Orbea Alma Review: The Better Gravel Bike
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- čas přidán 27. 07. 2024
- Well, this one is interesting. We’ve done a million mountain bike videos and one or two gravel bike videos. The Orbea Alma falls somewhere in the middle. I’m not totally sure where to put it. Is it a flat bar gravel bike? Is it an ultralight XC bike? Yes-to both. I think.
0:00 Intro
2:33 Ride Highlights
7:00 Alma Review - Uphill
10:35 Alma Review - Downhill
12:42 Comparisons
13:12 Who is the Alma for?
As always, you can read the written article here - - Sport
Connor is the most realistic bike reviewer for the common rider and so entertaining and informative. I really appreciate the breadth of bikes and specs covered (not just $14k Yeti’s). Love your channel and the personalities behind it.
Thanks for the kind words! I appreciate it.
He’s the gold standard in my book!
Yeah, he's one of the few reviewers who is not an enduro bro doing Evel Knievel jumps.
“I'd rather be slow than a jackass” we need more people like you on trails 🙏
Everyone needs to spread the word about this YT channel. He needs way more subs!
Yo! Thanks!
@@bikersedge bro you have to review this bike with the lighter rigid fork and slightly less tire
After one Year of gravel bike i bought myself a Trek Procaliber, because i came more and more to the limits of the gravel bike (especially downhill).
Really love mine (H30 2022 in black). Super efficient, light, agressive... perfect for the type of trail close to my house.
Best comment ever, "being fit would be cool". Welcome to the club.
This channel has great content.
This was one of the videos that convinced my wife to try putting gravel tires on her Scott Scale, which wasn’t being used much after she got full suspension bikes.
The Scale is very similar to the Alma but the standover on the Scott was lower and much better for her, as she’s short.
She put fast rolling gravel tires on her Scale and now this thing is a perfect gravel & road bike for her. She’s keeping the original Fox fork it came with as it really softens the ride when needed but increases efficiency++ when it’s locked out.
I think the advantage of bikes like the Alma, Scott Scale/Scale RC and Giant XTC someone else mentioned for these types of dual purpose (gravel & XC) is how lightweight they can be…
Hey thanks!
One of my favorite bikes!
I love this guy's commentary
Hey thanks!
My Giant XTC hardtail for Gravel duties for me. Run the fork (mostly) in the locked-out setting. The only thing I lose out on is a bit of flat-land gearing.
I just got the Alma M Pro!! gold and black matte. I cannot wait for it to arrive!!!!
Enjoy!
FYI, I did unbound 200 last weekend on my Alma M30 with surly corner bars and some gravel tires.. I was dropping everyone on descents with my suspension and confident, slack handling. and when folks were walking climbs I was just rolling past them in my granny gear.
it wasn't the fastest bike there on the day by far, but holy hell did it get the job done!!!
Now you can put a spirit fork and voila
@@dastreak2152 got a lauf siegla, converted the alma back to normal hardtail.
@@KwadSkwad I want to convert my alma m20 but I cant find the Spirit Fork anywhere... Can you help me please ? lol
@@dastreak2152 i’ve got the 100mm air fork on mine. if you can’t find the orbea fork maybe just get a whiskey no9 carbon fork if you want rigid.
Having ridden one for the past two and a half years I can agree with pretty much everything you say. The only thing I think is a bit odd is the need to put it into a category when one already exists, that being a race oriented cross country MTB. After all, that’s what it’s designed to be.
That said, this is a very thorough and accurate review of what it’s like to ride an Alma, and mine is an XL frame too, so be in no doubt that this is a spot-on review regarding the bike’s abilities.👍🏻
This video and the article convinced me to buy an Alma to replace my gravel bike because descents feel harrowing in the drops. Like you, I ride a few miles on pavement to the trail head. I like flat bars and using one finger to brake, and of course having a front suspension. I don't mind that it may be slightly less efficient on pavement. I love my Alma M30 -- especially after adding a dropper. Here in California, Alma isn't the first model that comes to mind when shopping for a hardtail, so catching this video (found when I searched "gravel bike vs. hardtail) educated me on this bike. Thanks!
