# Orbea Orca 2011 gold or silver frame?



## ckh432

Hi All,

I am very keen on purchasing an Orbea orca 2011 bike,
due to test the silver frame in 2 weeks time. The problem is the lack of gold frames about means there is no demo bike in the uk of the gold frame.:mad2: 
My colour preference is the team colours which is only available in the gold frame.
My problem is if i like the silver frame ride, and opt for the gold frame because of the colour scheme, i'm taking a big risk with the ride comfort etc.
Has anyone riden the 2 frames that could give any useful info to help make a discision.
6" 1
98kg if this helps.

Thanks


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## DrRoebuck

Whichever one is faster.


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## lemonlime

I've tested both the gold and silver frame on back-to-back rides. I used the same wheels, tires, saddle and pedals on 20 mile rides on the same roads. I'm 5'11" and 63 kilos.

I found the silver frame a very luxurious ride. It just soaked up the road bumps and pavement seals. It was rock-solid on the descents and I could not get the frame to flex on any out of the saddle, uphill sprints. I did the 20-mile loop in one hour and three minutes and felt like the bike was just asking for more speed the whole time.

Then I hopped on the gold frame. For whatever reason, it just had that "dead" road feel so many people talk about with carbon frames. No liveliness and it didn't seem to accept steering inputs quite as well as the silver frame. On the climb, it didn't surge forward when I was out of the saddle like the silver version, felt slow, and a couple times I felt like checking to make sure I wasn't getting a flat. Interestingly, the time for that loop was four minutes faster than on the silver frame.

I'm a big Orbea fan, and I think they really nailed the silver Orca, and if I were in the market for a new carbon bike I would definitely go with that one. The gold version just didn't do it for me.


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## FlynG

Post a poale so US uncivelized can speak more planely. Red is the fastest, definitely, definitely!


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## ckh432

Thanks for the feedback lemonlime, very helpful advice. :thumbsup:


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## Ventruck




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## Ibashii

lemonlime said:


> I've tested both the gold and silver frame on back-to-back rides. I used the same wheels, tires, saddle and pedals on 20 mile rides on the same roads. I'm 5'11" and 63 kilos.
> 
> I found the silver frame a very luxurious ride. It just soaked up the road bumps and pavement seals. It was rock-solid on the descents and I could not get the frame to flex on any out of the saddle, uphill sprints. I did the 20-mile loop in one hour and three minutes and felt like the bike was just asking for more speed the whole time.
> 
> Then I hopped on the gold frame. For whatever reason, it just had that "dead" road feel so many people talk about with carbon frames. No liveliness and it didn't seem to accept steering inputs quite as well as the silver frame. On the climb, it didn't surge forward when I was out of the saddle like the silver version, felt slow, and a couple times I felt like checking to make sure I wasn't getting a flat. Interestingly, the time for that loop was four minutes faster than on the silver frame.
> 
> I'm a big Orbea fan, and I think they really nailed the silver Orca, and if I were in the market for a new carbon bike I would definitely go with that one. The gold version just didn't do it for me.


If I only had the right LOLcat to poast here...

///day=made


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## ckh432

Why, do you have some info?


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## Coolhand

No you posted in the social forum, and they are having some fun. Let me move this for you.


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## amos

Now if they could just do a silver level frame in one of the gold level colour schemes my decision would be a lot easier!


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## Slave2Gravity

lemonlime said:


> I'm a big Orbea fan, and I think they really nailed the silver Orca, and if I were in the market for a new carbon bike I would definitely go with that one. The gold version just didn't do it for me.


I can't say I agree. My understanding is that in lieu of the Opal line, the silver spec Orca frame set uses that same carbon fiber blend, while the gold spec Orca uses the same blend of carbon that has been on the 09 / 10 Orcas.

I have both an '09 Orca and Opal, and my fiance has a '10 Orca. The Orcas I find to be just slightly smoother in road damping than the Opal. I can't really tell a difference in the stiffness or acceleration, though.

As for the 2011, I just built up mine and it rides very similar to my fiance's 10 Orca. The tapered head tube makes the front end noticeably stiffer than my '09 Orca, as does the beefier bottom bracket. I'm running Campy Super Record, so I'm not taking advantage of BB30. On a test ride today, the bike really snapped to in acceleration and railed corners. I didn't venture to far into the Santa Cruz mountains, but did enough climbing and descending to tell that the bike is definitely a step ahead of my '09 Orca (which is a fantastic bike already). Dead? Definitely didn't experience any of that. Road harshness is definitely muted, though. Cornering, braking, accelerating all felt fantastic.

If anything, I would say the only difference between the silver and gold spec frames is that the gold is _slightly lighter, but also does a better job of dampening out higher frequency bumps and vibrations. This assumption is based on the fiber blend being identical to that used on the last generation Opal, which I've spent plenty of back-to-back time comparing to the Orca.

