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Orbea launches new Avant alloy-framed endurance bike with refined geometry and "Service Box" to stash your stuff

Comfort and practicality is key with the Spanish brand's latest road bike launch, featuring 35mm tyre clearance, mudguard mounting points and a box under the downtube to store a puncture repair kit

The Basque bike brand Orbea has given its Avant aluminium road bike model an overhaul by changing the frame silhouette, refining the geometry and adding a party piece "Service Box" under the downtube to stash essentials. 

Orbea Avant 2024 2

Gone is the sharp drop towards the back of the top tube as it meets the seat cluster that we saw on the Avant launched in 2020, with Orbea going for a more conventional sloping top tube on the 2025 model. 

Other than the shape of the frame, the geometry of it was also a big focus of Orbea's efforts on the new Avant: "Comfort is key", so the brand says. 

In its attempts to achieve more riding comfort, Orbea has gone for a steeper seat angle and a longer top tube to "put the rider in the perfect position to attack the climbs".

For increased descending confidence, the fork angle has been relaxed and the wheelbase lengthened, and a size-specific fork trail should further improve handling.

The carbon fork utilises Orbea's 'OMR carbon form', essentially the addition of high strength fibres to the standard lay-up to increase the stiffness-to-weight ratio, and banish any old tropes about aluminium-framed bikes being tooth-rattling... 

Orbea Avant 2024 4
The welds look noticeably smoother on the new Avant

The 35mm tyre clearance (without mudguards, and 32mm with them), mudguard mounts and ICR+ full internal cable routing all carry over from the outgoing model. Aesthetically Orbea appears to have tidied up the welds even more on the new Avant, and practically it claims that by controlling the shapes and wall thicknesses of the aluminium, the frame is lighter and stronger with "enough flex to be comfortable without compromising pedalling efficiency". Stiffer, lighter, more compliant, you get the picture...  

A forged bottom bracket allows Orbea to route cables inside the frame, protecting them and taking the most direct route to reduce friction. The bike is also ready for electronic shifting, though all the off-the-peg models featured in the presser come with mechanical groupsets. 

Orbea Avant 2024 2

Orbea's new "Service Box" - which could be mistaken for an e-bike battery at first glance - means you can leave the saddle bag at home, with room for a puncture repair kit and your house keys, according to Orbea (though that may lead to some unwanted jangling while you ride). It looks longer and slimmer than the storage box on Orbea's Orca Aero racer and Ordu time trial/triathlon bike, which seems to better compliment the lines of the bike. 

Orbea avant 2024 on white

The new Avant bikes should be available with retailers imminently, prices starting from £1,499 for the Avant H60 with Shimano Claris shifting, going up to £2,299 for the H30 with a Shimano 105 12-speed mechanical groupset.

All bikes are disc brake-only, and sizes range from 47cm to 60cm frames going up in 2cm increments (apart from the biggest two, which jump from 57cm to 60cm). We're not given any weights for the frame or full bikes, but hopefully we'll stick one on the scales ourselves if we can get hold of a bike to review. 

Check out the Orbea website for more deets. 

Jack has been writing about cycling and multisport for over a decade, arriving at road.cc via 220 Triathlon Magazine in 2017. He worked across all areas of the website including tech, news and video, and also contributed to eBikeTips before being named Editor of road.cc in 2021 (much to his surprise). Jack has been hooked on cycling since his student days, and currently has a Trek 1.2 for winter riding, a beloved Bickerton folding bike for getting around town and an extra beloved custom Ridley Helium SLX for fantasising about going fast in his stable. Jack has never won a bike race, but does have a master's degree in print journalism and two Guinness World Records for pogo sticking (it's a long story). 

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10 comments

Avatar
Pot00000000 | 2 months ago
2 likes

I'm not sure why you'd go for a box in that area over a top tube bag behind the stem.

The TT bag gives some areo benefits, it's easier to get to, and it won't get all covered in crap when it's wet n muddy out. 

im all for intelligent storage on bikes but I can't see this as anything other than a fail. 

Avatar
KDee replied to Pot00000000 | 2 months ago
2 likes

Having just come back from an unexpectedly damp ride...I agree. Terrible location for storage. I'm still wondering how I've got so much crap splattered on the front of the head tube. Don't want to even look at the underside of the down tube right now. 

Avatar
levestane replied to KDee | 2 months ago
2 likes

KDee wrote:

 I'm still wondering how I've got so much crap splattered on the front of the head tube.  

Crud sprays forward from the front wheel and you ride into it. Most front mudguards don't project forward enough to stop this.

Avatar
thehill | 2 months ago
6 likes

that thing on the downtube is the ugliest thing i have seen on a bike for a long time

Avatar
lesterama replied to thehill | 2 months ago
1 like

Complements SRAM AXS

Avatar
ubercurmudgeon replied to thehill | 2 months ago
5 likes

Looks like a particularly-badly integrated battery on an ebike from about 5-10 years ago.

Avatar
Sam3 replied to ubercurmudgeon | 2 months ago
2 likes

ubercurmudgeon wrote:

Looks like a particularly-badly integrated battery on an ebike from about 5-10 years ago.

Those were on the top side of the tube.

BTW this  "service box" is almost certainly a placeholder for a model update later in in the product lifecycle with a hub motor and a small battery right here.

Avatar
anke2 replied to Sam3 | 2 months ago
1 like

Sam3, this makes good sense!

And for a battery, it would be a neat solution. Low center of gravity, high torsional stiffness of downtube (without battery-doors), possibility of an easy conversion between Ebike and Roadbike (swap rear wheel, add/remove battery and wireless controller at handlebar). Nice!

Avatar
KDee replied to anke2 | 2 months ago
0 likes

And covered in crap if used during anything other than the nicest weather. 

Avatar
Sam3 replied to anke2 | 2 months ago
0 likes

I'm suggesting they are keeping the option to later on add a model in the product range that is electric powered, but I'm not suggesting it will be convertible. That's an interesting idea though!

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