Boasting more suspension travel than previous versions, the Orbea Wild H10 has proven to be an absolute bruiser of a machine. With its smooth almost weldless alloy frame, bosch drive system, and spot-on build kit, it dispatches the rowdiest of descents with ease while being an equally as accomplished climber. Though its long wheelbase and big wheels make it a handful in the corners, it’s not as light as Orbea may lead you to believe; it’s not without a few minor setbacks.
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Orbea Wild H10 – Technical details
Orbea says that the Wild is built to pose no compromise, and in its H10 guise, it’s built around the brand’s Hydro, hydroformed alloy frame. The result is a super sleek-looking, almost weldless front triangle that boasts a carbon-like aesthetic.
Stiffness is a key focus for the bike and its designers to help the bike cope with its extra weight. That’s where the brace above the motor comes in, as Orbea claims it adds rigidity in a high-load area of the frame. The bike then benefits from the brand’s SBS system, which enables the battery to sit lower in the downtube, reducing the overall centre of gravity, much like you’ll find on Whyte’s bikes.
New for this generation of the Wild is its 170mm of suspension travel at both ends, and its kinematic has been designed for gravity riding, as you would expect. With that, it’s been designed to accommodate the bike’s weight but also to maximise traction while under the e-mountain bike’s power. Orbea has designed the suspension with 40% progression to help the bike not only absorb smaller bumps but also to help it resist diving during larger impacts. There’s then 100% anti-squat for controlled pedalling and 40-50% anti-rise for independent braking.
Along with a boost in suspension travel, Orbea has graced the Wild with the very latest in Bosch technology. Now, the bike boasts the fifth-generation Performance Line CX motor that knocks out 85Nm of torque and up to 600W in power (before the recent firmware update). That’s fuelled by a 750Wh battery as standard, or for those who really want to decrease the weight, customers can configure the bike to be kitted with a 600Wh battery with a £215 saving. For those who want more capacity, the 250Wh PowerMore range extender can be bought for an extra £439. In a bid towards simplicity, Orbea has forgone equipping the Wild with a screen, instead choosing the top tube-mounted display.
The Wild is kitted with nearly all of the mod cons. There’s space in the front triangle for a bottle cage, 29in wheels at both ends, with the opportunity to fit a 650b wheel in the rear for those mullet fans and internal cable routing. However, that routing does go through the headset. While that doesn’t irk me too much, although it will upset many, what really gets me is the proprietary stem spacers that can get a little unwieldy to adjust. You’ll also need a selection of regular spacers on hand if you’re looking to lower the stem. However, the routing is fully guided in the frame, so if and when the time comes, fitting fresh hoses should be fairly straightforward.
Before moving on, the large frame on test has a reach of 480mm, a rather slack 63.5-degree head angle, a 77.5-degree seat tube angle, and a 448mm chainstay. The BB height sits at 358mm.
Orbea Wild H10 – Componentry
For your £6,500, Orbea is offering a bike with a very purposeful build kit. None of it’s blingy or especially sexy, but it’s all very solid stuff. On top of that, the brand doesn’t pin its customers down to specific components, offering alternative upgrade options on nearly everything for an additional fee. For example, the Fox 38 Performance fork can be bumped up to the top of the range Fox 38 Factory fork with the latest Grip X2 damper for an extra £309.
However, the bike on test is completely standard, and I’ve not been disappointed. There’s that Fox 38 paired with a trunnion-mounted Float X Performance shock, and the duo hasn’t put a foot wrong. In fact, it’s simple and easy to set up, making a dialled ride within reach for even the freshest of suspension fettlers.
Shimano provides the braking with its M6120 four-piston brakes, which certainly do the job. They’re paired with a set of 203mm Galfer Wave rotors, but the brakes come with resin pads out of the box. It’s standard, but it’s a shame that Orbea hasn’t paid that extra attention to detail and swapped them with sintered or metallic pads, as they’re much more resistant to fade, something the resin pads will suffer from on a weighty e-MTB.
The finishing kit comes from Orbea’s componentry brand, OC, including the generously travelled and adjustable 170mm OC Mountain Control MC22 dropper post. There’s a pair of the brand’s MC32 wheels that have proven to be mighty resilient. They’re wrapped with a 2.4in Maxxis Assegai with an EXO+ casing and MaxxGrip rubber up front and a Double Down casing, 2.4in Maxxis Minion DHR II at the rear – wisely picked rubber indeed.
All in, the bike weighs 25.5kg, so it’s no featherweight, but it’s certainly not squaring up to the heaviest of e-mountain bikes.
