# Considering a 2007 Orbea Orca



## jbasdf (Feb 23, 2007)

I am considering purchasing a 2007 Orbea Orca. The other bikes I am looking at include the Cannondale System 6, Pinarello Paris Carbon, and the Time Edge Racer. My LBS loves the Orbea, but they are trying to sell me one. I went to another dealer (that has the Orca in stock). They liked it, but they seemed to like the Pinarello and Time bikes better. I rode a System 6. It is a nice bike and it is cheaper than any of these other bikes.

Does anyone have any information/opinions on the Orbea vs these other bikes? I am looking for something that is fast, but comfortable. I want to be able to ride long distance without pain.

Also, SRAM is a pretty sweet deal on an Orca. Has anybody used it enough to form an opinion?

Thanks


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## mloywhite (Jan 26, 2006)

I rode two Sram equipped '07 Orcas before I bought my Orca frame and fork (I already had the other components). I thought the components were high quality, and the shifters easy to figure out, but I did not put too many miles on the demo bikes. We don't have a Pinarello dealer or Time dealer near here, so I can't compare it to those, but I have put 185miles my Orca in the past six days, so I can give you my thoughts on how it rides and fits. 
Mine is the 54 size (I have a 31 inch inseam), with a regular Open Pro front wheel, and a Powertap Open Pro rear wheel. Built up with relatively heavy handlebars and the stock Zeus seatpost, including pedals, powertap and bottle cages (and Chorus components), it weighs just under 17 lbs. I have ridden an aluminum/carbon Bianchi for the past year and a half, and a Giant OCR carbon before that, and I think the Orca has less road vibration than either of those. It is extremely stiff, too. I rode several other top-end bikes, including a Cervelo R3 and a couple of different Specialized bikes, and I think the Orca feels stiffer to me than the others I rode. My long ride was 55 miles Saturday, over some relatively rough roads, and I thought the Orbea was really very comfortable. I did not get over 40 mph, but it seems to handle very well, very predictable.

Overall, I would recommend it, I think I am going to really like it, no problems at all so far. Good luck finding a new bike.


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## Stratmosphere (Feb 28, 2007)

This probably sounds stupid, but I would ride all the bikes. Make sure the air pressure is up. I guess most importantly is which frame fits best? I bought the 54cm Orca because it had a fairly high headset height. 

The only reason the LBS would push the Orca was if there is a lot of margin in the bike (more than the others). I don't think anyone will be having a challenge selling the Orca with the reviews, print ads, and the styling. -P


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