Orbea Terra Race M31eLTD 1x gravel bike

The Orbea Terra Race M31eLTD 1x is built, as the name suggests, for speed, but what you might not be expecting is its exceptional comfort. With brilliant handling, a largely excellent overall build, and the chance to spec cockpit dimensions and plenty more besides, this is one of the best gravel race bikes currently on the market. 

Within Orbea’s gravel range sit the Terra and the Terra Race, and whereas some brands separate ranges by varying components or perhaps fitting a different fork, Orbea makes the framesets fundamentally different. Even the geometry differs between the two, with the Terra being more relaxed for general riding and bikepacking, and the Terra Race being tighter, slimmer, lighter and more aero-focused.

Let’s start with the colour, as I’m sure it will divide opinion. This isn’t a model aimed specifically at female riders, but instead forms part of Orbea’s customisable colour and personalisation programme, which is an option on all Terra Race models.

There are three basic colours, but for no extra charge, you can personalise the frameset from a range of 26 colours, seven special finishes and a gloss or matte finish. You can also change the colour of the decals, a small section at the rear of the seat tube, and an area of the wheels. In short, the choice is vast. The only downside is that it means an additional lead time of five to seven weeks.

Orbea has a dealer network, so even if you create a unique design on the website, the bike will be bought through and delivered to a shop of your choice.

Orbea Terra Race M31eLTD 1x – Technical Details

Built around Orbea’s OMX carbon frame, the Terra Race is designed to be stiff and efficient, as you would expect of a gravel bike pointed towards the racy end of things. That carbon layup is said to be the brand’s lightest and stiffest, which has been achieved by using fewer sheets of carbon and reducing the overlap between those sheets. Orbea reckons it’s managed to shave 300g off the bike’s overall weight but without sacrificing stiffness. The Terra OMX carbon fork benefits from the same treatment and provides space for up to 45C tyres with 7mm of extra clearance.

As a modern race bike, of course, it benefits from some aero details. First and foremost, the bike can be equipped with an integrated cockpit, and models rock deep-section wheels to help make the bike extra slippery against the wind. There’s then an internal seatpost clamp, resulting in a tidy silhouette that again reduces drag.

Generally, gravel bikes with such racy intentions are built around stiffness, and rightfully so. A still bike can transfer leg power to the rear wheel much more efficiently, but generally, stiff doesn’t mean comfortable. However, Orbea has recognised that and has built the Terra Race’s rear triangle to encourage some compliance, both for comfort and for traction. Speaking of power transfer, this bike can be equipped with 1x or 2x setups, and yep, it’s UDH compatible.

As for its geometry, it features a lower stack and longer reach to promote a more aerodynamic body position, and the bottom bracket and wheelbase have been shaped for stability. Then, the fork trail has been picked to achieve consistent handling across the range of sizes. To put it into numbers, a medium Terra Race boasts a 389mm reach, a 71-degree head tube angle, a 420mm chainstay and a 73.5-degree seat tube angle. There’s then a 1,026mm wheelbase.

That geo differs from the regular Terra by bringing in a seat tube angle that’s slacker by half a degree, a head angle that’s two degrees steeper and a stack that’s 10mm lower. So it’s certainly much racier than the more relaxed adventure gravel bike.

Orbea Terra Race M31eLTD 1x – Componentry

The M31eLTD features the SRAM Rival 1 XPLR groupset, SRAM Rival AXS brakes and Orbea finishing kit, including the integrated cockpit. As always from Orbea, there is a standard version on the bike on offer, but personalisation options don’t stop at the colour scheme. Certain components can be changed to suit your preferences, with some based on fit and others simply on preference.

My test bike was not built specifically for me, although it was designed for a rider of similar height, and for the same racing purposes, and it does deviate from the standard build a touch.

Integrated cockpits can make fit adjustments difficult and expensive, but here you get 12 different options with stem lengths ranging from 80mm to 130mm, and bar widths covering 360mm, 380mm or 400mm. You can also choose a regular separate bar and stem, and all changes are at no extra cost.

Other configurable components include a straight or layback seatpost, and crank lengths of 165mm, 170mm, 172.5mm and 175mm, regardless of frame size. The only slight disappointment is the lack of a 160mm option, which is available with the SRAM Rival chainset.

The standard wheels are the OQUO RP50LTDs, which have 50mm deep rims with a 25mm internal width, but Orbea also offers the OQUO RC30 Team. Those cut £965 from the overall price. While that might sound like a downgrade, they’re still carbon-rimmed wheels with the same 25mm internal rim width but a 30mm depth, and they actually have Zipp ZR1 hubs with a quicker (66-point) engagement. You only get 45 points on the RP50 LTDs.

The saddle is the Selle San Marco Shortfit 2.0 Start Up Off-road, but you can upgrade to a Fizik Vento Antares R1 Carbon for an additional £99.

Standard tyres come from Vittoria in the form of 40mm Terreno T30s, and given the brand’s Spanish roots, it’s perhaps a logical choice. For British riding, you may prefer something with a little more tread – in fact, my test bike arrived on 45mm Vittoria Terreno Pro T50s instead, which are far better suited to typical British conditions.

Orbea Terra Race M31eLTD 1x – Performance

Race and comfort are not usually words that belong in the same sentence, yet with this bike, they do. For the first few rides, I kept stopping to check the tyre pressures, simply because the amount of vibration damping was so impressive. While the Vittoria Terreno Pro T50 tyres certainly helped, I have used them on other bikes, so they are not the sole reason. On the initial ride, and several rides after, I stopped to check the tyre pressures, simply because the amount of vibration damping was so impressive.

