Orro Terra E Shimano GRX 1x E-bike

The Orro Terra E is one of the latest additions to the British company's line-up and has been created by adapting its highly regarded gravel bike to accept the FSA System HM1.0 rear hub motor. Yes, this makes it heavier, but that weight is offset by the power unit providing plenty of punch on the climbs and long, draggy climbs. This reduces the load on your legs from the constant accelerations required when riding those technical sections. And while the bike tested has Shimano GRX, the first model available to buy will actually have SRAM Apex.

> Buy now: Orro Terra E for £3,899.99 from Orro

If you are on the lookout for an e-bike, our best electric bikes buyer's guide shows the wide range of e-bikes that are available to us today. And if you don't require electrical assistance, our best gravel bikes buyer's guide rounds up the best human-powered gravel machines.

Ride

I have ridden various versions of Orro's Terra over the years, most recently the Ekar-equipped Terra C, and Dave also gave his thoughts on the same model kitted out with the latest Shimano 105 Di2 groupset last year. 

Both of us found the Terra to be a fun and fast gravel bike to ride, with its geometry placing it somewhere between a gravel racer and that of an adventure bike. An endurance gravel machine, if you like...

The new Terra E retains most of those qualities. Orro has subtly tweaked the geometry to allow the use of the FSA system, but those changes don't affect the way the Terra E handles, which I see as a positive.

With the Terra E you get a bike that is very easy to ride. The geometry provides balanced, neutral steering and a wheelbase that's long enough to bring stability. The ride is involving, and the frame and fork offer enough feedback for you to can crack on at a fair old rate of knots without ever feeling that you're out of control.

Knowing exactly what is going on underneath the tyres allows you to push things on loose terrain, and if you do end up out of control the Terra E kind of gets you out of trouble in a relaxed manor. Riding in the muddy slop at the beginning of the year on the lightly treaded tyres there was plenty of sideways action, but the Orro was always ready to kick back into line with a shift in your bodyweight, or it was easy to style out the slide.

The main thing to consider is what power assistance mode you choose. At the highest setting you can get quite a power kick, which can exacerbate a rear-wheel slide. While the FSA System's power delivery is relatively smooth, I did learn to use the lower power options for technical stuff, keeping back the higher power modes for hard-packed tracks and trails.

The Terra E is 4kg heavier than the 105 Di2 Terra C, which means it isn't quite as nimble or quick to respond to shifts in weight on technical sections. Thankfully, though, this added weight is mainly situated lower on the bike, which makes it less of an issue, and if you're riding below 25kph (15.5mph) and the motor kicks in, balance is restored.

In short, I didn't find the added weight had any detrimental effect on the Terra's handling. Thanks to the front-end geometry and because of the planted feel the extra weight gives you, the Terra E is a confidence-inspiring descender.

Gravity means you'll pick up a little more speed on the e-bike version too, but as you've got loads of power from the hydraulic brakes and the fact that the Orro doesn't feel flustered when you're pushing it into a bend, again this isn't a problem.

The 250Wh battery delivers 42Nm torque, so climbs aren't a problem either. The FSA hub motor system doesn't have the punch of some bottom bracket-mounted motors, so you can't just sit and spin your way up the steepest hills – you will still have to pedal, but just not as hard.

You get five different modes of assistance ranging from ECO at the bottom to Boost at the top, and I found the range okay unless you're bike-packing or planning long-distance adventures.

On my commute to the office along the canal towpath, with a bit of road at either end, I managed 27 miles (43.5km) from a fully charged battery. And while the route is pretty flat, pedestrians on the towpath and stop-start traffic on the tarmac meant there was a lot of accelerating and quite a few sections under 25kph, so the motor was on if not exactly pushing out maximum power.

FSA claims a range of around 50km, so on full power I'd say what I achieved was pretty decent.

Flicking though the modes though I was able to make the battery charge last for the length of my main gravel route, which is exactly 50km. It's lumpy and uses a whole range of different surfaces, but I never felt I had to sacrifice power output for battery life.

I found on average I was around 10 minutes quicker on the Terra E than I was on the Ekar Terra C in similar riding conditions. This is because the motor let me take it easier on climbs, which in turn allowed me to push harder on the flats, while the downhills took care of themselves.

When I arrived home, there was still about 20% of battery life left after just under three hours of riding. You can increase range further by buying an extender cell that fits in the bottle cage.

But do try to ensure you're never left with a flat battery. If that happens, you're left with a 13.4kg gravel bike, which is on the sluggish side.

More positively, I found little resistance from the motor when it's not active, to the point that when you are freewheeling or pedalling you won't notice it.

I found the Terra E a very comfortable bike to ride. Orro has kept the top tube, seat tube and seat stays slender for a bit of flex, so that even when you pump the tyres up hard for a bit of road use, the Terra shuns high-frequency vibrations while still feeling stiff and responsive.

Frame and Fork

As with the standard model, the Terra R's frame and fork are made from carbon fibre, with the tubing adapted to suit the needs of an e-bike.

Compared with the beefed-up welds and gussets required on aluminium bikes, the carbon fibre Terra E has a more incognito look.

First off, the down tube needs to big enough to accommodate the battery. Secondly, the press-fit bottom bracket shell needs to incorporate the charging port.

Cables run to the rear hub motor through the chainstay, while the system is controlled by a button on the top tube.

This button limits the use of Bento or top tube bags and can also clash with the straps on some frame-mounted bags too.

