WE DIG
WE DON’T
ABOUT THE ORBEA RISE LT M10
Orbea kept what worked well from the previous generation of the Rise —a bike that was pretty damn good —and managed to improve upon it. The result is a solid, 150mm rear and 160mm front all-mountain eBike that packs some full-power capabilities in its lightweight package.
DRIVE UNIT AND ELECTRONICS | If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That’s Orbea’s take when it comes to the Shimano EP801 RS drive unit powering their Rise eMTB. And, there was indeed little, if anything, to “fix.” 85Nm of torque and 500W of peak power output get you up the hill easily. With the 630Wh battery option, the range delivered is stellar thanks to Orbea’s RS tune, and a 210Wh range extender will take you even further if desired.
Orbea and Shimano now allow EP801 RS owners to choose between two motor profiles. Profile 1 delivers the same 60 Nm of torque we’re familiar with, while profile 2 (RS+) increases it to 85Nm. Profile 1 certainly provides a more natural feel, while RS+ delivers a definite power increase that’ll let you hang with “full-power” riders in a light eMTB package.
Orbea keeps things clean, with no display on the Rise. However, this means that the vast majority of the information must be accessed through the RS Control App. There is a handlebar controller with the RS HMI that allows you to toggle through different modes, and integrates the dropper post lever. Small LED display lights on the controller indicate the power mode and battery percentage — one bar gone indicates 20% battery loss.
The remote controller is also connected to the dropper post trigger, which activates Orbea’s MC10 RS “Smart” dropper if this is specified. This is an electronic dropper that charges directly from the Shimano battery, meaning there are no external batteries to charge or leave behind. There are also settings available to tune the dropper characteristics, such as a “partial drop” setting to obtain a preselected technical climbing height.
FRAME AND FEATURES | The Rise is really two bikes in one, depending on your riding style. Orbea offers the Rise in their “SL” configuration, with 140mm of travel on both ends. Alternatively, the Rise LT we tested is there for those wanting a bit more capability, with 150mm out back paired with a 160mm fork.
This latest generation is visually different from its predecessor, with the addition of side support from the downtube to the rear link. This addition of material stiffens the frame, with the front triangle roughly 8% stiffer and the rear triangle 14% stiffer. It also sees Orbea’s Steep’n’Deep seatpost insertion, where any frame size of the Rise can fit a 200mm dropper. Larger sizes can go up to 240mm.
The Rise also has a 2-position geometry-adjust flip chip, allowing riders to choose between a high and low position. This adjustment affects the usual suspects such as reach, BB height, HTA, and STA.
Lastly, the Rise frame looks and remains sharp thanks to Orbea’s “second skin” protection. Beefy chainstay protection helps keep things quiet, and pivot bearings are fully sealed to prevent water from entering. And, of course, we have to mention the use of headset cable routing, which is a polarizing topic but undoubtedly creates a tidy appearance.
SUSPENSION | Orbea uses its Concentric Boost suspension platform on both the Rise LT and SL lightweight eMTBs. This is a linkage-driven single-pivot design, but with a split-pivot twist—a pivot point at the rear axle. Both the RS and LT platforms have been specifically tuned for the suspension characteristics Orbea is looking for, with custom-tuned shocks to further hone in the rear end performance.
GEOMETRY | In the “high” flip chip position, our size Large Orbea Rise had a 64.5° HTA paired with a 77.5° STA, for a comfortable, upright pedalling position. The reach is 485mm, the chainstays are 440mm, and the wheelbase is 1255mm.
The Rise’s stack is on the moderate side at 628mm, and the BB height is 345mm with a drop of 26mm. These numbers change when put in the low position, with the angles slackening by about 0.5° and the reach coming back by 5mm. The geometry also differs significantly on the Rise SL, with 10mm and 20mm less travel in the shock and fork, respectively.
BUILD SPECS | Orbea has several build offerings for the Rise LT, in both carbon and hydroformed aluminum. Using the MyO program, customers can customize elements of the paint and spec to obtain the exact bike they desire. They were kind enough to send us their carbon Rise LT M10 with Fox Factory suspension — a Fox 36 with Grip X damper up front and a Float X in the rear.
The M10 also features Shimano’s new Di2 goodness, with an XT-level drivetrain. This was paired with new XT brakes and 203mm Galfer Shark rotors, front and rear. Along with the OC Mountain Control MC10 electronic dropper post, the Rise LT M10 featured their in-house OC MC10 carbon handlebar and MC20 stem. The wheels were from their OQUO brand, with the MC32 Team. The saddle was a Fizik Terra Ridon X5.
And, of course, rounding out the build are our control tires from Schwalbe — a Magic Mary Radial Gravity up front and Albert Radial Gravity in the rear.
Getting our size Large Orbea Rise LT M10 on the scales, it weighed in at 46 lbs (20.8 kg) with these control tires and the 630Wh battery fitted.
THE DIRT
SETUP | Setting up the Orbea Rise LT was a straightforward task. Aiming for 30% sag at the shock shaft, the suspension characteristics delivered a solid balance of ride height, support, and sensitivity. Neither the eBike system nor the componentry on the bike required any wizardry or excessive time or energy to get dialled in.
