“Gain is a bike,” reads the intriguing summary on the Orbea website. Within this cryptic introduction, though, is an integral part of the Gain’s appeal: this is an electric road bike that looks just like a regular road bike. The casual observer would struggle to find clues that they were looking at a road bike with powerful electric assist technology built in.
A lot of people online are asking questions about this exciting range of electric road bikes, so we figured a roundup of the most common questions would be a useful one-stop resource for people interested in learning more. If the Orbea Gain is on your hit list, read on. We’ll cover questions about the bike, its capabilities, the electric assist and much more.
If you’ve questions that aren’t answered here – about the Orbea Gain or any other bike - get in touch with our team of experts, who’ll be more than happy to help.
What is the Orbea Gain?
The Orbea Gain range of electric road bikes features both carbon and alloy models.
The electric assist on each Gain bike is designed to involve you in the ride, acting as a helping hand on climbs – helping you to “turn gravity down a bit”, as Orbea so eloquently put it – rather than providing all-round assist as you might find on other styles of electric bikes. This can lead to extended battery life – more on this later.
Care has been taken at each step of the design process to make the battery as small and lightweight as possible: the result is Orbea’s Secure Battery System. And on top of that, the optional X20 Range Extender (available on the Gain Carbon) offers even more juice for those who need it.
What level of electric assist does the Orbea Gain offer?
The powerful motor system present in each Orbea Gain bike is designed to enhance your ride with smooth and balanced assistance. Orbea’s Enough Power concept also lets you tune the motor power as you ride, giving a responsive and natural ride.
On carbon models, you’ll find a Mahle X20 motor: the lightest and most compact e-bike drive system on the market. This motor provides 55Nm of assistance, with barely a whisper. The total weight of the system is 3.2kg, and this figure includes the 350Wh battery.
Aluminium models come with a Mahle X35+ motor which brings up to 40Nm of assistance: again, barely audible as you ride.
Both provide peak torque in response to your pedalling input, meaning an intuitive experience that provides power at the right time, rather than in awkward bursts. Maximum assistance is delivered between 75 and 95rpm: a cadence revealed by extensive testing to represent maximum efficiency.
How long is the Orbea Gain battery life?
With assistance intended to be provided on climbs rather than throughout your ride, Orbea claims that their battery life is increased by 1.5x versus other electric bikes.
They give three case study rides to illustrate how varying elevation profiles might impact battery life:
- Range: up to 7 hours
- Elevation: 4,000m
- Extra elevation with extender: 1,900m
- Range: up to 6 hours
- Elevation: 3,000m
- Extra elevation with extender: 1,400m
- Range: up to 4 hours
- Elevation: 1,500m
- Extra elevation with extender: 700m
How big is the Orbea Gain range extender?
The X20 Range Extender is compact and designed to slide right into a standard-sized water bottle holder. An impressive size for a gadget that offers 208Wh of additional power and a 70% increase in range!
Does the Orbea Gain significantly improve climbing?
Consensus in discussions about the Gain suggests that the motor does make a significant impact when climbing. Riders also praise the fact that the assist is reduced when not climbing, making the Gain an attractive option for riders who want to put in the work when riding.
This distinction is one to be aware of: many people choose electric bikes for all-round support, rather than just on hills.
How heavy is an Orbea Gain?
The exact weight depends on the model and frame size you go for, but bear in mind that the electric technology brings the overall weight in slightly above what you’d find for a non-electric road bike.
As mentioned earlier, the combined weight for the motor system is around 3kg.
How much tyre clearance does the Orbea Gain have?
The Gain range offers 35mm tyre clearance, giving you a bit of flexibility with what you decide to ride. While the range is designed for road, it can handle tyres that will deal with low-intensity gravel surfaces.
Does the Gain have inbuilt lights?
Yes, the Gain range has front and rear lighting integrated into the frame. These are coupled with a built-in sensor that detects ambient light levels and activates the bike’s lights accordingly. Great peace of mind for riders who need to be visible in low-light conditions, and much easier than lights you have to detach every time you lock up your bike.
Find out more about the Orbea Gain
The Orbea Gain is an electric road bike with an impressive design philosophy and a natural, intuitive riding style. This roundup of questions about the Gain is fairly comprehensive, but if there’s stuff you still want to know, get in touch with our team. One of our qualified experts can give you the info you need. And if you want to keep browsing, check out our full selection of Orbea bikes, road bikes, and electric road bikes.