Speaking of load carrying, I think it is fair to say the Terra isn't as well equipped as some of its competitors.

You'll find two sets of bottle cage mounts, mudguard and rear rack mounts – though thanks to the slimness of those chainstays they come with a quite limiting 5kg limit.

That said, if you are planning to use this for carrying loads or as a lightweight, credit card tourer, there are still lots of options around for frame-, seatpost- or handlebar-mounted bags.

To avoid interference with frame bags the Terra E uses fully integrated cable and hose routing with each entering the frame at the top of the head tube. It may not make servicing easier, but it gives the Orro a smooth look and keeps everything away from the elements.

Orro has gone for a press-fit bottom bracket. While some riders may have reservations about press-fit's reliability in wet mud and grit, or dry, dusty conditions causing creaking, I've had no issues.

I tested this for two months during some of the wettest weather I've known, over muddy gravel trails and with grit being thrown up from the gravel sections. The bottom bracket has been submerged in deep puddles – and to speed up wear and tear I didn't clean the bike during this period.

Even after giving the bike a full clean before it went back to Orro, the bottom bracket and motor were still working perfectly without any unwelcome, unwanted noises.

Orro has squeezed in tyre clearances of 44mm, which isn't massive these days, but will be enough for most UK conditions, especially in the dry.

Geometry

The Terra E is available in four sizes. Our medium bike had a 553mm top tube, 165mm head tube and 500mm seat tube.

The chainstays are 423mm long, the wheelbase 1,030mm and the stack and reach are 584mm and 384mm respectively.

The seat angle is 73.9°, while the head angle is a relaxed 71°.

Finishing Kit

Alongside the FSA motor system, the Terra E presently on sale comes with a 1x SRAM Apex groupset, Orro/FSA aluminium finishing kit and Vision Team 30 wheels incorporating the FSA MH1 rear hub. The £3,899.99 RRP is the same as the Ekar-equipped Terra C, and there's also a flat bar Terra E, which is a fraction cheaper at £3,799.99.

If you're eagle-eyed you may just have noticed that this review bike has a Shimano GRX groupset with a deviation to an FSA chainset, along with a Deda bar and stem combo.

Orro is planning to offer this version at the same price as the Apex build, but ongoing supply issues mean the Apex version will be available first.

Apex might be SRAM's entry-level groupset but it is well built and performs well.

The Apex build will pair a 40T chainring with an 11-speed 11-42 cassette. The resulting gearing range is easily sufficient when you add motor assistance into the mix. The frame does have a mounting point for a front mech, so running a 2x setup is possible.

Having ridden Apex countless times, it does take a little time to get used to the DoubleTap shifting if you're more used to Shimano's STI and Campagnolo's Ergopower systems, but once you've learned it, shifting becomes second nature.

The shifting isn't quite as refined as you'll find on SRAM's higher-end groupsets, but it is crisp and direct and it isn't affected by mud and grit.

The lever ergonomics also take a bit of getting used to, as the hood space for the hydraulic reservoir is quite large – though this does give you a good platform for resting your hand when braking while descending.

FSA provides its Adventure Compact bar and Omega ST stem while the alloy seatpost and Borstal Plus model are both Orro branded.

It has a narrow, road bike saddle-like design with a little extra padding to soak up the bumps, and I found it comfortable.

The Vision wheels have 30mm-deep aluminium alloy rims. Even in their standard form they aren't the lightest wheels around, but that's even less relevant when they're laced around a rear-hub motor.

But they are tough, durable and capable of taking on tough gravel trails, singletrack through the woods and chalky grassland.

They were still true and running smoothly when the bike was returned to Orro, and they're tubeless ready too, which is how I'd set them up for off-road riding.

The Continental Terra Trail tyres that Matthew liked are specced in a 40mm width, and they're e-bike specific too.

Their minimal tread pattern is ideal for hard-packed gravel or dry conditions, but like a lot of gravel tyres they struggle in typical muddy UK winter conditions.

That said, their grip is pretty good in most conditions, and there were no issues with punctures or durability.

Value

Unlike in the road market where e-bikes tend to use rear-hub motors, the gravel bike market seems to be split between rear hub- and bottom bracket-mounted systems.

The Vitus E-Substance is an electric version of its Substance that I liked when I reviewed it last year, and which uses a Fazua mid-drive motor. It has more torque than the Orro at 55Nm, but battery range is similar to that of the Terra.

Its SRAM Rival groupset is one above Apex, it has Kanza alloy wheels, costs £3,999.99 and weighs 14.7kg.

A lot of gravel bikes around this price with hub-based systems have aluminium frames.

This includes the Ribble CGR AL e that KiwiMike tested, which costs £2,899 for the Apex-equipped Sport model that has a Mahle Ebikemotion X35+ system.

Or there's Ribble's latest aluminium gravel specific e-machine, the err, cunningly named Gravel. The Pro build costs £3,699 and has the same X35+ motor as the CGR but comes with Shimano's GRX 810 groupset.

The ride quality of the carbon frame of the Terra E though is one of the highlights, so I reckon it's worth the extra investment.

Conclusion

The E has taken all the qualities of the other Terra models and given it a real boost. The smooth motor brings an extra level to your gravel riding – whether you want to go quicker or go further. The downsides are extra weight, but that is more than compensated for by the extra power on tap.

Verdict

Easy-to-control carbon gravel machine with a great ride quality which benefits from smooth electronic power delivery