When something bigger is hit, the Rallon is very quick to blow through its travel, giving a trap door-like sensation.

The setup feels a touch harsh off the top, leaving the bike skittery on smaller bumps. The rear end left us a little disappointed though. It’s certainly a fork that rewards a bit of time and effort put into setting it up – if you’re a plug and play type, you might miss out on the top end of its performance. Up front the Deville fork was a popular choice with our testers – there’s lots of adjustment available, and the supple, responsive damping means the front wheel stays glued to the ground, unless you pop the front up. Staying with the high-end theme, Orbea has gone to BOS for the suspension, specifically the Deville FCV 160mm fork and Kirk V2 shock, with a specific Rallon tune. All this helps bring the top-spec Rallon to 13.45kg – a decent if not mega-light weight. When it comes to wheels, Orbea specs DT Swiss E-1700 models, mated to fast rolling Maxxis Ardent rear, High Roller front tyres. While some bikes in this price range use more expensive carbon frames, Orbea has flashed the cash on the spec, which includes a carbon RaceFace Next SL crank (with a spin-happy 28t ring), Shimano XTR derailleur and XT shifters/cassette and brakes.

Adjustable geo means the head and seat angles can be slackened by half a degree and the bb lowered: Russell BurtonĪdjustable geo means the head and seat angles can be slackened by half a degree and the BB lowered

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