Amazing. So glad the video helped.
@TheBaldTruth1 Any glaring problems you've found with your Alma? I'm getting a good deal on a M30 (1800usd) and I'm thinking about getting it to complement my gravel or perhaps even replace it with the Alma
@@esavirtanen6418 No problems at all. My full suspension bike is gathering dust. I love my Alma M30 so much. I added a Oneup V2 dropper and swapped out the saddle to an Ergon. Also, I am very surprised at how well the Alma descends and absorbs chatter and bumps. I still have my gravel bike but I view it mostly as a road bike now. I prefer flatbar handling and braking on the trails/fire roads I ride.
Another HT... nice! Hey, what did you think about the Level brakes in comparison to XT/2 piston brakes in terms of feel and power? Also, what was up with your rear brake? Bad bleed? I'm sick of my XT's wandering bite point and am thinking of a set of Level TLMs. Thanks in advance and another awesome video.
Personal preference but I will always take a set of Sram or TRP brakes over Shimano. The power is there and the modulation is way better. Plus there's no wandering bite point like you mentioned.
The rear must have had a bad bleed. I got home, bled it and it was perfect for the rest of the time I had it.
Can you put a rack and panniers on it. If not, can you recommend a bike that climbs well please as I live in the mountains of N Spain and my old touring bike just stops!
Like the videos. Pretty crazy though that an Xc bike is good at Xc stuff. Glad to see an Xc bike review though by someone who doesn't usually do such a thing.
Yeah but I think this one does XC bike things better than most other XC bikes.
@@bikersedge Ahh, ok. I like that! I have really liked the looks of this bike as I lean towards Xc riding. Really like that you can get it with a solid fork! Wish it was set up for a single speed option as well. Oh well. Great video!
@@arlanhowe91 glad you liked it.
You could convert it to single speed for sure if you hate your knees. Ha.
My Gravelbike is full-sus 100/100mm travel XC bike with fast-rolling 700x43 Gravel tires. Very fast on pavement and gravel while still being capable on easy singletrack and so comfortable.
I borrowed a giant XTC Hardtail full carbon one day and in the bumpy stuff it would vibrate my eyeballs and affecting my vision
Ha. Same here.
Huh? Iteresting. My "Gravel bike" collects dust since I got my XTC and found another use for it (gravel) beyond single-track. I find it butter-smooth vs my Gravel bike.
I definitely agree that a light XC race hardtail Mtb is in such a similar “space” with an aggressive trail oriented gravel bike. The tires are almost identical, same with the rims and brakes too sometimes. Since the XC hardtail race bikes are truly more expensive and race oriented, a gravel bike with flat bars and a dropper post, might be a less expensive alternative and just as much fun to ride it you’re not trying to race it.
Yeah. A flat bar gravel bike would be very similar. Basically what this bike rides like.
i disagree. it seems to me that similarly specced carbon gravel bikes always cost more than a hardtail.
@@jonamcc I’m sure either a carbon XC bike or a carbon adventure gravel bike would be expensive either one but I think gravel bikes would cost less since carbon XC bike have a higher entry point. More carbon gravel bikes seem to be available now.
I'm waiting for an Alma H20 XL I ordered and was unsure about the sizing. 1:47 This clears things up a bit. I'm 6"3'. I tried a size large on the store. It felt right but on the smaller side. The tought of XL being a bit to big for me got me scared😂.
I also wasn't sure about buying an XC bike for chill rides on gravel. Most reviewers centers on the sportive side of these bikes. I'm exactly the type of rider that gets out to find a trail, rides for a couple of hours and gets back. I have a cheapo BWTIN hibrid/gravel bike (700x38c) that should be enough for the job. But I felt like bigger tyres would made my rides smoother and comfier. And maybe, just maybe, faster. This video just answered all my questions.