Out of preference, I often use a suspension stem or a Lauf fork on my personal gravel bike, as I feel comfort is vital for performance. With an integrated cockpit and rigid fork, there is no option to add suspension, so it was refreshing to ride a rigid gravel bike and not have comfort as a concern.

Multiple areas of the bike and build contribute to this, and Orbea lists vibration damping as a key priority. The wheels, tyres and integrated cockpit all play a part, and if any one component was letting the bike down, it would quickly show.

The one area that could improve comfort even further is a simple one to change: the bar tape. The standard tape is thin and fairly basic, and switching to something thicker would improve grip and comfort. Orbea has also fitted the Terra Race with a traditional round seatpost, which seems unusual given the aero-focused frame. The reason given is comfort, and while the aerodynamic gains of a more shaped post would likely be marginal, if this contributes to the excellent ride quality, then it gets my vote.

Adjusting the handlebars and cockpit was straightforward, thanks to the split-design headset spacers. I was able to remove a few to lower the front end without issue. There is also plenty of space available, and it is unusual for me not to slam the stem to the lowest position, and I still had a few small spaces below, should I have felt the need. This also gave me the chance to inspect the internal cable routing, which appeared neat and well-managed, with no cable rub evident. Standard headset spacers can also be mounted above the stem before cutting the steerer, giving riders the opportunity to experiment with fit before committing.

Although I haven’t stripped the bike completely, the out-of-the-box weight of 8.7kg without pedals, but with wider and heavier than standard, Terreno Pro T50 tyres fitted, which was slightly disappointing. Many other race bikes are lighter. That said, while the frameset itself is relatively light (claimed weight, 910g frame, 325g fork, unpainted, medium size), there are a few quick and relatively low-cost ways to reduce weight. I am tolerant of most saddles, but the Selle San Marco Shortfit is not one I particularly enjoy, and at 360g actual weight, it is also heavy for this style of bike. I took the bike to a UCI Gravel Series event in Sardinia, and after a few changes, which included adding tyre inserts and a power meter, the ready-to-race weight with pedals, bottle cages and computer mount was 8.6kg. With so many shared components across the range, weight savings on higher-end models are unlikely to be dramatic. The main difference is in the groupset, and with roughly 500g separating SRAM Rival and SRAM Red, weight alone is unlikely to justify the £4700 jump in price.

The frame lacks any internal storage, which the standard Orbea Terra does offer, but that is something I am perfectly happy about. Internal storage adds weight and complexity, and I have yet to find a system that offers useful storage without rattles.

Terra Race is exactly what I want from a race bike. The geometry is sharp and purposeful, with an efficient frame and no noticeable flex throughout the frame.  I’m sure many riders will consider it twitchy or low at the front, but those are exactly the qualities I want in a race bike. If speed is not your main priority, the geometry may feel aggressive, but it made for some superbly fast and enjoyable rides, and I found myself choosing all sorts of routes rather than avoiding longer road sections. The handling is razor sharp and precise, while the lower front end shifts more weight over the front wheel, giving real confidence when cornering at speed. Combined with the comfort built into the frame and fork, even rough descents could be ridden quickly without feeling like you were simply hanging on.

One component stood out for the wrong reasons, though, and that was the freehub. It is essentially a road-style wheelset adapted for mixed terrain, and the general performance is solid. The wheel’s comfort was excellent, stiffness was not lacking, and tyres were easy to fit with or without inserts. OQUO, Orbea’s in-house wheel brand, uses a ratchet system called SharkRatchet. It works similarly to the now-common twin-ratchet design first patented by DT Swiss, but the shark fin design means you are effectively tied to the supplied ratchet. With 45 teeth and 8-degree engagement, the figures are decent but not exceptional.

But the bad bit is that there is a noticeable amount of free play when backpedalling, but the biggest issue was the noise, which only made the free play feel more obvious. It was noticeable on rough terrain and made gear shifts sound harsher. I even stripped the hub to see if there was a reason or a way to quieten it, but found nothing. If I were buying this bike, I would choose the cheaper RC30 Team wheels and invest separately in a deeper carbon wheelset with a quicker, quieter freehub.

Orbea Terra Race M31eLTD 1x – Verdict

As its name suggests, the Terra Race is built for speed and racing, and it excels in that role. Riders who are not focused on outright speed may be better served by bikes with calmer handling, more mounting points and wider tyre clearance. With that, the Terra Race is a racing thoroughbred, and it hits the nail on the head.

The M31ELTD model retails for £5,199 in the specification tested, although there are options, including the ability to switch wheels, which can cut the price by almost £1,000. While the price is high, other race-focused gravel bikes go considerably further. The recently tested 3T Racemax Italia 2 that costs £5,310 for the frameset alone, with complete builds starting above £8,300, and the new OPEN UP 2.0, which Stu recently tested, is £4199 for the frameset, and that shares many similar design and build traits.

Another race-focused option is the Vielo V+1 Race Edition, which offers slightly more tyre clearance, with a SRAM Rival version priced at £4,999, and the recently announced Felt Breed SRAM Rival XPLR model is also £4999, with a claimed weight of 8.3kg.

If speed is your priority, the Orbea Terra Race is an absolute blast to ride, combining efficiency with far more comfort than you might expect from a race bike. With customisable components for fit adjustments and a custom paint option at no extra cost, you can create something unique, or simply go pink and guarantee yourself more attention than almost any other bike on the ride. I’ve loved riding and racing the Terra Race, and while the rear freehub is slow and noisy, you can get around that with a custom build, and I would happily line up on it for almost any true gravel course.