Orbea have totally redesigned their Wild FS eMTB! Having learnt from their mistakes with its predecessor, the Basque brand are determined to claim a top spot in the competitive market of performance eMTBs. We tested the new Orbea Wild FS to find out if they’ve done enough!
What is your definition of wild? For some, it may be the act of letting your eMTB take you into the wilderness, to new heights and new trails you never imagined you could conquer. For others, it might be a style of riding, getting sideways at full speed on demanding descents. We enjoyed both of these experiences, and more, whilst testing the new Orbea Wild FS. Read on to find out how it performed!
For Orbea, the definition of wild looks a little something like this: They wanted to design an eMTB that outperforms all of their conventional bikes on all fronts. In short, they wanted to create a bike that climbs better than their Occam trail bike and charges harder on the descents than their Rallon enduro machine. In order to achieve this, Orbea have completely revamped the previous Wild FS with a new frame, new motor and an entirely new riding attitude!
The new Orbea Wild FS in detail
So, what exactly is new with the Orbea Wild FS? Well, in short, other than the 29” wheels there’s not much that hasn’t been changed. Let’s start with the heart of the bike. The frame has seen a complete redesign and looks nothing like its predecessor, which, in our eyes is already an improvement. The travel has been bumped up to 160 mm (from 140 mm) and the Wild FS now features a neatly integrated 625 Wh Bosch Powertube. An additional 500 Wh battery pack can be mounted externally, replacing the bottle cage mount. That gives the Wild FS an enormous 1125 Wh maximum capacity. The battery powers a Gen 4 Bosch Performance CX motor which delivers 250 W of power and 75Nm of torque.
Starting again on a clean slate gave Orbea the chance to bring the kinematics of the new Wild FS up to date. Learning from the previous iteration, the designers realised that the new Wild FS had to be much more progressive. This was made a high priority, and the new frame was engineered to feature 34% of progression from start to end-stroke. However, the beginning of the stroke was engineered to stay super plush for comfort and grip.
If we would have the shock in the same position as the Occam and Rallon, it would be impossible to have dual batteries!
Orbea have made sure to include frame protection where it’s most important, such as bump stops for the fork crown and a very substantial chainstay protector. One marmite detail is the in-bike key storage. Orbea argue that they wanted to give their customers the additional safety of a lockable battery, but also include a solution to ensure that you can always keep your key on the bike if you choose to do so. Their answer is a storage compartment in the steerer tube. This has been made possible by using a special insert and deeply sunk top cap bolt. The key is neatly integrated into the steerer with a screw-on top cap. However, the downside of this system is that you cannot tighten up your headset without a long t-handle Allen key, as the sunken bolt is out of reach for conventional multi-tools.
The first fully customisable eMTB? Introducing Orbea’s MyO platform
One thing that sets Orbea apart from the crowd is their MyO customisation platform. MyO lets you go fully custom and personalise your frame colours, paint finish and graphics. You can also dial your bike with components of your choice, upgrading stock components or swapping kit to suit your preferences and needs. For no additional costs, riders can fully customise the new Wild FS on MyO. It’s time to get creative.
A step to the wild side? The geometry of the new Wild FS
Orbea are the first to admit that the geometry of the previous Wild FS was anything but aggressive. However, their new eMTB takes a big step away from the conservative touring geometry and shifts its focus to a set of numbers that are a lot more performance orientated. The reach has been stretched by 25 mm to 455 mm (in size large), the head angle has been slackened by 1.5° to a relaxed 65.5° and the seat tube angle has been steepened by 2° to 76°.
The bicycle is longer, it’s lower. The reach is about one size longer compared to the old Wild FS
The new Wild FS has also been lowered. The previous version featured a very high stack height to give a relaxed touring position. This has now been slammed by nearly 20 mm, which will make it easier to weight the front of the bike on steep climbs. The standover height has been reduced, giving more clearance and the chainstays have been lengthened slightly too. All of these changes should make for a more balanced and aggressive ride, to be enjoyed by both beginners and experts alike.
| Size | SM | L | XL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seat tube | 406 mm | 444 mm | 483 mm |
| Top tube | 585 mm | 612 mm | 645 mm |
| Head tube | 100 mm | 110 mm | 125 mm |
| Head angle | 65.5° | 65.5° | 65.5° |
| Seat angle | 76° | 76° | 76° |
| Chainstay | 455 mm | 455 mm | 455 mm |
| BB Height | 345 mm | 345 mm | 345 mm |
| Wheelbase | 1203 mm | 1232 mm | 1268 mm |
| Reach | 430 mm | 455 mm | 485 mm |
| Stack | 621 mm | 630 mm | 644 mm |
The spec of the Orbea Wild FS M-LTD
The spec of the top-of-the-range M-LTD build leaves little to be desired. FOX Factory suspension delivers superb control and comfort throughout the 160 mm travel and the full Shimano XTR groupset impressed us with trouble-free shifting and great braking power. DT Swiss HX-1501 Spline wheels and the MAXXIS Minion 2.6” EXO+ tires provided great grip and confidence. The cockpit is taken care of by Raceface and their Next R handlebar and Aeffect R stem. Orbea have specced their own OC2 dropper on all bikes, which is something they are proud of. The dropper is nothing fancy, but it works nicely and has a smooth lever action. Although, we did notice slight side-to-side play at the head of the dropper (a common dropper issue) after a big day in the saddle.
