In a showstopping, season-opening blaze of Basque-built, Brit-piloted glory, the all new Orbea Rallon burst onto the UCI Downhill World Series circuit in Poland last weekend. Albeit, it was still partly shrouded in black wraps of secrecy and mystery before Tahnee Seagrave stepped onto the podium. Now, though, the full depths of what lies beneath the covers have officially been unveiled. 

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That opening gambit marks a whole new era for both Orbea and Tahnee Seagrave’s FMD Racing team (now Orbea-FMD), and things couldn’t have got off on a better footing. Orbea has been around for almost a century (and made shotguns for a century before that prior to making its first bicycle, if you weren't aware), and has certainly not been shy when it comes to innovation over the years.

Orbea has been a force to be reckoned with on the enduro scene for some time now, and if you’ve ever ridden the steep and gnarly local trails that pepper the Basque Country, then you’ll understand just why that brand has become so honed on enduro style riding. And yet, a full-on, top-level downhill bike had always somehow, eluded the brand... until now, and it would appear that it has got things just about spot on. 

2025 orbea rallon rahnee.jpg, by Liam Mercer

After a few years of twisting dials and tweaking existing and experimental downhill adaptations through the OOLAB project (Orbea Optimization Lab), which is essentially Orbea’s experimental design and development department, the brand strutted into the new year with a world-beating downhill rig, and a high-profile team to race it.

After many years of racing aboard Canyon bikes, and following Seagrave’s amazing return from the abyss, 2025 also marks a whole new era for the Welsh-based gravity squad, as they enter what we understand is a long-term partnership with Orbea, a bold and costly leap of faith from all concerned.

Why now? Why downhill? Downhill has always been the at cutting edge in terms of MTB development, and also when it comes to raw brand appeal. Despite anticipating that it will sell just 40 or so Rallon downhill-configured bikes in the UK this year, it’s a move the brand sees as a vital part of its process.

What's more, as we reported earlier this week, the Rallon can be configured as an enduro bike too. Not only will that (presumably) lead to more sales of this flagship bike set up to be more versatile in its enduro guise, but it also means the new Rallon is rather unique. 

Of course, making a MTB frameset ready for downhill or enduro in one (or 'downduro', as we've coined it), came with some extra challenges during the design process. To learn all about what went into creating the new and reenvisaged Rallon, we spoke with Markel Uriate, Orbea's 'Gravity' product manager, who was hands-on throughout.

ORCC: Could you introduce us to the design team behind the bike?

Markel Uriate: There’s a big team that has been involved in the new Rallon. The project started three to four years ago, when we started racing downhill with the OOLAB project, which was led by an engineering team.

We were able to try various solutions and build up all of the knowledge needed to design a competitive downhill bike for the World Cup circuit.

After the tests we did with OOLAB, two years ago, we officially started working on the new Rallon. The team is composed of Innovation engineers, designers, development engineers, graphic designers, quality control engineers, and more.
 
ORCC: After building enduro bikes for so long, how big of a learning curve was the design and theory process of going full-on downhill?

MU: The learning process from our previous enduro bikes has been important in the development process. However, downhill bikes have specific demands from a product perspective, and every test we did with OOLAB before this project was officially started gave us an invaluable insight for developing the new bike. 
 
ORCC: Last year, Martin Maes used one of your eMTBs adapted for downhill.  How much learning on the design came from that, and how much from the existing enduro bike?

MU: The Wild played a key role in the development of the new Rallon. Wild offered us a wide range of adjustments to test different ideas and solutions. With the Wild, for example, we were able to test the impact of the weight distribution on the bike. The attachable weight system placed under the GravityLink was directly inspired by what we learned during our testing with the Wild.
 
ORCC: When working on this, how much influence and learning comes from other downhill bikes out there?

2025 orbea rallon riding.jpg, by Liam Mercer

MU: Looking at competitors’ bikes is a common practice in the industry. For the development of this project, we also studied other models on the market. However, it was essential for us to develop our own prototypes in order to test the solutions that we believed were key for Orbea's first downhill bike.
 
ORCC: Can you tell us about the prototype process? Were these made locally?

MU: In the last four years, we’ve developed many prototypes. The first prototypes were based on the sixth-generation Rallon, which gave us the opportunity to test with different kinematics, frame constructions, and geometries, helping us understand what worked best for downhill.

After those initial tests with the Rallon, we saw that the Wild was a better platform to continue testing. The Wild gave us more freedom to refine kinematics, adjust bottom bracket positions, and experiment with weight distribution through a bottom bracket that allows us to modify the weight distribution.

mullet(1).jpg, by Liam Mercer

In parallel, we also designed a few prototypes, including changing the main pivot positions to see which kinematics offer the best performance on descents.
The different kinematics links, as well as almost every CNC part, were manufactured locally.

ORCC: What changes did you implement from testing?

MU: We made important changes to the kinematics. Our goal was to create a platform that tracks the ground exceptionally well, offering traction and support. To achieve this, we designed and tested many prototypes until we found the configuration that delivered the balance we were looking for. The kinetic behaviour of the new Rallon is very different from what we were doing before on the previous generations.
 
