The Orbea Gain already offered one of the most sleekly integrated, stealth e-bike setups when it debuted three years ago. Now, Orbea is back updating the same popular and versatile e-bike platform, giving the 2021 e-road Gain a top-spec OMR carbon overhaul, fully internal cable routing, and even neatly integrated lighting – all with the same proven 250W Ebikemotion hub motor and 250Wh battery hidden inside the downtube.
2021 Orbea Gain versatile carbon road & gravel e-bike
The Orbea Gain was one of the early adopters of the less-torquey, more minimalist approach to e-road riding, opting for a lighter weight total system with the small but powerful motor in the rear hub and a small battery in the downtube that together offer a more stealthy e-bike powertrain.
Orbea calls it a “more bike” approach, with still “enough power and range”. It’s meant to offer just enough motorized e-bike assist to get you up the big climbs a bit faster, while still feeling like you are pedaling a bike, not riding a motorized bike.
What new in the MY21 Gain?
The biggest update to the new Gain since its original debut is the availability of a OMR carbon frameset, now with more sleek integration. Orbea’s next-to-top carbon monocoque construction sheds weight and smooths the ride over the original alloy frameset.
The motor is effectively the same, but the upgraded Ebikemotion X35 Plus is a bit more powerful and features improved torque sensors for smoother, more natural power output paired to your pedal input force. There’s also now the optional range extender bottle battery to add an extra 208Wh of power to the 248Wh inside the downtube (much like the Scott we saw recently.) The new e-bikes also have a new computer display that gives more info on battery status & output levels than the simple colored LED one-button control on the toptube.
The new carbon bikes feature a 1.5″ tapered headtube to fit FSA’s ICR fully internal cable routing through the stem, plus flat mount disc brakes, a 12mm front thru-axle, BB386EVO bottom bracket & round 27.2mm seatpost with an integrated wedge-style seatpost clamp. Because of the bolt-on interface with the ebikemotion X35 Plus hub motor, the Gains stick with a conventional 135x9mm rear axle.
The Gain Carbon also now includes an integrated German STVZO-approved rear taillight built-into the seatpost clamp, plus a neatly-integrated stem-mounted headlight with up to 60 lumen output. Both are designed for daytime running off the main battery to improve your visibility whenever you ride, then boosting headlight output for riding in lower light conditions.
Updated all-road geometry & almost-gravel tire clearance
The Orbea Gain Carbon has clearance for 40mm tires both front & rear, which goes a long way towards its versatility from road to light gravel riding. The updated e-bike also has tweaked geometry for “a more relaxed, intuitive cornering feel with a lower bottom bracket and shorter chainstays.”
2021 Orbea Gain carbon – Pricing & options
The e-road Gain is available in several complete builds – most notably a number of more premium options to go with the lighter OMR carbon frameset & sleeker integration. Road builds get spec’d with 30mm tubeless slicks standard, but Orbea allows for some customization on the carbon models.
The carbon Orbea Gain M10i is the absolute top build at $9300 / 9000€, with a complete Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset and 42mm deep tubeless carbon wheels.
A $6000 / 6000€ M20i carbon version steps down to Ultegra Di2, then at $4900 / 4700€ M20 gets mechanical Ultegra & alloy Fulcrum wheels.
A similar $4800 / 4600€ flat bar M20F build mixes and Ultegra mechanical compact groupset with XT brakes & a 70mm wide riser bar for a more upright riding position.
One last carbon Orbea Gain M20 1X build at the Ultegra level sells for $5000 / 4600€ with a gravel-oriented build and a 12° flare dropbar. It gets a GRX 1×11 with an 11-40T cassette and features 40mm (38c) Schwalbe G-One Bite tires on Fulcrum E-Racing 900 alloy wheels.
Three 105-level carbon frameset builds give you the same variety of options – all for the same $4300 / 4000€ price tag. The Orbea Gain M30 goes road compact double 105 with a regular dropbar, the Gain M30F swaps in the riser bar & SLX hydro brakes, and the flared dropbar Gain M30 1X gets a GRX RX600 1×11 setup & the 40mm G-One Bites.
2021 Orbea Gain alloy – Pricing & options
2021 Orbea Gain carbon e-road all-road gravel e-bike,
The alloy version of the updated Gain with hydroformed 6061 frame and the new carbon fork still gets the same X35 motor & hidden battery, plus integrated cabling & its own integrated lighting. Five complete builds are offered: a 3700€ D20 with Ultegra, 3300€ D30 1X with GRX 1×11, 3300€ D30 with 105, 2900€ D40 with Tiagra 2×10, and the cheapest 2500€ Gain D50 with a Claris 2×8 setup.