From the get-go, we experienced some cable rattle. We believe that we could have remedied this by spending time adding extra sound deadening to the cables inside the frame, however, we did not have the time to action this during our hotly contested eBike group test.
ELECTRONICS AND INTEGRATION | Recently Orbea launched their updated RS system, which features the HMI (Human Machine Interface) concept on the Rise. While it could be easily dismissed as just a new one-piece remote that holds the power modes and dropper post, it also has a few other neat tricks up its sleeve. It combines eBike power mode controls, ride information control if you’ve linked up a device, and a “Smart Dropper.” This dropper post’s slightly increased functionality was a pleasure to use, following its initial learning curve. To learn more about the system, check here.
The rest of the bike’s integration was standard Orbea fare. It’s a beautiful frame that displayed itself well. Orbea bikes command attention with their paint finishes, unique tubes and aggressive styling. While we’re not fans of the internally routed headset cables for multiple reasons, it was something that added to the sleek looks of the machine. Though we’d still prefer non-headset routed cables for less complication.
CLIMBING | The Orbea Rise was one of the most capable climbers in this Lightweight eMTB Group Test. Not just because of the powerful Shimano EP801 RS drive unit, but because of the balanced geometry, comfortable position, and big battery range. We experimented with both the regular and RS modes during our testing. We felt they both offered impressive performance when evaluating elements such as power delivery, low cadence torque, maximum assist and control. This was regularly a bike that was near the front of the pack when it came time to get back up the mountain.
DRIVE UNIT RANGE TEST RESULT | We compared eMTB drive unit performance and efficiency with a standardized test. We created a 13-mile, 1,300-foot elevation “Battery Efficiency Loop” and rode every bike in its highest assist mode until the loop was done. Our test rider, Travis, is 193lbs and was diligent about his efforts and physical state for each ride.
The Shimano EP801 RS system completed the loop fastest on test, at 56:55. It used 315 Wh of its 630Wh capacity (50%). This placed it mid-pack for consumption, and 2nd for capacity remaining. The predicted range in this terrain would be 26 miles, 2,600 feet.
To see more detailed feedback on the drive unit of this bike, head over to the Main Page of the SL Shootout. We dive into the details of each drive unit, what we like about them and what we don’t.
DESCENDING | Charging down the trails on the Orbea Rise was a bit of a mixed bag. In many ways, it stood out as one of the best lightweight eMTBs in our group review. However, there were a few rather notable traits that were regularly brought up by our test crew. Let’s start with the contentious points.
First up were the sounds coming from the bike on the descents. While there was a small amount of cable rattle, the bigger issue for our crew is the “clackety-clack” sound of the Shimano drive unit. It’s slightly louder than the Bosch rattle of the SX drive unit we’ve mentioned on all the Bosch-equipped bikes. The sound was distracting to some riders more than others, but it was still something every tester noted when compared to the silent TQ or very quiet Fazua bikes.
The next controversial talking point was the frame’s stiffness, especially in the front triangle. When combined with a slightly sportier suspension feel, some testers noticed a more timid feeling when trying to hold a turn on unsupported corners with low-traction ground conditions.
While the stiffness up front could lead to some tentative moments on flatter corners, the Rise rewarded aggressive riders, and absolutely rocketed out of bermed corners. If you’ve got the strength – or trails with more traction and supportive corners – the sporty feel this bike provides will reward you! It was a speed demon when attacking the trail. From the incredibly balanced geometry to the light and active handling characteristics, the Orbea Rise could be the racer’s dream SL eMTB.
Our testers all agreed that when traction was high, trails were fast or dynamic, the Rise was a very competent bike, which inspired us to push harder and ride faster.
FINISH AND VALUE | Orbea regularly delivers some of the best looking bikes in terms of paint, finish, and integrated features, and they offer some solid value for the quality of bike. We are also fans of the MyO customization program, which allows shoppers to customize things from paint to spec selections, helping to make each bike your own. The price tag felt quite reasonable for this M10 spec, especially when considering the dealer support aspect.
COMPARISON AND RANKING | When standing the Orbea Rise up against the other 12 e-bikes in this group review, the Orbea Rise was a lightweight eBike that was considered a truly competitive offering. Many of our riders called it the “King of Consistency”. Despite some polarizing points, it was always high on the list when we evaluated things like performance, value, finish, and all-around feel.
The Wolf’s Last Word
While there are a couple of notable points that some of our crew didn’t jive with, there are plenty of positive attributes that make the Orbea Rise LT an impressive light eBike. Nevertheless, the lightweight eMTB space has made significant leaps and bounds for 2025, and brands need to deliver the absolute complete package to stay at the top of the list this year.
If you have the stamina and terrain to push this bike hard from top to bottom, or you don’t regularly find yourself pushing hard on looser terrain conditions, the Orbea Rise is a strong performer. The Shimano drive unit may not be our first choice, but the power is undeniable, and the battery options, Di2 ecosystem features and all-around vibe of the Rise LT make it a good choice. 
Price: $8,854
Weight: 46 lbs (20.8 kg)
Website: orbea.com
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