Orbea Magazine #3. English

Issue 03

04 Big Style 10 Change 12 From here to...

18 Orbea’s 175 Lives 34 Orbea Lab 54 Inside Orbea 70 Friends

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Apartado 2

Summary andApartado editorial 3

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03 Summary and editorial / Jon Fernández. 175 years of determination

04 Review

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thanks to all the Orbea family for bulding the stories that we have been able to capture in the third edition of the Orbea Magazine.

/ Big Style / Change

12 From here to... / A summer romance

18 175 years

© 2015 Orbea S. Coop.

Polígono Industrial Goitondo s/n 48269, Mallabia (Bizkaia). Spain T: +34 943 17 19 50 F: +34 943 17 43 97

/ Orbea’s 175 Lives

34 Orbea Lab / Ordu / Occam / Loki / E-Powerbikes

54 Inside Orbea / The industrial art / Orbea Campus BCN / Nacer Bouhanni

70 Friends / Ternua & Scicon

175 YEARS OF DETERMINATION Jon Fernández, CEO at Orbea

EDITOR’S NOTE This is a big year for us – a great year, indeed. It marks our 175th anniversary.

In these 175 years, we’ve been able to do great things. In these 175 years, our biggest goal has always been to present younger generations with a more competitive company than the one we got from our predecessors.

In these 175 years, we’ve learned the value of building knowledge out of humbleness.

We’ve learned that you can always learn something new, no matter where or from whom. And we’ve grown familiar with the joy of sharing this knowledge with other people – an enriching experience, no doubt.

In these 175 years, we’ve shown that the sign of vitality is not to last but to transform oneself and be reborn, as José María Arizmendiarrieta used to put it. In these 175 years, we’ve been familiar with a variety of products and organizational models, with both failure and success.

But there’s been a common thread: determination. Determination to rise after every fall, to try once and again and achieve our goals.

We’re manufacturers and we’re in Europe, andwe’re proud of both things. In these 175 years, we’ve shared the market with other brands, shaping the history of cycling together. We’ve been witness to the decline of some, who have stopped manufacturing, or even left Europe altogether.

But, we’ve stayed on, heirs to the European cycling tradition, to which we’ve made enthusiastic contributions over all of these 175 years. And we’re ready for more.

Review 4

REVIEW

BIG STYLE

Ever-changing. Ever faster. We’ve come a long way from the robust, ongoing stability we promised ourselves back in 2000. Now the context is quite different.

Text by: Jon Saez

Ever-changing. Ever faster. We’ve come a long way from the robust, ongoing stability we promised ourselves back in 2000. Now the context is quite different.

The ways in which we relate to things have changed: family, friends, identity, leisure time, home… All these words used to have a clear meaning. Now their semantic boundaries are debatable.

What used to be contradictory is now perfectly normal: we eat healthy food while we smoke; we dance reggaeton while wearing Rolling Stone tees; we do sports for introspection but we go out with our smartphones so that we can post our photos on Instagram or Strava afterwards. And there

are no exceptions. We criticize posturing, but that’s a posture itself.

This introduction could seem to be a little out of place in a cycling magazine. But our trade and passion aren’t alien to the more general cultural milieu.

All this is reflected in sport. Purity is rare to find and we easily put up with the lack of it.

Hybridization – of sports or cultures – is both alluring and fun. There’s a growing number of ‘neo-sportspeople’: men and women who take up different sports in different moments of their lives – or several sports at once. Practicing sports is now hybrid and discontinuous. Today, reality is quite far away from the cycling stereotypes we used to

entertain. Those specimens who mount their bike in a cycling school and then continue being pure cyclists for life are scarce.

“TODAY, REALITY IS QUITE FAR AWAY FROM THE CYCLING STEREOTYPES WE USED TO ENTERTAIN. THOSE SPECIMENS WHO MOUNT THEIR BIKE IN A CYCLING SCHOOL AND THEN CONTINUE BEING PURE CYCLISTS FOR LIFE ARE SCARCE.”

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Review 6

Racing cycling continues to be a showcase where aspirations are reflected, but the number of those who enjoy cycling without wanting to climb a mythical mountain pass or ride along a downhill trail with loads of roots is on the rise. They live along with the growing number of extreme sport enthusiasts and those who have a family and a 9-to-5 job and choose to face the challenge of an Ironman. It’s the so-called ‘Superman phenomenon’.