Thank you very much.
Id like to know if the Orbea Alma H20 year 2022 is a good commuter bike to be riden on bike paths? Is it confortable? Would it be okay to put a kids trailer on it with 2 small toddlers?
I want to use it on trail as well but dont want to own 2 seperate bikes like a hybrid bike and a MTB. thanks!
Cool video. Is this little cottonwood canyon? Also curious what is the downhill trail called
Yeah it’s the quarry. The other trails are park city trails.
Thanks for this. I ride gravel on the last model Canyon Exceed (head angle 69.5) for the same reason.
Is that the stock stem on the Alma or did you swap it out for something with more rise?
It’s a shorter stem with riser bars.
@@bikersedge I am 1.97 tall on xl how long is your new stem the old 1 is 100 but I think it is to long
And do you still use the factory sadle
@@Rich-me5eb The one in the video looks like around 60-40mm. Can't be 100% certain because gopro.
Great content 👍.. what made you to decide on size xl? U mentioned that you're 6'2 (188cm) and according to the alma's guide, the frame size for u ranges from L (178-190cm) and XL (185-198cm).
Hey thanks. Im right in the middle of the XL range. Id be right at the top of a L. If you go watch our “what size bike should I buy” video you can hear why I almost always go with an XL.
Watched the video, really helpful. Need your opinion on this.. I'm thinking of getting the alma m30 and I'm 167cm. According to the size guide, my size falls in between s (155-170cm) and m (165-180cm). Size s will be at the very edge, while m will be at the front edge.
@@zaeidihjberudin5167 I make a point to not give out specific size advice over the internet. Its a bit of a crapshoot without seeing someone on the bike.
Man….being fit would be cool🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣.
Dude you rule. Love your reviews
Thanks! Glad you like them so much.
Fantastic, would you reccomend it also for city cyling which I do most? Thanks
Yeah. For a mountain bike it would be pretty good on the road.
it’s gravel bikes that have started to blur the lines and encroach upon the long existing xc-hardtail category, not the other way around, as you sort of imply here.
otherwise I agree! carbon xc hardtails make excellent gravel/atb rigs.
Hi, great video 👍. Which model is it? Top of the range Omx or Omr with Xt (Alma M25) thanks
Omx custom build
Omr did not have the myo paint from orbea when I bought mine
my 2020 Alma is a missile, love it
So fast
Id like to know if the Orbea Alma H20 year 2022 is a good commuter bike to be riden on bike paths? Is it confortable? Would it be okay to put a kids trailer on it with 2 small toddlers?
I want to use it on trail as well but dont want to own 2 seperate bikes like a hybrid bike and a MTB. thanks!
It will commute a lot better than a lot of other mountain bikes. Not sure about the trailer. I have no experience with that.
Dear, sir, may I ask you, what is the exact model name? Thank you for a superb and very good review! Realistic also! Much appreciated! Best regards from Sweden! 👍👍👍💯❤❤❤
Hey thanks! this is a custom build.
Very interesting bike
Very.
This is kinda bike I was looking for long time. I’m wandering if I can go with a bigger chainring like 36t or maybe 38t? What do you think?
Orbea says it won’t clear more than a 34
If you have Deore XT you can put 36 max, If you have XTR you can put 38
Very well done review! We have a 9 yo 1,55m / 5"1 girl who's growing out of her Trek Neko rigid bike - on which she rode green and even blue mtb trails. She's slim - and we've got a good offer for a used Alma H10 barely used. To give more confidence, fun and trail compability i'm intrigued to give her the Alma and put a 1,7° SlackR Kit - would you support that idea? Thanks and kind regards :)
Hey thanks. Glad you liked it! That’s quite a bit slacker. I wonder if just bumping the fork 10mm would be better? My concern would be the seat tube angle getting really slack with the Slackr kit.
