I test rode an Orbea Gain today. I rode both the classic road version and the gravel grinder All Road model. Both were bottom of the line bikes, but with the same motor and battery as the higher level models. They are all disappointingly limited to 20 mph. The local dealer was only allocated these two bikes.
Both bikes are exceedingly stealthy and sexy. It is impossible to tell they are ebikes other than the small illuminated control button on the top tube. It is the only control on the bike—a fatal shortcoming. More on that later. The motor is in the rear hub, which is discreet. There are no visible wires. The pleasing aesthetics are undeniable. The 250Wh battery is hidden away in the small down tube. On appearance alone these are sleek, standard road bikes.
The aluminum road model was fully charged but unfortunately the motor didn’t work. I rode it around the block, then the dealer took it out. It powered up, changed power levels, but never engaged the motor. Apparently it worked the day before.
The All Road model was outfitted with an off-road 1x crank and knobby tires. The motor worked. It is agile, lightweight at ~25 lbs, and fun to ride as far as it goes. Both come in aluminum and carbon fiber versions.
The problem starts with changing power levels. It reminds me of the original Specialized Turbo Levo eMTB. The power level button was located out of sight on the side of the down tube—dangerously requiring one hand off the handlebars to blindly change levels. Who would design that into a mountain bike?
Orbea takes reckless to the next level. On the Gain you change the power level by briefly pressing the top tube button, waiting for it to blink, then within two seconds pressing it again. So one hand off the handlebars and both eyes off the road.
This cycles through low, medium, and high one at a time. To go from high back to medium, say after cresting a hill, you repeat this process three times. From high mode you take one hand off the handlebars, both eyes off the road, press the button, watch to see if it is blinking, then press again to turn the motor off. That’s right, off follows high. You’ve just turned the motor off. Now repeat the process twice more to move from off to low and from low to medium. I found this completely unworkable and dangerous, having to look down at the top tube with one hand off the handlebar keying in an obscure sequence of push button Morse code.
Aside from the terrible user interface, the bike was underpowered. Orbea markets the bike for those who want to feel the road, essentially making a feature out of the lack of power. Does anyone buy an ebike and not want to feel the power? Maybe. No one I know. I found the Orbea Gain slow off the line, plodding on hills, and feeling lively only in a small cadence/speed sweet spot.
I’m not sure who will be happy with the Gain. Experienced ebikers demand safe, informative controls along with power which the Gain just does not deliver. Aging roadies with creaky knees will need usable power, not just stealth for their egos.
The Orbea Gain is a self-loathing e-road bike v1.0. It is the victim of roadie navel gazing, deep philosophizing about stealth, fretting over the 28 mph speed limit, and justifying low power by purporting to put “you” into the ebike. In reality the Gain’s frustrating design won’t please anyone looking for a fun way to combine the freedom of ebike speed, range, and acceleration with a light weight and agile road bike. Roadie bike manufacturers need to get over themselves and uncork a full fledged e-road bike that isn’t ashamed of its genetics. Specialized did it with the Turbo Levo v2. I went to the bike shop today to buy an Orbea Gain. Instead I’ll wait for v2.