Orbea Wild H10 – Performance
Nicknamed ‘The Yes Machine’ by Orbea, I’ve been riding the Wild through a range of terrains and trail types from natural, right through to gnarlier bike park trails, and while it’s certainly no slouch, there are certainly areas where the bike really shines. Surprisingly, for a bike of this type, one of those is on the climbs.
Owing to its rather steep seat tube, the length of its chainstay, and the sensitivity in the rear suspension, the Wild makes light work of even the steepest and most technical of climbs. While a 448mm chainstay isn’t the longest in the world, nor the shortest, it joins forces with that seat tube, placing rider weight centrally between the wheels. With that, the Wild requires little input to keep either wheel planted when ascending technical terrain. Only when it gets really steep does it reward a ‘chest to the bar’ position.
With its weight and mass of suspension, the Wild can be overkill when riding mellow trails, but only because it’s so adept at absorbing trail imperfections. The positive thing to be taken there is that when showing the bike rowdier and gnarlier terrain, it finds itself well within its element. Sprinkle a helping of speed into the mix, and that’s where the Wild finds itself perfectly at home.
Both ends of the bike work well to smooth out even the most technical of trails, damping all but the worst of the feedback to the rider, allowing anyone to swing a leg over it simply to worry about what’s coming next. Of course, the 170mm of squish is to credit for this, but the bike’s 25-odd kilos only aid the cause – it’s like straddling a king-size mattress and sending that down a hill, as it conforms and tracks the shape of a trail. It carries composure by the shed load as it makes usually intimidating trails, actually quite welcoming.
Where the bike leans heavily into its enduro intentions to the point where it comes as absolutely no surprise that Orbea’s factory team has been racing it motorless at downhill events before unveiling the latest Rallon, dynamism and agility aren’t the Wild’s forte, at least in its full 29in guise. With a 1,282mm wheelbase and slack head angle, it’s a long bit of kit. Add its suspension and weight, and it’s a bike that requires finesse to wring the best out of the bike.
That said, with the right level of persuasion, there can be a level of liveliness and playfulness to be found, and that’s owing to the Wild’s well-designed suspension. It does prefer life with wheels on the ground, but with some considered manipulation, it does allow the rider to take advantage of the midstroke support that’s present. Of course, more liveliness can be tuned into the shock, but its space-creating upside-down layout can make reaching the dials a little tricky.
In long, sweeping corners, there’s little to complain about as it holds its line with poise but in tighter corners, it’s a different story as the bike bogs down – and understandably so given the points above. Throwing a 650b wheel in the rear should add a well-needed hint of agility, and I would even recommend sizing down if you’re after a better balance of stability and agility.
Equipped with the latest in Bosch technology, the Wild has plenty to give in the range department. It’s capable of 35.3km with 1,495m of ascent with a little left in the tank. That’s primarily using the blue, Tour+ mode.
Orbea Wild H10 – Verdict
If you’re happy with a somewhat weightier alloy frame, value certainly isn’t bad on the Orbea Wild H10, but there is some stiff competition at this price point, and it does get beaten by some of those players. Canyon’s Strive:ON CFR Underdog brings a carbon frame to the mix at £5,149 but that’s at the expense of a not-so-posh build kit, including a heavier Fox 38 Rhythm fork and Shimano’s Deore drivetrain. It also gets SRAM DB8 brakes.
However, if it were my money, I’d choose the Merida eOne-Sixty 875, which sits at a pretty £6,000. For that, you get a RockShox ZEB Select fork, Shimano’s XT 11-speed shifting, and four-piston XT brakes. That is a Shimano EP801-driven bike, though, so there’s a large difference there. However, despite being a heavier bike, I found it to be more dynamic and better-rounded, but there is no ability to run a 29in rear wheel.
At the same price is Trek’s Rail+ 9.7 Gen 5, and you get a very similar kit for the money. It’s built with a RockShox ZEB Select fork, Shimano SLX 12-speed drivetrain, and SRAM DB8 brakes. But there’s a carbon front triangle that should save some grams.
The Orbea Wild H10 is an e-mountain bike for those who want to steamroll over technical terrain at speed, and it does that very effectively. It’s an unforgivingly composed descender that makes even the gnarliest of tracks feel doable, but that is at the expense of general liveliness and agility. While its value isn’t bad, it’s outshone by other key players, and there are a few small details that could do with tweaking.
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Alloy frame, Fox Performance 38, Fox Float X Peformance, Shimano four-piston brakes, Oquo wheels, Maxxis tyres, OC finishing kit.
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