Orbea Volata

Price Paid:  $1300.00 at bob's bicycle IHB, F

Model Year:
2006

Favorite Ride:
river roads

Bike Setup:
bontrager aero wheels, aero bars.

Summary:
strong alum + carbon fiber frame bike

Strengths:
fork, geometry, carbon where you need it.

Weaknesses:
factory wheelset is low end - doesn't fit fit's status. crank starting creaking at 1200 miles. needs new crank at 1600mi. chain and front ring at 1100mi.

Similar Products Used:
KHS

Price Paid:  $995.00 at New on eBay

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
anywhere flat and fast

Bike Setup:
Campy Mirage 10 spd. Campy Khashim wheelset. Zeus Fork.

Summary:
To start, I had been out of biking 2-3 years and was starting to get pretty FAT. So I did a lot research (especially on this site). I didn't want to get a Trek, or Giant or some of the other really mainstream bikes. I wanted something a little different but that i could still afford. I scoured the internet and came across this bike brand new on eBay. I have only made one change and that was to put a Terry Fly saddle on it. This bike it ride ready out of the box. its nimble, can climb well, really has some nice pick up. This was my first bike with campy, and i will say that the mirage compairs very favorably to the ultegra. The Khashim wheels are great starter wheels and remind me of the shimano WR-535, which were bomb proof. Its an incredibly light and looks nice too. Not disappointed at all.

Strengths:
Price, strong frame, really like the fork. Components are a great value

Weaknesses:
The casette clicks really loud when coasting (at least it lets people know you are going to pass them). Stock saddle is crap

Similar Products Used:
Cannondale Caad 3 built up with Ultegra, Rolf's.
Javelin Trilite built up with Ultegra, Shimano WR-535, Alpha-Q fork.

Price Paid:  $1537.00 at Reser bikes Newport

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
orbea volata

Bike Setup:
volata frame
campy khamsin wheelset. w/vittoria rubino?
campy mirage groupset.

Summary:
Great bike for the money hands down. Given the low end campy components left me a little unpleased walking out of the showroom but have proved to be invaluable for the money. This bike is a little stiff but could probably be remedied with a softer set of wheels perhaps. Sprints like a bat out of hell. Stop looking here you will not find a better value and comparable groupset from any other company. I really like the external bearings on the crank. At any rate stay away from trek they are overrated and made in taiwan. Cannondale, overrated. The only bike I can see being remotely closely valued are the bianchi framesets.

Strengths:
Fast! Very fast.
Strong component set. stay away from shimano there is other stuff out there that is just as good if not better.

Weaknesses:
a little too stiff but that is really a weakness.

Similar Products Used:
Felt f75. Too soft.
Surly cross check. (cromoly)

View Comments (1)

Would you like to Comment?
Join RoadbikeReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Price Paid:  $995.00 at Belmont Wheel Works

Model Year:
2005

Favorite Ride:
Orbea Volata

Bike Setup:
Can't remember all the details. Mostly Campagnolo Mirage. Triple Crank.

Summary:
I shopped around pretty extensively, looking to spend about $1000 on my first road bike. I looked at Trek, Specialized, Le Mond, Bianchi Eros, Jamis (beautiful but beyond my budget).

In addition to the usual performance criteria, I really wanted to get a bike that had 'personality', something that was different than everyone else's ride.

Basically the Orbea blew me away. It just felt perfect to me, and as it was the end of the season, my local shop (Belmont Wheel Works) had it on a very generous sale price of $995 (it actually might have been a little lower). I'm 6'2" with narrow shoulders. Some of the bikes that I tried just didn't fit my body well.

I understand that not everyone likes Campagnolo, but I'm very happy with the component set (Mirage, I think).

Based on what I now know, I would have paid more for it, but if I had to buy it at list, I'd start shopping all over again, so I can't say I would buy it at $1350 unless I shopped other bikes in that range.

Strengths:
- Great styling (mine is Orange and Black). Not a common bike, so more of a conversation piece.
- Carbon Seat Stays, Fork, and Seat Post

Weaknesses:
The welds are very rough looking.

Price Paid:  $1000.00 at Gran Fondo

Bike Setup:
Stock except compact drive and saddle

Summary:
I had never heard of the Orbea brand until I stumbled upon it at a LBS that specializes in high end road bikes. I was looking for a decent entry-level road bike with a triple crank (due to my fitness level and the locally hilly terrain). I had considered Trek, Lemond, Fuji, Specialized, ... the usual suspects. I settled on the Orbea Volata a was persuaded to try a compact-drive (50/36 x 12/25) rather than the triple crank. The bike has performed well over the 500 miles I've logged.

The gearing has been sufficient, though I can't say I have never wished for a bail-out option on a steep climb, but ... I've never had to get off and walk up a hill.

Having had some higher-end bikes with Shimano drives in the old days ('85-'93), I was concerned that the Campagnolo Mirage drivetrain would leave me wanting, but it, too, has proved to be pretty darn good after a few break-in adjustments. In fact, while riding a recent charity ride, I felt like my bike was shifting more effectively and quietly than many Shimano drives my counterparts were riding. I prefer the Campy shifter set-up to the Shimano, too.

The bike rides nicely. I have no complaints, but to be fair, my pool of reference is limited to 10-year-old recollections of Kestrel and classic steel frames. The Orbea Asphalt frame with Zeus stays and fork doesn't seem to ride worse, I can say that much.

From my research, it seems the $1000 I paid for this bike was more than competitive, although my LBS sells the Volata for this price everyday. That amount buys a lot more bike than it used to! LBS also exchanged the stock saddle for a nice Selle Gel for no charge.

Strengths:
Smooth ride, good value
Good customer service from LBS

Weaknesses:
Didn't care for the stock saddle

Similar Products Used:
Older bikes: Kestrel 200SCi, Bridgestone RB-1, Peugeot, others