You may remember that a couple of months ago we reported on the launch of Orbea’s new Wild mountain bike range. At present there’s one hardtail frame (though we hear a full suspension model is imminent) and three levels of build. What we have here is the middle bike, the Wild 20, which retails in the UK at £3,099.
There’s a few of the current trends evident in the Wild 20. For a start it’s using the 27.5+ wheel standard, with a 40mm rim and a 3″ Maxxis Chronicle tyre. Those big tyres offer good cushioning and traction without having to make the jump to wider fat bike standards, although the Wild does feature the newer 148mm rear / 110mm front Boost spacing. The only real downside to 27.5+ is weight, but when you have a motor helping you out that’s not really an issue. Up front you get further damping courtesy of a 120mm Fox 32 fork with a three position damping lever which allows you to tune the response of the fork on the fly.
Orbea have also gone for a fairly performance-oriented geometry from the hydroformed alloy frame. The Wild isn’t quite as long or relaxed at the front as Orbea’s Loki 27+ hardtail but it’s still very much in trail bike territory where in the past electric mountain bikes have been more leisure-oriented in terms of the ride position. That’s a trend we’ve been seeing from many manufacturers, with both Trek and Giant recently updating their e-bike ranges with a more aggressive position.
You don’t get a remote dropper ‘post on this build of the bike (the more expensive Wild 10 gets one) but the bike does get Orbea’s Digit seatpost system which allows you to set a top and bottom limit so it’s easy to drop your seat down or pick it up. You can spec a Rockshox Reverb Stealth dropper ‘post for an extra £239.
Orbea use the Bosch Performance Line CX motor, and it’s a favourite at ebiketips for its well-balanced performance. Bosch’s top capacity 500Wh battery should give you a decent range too. You get the centrally mounted Intuvia display here, along with a remote by the left hand grip. The motor is angled upwards in the frame for better ground clearance and there’s an alloy bash guard to protect it from hits. You get better pedal clearance too thanks to the 152mm cranks; that’s a lot shorter than a standard setups to it’ll be interesting to see how it affects the feel of the bike. 170mm cranks are available as an option (£16 extra).
The drivetrain is 11-speed Shimano XT with matching hydraulic brakes. The 11-42 cassette should give you a gear for pretty much anything. Finishing kit is a mix of Orbea own-brand, Race Face and FSA gear. We’ll be pitting the Wild 20 against our local trails (and probably give it a run at Bike Park Wales too) and we’ll let you know how we get on!
