Royal Asphalt GR saddle on OC seatpost