@@bikersedge Thanks for reply! Those slackR Kits shouldn't affect seat tube angle nor elevate BB, it's an asymetric headset so you can get the same fork a little slacker into the steering tube. Tad wider wheelbase. The idea would be to harvest a light but little trailier bike as she's only 45kg. That said she has done well on the Trek Kids Neko 26" and that's 70° head angle but she smiled less and was more fatigued than her 9yo cousin on a 68° Ghost Lanao 24". Also the Neko was rigid and the Ghost had at least 50mm steel spring. So while it's often stated those forks don't help much i think depending on the terrain and riding time they do. I try to upload a vid of our multi-day ridge-line ride soon. 6yo on a 20" rigid qubike was also with us. Hikers jaws were often dropping. Planning to do it again in august 23 :)
@@bertrandolf9733 You're right. Early morning with the kids and my brain wasn't working right. Should be ok then.
It's just a modern xc bike to me, no need for strange gravel/mtb comparisons. To me they are two different worlds that need to be kept different
Especially with the rigid fork it makes sense to compare with a gravel bike.
I think gravel riders should strongly be considering a bike like this. It's a hell of a lot more comfortable after three hours in the saddle. I rode a Specialized Chisel with a rigid fork and after a few gravel rides, I never went back to my dedicated gravel bike. The Chisel was so much more capable, versatile and comfortable.
It's in the mtb category for sure.
Gravel riding is turning into mountain biking so quickly that now they are trying to call hard tails gravel bikes
Yo tengo la Orbea Alma M 50, le puesto neumáticos de Gravel, y he de decir que es una gozada, porque tengo una bici súper Gravel y yo no necesito una Gravel para disfrutar del Gravel, ya lo hago con mi Alma M 50 y los neumáticos de Gravel que le he puesto. Son los WTB Riddler, y van de lujo.
Im trying to decide between orbea alma or scott scale rc? What would you choose?
Haven’t ridden the Scott. Can’t say.
Orbea has the updated geometry for better descents
Connor, i have M25 OMR XL, but even though i put on a 60mm stem (90 mm was std) i am still a little stretched out on it. My problem is that while i am 6 feet 1.5 inches tall, i have very long legs and short body / arms. i did not want an L size as the stack would just kill me with the need to have seat so high, and it felt tiny.... so... looking at your bike vs mine i see your grips and stem seem a lot higher vs the saddle... did you change out the bars ? i did rotate mine to get a few extra mm height, but its minimal... i have the OC3 stem... thoughts pls as i LOVE the bike, but my lower spine hates it :) (i am in late 50's however lol)
The saddle is still higher than the bars. If you look in the into footage you can match the lines in the fence and see the saddle is a bit taller than the bars. This bike does have a short stem 35-40mm on it and a 20mm rise bar which helps a lot with that fit. My proportions are close to yours. All legs and no upper body.
@@bikersedge massive thanks, i will give it a few weeks and if still not comfortable i may try the 20 mm side bar ... excellent content - thanks
Hey Connor, apologies one more question. When you hit the top of the trail i see you thumb a control on the underside of left grip. is that drop post or lock out ? if dp then where do you log the lock out ? ... only i dont have a dp, but thinking that with the riser bars i may as well have the shop fit one too.. never had one before so just looking for advice.
@@johnbeckett4173 there’s a lockout and a dropper over there on the left.
It’s not a Gravel bike, it is a Cross Country race bike, that’s what Orbea sells it as
You missed the point of the video. Yes, it’s an XC bike. But I’m also arguing that it’s so XC that it borders what a gravel bike can do. It’s also a better option than a gravel bike in my mind.
@Bikers Edge Hardtails make great Gravel bikes!
about to buy my first mtb, going to ride it predominantly for uphills (since i can not do that with my fuji absolute 1.3) and as far as i understood this is just for me.
found a 2020 model for 825 dollars. a clean one. is it a bargain you think?
some other alternatives are: rockrider 500 (brand new), carraro 9712, cannondale trail 4 and giant talon 1.
