The best e-mountain bike of 2025? Orbea Wild M-LTD on test

The Orbea Wild M-LTD, which relies on a Bosch Performance Line CX motor, has the chance to complete a hat-trick with a third consecutive win in this year’s group test. The Wild takes on the competition with an impressive system weight of just 22.5 kg, a a price tag of €11,728, and the countless customisation options offered by Orbea’s MyO configurator. We’ve also included the more budget-friendly aluminium version in this test, the Orbea Wild H20. How do the two Wild models compare to each other, and how did they fare against the competition?

This bike is part of our big group test: The Best E-Mountainbike of 2025 – Featuring the 30 Most Exciting E-MTBs of the Year. Click here for the full intro, key takeaways, and all the bikes we tested.

Medal haul for Orbea! The former Basque arms manufacturer has made a hugely successful switch to e-bikes, with the Orbea Wild securing victory in our big eMTB group test two years in a row. Meanwhile, its lightweight sibling, the Orbea Rise, dominated our light eMTB comparison test – bagging both the Best in Test and Best Buy awards. Chapeau!

Now, the Orbea Wild M-LTD returns for its third shot at the title, joined by its budget-friendly aluminium counterpart, the Wild H20. Thanks to Orbea’s MyO configurator, we were able to spec the bike exactly to our liking – choosing the suspension, tires, and the rest of the spec from a wide selection of components. While that translates into a relatively high price tag of € 11,728, the real benefit is a fully customised build tailored to our preferences. But how does our custom setup compare to off-the-peg spec variants? And how did it stack up against the competition? Read the review to find out!

What Sets the Orbea Wild M-LTD Apart From the Competition?

At first glance, the Orbea Wild M-LTD makes a striking impression, and even the aluminium version closely mirrors the sleek look of the carbon variant. The frame slopes aggressively towards the rear, with the top tube merging seamlessly into the seat stays. The motor and shock area stand out too – Orbea integrated the Bosch Performance Line CX motor neatly into the frame, while the FOX FLOAT X2 Factory shock sits vertically, enclosed by two slender cross braces. The Wild generates 170 mm of travel at the rear, while the Bosch motor churns out 85 Nm of torque, drawing its power from a fully integrated 600 Wh Bosch PowerTube battery. A full charge takes over 4.5 hours, which can quickly put a damper on things if you forget to plug in the bike in time. The charging port sits right above the motor on the non-drivetrain side, and is sealed against the elements with a high-quality twist-lock cap.

This is also where the optional 250 Wh Bosch PowerMore range extender can be connected. It mounts directly to the bottle cage using a simple quick-release mechanism, allowing you to swap between a water bottle and the range extender without the need for tools. The integrated cable routing through the headset and the extensive chainstay protector ensure a quiet ride – though the cable routing makes it harder to work on the bike for home mechanics.

Orbea equipped the Wild M-LTD with a top-tier FOX Factory suspension, controlling 170 mm of travel both at the front and rear. The FOX 38 Factory fork relies on the latest GRIPX2 damper, which delivers impressive small-bump sensitivity and offers countless adjustment options. The fork is paired with a FOX FLOAT X2 Factory shock, which ensures tons of traction and control while offering the same broad adjustment range as the fork. FOX also supply the 2025 Transfer Factory dropper post, which offers a massive 240 mm of travel, thus providing maximum freedom of movement on steep descents. Shifting is taken care of by a SRAM XX Eagle AXS Transmission drivetrain, which delivers precise, butter-smooth gear shifts even under load. Shimano XTR four-piston brakes with 200 mm rotors front and rear do stopping duties. For the wheels, Orbea rely on their in-house, 29” OQUO MC32 TEAM POWER alloy wheelset and MAXXIS tires, with a an Assegai up front and a Minion DHR II at the rear. For maximum grip and durability on any terrain, we picked the softest MaxxGrip rubber compound and toughest DH casing via the MyO configurator – which ensures top-tier traction and excellent puncture protection.

Tuning Tip: With the MyO configurator, you can customise both the spec and look of your bike down to the smallest detail – so there’s something you don’t like about it, you probably just clicked the wrong option! 😉

How Did the Orbea Wild M-LTD fare in our test?

