Orbea announces redesigned Avant aluminium endurance road range with all disc models getting fully internal cable routing

Orbea’s Avant endurance road bike range has been given a design overhaul with all three disc-brake models getting the same fully internal routing as the Orca race bikes. There is clearance for 35mm tyres and you’ll find mudguard eyelets along with a “within reach” geometry.

The Avant range is Orbea’s endurance offering that the Basque brand says will suit general riding, sportives and riders looking for a comfy day in the saddle. The bikes centre around a hydroformed, butted aluminium frame and a carbon fork, both sporting mudguard eyelets. There is also a choice between rim brakes and disc brakes, though you’ll have to go with disc brakes to get the new internal routing.

It’s with this internally routed front end that we find the biggest aesthetic change on the Avant. The clean design that we’ve seen on so many 2020 and 2021 bikes is making its way down the price points and to find it on bikes that start at £999 is rather impressive.

Orbea is making no aero claims about the OC1 bar and stem, simply hiding away the cabling because they think it looks good.

The frame features an interesting top tube design that drops away sharply before it meets the seattube. Orbea hasn’t made any compliance claims, but the design reminds us of Canyon’s Inflite cyclocross bike that uses a similar shape to expose more of the seatpost, allowing it extra flex.

Tyre clearance has been boosted out to 35mm, a welcome move for riders that like to take in some of the UK’s less maintained lanes. 

Orbea says that the geometry has been made higher and shorter to put the bars in a more accessible position for riders looking for comfort over speed. This, Orbea claims, is thanks to the OC Rise double-height handlebar option which puts “you in a more relaxed position and allows you to cover more distance. This simple and elegant solution elevates the tops and drops of the traditional road bar, so your neck and shoulders can relax a bit more, focusing on a more comfortable ride ahead.”

The size 53 with an effective top tube of 553mm gets a stack of 585mm and a reach of 380mm. There is a pretty tall 180mm headtube and generous 1006mm wheelbase that should make for a stable platform, though we’ll have to get the bike in for a proper review to find out.

Mudguard eyelets have been included which will please many of us here in the UK and other rainy countries, though Orbea did have a bit of a giggle in the webinar we attended when they mentioned that this wasn't the highest priority for Basque riders. No need to rub it in.

The Bikes

At the top of the disc range is the £1,499 H30-D, the only bike in the range to get hydraulic brakes in the form of Shimano’s 105 R7070. Orbea has opted for a compact RS510 chainset with the 34/50T chainrings pairing with an 11-34T cassette to give riders plenty of options when heading into the hills.

Interestingly, the disc-quipped bikes use a fork with an open end on the drive-side. This allows you to undo the 12x100mm thru-axle and then drop the wheel out without needing to fully remove the axle.

Dropping down the price scale, the range moves to cable-actuated disc brakes, with the cheapest disc-equipped bike nipping just under a grand at £999.

Two rim-brake bikes are offered, though, in a sign of the times, these miss out on the latest tech trend of an integrated front end. That isn’t necessarily a  bad thing as many riders still prefer the simplicity of easily accessed cables. 

The Avant range comes in sizes 47-60 which Orbea says will suit riders from 155cm to 207cm.

Orbea.com