Cycling, not impervious to style trends, is getting filled with a variety of meanings from users. Sunday morning is the new Saturday night.

Fashion has hit the road. Cycling doesn’t just feed on cycling alone: It feeds on all the trends and lifestyles around it.

“SUNDAY MORNING IS THE NEW SATURDAY NIGHT. FASHION HAS HIT THE ROAD. CYCLING DOESN’T JUST FEED ON CYCLING ALONE: IT FEEDS ON ALL THE TRENDS AND LIFESTYLES AROUND IT.”

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“PERHAPS, IF WE WANT TO HELP BUILD A CYCLING CULTURE, WE SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT SHORT FILMS RATHER THAN COMMERCIALS, ABOUT FEATURE ARTICLES RATHER THAN ADVERTS. WE MUST OFFER OUR TARGET AUDIENCE MORE THAN THE MERE INTENTION TO SELL.” Is this good or bad? Either answer to this question would be preposterous, for this is just a fact. It’d be wiser to think about the roles brands should play in this scenario.

There’s no denying that brands are after differentiation and business, but we should also read the present as a time in which we can be social and cultural actors. This same role was played by religion in the past. Today, more people go out for a sporting event than for Mass on Sunday morning. It comes with a lot of responsibility. We now have a lot to say and do about the ways in which people build their identity and their relationships.

If the challenge is to be part of people’s everyday lives, then intrusive ads and commercials should give way to brand journalism or the production of branded contents. Perhaps, if we want to help build a cycling culture, we should be thinking about short films rather than commercials, about feature articles rather than adverts. We must offer our target audience more than the mere intention to sell.

Also, we’re entering a new scenario in connection with ambassadors and sponsored athletes. If we want cycling to stand on a par with other sports, we must understand that the tasks performed by riders should go well beyond From here to.... ‘Being the best brand ambassador’ isn’t just about winning races. Ambassadors must be involved in the production of contents and/or in product development.

Also, in the age of digital media, they must be communication channels too. In fact, professional success and bright future prospects have a lot to do with building a personal brand and growing both sideways and lengthways throughout your career.

In the scenario described above, the one achievement for a brand should be authenticity.

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A brand can’t be born in a vacuum. There has to be something, a seed, some coherence from within the organization. Brands have to be flexible today, ready to adapt to the world around them. But we must try to win over users beyond the short-term seduction based on price and looks. It’s the only way of being a trendsetter, the only way to mean something to our users and workers alike.

“WHEN THE WOOD IS GOOD, YOU DON’T NEED ANY VENEER TO ENHANCE IT. LIKEWISE, BRANDS ARE GREAT WHEN THEY CAN BE ASSOCIATED TO PASSION RATHER THAN MERE TECHNIQUE”

Sometimes, in this undying effervescence, the temptation of opportunism is hard to resist. We lose the thread of our identity. We want to be the greatest, the largest, the best, and we mistake big size for grandeur. Maybe we could aim at learning that even if we can’t change the world, we can at least change our personal universe.

When the wood is good, you don’t need any veneer to enhance it. Likewise, brands are great when they can be associated to passion rather than mere technique. Style has to stem from substance rather than form. A fine style guide can be used to hide an empty wardrobe – or one filled with things we don’t want to show. Having a good background with robust contents is the only way of exploring and hybridizing styles. We need to be elastic to go through these shifting times.

According to Nietzsche, “Style is born when victory defeats size.” So, there we are.

Let’s do it.

Review 9

Review 10

CHANGE Take a look around and feel the change inside you.

Use the eyes of the child in you, but analyze the things around you with the mind of an adult. Bear in mind that everything in our environment has evolved smoothly.

Now, the global economic turndown seems to be both a response to and a catalyst for a deep need for change. In a way, it’s beautiful.

Text by: Alex Fernández Camps Industrial Designer

‘Change’ is a fresh, easy-to-say word. Underneath, there’s always uncertainty and maybe trauma. According to the Oxford Dictionary, ‘change’ means, 1. v. intr./tr. To make or become different.

But what are we talking about when we say, ‘different’?

Bikes and new electronic devices seem to play a major role in this time of change. Along with them, public means of transport are going through a second golden age after their revival. Bikes and hightech gadgets are special, singular, even personal. They are light and capable of doing many things. Bikes are the only vehicle that can carry ten times their weight. And they are inherently free and independent.