If you’re cruising along while letting the motor do the work, the Orbea Wild is anything but wild. It delivers smooth and powerful assistance, climbing effortlessly in a relaxed pedalling position. The weight is evenly distributed between the front and rear, without too much pressure on the hands or the saddle. The rear suspension effectively absorbs even the smallest bumps without bobbing ecessively, ensuring excellent traction in the process. Even long climbs feel comfortable – the Wild pushes uphill steadily, with the Bosch CX motor delivering a shuttle-like experience on fire roads.

On technical climbs, the Wild stays on course without hesitation. The front wheel remains planted on the ground even on steeper gradients, requiring little effort to keep control. The suspension responds sensitively on rough terrain, keeping the rear end glued to the ground in tight, tricky sections. The DH casing of the tires allows you to run low pressures for more traction, thus providing extra grip on steep climbs. Alongside the Santa Cruz Vala and the Ghost E-Riot, the Orbea Wild ranks among the best climbers in this test – only a few outliers like the Moustache and our test winner manage to squeeze out a marginal advantage.

Orbea’s MyO configurator allows you to customise both the spec and look of the Wild down to the smallest detail, regardless of whether you go for the carbon or alloy frame!

When gravity takes over, the Wild M-LTD is extremely composed and agile enough to play with the trail features on your way down into the valley. With its predictable, intuitive handling and high front end, the Wild inspires huge amounts of confidence and makes you feel at ease from the get go, regardless of whether you’re a newbie or experienced rider. Despite its generous 170 mm of travel, the Wild allows you to generate speed by pumping through rollers and berms. However, with an active, playful riding style, you’ll have to work slightly harder – or just trust the bike and let it do its thing. Because when it comes to tackling rock gardens and loose rubble, the Wild breezes through without breaking a sweat.

While the excellent composure is a huge asset on steep, rough descents, the Wild’s suspension sucks up some of your energy in slower, more technical sections, where the bike feels a little underwhelmed. Some bikes in this year’s big eMTB group test strike a better balance between composure and agility, which ultimately keeps the Orbea Wild from claiming its third overall victory.

For those looking to spend a bit less, the Orbea Wild H20 is a solid alternative. The aluminium frame looks nearly identical to its carbon counterpart, and delivers the same climbing performance and agility, despite the lower price tag. It’s only in really rough, fast sections that the more budget-friendly suspension reaches its limits. But if you’re not chasing KOMs or race podiums, the alloy Wild will serve you just right.

At Orbea, ‘Wild’ is more of an antonym for ‘tameable.’ This bike tames even the roughest trails, turning the gnarliest terrain into a forest highway.

Who Should Take a Closer Look at the Orbea Wild M-LTD?

The Orbea Wild appeals to both beginners and advanced riders. It’s composed, agile enough, and easy to ride while inspiring plenty of confidence in the process – even on the steepest trails. If you don’t want to spend over €10,000 on the carbon Wild we tested, the alloy version is a great alternative at around €7,000, sacrificing only slightly on composure at high speeds.

Conclusions about the Orbea Wild M-LTD

The Orbea Wild fell just short of the hat-trick. A third consecutive test win would have been the icing on the cake – a cake that never really needed icing in the first place. That said, the Wild remains one of the best bikes in the entire test field: it’s composed, fast, and incredibly intuitive. Plus, the budget-friendly version is a true insider tip for those looking to save some dosh. And if you want to customise your bike to match your preferences – both in spec and colour – Orbea’s MyO configurator is hard to beat.

Tops

• Extremely versatile
• Highly intuitive handling
• Inspires tons of confidence
• High level of customisation via Orbea’s MyO configurator

Flops

• Permanently integrated battery can’t be removed

More info via orbea.com

The test field

For an overview of the test field head to our “Best E-Mountainbike of 2025” comparison test – 30 of the most exciting trail bikes in our 2025 group test

All bikes in test: AMFLOW PL Carbon Pro, Canyon Spectral:ONfly CF LTD, FOCUS JAM² 6.0, GHOST E-RIOT LTD, Haibike HYBE CF 11, MERIDA eONE-SIXTY SL 10K, Orbea WILD M-LTD, Orbea Rise LT M-Team, R RAYMON Tarok Ultra, Rocky Mountain Instinct Powerplay SL, Santa Cruz Vala X0 AXS RSV, SCOTT Patron ST 900 Tuned, Specialized S-Works Turbo Levo 4, Transition Regulator CX XT, UNNO Mith Pro, YT DECOY SN MX CORE 3.

Words & Photos: Julian Schwede