Orbea Orca Aero M10iLTD 2024

The Orbea Orca Aero M10iLTD is incredibly fast – basically time trial bike fast but with the versatility and easy-to-live-with riding position of a road race bike. The UCI isn't a fan of fairings, but unless you are a pro you can exploit the 'aeroness' of the storage box and revel at how well this package cuts through the air – and your bank account.

Check out our guide to the best aero road bikes for more options.

> Buy now: Orbea Orca Aero M10iLTD for £11,499 from Orbea

Orbea Orca Aero M10iLTD: Ride

While the constant marketing blurb of a few watts saved here and there at this speed and that can get a little tedious, there is no denying that this bike is fast, very fast!

With the aero bottle and the storage box beneath the down tube (both of which make the bike more slippery through the air) the Orca Aero looks quick just sat still, and rather aggressive too in this raw carbon finish. Add in the sculpted seat and down tubes that provide minimal clearance around the tyres, and this is one very purposeful bike.

In the opening paragraph I alluded to it being like a time trial bike, and after many years of racing against the clock on very aero machines it's amazing how close aero road bikes have become in terms of real-world efficiency and speed.

Get narrow and low, and the Orca Aero absolutely flies, getting noticeably more efficient as the speeds increase. Add to that the massive amount of stiffness afforded by the large-section tubes and this bike not only cuts through the air, but it also handled all the power I could put through it with ease, making it feel even more efficient.

Considering everything included in the package, like the aero add-ons and deep-section wheels, at 8kg this is a reasonably light bike too – not something you can always say when discussing bikes of this style. Although it comes in heavier than many competitors, it still feels responsive and eager to be pushed out of a bend or when accelerating. It's also a capable climber.

Some aero bikes are designed purely for efficiency at speed, and that is normally associated with straight line speed, but I found the Orca Aero to ride just like a standard road bike. By that I mean the steering is quick and reactive, regardless of where you are riding.

For a bike of this size (55cm), it has quite a short wheelbase, well under a metre, which helps it change direction quickly and feel nimble, allowing you to descend with confidence even on twisty, quick sections of downhill.

The handling is very positive too, as in it's quick and direct but remaining just on the controllable side of twitchy.

The overall ride is firm, as you'd expect from the large section tubing and deep-section wheels, but it doesn't rattle you about, and isn't what I'd class as harsh either. It doesn't soak up the bumps on poor road surfaces like some plusher steeds can, but it is well within the comfort limits I'd expect for a bike of this ilk.

It'll take up to 30mm tyres, too, which can bring some relief from the bumps should you require it.

Orbea Orca Aero M10iLTD: Frame and fork

On its website Orbea says it measures real-world power savings in an indoor velodrome, getting riders to ride around at a series of fixed speeds in repeatable conditions, and adding up the myriad tiny improvements the Orca Aero reduces drag by 15 watts at 40kph and 28 watts at 50kph – though what it's being compared with isn't mentioned.

Orbea has gone for a horizontal top tube and seatstays (well, the top bit), which it says improves airflow, while the profiles of the down tube and seat tube are designed to work with 25-28mm tyres.

The fork has been optimised for deep-section wheels, and Orbea has designed the cockpit and seatpost to reduce drag.

Personally, I think it is a good-looking frameset, especially the way the head tube, fork and down tube are integrated, as are the seat tube and seatstays. It looks super smooth.

You get a choice of three colour options, or you can go fully customised.

There are seven sizes available, ranging from 47cm to 60cm, which Orbea says fits riders between 61in (5ft 1in/155cm) and 81.5in (6ft 9.5in/207cm). It also has recommended bar widths and stem lengths for each frame size.

We have the 55cm, which has a 544mm seat tube, 557.5mm top tube and 155mm head tube (and yes, I'm fully aware that the number of spacers the Orbea is running isn't the most aero setup).

Angles-wise, we're talking 73 degrees for the head, and a 73.5-degree seat angle. All of this adds up to stack and reach figures of 562mm and 391mm which are very typical for a road bike of this size.

What else? Ah, yes, that short wheelbase. It is just 986.4mm, which is what gives the bike its nimbleness, with equally short chainstays of just 408mm. The bottom bracket drop is 74mm.

Orbea Orca Aero M10iLTD: Groupset

The M10iLTD model we have here sits at the top of the line-up and comes with the latest 12-speed Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset, which we reviewed separately in 2021.

It'll come as no surprise to you that the gearing is aimed at speed, with a 52/36-tooth semi-compact chainset, mated to an 11-30T cassette.

This gives a usable spread of ratios for almost every eventuality, from powering down a flat dual carriageway to tackling rolling terrain. Should you ride in hillier terrain, Orbea does give you some customisation, so you could select an 11-34T cassette, or even a 50/34T chainset.

> Which chainset is right for you? Should you choose a standard, a compact or something else?

In terms of performance, Dura-Ace is very hard to fault. I have said in previous reviews that I do find the gear change action almost too light, personally; I still like that mechanical interaction as you push a lever and you feel the chain snick up or down the cassette and across chainrings.

On a bike like this, though, the sheer speed and slickness of the change works very well indeed. You can shift under load, even when out of the saddle, and the performance isn't affected; it really is a very impressive set of components.

The braking performance is just as solid with the 160mm front/140mm rear rotors bringing you to a complete stop quickly, with a huge amount of modulation on offer when you want to control your speed rather than quash it entirely.