Which to get? Well, I got mine as part of an insurance claim, so there was effectively no price difference (deductible is the same regardless). I don't know that I would pay the extra $1k for the gold spec if I were laying out all my own cash._


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## smoo

lemonlime said:


> Then I hopped on the gold frame. For whatever reason, it just had that "dead" road feel so many people talk about with carbon frames. No liveliness and it didn't seem to accept steering inputs quite as well as the silver frame. On the climb, it didn't surge forward when I was out of the saddle like the silver version, felt slow, and a couple times I felt like checking to make sure I wasn't getting a flat. Interestingly, the time for that loop was four minutes faster than on the silver frame.





Slave2Gravity said:


> Dead? Definitely didn't experience any of that. Road harshness is definitely muted, though. Cornering, braking, accelerating all felt fantastic.
> 
> If anything, I would say the only difference between the silver and gold spec frames is that the gold is _slightly lighter, but also does a better job of dampening out higher frequency bumps and vibrations. This assumption is based on the fiber blend being identical to that used on the last generation Opal, which I've spent plenty of back-to-back time comparing to the Orca._


_
Very interesting contrasting comments! Slave2Gravity, can I ask what sort of weight / height you are and what size frame you were on? Lemonlime, you are very light for your height, I wonder if this explains some of the difference - maybe the stiffness of the silver at the framesize you would need is better tuned to your needs. I guess maybe you were on a 55? Orbea claim that the stiffness of the orca frames is scaled to the framesizes. I'm also 63kg but a couple of inches shorter, so a 53 would be a perfect fit for me.

Lemonlime - Also very interesting that while the silver felt faster, the gold was actually quicker against the clock..._


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## Slave2Gravity

smoo said:


> Very interesting contrasting comments! Slave2Gravity, can I ask what sort of weight / height you are and what size frame you were on? Lemonlime, you are very light for your height, I wonder if this explains some of the difference - maybe the stiffness of the silver at the framesize you would need is better tuned to your needs. I guess maybe you were on a 55? Orbea claim that the stiffness of the orca frames is scaled to the framesizes. I'm also 63kg but a couple of inches shorter, so a 53 would be a perfect fit for me.
> 
> Lemonlime - Also very interesting that while the silver felt faster, the gold was actually quicker against the clock...


I'm 5'9 and 155lbs (175cm / 70 kg) riding a 55cm frame with a 110mm stem.


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## LoveKnuckles

I was hit by a car last week which destroyed my 2007 Orca. I had over 20,000 on it and loved it like a fine mistress.
The insurance company bought me a 2011 GDR, delivery in a few more days (Orange 53cm).
I am hoping this new bike climbs and accelerates as well as my 2007! 
I will comment after riding it a couple hundred miles.


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## oeleltd

*Silver vs Gold*

I test rode the silver and liked it however it did not really feel all that much different than my 2008 Orca in fact to me it rode more like my 2009 Opal. I bought the team color gold frame without testing it because there just weren't any gold in the states. I could not be happier it feels very different much stiffer, quieter and is a really a fantastic ride. After I built my gold Orca I went back and rode the silver and for me gold was the right choice. That said if you can afford the gold upgrade I say buy it you will not be disappointed. The silver is also a great bike for the price and I agree it’s to bad it is not offered in team colors. 

I had Shimano 7900 on my 08 and 09 but opted for Sram Red on my 2011. Personally I think Sram is a huge improvement it is smoother shifting and much quieter than the Dura Ace 7900


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## danielc

*Fiber composition*

Does anybody know the difference in Toray fiber usage between the 2011 Orcas (gold or silver) compared to the 2010 Orca which already had fiber improvements from the 2009 Orca?


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## LoveKnuckles

ckh432 said:


> Hi All,
> 
> I am very keen on purchasing an Orbea orca 2011 bike,
> due to test the silver frame in 2 weeks time. The problem is the lack of gold frames about means there is no demo bike in the uk of the gold frame.:mad2:
> My colour preference is the team colours which is only available in the gold frame.
> My problem is if i like the silver frame ride, and opt for the gold frame because of the colour scheme, i'm taking a big risk with the ride comfort etc.
> Has anyone riden the 2 frames that could give any useful info to help make a discision.
> 6" 1
> 98kg if this helps.
> 
> Thanks


I have ridden 300+ miles now on my new 2011 Orca GDR with Dura Ace, 53 cm.
It has several improvements over my 2007 Orca. It feels more stable in all phases, built stronger. I had it fitted and with just small adjustments, feel very comfortable on this bike
.


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## tanong

I have to wait 3 months to reiceve Orca gold frameset. Hopefully, I will get it within Oct.


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