Fork: FOX Factory 36 Grip2 RC2 160 mm
Rear shock: FOX Factory DHX2 2-Pos Adjust 160 mm
Motor/Battery: Bosch Performance CX 2020 625 Wh
Drivetrain: Shimano XTR M9100 12-speed
Brakes: Shimano XTR M9120 203/203 mm rotors (f&r)
Seatpost: Orbea OC2 125-170 mm
Wheels: DT Swiss HX-1501 Spline 30c 29”
Tires: MAXXIS Minion DHF WT EXO+ 2.6”
Stem: Race Face Aeffect R 50 mm
Handlebars: Race Face Next R 35 800 mm
Price: € 8,999
As standard, the Wild FS M-LTD comes with a FOX Factory DHX2 coil shock. However, the bike we got to test was fitted with FOX’s air equivalent. We think the characteristics of a coil shock should work really well with this bike, due to the added mid-stroke support found in a coil shock, and we wish we could have tested the coil-sprung version too. However, there are also benefits to the air shock, as it is more tunable and trail-side tuning only requires a shock pump.
What other models are available?
Orbea are offering the new Wild FS in nine different configurations. There are four carbon models available, and five alloy options. Prices for a carbon-framed Wild FS range from €5,999 for the Wild FS M20, which features a carbon front triangle coupled to an alloy rear end, to €8,999 for the flagship Wild FS M-LTD model we tested. However, for the same €5,999 price tag of the basic carbon model, you can get the Wild FS H10. The H10 is Orbea’s premium alloy offering and is decked out with FOX Factory suspension, Shimano XT brakes and groupset as well as DT Swiss H-1900 Spline 30c wheels. The most affordable alloy model, the H30, will set you back €4,599. It comes kitted out with entry-level Rockshox forks and a FOX Performance DPS shock.
The new Orbea Wild FS on the trail
We extensively tested the Orbea Wild FS over two days of riding in the Basque Country, clocking in over 110 km and 6500 meters of elevation gain.
Uphill, the Wild FS impressed us with a comfortable and efficient climbing position
Climbing on the new WILD FS is a pleasant affair. The upright seat tube put us in a comfortable and efficient riding position and continued to impress us throughout the big riding days. The low front end, powerful Bosch motor and massive 10-51t range of the XTR cassette made even the steepest incline possible. In short, climbing on the Wild FS is a blast! The rear end has plenty of grip on technical climbs, and we did not notice any excessive pedal bob either.
While riding the Orbea uphill is enjoyable, the real fun begins when the trail points downwards. The bike’s geometry is neither conservative nor super-agro, making the Wild FS very flickable and agile. However, if you do end up on a bad line, the forgiving suspension will usually save your skin.
One thing is certain: this bike loves playing with the trail!
Due to the relatively large standover clearance, most riders can get away with upsizing for a longer reach and increased stability. We intended to try an XL size as well as the large but ended up having so much fun on the shorter, more playful bike that we stuck with it for both days of riding. Orbea deliver on their promise of a very progressive yet supple rear end. It gives the rider shed-loads of grip on rocks and roots, with enough reserves for bigger hits such as landing drops or jumps. However, we did feel like the Wild FS rushed through the mid-stroke of its travel quite eagerly. This meant that the bike was not as easy to pop off the ground as its otherwise playful character might suggest. This was partly solved by ́reducing the compression dampening on the X2 shock and increasing the air pressure. We need to spend a little more time on the bike fine-tuning the shock set up before we can make a final comment on this matter, however, we believe the bike would benefit from the increased mid-stroke support offered by a coil shock and wish we could have tried the Wild FS M-LTD with the FOX DHX2 it comes with as standard.
While the geometry of the Wild FS is still not on the most radical end of the spectrum, its grippy rear suspension and balanced handling make up for this. The combination its geometry and its magic-carpet-like rear end make the Wild FS great fun on the descents. It is confident and playful in equal measure. Unfortunately, we noticed a rattling sound coming from the bike’s downtube when pushing hard on rough terrain. We were not able to pinpoint if this was due to a slightly loose battery or battery cover, but either way, a little bit of DIY soundproofing may be required if you want to fully silence the Wild FS.
Conclusion
Overall, the new Orbea Wild FS is a promising and capable eMTB. The combination of its playful geometry and planted suspension make it a great all-rounder. No matter if you are chasing remote mountain trails or trying to get rowdy on the descents, the new Orbea Wild FS is more than capable of doing both. We are excited to put it head-to-head with its competition soon!
For more info head to orbea.com
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Words: Photos: Finlay Anderson, Duncan Philpott
