Orbea Gain M10i: the e-road bike that rides like it isn’t one

Orbea says its third-generation Gain offers a “pure road” ride rather than an ebike dressed up as a road bike. After weeks of testing the flagship M10i, on the climbs around Girona and back home in the UK, I think the Basque brand has delivered exactly that.

At £9,299 it is a serious outlay, but it undercuts its most obvious rivals. The Specialized S-Works Turbo Creo SL Evo costs £12,000, Trek’s Domane+ SLR 9 is £12,500 and the Wilier Filante SLR Hybrid, I reviewed recently comes in at £11,800.

The frame is beautifully clean. Brake hoses are fully enclosed through an FSA-developed internal routing system that runs through the frame and stem, and only a slightly oversized down tube gives away the electric hardware. Otherwise the silhouette is remarkably close to Orbea’s unassisted Orca OMR, with classical tube shapes and just a nod to aero profiling.

Hidden mounts for mudguards add year-round appeal, an integrated rear daytime-running light is powered by the ebike system, and the paintwork, applied at Orbea’s Basque facility, is superb. The Gain is also included in the brand’s MyO ordering programme, so you can specify your own colours.

Geometry sits firmly in endurance territory. My XL test bike carried 613mm of stack against the Orca’s 590mm, with reach trimmed to 402mm and the wheelbase extended by 32mm. A 15mm-rise bar relaxes the position further, though a flat version is available. Crucially, the 72.2-degree head angle, 50mm fork rake and 30c tyres combine for a 57mm trail figure, so the steering stays quick and confident. I happily dropped a shoulder into fast, twisty descents without a second thought.

The assistance is where the Gain pulls clear of every e-road bike I have tested. Power from the 55Nm Mahle X20 rear hub motor, the brand’s lightest and most compact to date, builds in a linear path that mirrors your own effort. Even in the highest mode the bike never surges ahead of you or shoves you up a climb. And when you pass the 15.5mph assistance limit, the power tapers away gently rather than cutting out, which helps you carry momentum over steep ramps and settle into a steady cadence.

Mahle’s wired bar-top remote buttons come as standard, and I found myself flicking between the three modes like an extra set of gears on long climbs. Trek’s TQ triggers sit in a marginally better spot on the hoods, but Orbea’s placement is the next best thing.

Range is remarkable for a 353Wh battery. My first ride covered 62.25 miles with 3,795.8ft of climbing and I rolled home with 45 per cent left. Later rides stretched to 93.97 and then 97.68 miles, and lighter or more frugal riders should clear 100. A piggyback range extender is available for bigger days, and a full charge took 3 hours and 5 minutes.

The rest of the build lives up to the price. Dura-Ace Di2 shifting is predictably flawless, the 50/34 chainset and close-ratio 11-30 cassette suit the motor perfectly, and the 42mm carbon wheels shape the tubeless Pirelli P Zero tyres true to size. Grip never wavered, from dewy lanes to a couple of light gravel detours, and the riser carbon bar does a fine job of filtering road buzz. The rear is a touch firmer, though I ran slightly higher pressure to offset the hub motor’s weight.

My only real criticism is that the spec is arguably more than the bike needs. The Ultegra Di2-equipped M20i delivers 99 per cent of the same performance for £2,300 less, while the 105 Di2 M30i offers a similarly slick experience at £5,999.

Whichever model you choose, the Gain sets a very high bar. This is a motor system tuned around the rider rather than the other way round, and it makes the M10i the finest electric road bike I have ridden.