Orbea’s Rallon has evolved from its trail bike roots to fit the enduro bill perfectly thanks to a switch to the latest 650b hoops and a 10mm increase in suspension travel.
The frame
Orbea have stuck to what they know in terms of construction,
so there’s no carbon trickery here. Still, the 2.75kg claimed weight for the
all-alloy frame is 300g down on the 2013 Rallon. The 12mm rear axle now houses a
concentric pivot to create a lighter, stiffer rear end and there are cartridge
bearings instead of bushings at the swingarm end of the shock for improved small
bump sensitivity.
The Rallon has routing for a ‘stealth’ dropper post,
ISCG-05 chain guide tabs and post mounts for a 180mm rear rotor. Cables are
neatly routed down the top of the down tube, which has an armoured section on
the underside to ward off rocks.
The kit
The top Rallon models get Bos forks and shocks, which
have been fine tuned to work with Orbea’s new, more linear leverage ratio (the
French suspension brand are based just across the border from Orbea’s Spanish
HQ). There’s a massive range of adjustment at each end – perfect if you get a kick
out of fettling.
Our test build came with Mavic’s new Enduro Crossmax wheel
and tyre combo. We had no complaints with the fast rolling, hard biting front
tyre, but the rear’s shallow tread proved treacherous and unpredictable on wet
rocks. The Shimano XTR transmission performed flawlessly and despite the bike’s
low bottom bracket, the Race Face SIXC cranks never struck the ground. The
contact points are sorted too – a wide, stubby Race Face cockpit and excellent RockShox
Reverb Stealth and fi’zi:k Gobi seating combo.
The ride
The Rallon can look long in pictures and its looks
aren’t deceiving – each size is 40mm longer than in 2013. Despite the increase
in wheelbase and wheel size, the chainstays remain at a compact 420mm. What
that translates to on the trail is impressive stability in all scenarios. The
66.5-degree head angle and long front end make for a talented descender – especially
if you switch the bike into its slack setting, which cuts half a degree from
the head angle and drops the BB.
You’ll occasionally be aware of the length of that
wheelbase, but with good line choice and commitment the Rallon will go just
where you want it to. The Bos suspension units work well in unison, with the
custom Kirk shock proving impressively consistent and the fork offering plenty
of mid-stroke support.
We were fortunate enough to have an uplift service
during testing, but the Rallon climbed well on the few ascents we did encounter,
considering its travel. A decent range of gears and reasonable weight put it on
a par with the competition.
FRAME Hydroformed 7000 series alloy, 160mm
(6.3in) travel
FORK Bos Deville, 160mm (6.3in) travel
SHOCK Bos Kirk
DRIVETRAIN Shimano XTR, Race Face SIXC cranks
WHEELSET Mavic Crossmax Enduro wheels w/
Crossmax Charge 27.5x2.4in and Crossmax Roam XL 27.5x2.2in tyres BRAKES Formula
T1 BAR/STEM Race Face SIXC, 760mm/Race Face Atlas, 70mm
SEATPOST/SADDLE RockShox Reverb Stealth/fi’zi:k Gobi
WEIGHT 13.7kg (30.3lb) without pedals
