Orbea Urges You To Carpe Diem

Currently, the Spanish brand has four e-bikes in this range, with two Kemen options, the Muga, and the Diem. Considering the model name for the last bike mentioned, it would be fitting that the most recent bike is called the Carpe. (Carpe Diem, get it?)

And, it has an unapologetic bend toward urban riding and commuting. The Carpe is fully compatible with Orbea’s range of accessories and has some pretty cool features that make urban riding and commuting that much easier.

Orbea Carpe

Orbea focused its attention on a handful of key aspects when designing the Carpe for urban riding. First is Carpe’s geometry, which strikes a balance between comfort on long rides and agility.

Modern seat tube and head tube angles keep the rider in a comfortable, upright position. A moderate reach and stack height also help keep the rider upright while maintaining a balanced position over the bike, confidence, and control.

Knowing that even pavement can be a bit harsh, Orbea designed the Carpe with its Twin Glide Flex seat tube. This double-seat tube design allows a bit of natural flex, absorbing vibrations and small amounts of chatter experienced on urban rides. Combined with the absorbing qualities of a carbon fork, the Orbea thinks the Carpe does a good job of keeping the commute comfortable.

And the low/mid step through frame makes getting on and off the Carpe easy.

Orbea also ensured that the Carpe would be compatible with its accessory lineup. The bike has multiple mounting points and comes equipped with fenders and a rear rack. A front rack and basket, a larger rear rack, a phone mount, panniers, and other Orbea commuting accessories are compatible.

Two models also have lights incorporated into the build. However, one Carpe model is available without accessories for those wanting to travel light.

Again, Orbea’s goal was to design a bike that made sense for urban riding and commuting. One issue many often run into is limited space, such as storing the bike in an office or an apartment. To slim down the Carpe’s footprint, Orbea designed it with folding pedals and a folding stem.

Carpe Details

Shimano Nexus internal hub on Orbea Carpe 10

Orbea offers three Carpe builds, all with the same hydroformed 6061 alloy frames. The frames are offered in four sizes (S-XL) and three colors. They equipped all three builds with a Shimano EP600 motor and a 420Wh battery, and Orbea offers a 252Wh range extender.

Two of the Carpes see traditional drivetrains, while the highest spec’d model gets a Gates CDX belt. Opting for a belt over a chain, Orbea also uses a Shimano Nexus 5-speed Di2 hub on the build.

Carpe 10 main components