Mobiles connect us to the world wherever we are, any time we want to. Both are powerful objects that connect us to freedom. To me, bikes are really inspiring in every possible sense. Exponentially inspiring: 1, 2, 4, 16, 64… Inspiration on the rise.

Both bikes and mobiles are revolutionary objects, standing for stigmatized, atomized industries. Actors big and small. Platforms in which knowledge has value. The game is pretty much live.

On the other hand, cars and TV are the symbols of a falling empire.

They are giants being replaced. They are too heavy, too clumsy, too lazy, too filled with simple-minded, ‘cushioned’ aspirations. They require planned usage, too much room and reconciliation (good reconciling is never forceful, it comes naturally from the abundance of the parts being reconciled). And they are far away from multi-tasking and spontaneity. They are associated with authority and submission rather than individual power. They are so cumbersome that we find it difficult to put up with them, even with flat-screen TVs or electric cars.

In today’s world, they represent a demo-bourgeoisie that will sooner

or later outrage our youngsters – who are smarter, more thoughtful, less selfish and have stronger opinions about things. Cars and televisions are silent witnesses to a fanciful, unfulfilled dream turned nightmare. They have lost their innocence. In their excess, they have more drawbacks than advantages. Something good could happen to them, though: they could reinvent themselves and blend into reality to become part of a more fluid, liquid, world.

There are no two identical phones. Each of them is filled with the life of the person carrying them (and sometimes being too attached to them).

Bikes are alive too. In the blink of an eye, they become different from one another. Mobiles and bikes are sensuous, spontaneous, bearing the marks of time. Just like life itself!

These are historical (and hysterical) times. In the Western world, most of us have everything we want and more. It’s a model still in force. But something is beginning to change. Let’s be responsible for our own behavior: let’s use the pedals and spend wisely.

In the words of Don Quixote, ‘Let us depart at once, for the common saying that in delay there is danger, lends spurs to my eagerness to take the road; and as neither heaven has created nor hell seen any that can daunt or intimidate me, saddle Rocinante, Sancho, and get ready thy ass…’

Man has never had so much. Let’s be fast in learning how to have it.

Let’s do it fast and good.

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“IN TODAY’S WORLD, THEY REPRESENT A DEMOBOURGEOISIE THAT WILL SOONER OR LATER OUTRAGE OUR YOUNGSTERS – WHO ARE SMARTER, MORE THOUGHTFUL, LESS SELFISH AND HAVE STRONGER OPINIONS ABOUT THINGS.”

From here to...

12

FROM HERE TO...

A SUMMER ROMANCE. It’s the Pro-riders who are responsible for creating illusions during the spring classics and, also during the summer’s Grand Tours. We are not aware of the effort each rider puts in; being weighed each day, the kilometers in the legs and saddle hours outside the big events and the TV coverage.

Text by: Aitor Molina Photos by: Antton Miettinen

It’s the Pro-riders who are responsible for creating illusions during the spring classics and, also during the summer’s Grand Tours.

We are not aware of the effort each rider puts in; being weighed each day, the kilometers in the legs and saddle hours outside the big events and the TV coverage

It’s all about perspective; when you, from the comfort of your armchairs, glance towards the Tour de France on your TV. That effort that you see is merely the tip of an iceberg..

That moment you spend watching any given rider is not long when you consider that up to that point, the rider wears about 25,000km on their legs since the start of the preseason, which is the same as about 60,000 minutes in the saddle at an average of 25 km / h. Shiver!

“IT’S ALL ABOUT PERSPECTIVE; WHEN YOU, FROM THE COMFORT OF YOUR ARMCHAIRS, GLANCE TOWARDS THE TOUR DE FRANCE ON YOUR TV. THAT EFFORT THAT YOU SEE IS MERELY THE TIP OF AN ICEBERG”

From here to...

13

From here to...

14

I have always I imagined myself as the protagonist of those epic battles I saw on television; admiring the ability of Perico or Miguel, or nowadays Contador or Nibali, with a twinkle in my eye.

Cycling is of the few sports you can practice almost 100% in the same conditions as professionals. We can buy the same material, dress like them and above all, we can pedal every kilometer of any stage we choose.

Who goes to play a match with friends in the Camp Nou? Or plays on the tennis court of Roland Garros or Wimbledon? And forget about taking a spin around the circuit of Monaco in an F1 car like Alonso? Anyone?

