ORBEA
The Rallon RS
A New Era Of Performance
January 27, 2026
Orbea presents the latest evolution of its RS concept, where the rider experience comes first and technology works seamlessly to enhance every moment of the ride.
Orbea has announced the launch of Rallon RS, a bike that marks a bold new direction for the industry. Built on Orbea’s RS (Rider Synergy) philosophy, the Rallon RS enhances the ride experience, using innovation to remove compromises on the trail. A subtle helping hand improves climbing flow, while downhill performance is planted, precise, and predictable. With next-generation suspension control and advanced smart features, Rallon RS represents a significant shift in what riders can expect of their trail bikes in the future.
Rallon RS is not the result of trends or market pressure. It comes from Orbea’s cooperative structure, where ownership is shared by the riders, designers, and engineers who create and enjoy the bikes. This model allows the company more freedom to explore long-term ideas, take measured risks, and involve partners as true collaborators throughout development.
Rallon RS was built to ask questions, push boundaries, and explore a different path forward for mountain bikers. The insights gained from this project are expected to influence Orbea’s future high-performance platforms and may offer the industry an alternative way of thinking about innovation and rider experience.
1. Seamless Integration: A System That Works as One
With Rallon RS, Orbea has created a single system connecting the remote, motor, shifting, dropper post, suspension and central battery. Sharing power simplifies charging and reduces clutter, and their proprietary communications system enables all the components to share information, a totally new concept which creates new possibilities.
Introduced with Rise earlier this year, the RS-HMI (Human Machine Interface) controller expands its capabilities significantly with Rallon RS. Riders can manage motor modes, suspension profiles and smart dropper functions without removing their hands from the handlebars. Advances like this are rare because they cannot be achieved by one brand working alone. To make it possible, Orbea invited TQ and Fox to join the journey. Both brands immediately recognised the potential to push their own technologies further and agreed to open development, something unique in the industry.
Orbea avoids exaggerated claims around their smart technology, but in this case the system introduces a meaningful step forward for mountain bike performance. Their technology links the proprietary Fox eNEO Live Valve shock, Orbea’s MC10-RS dropper and the TQ motor, allowing each component to respond based on shared information. This enables several new capabilities:
● Suspension informed by motor data: The shock receives inputs such as cadence, rider power, motor power and bike speed from the TQ motor. Orbea’s custom algorithms use this data to deliver more predictable and responsive suspension behaviour.
● Suspension informed by dropper position: The MC10-RS dropper communicates its exact position multiple times per second through an optoelectronic Time-of-Flight sensor. This is an industry first. When the dropper is lowered, the shock stays fully open to optimise downhill performance.
● Motor behaviour adapted to terrain and rider position: The TQ motor recognises when the bike is pointed downhill with the dropper lowered and adjusts its assistance to avoid unwanted inputs in technical terrain.
These capabilities are only possible because the components operate within a unified system that shares data in real time.
2. Helping-Hand Assistance: Removing Climbing Compromises
Many long-travel bikes claim to balance climbing and descending, but often deliver a level of motor support that removes the satisfaction of the climb. Orbea approached this differently. The objective was to improve the pedalling feel on climbs by reducing the usual compromises that come from the extra weight of a long-travel chassis and the rolling resistance of aggressive tyres.
Orbea worked closely with TQ to adapt their lightest and quietest motor for long-travel trail use. The proprietary RS tune provides responsive and near-silent assistance that never exceeds the rider’s own input. This creates a smooth, natural climbing feel that preserves the sense of effort and reward that comes with riding a mechanical bike. As such, Orbea does not describe the Rallon RS as an ebike, but as a trail bike that represents the next step in mountain bike development.
The compact TQ HPR40 motor delivers up to 200 W of peak assistance and 40 Nm of torque in a lightweight, unobtrusive package. Its size and weight allow Orbea to maintain Rallon’s suspension kinematics, balanced handling and low centre of gravity, which are all critical for downhill performance. The 290 watt-hour battery offers between 1200 and 1800 metres of climbing range depending on rider weight and assistance level. Riders who want additional capacity can add the optional 160 watt-hour Range Extender, which increases total range by 55% for full-day outings.
3. Downhill Performance: Redefining Confidence on the Trail
Rallon RS was built on a solid foundation for descending performance, Orbea’s Downhill World Cup–developed Rallon. With the motor and battery positioned low and centrally, the Rallon RS remains exceptionally composed in rough terrain.
Rallon RS pushes the limits of Orbea’s carbon engineering. Every element, from the tooling to the purpose-built lay-up, is designed for precision. The latest carbon lay-up is Orbea’s most advanced to date. It requires more manufacturing time but reduces overlaps and waste, placing material only where it is needed to achieve optimal stiffness and strength.
Rallon RS geometry has been refined through years of downhill testing but offers adjustability so that riders can tune it to their needs. A dedicated linkage allows a choice of full 29” or mullet without affecting the geometry. The flip chip adjustment lowers the bottom bracket by 8 mm and slackens the head angle by 0.5º. The headset adjustment permits head angle adjustment by +/- o.75º.
As always with Orbea mountain bikes, Rallon RS is designed around Orbea’s Steep ‘n’ Deep, meaning that all frame sizes allow full insertion of a 210 mm dropper post, increasing to 240 mm on size L and XL.
What Comes Next Orbea is marking the path to the future. It is shaped by daring to think long term, by collaboration between brands, by working together to make things simpler and better for the rider. Rallon RS is a focused project, designed for a specific type of rider. Its purpose is to explore what can be achieved when performance and innovation guide development. The insights gained through this project will, no doubt, shape future Orbea bikes.