Orbea Orca Aero M10iLTD: Finishing kit

For the cockpit Orbea hasn't gone down the fully integrated route, so you can swap in different handlebars without too much faffing. Which is good, because If I was going to be using the Orca Aero for time trialling or triathlons, I'd want to be using tri-bars for full aero benefit, so it is a shame that the OC Road Aero RA11 Carbon bar doesn't have a round area to fit them either side of the standard 31.8mm clamping area.

That aside, it's a nicely shaped bar that's not too extreme in any of its dimensions. I found the drops easy to use, and they balance impressive stiffness with comfort. The bar's design also allows for 15 degrees of rotation without affecting the aerodynamics or hose routing.

The stem is alloy and is designed to direct the hydraulic brake hoses into the frame via the top of the head tube. Like most stems, it sits there and does its job without fuss.

The aero carbon seatpost is designed to integrate with the frame, and considering its large profile it doesn't bring any harshness to the ride. The clamp is also simple to use and held onto the saddle without issue, plus by removing, rotating and refitting the clamps you can choose either 0mm or 25mm of setback.

The saddle is a Prologo Scratch M5 PAS which I liked a lot. I seem to get on well with Prologo saddles, and this one was no exception. It worked in both an upright and an aero position, its short-nose design helping the latter simply by having less material in the way when you are crouched over.

It's not often we talk about bottles and cages in a review, but as they make up part of the aero package it would be rude not to.

Both bottle and cage are designed to be aerodynamic and that has come at the cost of ease of use. It's just not that easy to remove and reload the bottle into the cage, and it is also more difficult to drink from on the fly compared with a round body. It's not a big deal for me as I don't really drink much on the bike, but if you do you can swap them out for standard cages and bottles, if you don't mind sacrificing a bit of aero efficiency.

The storage container under the down tube can also be removed should you so desire, although I did find it quite useful. With the inclement weather I've been riding in I could easily stuff a waterproof jacket in it and a few other bits and pieces, therefore freeing up jersey pocket space.

Orbea Orca Aero M10iLTD: Wheels & tyres

This Orca comes decked out with Oquo RP57LTD wheels, which have a UK rrp of £1,999.

As the name suggests, they are 57mm deep, and they have an internal width of 21mm which makes them well suited to the tyre widths afforded by the Orca Aero's frame and fork. The rims are hooked, too, so you aren't limited to tubeless tyres only.

The rim uses angled spoke holes to match the dishing required to give the spokes a perfectly aligned route from the rim bed to the Zipp Cognition VS2 hubs.

It's a quality wheelset offering loads of lateral stiffness as well as an aerodynamic boost. With a claimed weight of 1,500g they aren't exactly chunky for deep-section wheels either.

Wrapped around them we have a set of Vittoria Corsa Pro tyres which are lovely and supple, as well as being grippy and fast rolling – everything you want on a bike of this style.

Orbea Orca Aero M10iLTD: Value

On Orbea's website the M10iLTD starts at £10,889 with either Oquo RP35TEAM or RP45TEAM wheels, or £11,499 with the RP57LTDs that we have fitted.

The range does start a lot lower, though, at £4,399 for the M30LTD which uses Shimano's 105 mechanical groupset and Oquo RP35PRO wheels, and there are a good handful of bikes in between to suit a variety of budgets.

Away from a wind tunnel it's hard to tell how much quicker one aero bike is against another, so I'm not including those metrics in any comparison here.

We have tested a lot of aero road bikes spread across the price spectrum from affordable through to downright expensive, and one of our favourites is the Giant Propel; Mat recently reviewed the Advanced Pro 1 model, which costs £5,499.

The Advanced SL 0 is the range topper, and the one that was brought into the office weighed just 6.9kg in a M/L size, so much lighter than the Orbea. With its Dura-Ace Di2 groupset and deep-section Cadex wheels, the SL 0 will set you back £11,999.

> Buyer’s Guide: The best road bikes, from £300 to £12,000

Scott's Foil RC Pro is another road bike focusing heavily on aerodynamics and which Aaron described as 'possibly the best aero road bike available right now' when he reviewed it in 2023.

The size small bike he reviewed weighed 7.35kg and also came equipped with Dura-Ace Di2, plus deep-section wheels from the same groupset. It was priced at £10,499 at the time, but the 2024 model has seen a massive drop to £8,899, although it now has Syncros Capital aero wheels.

If you want to do aero on a budget, though, you can't look past the Orro Venturi STC, a bike that I've reviewed many times and find absolutely stunning to ride. The latest version I rode was equipped with SRAM Force eTap, Vision deep-section wheels and carbon finishing kit for £4,999.99. It weighed 7.55kg in a medium.

Orro offers a Signature Limited Edition model which comes with Dura-Ace Di2, Zipp 404 Firecrest wheels, BlkTec carbon finishing kit and a Selle Italia SLR Boost Carbon saddle for £6,599.99!

Orbea Orca Aero M10iLTD: Conclusion

Orbea has done a great job of creating an aero road bike that doesn't have to be ridden flat out to be enjoyed. In fact I was impressed with how well it works in the corners and on the descents. It has a great ride quality too – something not often said about an aero bike. It is pricier than some of the competition, though, and by a fair chunk, and it's a bit on the weighty side.

It's definitely a bike for those who place speed and aero efficiency over everything else, triathletes or time triallists maybe, or those who favour racing on flat routes, though in reality anyone who wants a fast bike is going to enjoy the speed on offer here.

Verdict

Stunningly fast without sacrificing versatility, handling or comfort