“CYCLING, IS THE CLEAR FLAGBEARER FOR THE PRINCIPAL OF: YOU CAN IF YOU WANT. IT’S A MATTER OF DEDICATION, EFFORT, SACRIFICE AND PERSEVERANCE”

From here to...

15

When Orbea proposed to me the project of reviving the fifth stage of the last Itzulia (Tour of the Basque Country), I did not hesitate for a second and immediately knew what I had to do: train!

The profile and route of the stage, (which ended in Aia in 2015’s edition) was swift and effervescent as few, but as beautiful as any. It was like a summer romance.

To find out who won that day is as easy as typing the question into an internet search engine, and ta-da! An immediate response: Mikel Landa.

Mikel arrived alone to the finish; its nature and vicious brutality in the final meters as heartbreaking as few others.

THE FIFTH STAGE OF THE TOUR OF THE BASQUE COUNTRY

Donostia

Getaria

Mutriku

Orio

Aia

Elgoibar

Azpeitia

Eibar

155 , 5

km

Tolosa

From here to...

16

“MUTRIKU IS AN ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL FISHING VILLAGE AND THE LIVES OF ITS PEOPLE ARE FOCUSED ON WHAT THEY KNOW AND DO - LIVE BY AND FOR THE SEA.”

Eibar was resplendent, decked out and hungover from its patron saint’s day and that Sunday morning, with the flags hanging everywhere; the only cyclists or pedestrians were us, and our shadows We took it fairly easy for the whole route, in the back of our minds we were preparing for that lethal last ‘wall’ at Aia. The route is spectacular and every pedal stroke made it even more so. Sunrise over the wilderness of Gipuzkoa, illuminating the way as if we were literally falling into the sea in Mutriku while we descended Kalbario port - it is difficult to describe in words. The climb goes by easy, the first challenge and we feel strong, but the view from the top, and especially the last part of the descent to the port, is pure wonder.

Mutriku is an absolutely beautiful fishing village and the lives of its people are focused on what they know and do - live by and for the sea.

And along the splendid coast road we are led to Deba to start the climb to Itziar; long, but bearable, knowing that this would not be the main memory of the journey; the stars of the day are still to come.

Zumaia and Getaria soon appear before us marking a turning point in the route. A lunchstop and walk to the harbor - something tells us that the moment of truth will come.

Leaving the sea and Getaria behind us, among the vineyards of Txakoli begins the real buzz and sweat. Now, we become aware of how we are going, noticing kilometers and the road rising towards Urraki.

From here to...

17

Urraki is one of those not very busy towns, but the climb in is hard and some would say – a bully. Start with a devastating 12%, a small break and some fireworks in the final meters, make this the perfect spot for making a mockery of yourself.

Reaching top is a victory in itself, but any celebrating is short lived as the thought of of Alkiza and Aia still to come, begins to turn the dream into a nightmare.

If not for the descent into the “heart” of Gipuzkoa being like a postcard at every curve, perhaps we would have ended the day right there, feeling defeated by the ghosts of the future, the “wall” of Aia

“THERE WILL ALWAYS REMAIN IN MY MEMORY, WHICH LIKE MIKEL LANDA, A FEELING OF PRIDE AS I DISMOUNTED UNDER THE CHURCH OF AIA. AS IF THE WORLD HAD BEEN CONQUERED, KNOWING THAT SUMMER ROMANCE, WAS TO REMAIN WITH ME FOREVER”

After a break, we went towards Alkiza with renewed vigor and positive mindset. The shade of leafy trees protected us and kept us cool, inadvertently letting us know that the end is near.

The brief descent towards Aia seems like a kind of preamble to what will be one of the most indescribable sensations one can have on your bike.

I know not say who won the stage that day, no one will remember that I was there, feeling victorious. Still, there will always remain in my memory, which like Mikel Landa, a feeling of pride as I dismounted under the Church of Aia. As if the world had been conquered, knowing that summer romance, was to remain with me forever.

175 years 18

175 years 19

ORBEA’S 175 LIVES Text by: Iván Vega

01 / The pioneers from Eibar 20 02 / The bicycle held the key 24 03 / The Names of Victory 29 04 / The change that marked the future 31

175 years 20

01 /

THE PIONEERS FROM EIBAR The Orbea surname has been known for ever more in the Deba basin. In 1840, a small workshop emerged at a bend in Eibar, where Vizcaya and Guipúzcoa become one, in a green orchard that provided the wood used to shape the iron.

