Orbea Revamps the Terra Gravel Bike

Though not one of the very first companies to branch into gravel cycling, Orbea jumped in earlier than many big brands, releasing the Terra all-road model in 2017. Since then, the discipline has ballooned in popularity, and riders are increasingly looking for more out of their gravel bikes. Now, Orbea has responded in kind by revamping the Terra.

New Geometry

The new Terra is a complete redesign, with a geometry that moves away from the all-road design of the previous Terra to a geometry tweaked for off-road handling and comfort (though that doesn’t mean it’s not made to go fast). The most noticeable change might be to the top tube, which is now longer, 558mm for a size medium frame, and sloping. This is something many brands have begun doing along with adopting a shorter stem, which together make for improved off-road handling derived from mountain bikes. For additional stability, the wheelbase has been lengthened and the bottom bracket has been significantly lowered. To ensure that the bike is still lively to ride, the chainstays have been shortened by 10mm, down from 430mm. And whereas before the head-tube and seat-tube angles were constant in every size, they are now variable throughout the entire range, along with the trail. The result should be a more consistent ride quality across the sizes.

More Comfort

The geometry updates don’t stop there. A sloping toptube means a shorter seat-tube, which in turns calls for a longer seatpost. Lengthening the 27.2mm-diameter seatpost allows more flex to be built in for additional compliance—an effective design we’ve seen across road and gravel frames.

For additional comfort, Orbea has tuned the carbon fiber and amount of material used throughout the frame. Specifically, Orbea says material has been removed from the seat-tube near the bottom bracket compared to the previous Terra.

All New Fork

The new Terra is a complete redesign, down to the fork. It features a more substantial crown for better tracking and handling, along with longer, rounded legs for road vibration absorption and enhanced compliance. Plus it makes room for 50mm tires, with 5mm of clearance on each side.

Plenty of Storage

The Terra comes standard with many of the storage add-ons you would expect from a modern gravel bike, including two internal triangle water bottle mounts and an additional one under the down-tube. Notably, there’s no third bottle cage inside the triangle or mounts on the top-tube. What there is, however, is internal storage, which stealthily stows a patch kit, food, keys and any other extras into a compartment in the down-tube accessed underneath the water bottle cage. Called Lockr, It’s a nifty feature we’ve seen from several brands now, and one that we’re happy to see more of.

Tire + Drivetrain Clearance

An important factor in buying a gravel bike is tire clearance. And while anyone racing gravel grinders will probably be fine with a bike that tops out at 40mm, having more is always an added bonus that allows you to explore more roads or take on overnight trips with bags. The new Terra has you covered with 700x45mm or 650x50mm tires.

Drivetrain compatibility is another important factor when selecting a bike. Orbea has made the new Terra highly compatible by using asymmetrical chainstays that allow clearance for a 2x crank with a 34T small chainring, while still running up to 700x45mm or 650x50mm tires. If you prefer 1x, you can run that as well.

Customizability

Orbea allows each of the models of Terra to be customized through its MyO program, allowing you to select the exact components you want, as well as a selection of paint styles.

Pricing

The Terra is available in six builds starting at $3,199 for a 1x GRX mechanical build, and topping out at $5,299 for a 1x Force build. A frameset can be had for $2,699.

Bikes begin shipping in late fall.

More info: orbea.com