That will depend on the model for sure.
@@bikersedge orbea alma h30
Sir what is the headtube angle?
La Orbea Alma es una bici espectacular, te lo digo porque yo tengo una Orbea Alma M 50, y le he puesto neumáticos de Gravel, y te puedo asegurar que vuelo raso, sobre los carriles bici, sobre pistas de cemento, y sobre las pistas forestales, te puedo asegurar que es de lo bueno lo mejor, eh y es española.
Venga
Makese wonder what would happen if you put a 130mm-140mm fork on this to slacken the head angle
..
I’d be worried about that seat tube angle. Also the frame might not be designed for that (head tube strength and warranty issues)
Regarding dropping some weight what wheels are on that? I recently built a 2021 Niner RDO hardtail that started out as a 3 star but i upgraded to XO crank, cassette and 1225 gram YISHUN XC wheels with DT 180 hubs, that is 21.2 with pedals, i upgraded the rotors to the ones with the AL center.
Im looking to get one of these this week. Most of my cycling is on roads. Is it ok for road cycling???
A road or gravel bike will do better but I’d argue this is more comfortable.
@@bikersedge is it efficent on roads? Will i stuggle on road hills. Id quite like this bike
It’s efficient but the big tires are going to drag a lot compared to a road or gravel bike. I personally wouldn’t hate pedaling it on the road, but I don’t really care about road riding.
What trail is that? Looks pretty great.
Little cottonwood quarry
I have an Orbea Alma and Rise and in fact Alma is designed for gravel!!!
Id like to know if the Orbea Alma H20 year 2022 is a good commuter bike to be riden on bike paths? Is it confortable? Would it be okay to put a kids trailer on it with 2 small toddlers?
I want to use it on trail as well but dont want to own 2 seperate bikes like a hybrid bike and a MTB. thanks!
Please review Laufey and new Occam LT
I will if I can.
I ride a cannondale super x cx 2018…the difference with the bar is the aero positions you can achieve on drop bars.
I absolutely plan on changing them out for flat eventually, because I never do more than 30-40miles on the road and on a gravel trail, the neighborhood single track, and just taking more curbs hops, the flat bars win.
I do ride in the actually drops on the road, but I prefer the pulling action on climbs with the flat over that as well.
Theres also a sonder dial. They specced also with sid before. Dont think Id cycle mega miles ( camping etc ) and were going to buy a gravel. So a bike thats a few miles on road. Cycle around some hills. Then sleep outside. Bikes are annoying. You either have to buy an oap bike or not really be able to cycle anywhere? Its probably not as bad as I think though. Ridden some POS in the past. My only good bike. Is a Ribble Urban with upgraded sprockets. Ideal as a fitness bike without being a road bike. The orbea would be good for the South Downs way in South England. Where id actually cycle to as described but theres obviously trail bikes but dont have any plans for trails. I guess Im just stating the obvious.
The Ribble Urban. Since being fixed with a white industries eno. Its a thoroughbred fo sure. Without being a road bike. Not a bike expert though.
Saying hi to strangers on a forest trail - Things that never happened in here
ok... which model of Alma is this?
Its a custom build. Very similar to the M-LTD
How much speed do you lose due to only one cassette at the front?
With modern drivetrains you don’t really lose any gear range compared to 2x MTB setups.
So what would be the advantage of a gravel bike? I’ve got a gravel race coming up that is 70% dirt and I’m debating between my ARC and my gravel bike. The big thing for me is gearing and aerodynamics. No way my mountain bike is going to be as good 20mph+ (which will be a good portion of the trail) but it likely wins on steep fire roads. This video was helpful, but I’m curious to see how others choose.