They were the descendents of the Orbea family who worked and made a name for itself in the reign of Carlos V. As if it were a premonition, those Orbea were already entrepreneurs and their businesses were known overseas. Domingo, Martín,… Juan too, whose skill in harquebuses earned them important and succulent orders.

The first Orbea workshop was set up in the hub of small businesses that sprouted up in Eibar and its surrounding area. Nestled in the valley, they grew by hundreds and some were even opened on the mountain.

“IN THIS MANUFACTURING AREA, THE SMALL BUSINESS BELONGING TO THE FOUR BROTHERS: CASIMIRO, JUAN MANUEL, MATEO AND PETRA BECAME BIG. IT GREW SLOWLY UNTIL MAKING WAY FOR THE FIRST COMPANY IN THE PORT WITH THE NAME ORBEA. THIS WAS AROUND 1860. LARGE AND BEAUTIFUL, IT BORE THE EMBLEM “ORBEA HERMANOS”, THE SEED OF EVERYTHING, THE SEED OF THE PRESENT. ”

175 years 21

That workshop continued its path in the midst of competition that was neither limited nor small. From one of the buttresses of the Pyrenees came many small, long, short weapons and shotguns. The Orbea brothers worked rapidly on the import of patents, international references that served to make them the owners of their business and their destiny. Unique events were added to these models: processes like polishing, waterfalls for the factory’s power,‌ pioneers of many things, among others, customising the product through damascene, golden threads inserted between the steel, providing the shape that the owner of the weapon sought.

Putting his name if he wanted, the drawing he required, the image of his wife...

Handcrafts in the blood.

Its weapons were sold to many police forces and armies in Europe and America. They received royal and military orders. At the turn of the century, they saw the shadows that hovered over the weapons industry. The second generation took over the management at this moment, running the business with a huge pool of employees, unprecedented in the strip of small factories that surrounded them. Orbea was considered to be the first factory in the history of Eibar.

175 years 22

They made new models and in the production frenzy that followed with the outbreak of the First World War, they participated in the famous Armoury School, in which whole generations entrusted their future to the weapons business. The Great War led to a sudden take-off and bitter landing in a very short time. It went from not producing fast enough to a mass decline in demand, accompanied by a regulation that complicated things even further. Being a weapons manufacturer was not a business, at least not to the extent to employ as many people as it had in previous years.

The workload fell drastically. Strikes were organised. One of them, held in the heart of Orbea, led to the creation of the Alfa cooperative, the famous manufacturer of sewing machines in Eibar. They were the roaring 1920’s in many places, but not in this corner of Deba.

“ANOTHER PRODUCT HAD TO BE SOUGHT. WHAT COULD THEY MANUFACTURE? WHAT COULD THEY DO? AND THEN, THE WORLD SAW HOW THERE WAS A PLACE IN THE VALLEY THAT COULD ADAPT ITS PRODUCTION MODEL IN A FEW YEARS, LEAVING BEHIND WHAT IT ALWAYS KNEW HOW TO DO BEST: WEAPONS FOR WHAT WOULD SERVE THEM THEIR DAILY BREAD: BICYCLES.”

175 years 23

175 years 24

02/

THE BICYCLE HELD THE KEY This is how the bicycle came about and not just any way but from the strictest industrial mentality, from the highest range. Orbea, like BH, like GAC, fitted out the best cyclists of the time to make it known that in Eibar, the future of the generations who saw their jobs threatened had been placed in this element.

175 years 25

“ORBEA NAVIGATED THROUGH THE NAMES FROM THE PREHISTORY OF CYCLING, FROM THE MONTERO BROTHERS TO FEDERICO EZQUERRA AND MARIANO CAÑARDO, TO MAKE A NAME FOR ITSELF.”

Its catalogue grew, paving the way for new machines, reaching every household. In the repressed Spain of the forties, fifties and sixties, owning an Orbea was a sign of freedom, the prize for sublime students who had a Grade A under their belt. The Orbea bicycle made a place for itself in the childhood of many, from its workshop in Urkizu, the female hand was always evident and the best adornments, the best lines to hide the fittings, came from the art and determination that has always been inherited by the women from Eibar.

