[Roadrider22]

I am a fairly new road rider (9 months) and my current ride is a Lemond Zurich. I am hopelessly hooked and wanting to move to a full carbon frame. I am looking hard at an Orbea Onix frame right now, brand new and priced right. The Orca is close to being out of my price range but I would appreciate some comments on the stiffness comparison of the two frames and which one would be more comfortable for recreational roading. I have heard that the Onix is stiffer than the Orca, but this didn't make sense. Thanks.

 

[Stogaguy]

Off topic, please excuse the intrusion

Roadrider22, sorry I do not have any input on the Orbeas you are considering. However, I am seriously considering the Lemond Zurich and am looking for feedback from people who own them. I have a thread going in the Trek-Klein-Lemond forum:
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=61751
Are you unhappy with the Lemond for some reason, or just jonesing for a new bike? Please stop by and give me your impressions of your current bike. Thank you for your time, I hope to hear from you.

Good luck with your Orbea quest.

 

[nerd]

I have the Orca and I love it. The ride is very comfortable and the frame is still stiff. It feels like every bit of force to the pedals makes it to the road but I can ride it all day. Make sure you get fitted properly and the bike will ride like a dream.

 

[marcusneish]

I have ridden both, a few times each, but only on test rides. As far as the Orca being stiffer, I'm not sure, but they do ride ever so slightly differently. The Orca feels very "uncarbon" to me, as far as carbon goes. It has very little of the "wood" feeling so commonly associated with carbon frames. The Onix rides great too, but does feel a little more like carbon to me. Neither one, however, seemed terribly stiff. They are pretty snappy, but not as snappy as, say, a Madone. If you are primarily looking for a stiff carbon bike, look for something else, but if you want a smoother ride and a little more exclusivity, then get either of the Orbeas. Have you ridden them? If you can't tell the difference between them, and some people can't, then don't waste your money. You won't go wrong with either, though.

 

[Roadrider22]

Thanks for the input. I have not had a chance to test ride either but since the post most dealers do agree that the Onix is slightly stiffer than the Orca. I really was more interested in a smooth ride for longer distances; but it does not appear that the Onix is so overly stiff that it would ride rough. I had a short window to pull the trigger on a new Onix frame for $1035 shipped to me so I went ahead and bought it. Hopefull the build will be completed in a week or so and I can report.

 

[marcusneish]

Congrats; you'll love it.

 

[ampastoral]

you will love it. i have a little over 1000 miles on my onix. yes it is stiff, but is quite compliant. doesn't seem to beat me up at all. keep us posted down in the orbea forum if you like.

congrats on your new ride. and that's one helluva deal!!