ORCC: Building a frame that can run either as a downhill or enduro bike - what compromises do you have to make there?

MU: In every gravity discipline, downhill performance is more important than ever. Enduro riders are also looking for bikes that deliver top performance when pushing hard on descents.

At the same time, adjustability has become more and more important. Modern geometries are already highly optimised, so offering adjustability is key to optimising the geometry for every rider's preferences and riding style.

2025 orbea rallon riding.jpg, by Liam Mercer

All of this helped us minimise the compromises typically required in an enduro bike. The GravityLink system allows us to adjust both geometry and kinematics to suit the specific demands of different disciplines.

Maybe, frame construction might be the only real compromise we had to make for the enduro version, with the Rallon being slightly stiffer than the average enduro bike.
 
ORCC: Front suspension - how much is the design dependent on what forks are available on the market, and how different does a frame need to be to go from single to double crown forks?

MU: The axle-to-crown distance of dual-crown forks is shorter than that of single-crown forks with the same suspension travel. This allows us to optimise the geometry for both versions of the bike without making compromises.

The axle to crown height of a [Fox] 38 with 180mm travel is only 4.2mm shorter than the 40 axle to crown distance with 203mm travel.
 
ORCC: Can you explain a little theory of the changeable head angle, and also the adjustment in rear stays?

MU: Modern bike geometry is already very optimised, and making a bike lower, longer, or slacker often comes with compromises, especially on narrower or less steep trails. The best way to ensure that every rider gets the ideal geometry for their riding style and the terrain is through adjustability. The new Rallon is the most adjustable bike we've ever created, using the geometry adjustments we call "Attitude Adjust"

With the angleset, riders can adjust the head angle by up to 1.5 degrees, with three available positions: -0.75, 0, and +0.75 degrees. On steep and fast trails, you can slacken the head angle for increased stability and control. On the other hand, those who ride in narrower or less steep terrain can steepen the head angle to +0.75º degrees for a more responsive and agile handling feel.

2025 orbea rallon suspension.jpg, by Liam Mercer

The chainstay length also has a key role in the bike's handling. The new bike offers two chainstay length options: 442mm and 450mm. Riders looking for a nimble and playful bike can choose the shorter 442mm chainstay, while those focused on speed and racing will benefit from the stability and control provided by the longer 450mm chainstay.
 Every Rallon, in every size, is compatible with both short and long chainstay options.

During the MYO customization process, riders can select the chainstay length that best suits their riding and handling preferences.
 
ORCC: Can you explain the rear suspension approach, and how that came around, and theory?

MU: We built many prototypes to test different kinematics in order to develop a platform optimized to have the best tracking of the terrain, while also maintaining predictable suspension performance. With these prototypes, we saw the significant impact of pedal feedback on suspension performance, which helped us to define the maximum pedal feedback we wanted to have on the bike

We worked with a suspension layout that allowed us to have a straight kinematic curve, in order to have predictable suspension performance, yet also with enough progressivity for downhill racers.
 
ORCC: How much input came from the riders, and how does that fit in with your own design theories and work into a working bike?

MU: It’s a mix of both. The design theories and knowledge are essential in the development process, but the feedback that comes from riders is a must to validate everything in the real world.

All the testing we did with OOLAB has been really important in building all the knowledge needed. For example, for the pedal feedback sensitivity, weight distribution, this input came from racers, though our internal riders have also been super important to the development work on the new bike.
 
ORCC: Can you briefly explain the on-track testing and evaluation process?

MU: Depending on the goal of the test, the testing procedure can be different. However, in most cases, the main input used to evaluate each iteration/evolution is from rider feedback, from suspension data acquisition, and through split timing information.
We analyse the collected data to determine if further iterations are necessary for the next test sessions.
 
ORCC: Is it likely/feasible that we could see the bike evolve and be tweaked during the season?

2025 orbea rallon dh.jpg, by Liam Mercer

MU: Racing on the Downhill World Cup circuit allows us to push our bikes to the limit. As in previous years, we will use these races to test different solutions to offer riders the highest performance products to race on. It's a great opportunity to evolve our products and to develop bikes that deliver the highest levels of performance.
 
ORCC: How much of this development process, the learning and the tech, could/is trickling down into other new Orbea MTBs in the future?

MU: Rallon has always been a platform that goes beyond the rest of the range in terms of innovation and technology. Solutions like Steep’n’Deep (compatibility with long travel droppers), LOCKR (window in the downtube to carry spare parts), or FLP (tool integration in the linkage pivot), were developed for Rallon, and year by year these have been expanded to the whole range. So don’t be surprised if you see some of the solutions developed on the 7th generation of Rallon expanded to other e-MTBs or MTBs in the future.
 
ORCC: Why did you opt to make it a new version of the Rallon rather than launching it as a new model?

MU: The Rallon has always been Orbea’s flagship product in the mountain bike category. Even as the new Rallon lands in a different category, we believe it will continue to deliver the visibility and impact that the Rallon has always aimed for.

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