Introduced two summers ago, the shape-shifting Orbea Oiz is back with a lighter, stiffer, more efficient OMX update for cross-country, marathon & singletrack trail riding. On the outside the new carbon XC mountain bike looks quite similar to its previous generation, but under new shiny paint jobs, the new OMX carbon race bike is reborn with major weight savings, tighter geometry, and all-new rear ends – available both in cross-country 100mm XC guise or longer 120mm travel TR trail bike builds.
2021 Orbea Oiz OMX lightweight carbon XC mountain bike
This new Orbea Oiz can essentially be boiled down to the 29er cross-country race bike getting the same top-tier OMX carbon construction found on Orbea’s top road bikes.
But more than just building a lighter and stiffer frame (and it is more than 18% lighter than the OMR frame!), Orbea has crafted an all-new rear end for the new XC mountain bike that makes for both quicker handling and lighter complete bike builds.
Plus, their Two Stroke concept carries over, so you can still get the new lighter 2021 Orbea Oiz OMX in 100mm XC or 120mm TR setups to cover everything from racing cross-country & marathons to more general fast trail riding.
OMX carbon for Oiz mountain bikes
Orbea’s OMX construction uses their most advanced mix of hi-mod carbon fiber to build the lightest frames, balancing weight savings with overall strength & “perfectly-tuned rigidity”. OMX bikes employ “high modulus fibers of up to 588GPa with tensile strength of 3800MPa”. Each carbon ply is individually laser-cut for each frame size, then hand laid in multiple assemblies for precise placement, before being cured in Orbea’s most complex molds – all to minimize excess material and ensure consistent fiber placement & resin compaction in the final frames.
With the move to OMX carbon for the Oiz, claimed medium frameset weight drops to 1740g including the carbon link and the rear shock, which Orbea says is a savings of 250g over the previous generation’s OMR frame. (Since the last OMR frame quoted weight without a shock, that would suggest this new frame-only should be around 1350g without a shock.)
Interestingly, the 2021 OMR frameset is said to now weigh 2080g (M w/ shock), getting a bit heavier as it switches to an aluminum link to drive the shock (making the 2021 OMX frame-only 25% lighter than the 2021 OMR frame-only).
Beyond saving weight, the new OMX rear triangle also gets 5mm shorter chainstays, down to just 430mm. And the Boost spaced OMX rear end also moves to flat mount disc brake mounting to work with the latest in lightweight XC braking. (OMR-level bikes keep the more stable 435mm stays and post mount brakes.)
Orbea Oiz OMX – Two Stroke geometry & details
While the new OMX bikes feature shortened chainstays, the rest of their World Cup-proven XC & trail-ready TR geometry remain unchanged. The Oiz was already an aggressive race bike in its XC guise, so the 69° headtube, 75° seattube remain unchanged with medium-sized frame Reach of 435mm.
In the Oiz TR trail mode with longer stroke rear shock to match the longer travel 120mm forks, the bike gets one degree slacker and drops one centimeter of Reach for more stable handling over technical terrain.
Orbea Oiz OMX – Tech details
The 29″ Oiz OMX also gets a slightly more integrated look for model year 2021, with a new stem, spacer & headset design featuring smoothly transitioned shaping. The new cockpit will also include the option for an integrated GPS mount on top of the stem.
Adding another accessory, a new 3-position Squidlock remote gives you open, firm & locked control of your suspension, plus dropper seatpost control in a single clamp remote.
The carbon bikes are all 1x only these days, but still get an integrated Chain Guide at the main suspension pivot for max chain security. Co-molded plastic protection guards the carbon frame and quiets drivetrain noise, sealed Enduro bearings keep the rear end moving smoothly, and a universal derailleur hanger (UDH) future proofs the frame.
The Oiz features internal cable routing, stealth dropper compatibility, wide PressFit PF92 bottom bracket, room for two bottles (M & larger frames), and a 31.6mm seatpost.
2021 Orbea Oiz – MyO customization, pricing, options & availability
In addition to new lighter frames, Orbea also adds more customization, with the Oiz OMX joining their MyO custom paint program (and each OMX spec level). Three regular paint schemes are available standard like the killer transparent color over raw carbon. But now MyO adds a new mixed matte front/gloss rear finish option, plus the tons of colors and three unique new patterns you can overlay for a one-off look.
The top-spec new 2021 Orbea Oiz carbon frameset is available in four complete stock bike builds, and in four frame sizes (S-XL).
The $5500 / 5300€ Oiz M-Pro is the most affordable to get the new superlight OMX frameset, with a Shimano XT/XTR 1×12 Fox Factory Float DPS shock & matching Factory 100mm 32 SC fork, plus a DT Swiss XR1650 wheelset with 2.35″ Maxxis Rekon tires.
Step up to the $5800 / 5500€ Oiz M-Pro TR and you get essentially the exact same XT/XTR build featuring the XTR rear derailleur, but a move to 120mm trail-ready suspension travel with a Kashima-coated Fox Factory 34 Step Cast fork and more aggressive 2.35″ Maxxis Forekaster tires and a 125mm travel dropper instead of a fixed seatpost.
The $7500 / 7000€ Oiz M-Team gets 100mm of travel again with the Fox Factory shock & 32 SC fork, upgraded to a full XTR groupset & carbon DT Swiss XRC1501 wheels, back to a fixed carbon seatpost.
Lastly, the top $9000 / 8600€ Oiz M-Ltd goes top-spec SRAM with an XX1 Eagle AXS wireless 1×12 setup, Level Ultimate brakes, Fox 100mm Factory suspension & Transfer dropper, plus DT XRC1200 wheels.
Beyond the top-spec OMX carbon, the Oiz is also available in several 100mm XC & 120mm TR builds with the carry-over Oiz OMR carbon frame, now with an alloy shock linkage. Or for even more affordable bikes, the hydroformed aluminum Oiz H frameset that was introduced last year.
The new bikes are available globally now, with some dealers already having the new Oiz OMX in bike shops.
Update: Need a new XC race hardtail to fill out your mountain bike quiver? Orbea has just unveiled an equally updated and even lighter Alma OMX hardtail, too!
