The 2022 Orbea Rise H15 in our 2022 eMTB budget group test – The best 2022 budget eMTB under € 6,500

Trail artists, prick your ears! With its alloy frame, 60 Nm Shimano EP8 RS motor and internal 540 Wh battery, the new Orbea Rise H15 is a true crossover-artist and perhaps the ultimate gateway for trail-fun-junkies! Despite using the smallest battery and weakest motor in the entire group test, it has secured our coveted Best Buy – but why? Read on to find out!

For an overview of the test fleet head to the group test: The best eMTB of 2022 for € 6,500 – 11 budget eMTBs in our eMTB group test

Sometimes, less is more! That’s probably what the Orbea team thought when developing the exciting new motor/battery concept of the Rise H15. The Orbea combines the smallest battery and weakest motor in the entire test field, requiring more physical effort than its opponents and thus appealing to a sportier eMTB crowd. Even if you’re still riding analogue and only just decided to jump on the electric band wagon, you’ll quickly get familiar with the natural motor feel and MTB-like handling of the Rise. Moreover, Orbea’s new alloy Rise has a lively character that literally encourages you to play with the trail. While this liveliness both requires and encourages an active riding style, the Rise rewards all your efforts, whether you’re a beginner or experienced rider. With its eye-catching looks and customisable spec, the Rise turned some heads during this test and clearly blurs the lines between existing bike categories.

The motor and battery concept of the new Orbea Rise H15 enables a true MTB feeling.

Compared to its carbon counterpart, the Orbea Rise H15 alloy version relies on a less radical concept. The Rise H15 features an alloy frame and bigger battery, tilting the scales at 21.08 kg, which is around 2 kg more than its carbon counterpart. Although Orbea have increased battery capacity from 360 Wh to 540 Wh, the Rise still has the smallest battery in the entire test field. However, this doesn’t mean anything because battery capacity has to be considered in relation to the motor power and thus its power consumption. The Rise features a Shimano EP8 RS motor with tweaked software, which reduces the maximum torque from 85 Nm to 60 Nm. The torque reduction saves battery and thus helps increase range, allowing the Rise to keep up with the rest of the test field. For € 500 more, you can get the optional 252 Wh range extender, which can be carried in the bottle cage and allows you to increase battery capacity to 792 Wh. However, the extra power comes at a price, adding an extra 1.4 kg weight and forcing you to leave your water bottle at home on long rides.

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Size	S	M	L	XL
Seat tube	381 mm	419 mm	457 mm	508 mm
Top tube	565 mm	592 mm	619 mm	649 mm
Head tube	95 mm	105 mm	120 mm	140 mm
Head angle	66/65.5°	66/65.5°	66/65.5°	66/65.5°
Seat angle	77/76.5°	77/76.5°	77/76.5°	77/76.5°
Chainstays	445 mm	445 mm	445 mm	445 mm
BB Height	336 mm	336 mm	336 mm	336 mm
Wheelbase	1,180 mm	1,205 mm	1,229 mm	1,255 mm
Reach	425 mm	450 mm	474 mm	500 mm
Stack	604 mm	613 mm	627 mm	646 mm

Kick off the trail party! The lively Rise was designed for uncompromised riding fun and puts a massive grin on your face.

At first glance, the Orbea doesn’t look like an eMTB at all, with the motor neatly integrated into the frame and the 540 Wh battery discreetly tucked away inside the slim down tube. The charge port sits on the seat tube and is easily accessible. The welds on the front triangle are so smoothed out that the material is skilfully concealed – only the welds around the motor mount give away the nature of the material used. The beautiful frame details are rounded off by discreet colour accents and matching decals.
The carbon Rise is considered to be one of the best light eMTBs currently on the market, achieving an outstanding balance between weight, range and motor power. With its heavier system weight and bigger battery capacity, the alloy version may lose some of the unique features and handling characteristics on its carbon counterpart but appeals to a wider range of riders. Bikes like Rise H15 blur the lines between bike categories, forcing us to reconsider and redefine the existing light eMTB and eMTB all-rounder categories introduced by us in 2019, and rendering irrelevant criteria such as torque, weight or battery capacity, unless they’re carefully contextualised.

Pure riding fun – the Orbea Rise H15 on the trail

Downhill, the Orbea Rise H15 impresses with its playful character from the get go. The rider is well-integrated with the bike, safely tucked away between the big 29″ wheels. The agile handling allows for spontaneous direction changes, making the Orbea the most fun bike in the entire test field! The playful character converts every trail feature into a kicker without punishing you on the landing. The Fox suspension consisting of a FOX 36 Performance fork and FOX FLOAT X Factory shock is super-sensitive and controls the travel efficiently. Even on rough terrain, the Orbea doesn’t get overwhelmed easily and always keeps composed, provided you pick your lines carefully. The Rise H15 is just as fun uphill, where the torque-limited motor requires more physical effort than a full-fat drive but the efficient suspension and low system weight make it easy to pull the Rise over obstacles and ledges, making the motor power just a welcome supplement. The central riding position helps weight the front wheel, keeping it planted on the trail.

Consistent spec thanks to Orbea’s MyO online configurator

While Orbea’s in-house MyO configurator gives you countless options to customise the look and spec of your bike, it doesn’t include any everyday accessories, like mudguards and a kickstand. However, for trail riders, the Rise H15 offers a very consistent overall package. While the rotor and tire upgrades are both sensible and inexpensive options, the small 180 mm disc provides little braking power and poor modulation, especially with heavy riders. And if you’re intrigued by the bling Fox FLOAT X Factory shock upgrade, save the extra money, because the standard FLOAT X Performance harmonises perfectly with the Rise! The MAXXIS Minion DHF/DHR II tire setup turns the Rise into a trail bike.

Tuning tips: a long extension lead to charge your bike in a basement without a plug | don’t spend any money on the FOX FLOAT X Factory shock upgrade, the FLOAT X Performance does an excellent job!

Conclusion

The Orbea Rise H15 is the ultimate gateway for trail-fun-junkies, with the intuitive handling making it an excellent option for all skill levels. Orbea’s torque-limited alloy light eMTB retains many of the excellent handling characteristics of its lighter carbon counterparts and combines them with the perks of a bigger battery, delivering the best flow trail handling in the entire test field. While the sporty character doesn’t make it the best option for everyday use, it certainly makes it the most fun bike you can buy for this money – the Orbea Rise H15 secures our coveted Best Buy tip!

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You can find out more about at orbea.com

The test field

For an overview of the test fleet head to the group test: The best eMTB of 2022 for € 6,500 – 11 budget eMTBs in our eMTB group test

All bikes in test: Bulls Sonic EVO AM-SL1 (Click for review) | Canyon Spectral:ON CF8 (Click for review) | Centurion Numinis R2700i (Click for review) | FOCUS JAM² 7.9 (Click for review) | Giant Trance X E+19 (Click for review) | MERIDA eONE-SIXTY 975 (Click for review) | Mondraker Crafty R (Click for review) | Moustache Trail 7 (Click for review) | Orbea Rise H15 | Rossignol Mandate Shift XT (Click for review) | SCOTT Patron eRide 920 (Click for review)

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Words: Mike Hunger Photos: Robin Schmitt, Mike Hunger