I think on actual gravel rides/racing it will have an advantage. Aero will be big. We just don’t have a ton of true gravel riding by us. That’s why I think this is a more versatile option.
Hi guys,
Im 188cm tall, planning to buy Orbea Alma Size L.
Can you pls help whether it’s a good size for me ?
I avoid giving out specific size advice over the internet. It’s tough to say without seeing you on the bike. I’d recommend a test ride.
My 9kg Enve Forked Focus Raven (with cah\ges and pedals and 2.25 MTB tires) is an absolute weapon everywhere.
Which Alma is this? Not sure if you mentioned it.
It’s a custom build.
We need morphing bikes. Morphing wheels. Morphing frame. Morphing suspension.
Wonder how the Alma compares to Specialized Epic.
Probably way better. Haha.
Exactly, why call it a gravel bike, a gravel bike is a road bike. Just cut to the chase and ride a mountain bike, which the Alma is. I watch people try to downhill ski in bumps with telemark skis and they are coming to a gun fight with a knife, same with gravel(road) bikes. So called gravel bikes are for gravel roads and are inadequate for singletrack.
I think it would be more fair to compare a steeper more old school mtb to a gravel bike.
The video isn’t about a gravel vs MTB comparison. It’s about the alma. For our area I think it’s a better option than a gravel bike.
Of course you’d have an XC hard tail to ride the road and those trails. That is not what a gravel bike is for…. and I wonder …. what are they for… riding unpaved tracks not natural trails. Which is so damn specific it makes them pointless.
That’s exactly why I’m saying this is a better option than a gravel bike. I’d argue it’s as fast on unpaved roads, similar on paved roads and obviously way better on singletrack.
@@bikersedge I'm 100% with you ! I've been harping on about this since I first saw a gravel bike. People talk about gravel bikes being more efficient, but if you look at what makes a bike efficient, 1. Riding position (wind resistance), 2. tyres 3. wheel mass, 4. Stiffness of back end, and in a distant 5th total mass of bike.... then the only advantage a gravel bike has is drop bars, and no one wants to ride anything more than a canal tow path with drop bars. Bloody pointless things :)
What is weight @BikersEdge please ? Thanks
It’s in the video
@@bikersedge I don't find
@@niyocaz somewhere around 20-21
Thoughts about this -- bike packing? It’s got a pretty big triangle, it loves to climb, thoughts?
I don’t really know the first thing about bikepacking. Could be great though. It’s light and efficient
man that bike is so light
i mean, he's doing the right thing here. gravel is just trail but smoother? so...why not use an XC bike instead. not really a new concept.
is that model H20?
No it’s a custom build.
@@bikersedge 😞 So Its not Worth buy new one ...
Not sure what you mean.
@@bikersedge i just want good lightweight xc bike.
@@28yearsoldd I mean this would still fit the bill. Obviously the higher priced the build the lighter it gets but even the H20 will ride like this one - Just a bit heavier.
How ironic the "best gravel bike" turn out to be a generics hardtail mtb. I can't blame you, I noticed many gravel bike now comes with a Flat Bar, and some even has front suspension, which in essence is a mtb.
Why is it always.......trying to absolutely crush a trail and inevitably always run into people walking. LOL
It always seems to go that way. I think it’s a sign from the universe telling us that we shouldn’t take things so seriously. Ha.
I am here becouse "Orbea Alma" means "Dont buy Orbea" in Turkish language so that I was like Why? for a moment :)
Try the specialized chisel much better geometry light frame kick ass on the road and in the downs is almost like a trail bike
Not sure how the geo is better. Its within a few MM and tenths of a degree on all the key numbers.
@@bikersedge HT 68 degrees longer wheel base short chainstay frame weights 1500gr aluminium
@@pepeanza6187 this has the same HTA, steeper STA and the WB is a couple MM shorter. Tough to say one is better than the other in that regard. This frame is almost half the weight of the Chisel at 830g.
its a gravel bike
Kinda. Kinda not.