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FIRST LOOK: 2013 Orbea Ordu Gold   Bookmark and Share
images by Nick Salazar   •   Aug 26, 2012   •   hits 50,648

A front wheel cutout helps tuck the dropped down tube as close as possible to the front tire.
 
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It's been a very long time since Orbea launched a TT bike. The Spain-based brand has had some struggles, both public and private, but has regrouped and launched a bike that belongs squarely with the rest of the next-generation tri bikes of their competitors. TriRig was present at the launch in Denver, Colorado, at the USA Pro Cycling Challenge during the Stage 7 Time Trial.


The new Orbea Ordu Gold is available in two colors, five component spec's, and with tons of saddle and wheel options via the company's MyO program.

The new Ordu has an incredibly aggressive, modern profile, while maintaining eminent adjustability and ease of use.

The front end cluster uses an adjustable-angle stem to fit the aerobars without requiring rebuilding or recabling.

The cables fit neatly into an integrated unit on the top tube that will fit mechanical or electronic groupsets, routing them through a user-replaceable internal liner out to their ports on the underside of the frame.

All the cables can be tucked fairly neatly into the bars, and should stay pretty hidden once a BTA bottle is in place.

The front wheel tucks neatly into the downtube, which has a concave cutout to keep the gap close.

A white and black paint scheme both look great, and both feature some exposed nude carbon.

Ultegra Di2 provides next-gen shifting at last-gen pricing.

Ultegra's components are a little bulkier than Di2 7970, but they work flawlessly.

An integrated Di2 mount on the non-drive chainstay makes it easy to keep the battery out of the wind, but new internal options from Shimano's Di2 E-tube system will allow charging even when using hidden batteries.

A single-bolt seatpost wedge uses a T25 torx head. That's a bit out of the ordinary, but at least it's the same size Zipp is using for all their Torx stem bolts. Looks like riders need one more tool in the saddle bag.

I am HUGE fan of nude carbon paint jobs, and the Ordu Gold doesn't disappoint.

The frontal profile is definitely sleek, but this picture would be vastly improved by the presence of an Omega, in my rather biased opinion.

The Orbea Ordu Gols, at ease.

Another shot of the fantastic-looking Orbea Ordu Gold.

The bike allows you to use any aerobar you like, because the stems are built around a 31.8mm round clamp standard.

The Monolink-compatible seatpost can use Selle Italia Monolink saddles, or standard saddles via an adapter

The diamond-esque tube shapes are definitely rounder than the last generation, and to feature a slightly truncated airfoil shape for improved stiffness.

The rear triangle sits low, and is tucked nicely into the rear wheel.

Orbea has done a very neat job of routing the Ultegra Di2 cables, although this system doesn't have the brake lever shifters that will become available later this year.

The Ultegra Di2 TT shifters are much like the

No Ultegra Di2 brake lever shifters yet, but those are coming soon, and will be plug-and-play compatible if you buy a bike today and then the brake lever shifters later.

The white paint scheme on the Ordu Gold is just as beautiful as the black, with some nude carbon poking out from the white bits.

The cable guide has just a bit of clearance over the head tube, and integrates nicely into the shape of the bike.

A front wheel cutout helps tuck the dropped down tube as close as possible to the front tire.

The BB86 frame is a departure for Orbea, who have been using BB30 more often as of late. Orbea and Shimano claim that this improves overall frame rigidity and lowers overall system weight.

The diamond-esque tube cross sections are rounded at the front, have some sharp corners on the side, and are truncated at the back.

Sharp turns on the seat stays increase the travel length of the frame members, and introduce a little bit of shock absorption according to Orbea.

The Orbea Ordu Gold - it's a beautiful bike.

One last shot of the 2013 Orbea Ordu Gold. It's available to order now, and ships in just a couple weeks.


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