But the good times came to an end. The company was gradually eaten away until the workers took over the Orbea name at a critical moment and made a success of what was already in operation. The cooperative was born. It was the 1970’s. Gradually, and not without frights and with the effort of families who lived off and for the new company, Orbea paved a way for itself in a complex market, where it was perceived to be a strong, old and ancient brand. It was not easy but nobody ever said it would be.

175 years 28

175 years 29

03 /

THE NAMES OF VICTORY However, the complicated social climate in the 1980s opened the door to the new Orbea. With the sole objective of modernising the company, the new Mallabia plant went into production.

Gradually, the cooperative made a comeback and regained the name and prestige that had accompanied the brand in its heyday. It was decided to create a cycling team to show that it had a future, to show that Orbea was capable of making its own luck and creating machines that would compete with the best of that time.

They signed up Jokin Mujika, Peio Ruiz Cabestany and Pedro Delgado. With them, came notorious successes, such as the Tour of Spain in 1985, which marked an era.

“EVERYBODY REMEMBERS WHAT HAPPENED THAT DAY WHEN PERICO OVERCAME AN IMPOSSIBLE SITUATION IN THE SIERRA OF NAVACERRADA TO WIN A MEMORABLE EDITION.”

It was the triumph of the cyclist from Segovia, but a great deal of hope was pinned on it: that of the people who gave their time and money to a brand that was on its way to celebrating its 150th anniversary. Perico won again in the Tour, featuring in the perfect season for the cooperative, which proved that in addition to leisure bicycles, it was capable of producing reliable and winning competitive models.

175 years 30

The renewed Orbea consolidated its future and new cyclists took its name to the highest level, such as Peio when he won his stage of the Tour or Marino Lejarreta, when his perseverance emerged to get everyone talking about the bicycle all year round. The most prolific cyclist of the important tours took away his first hat trick in one year astride an Orbea: Vuelta, Giro and Tour without a break, without giving up.

Meanwhile, the BTT, the new mountain bike, burst onto the market. A new challenge opened up, which was resolved with a mass entry of units. There were wild promotions, sales in shopping centres, gifts for opening a bank account. .. It was a production frenzy that was accompanied by a long and heavy digestion. Stock generation and being dictated to by the suppliers were the hurdles which gave way to the modern era.

175 years 31

04 /

THE CHANGE THAT MARKED THE FUTURE Tired of the ups and downs of the market, of the irrational increases in production accompanied by dizzying falls, the managers of the cooperative realised the need to be committed to quality.

“TRUE QUALITY, AN OWN PRODUCT, MANAGED FROM MALLABIA, FROM THE HEART OF THE BASQUE COUNTRY, AND AWAY FROM THE COMPLICATIONS INHERENT IN THE BICYCLE BUSINESS. IN HOUSE, THEY CALLED IT “HIGH RANGE”.”

Orbea joined up with the Fundación Euskadi, helping to support Basque talent and together, they worked in a new area for all, the introduction of carbon, the new element that broke moulds, which is never better said, allowing for customised creation and innovation in shapes. Orbea’s carbon had a name: “Orca” and its breakthrough was closely linked to the explosion of Euskaltel onto the Tour, the triumphs of Iban Mayo, which followed on from those of Roberto Laizeka, Haimar Zubeldia’s podiums, the battles against the best cyclists at that time, on the best stages, in the Tourmalet, in Alpe d´ Huez.

175 years 32

In previous years, Orbea worked to create what was necessary to capitalise these successes and when they came, everything was ready to take full advantage.

“ORBEA OPENED MARKETS AND THE CHINESE AND PORTUGUESE FACTORIES TO THE HEAT OF THE VICTORIES THAT CAME FROM AMBASSADORS, SUCH AS SAMUEL SÁNCHEZ, THE CYCLIST WHO WOKE UP A COUNTRY ONE MORNING IN AUGUST TO SAY THAT HE HAD BECOME OLYMPIC CHAMPION UNDER THE SHADOW OF THE GREAT WALL IN PEKING.”

175 years 33

But the circle had to close and as for BTT, Orbea’s commitment went through different phases. From the first almost familiar teams of Ixio Barandiaran, Jokin Mujika and Roberto Lezaun, among others, it grew little by little until the best biker in history came on board, the Frenchman, Julien Absalon, who spent his maturing years with Orbea, winning World Championships and another Olympic Gold a few days after that of Samuel in Peking.

The female hand, ever present in the brand, also notched up sporting success, those of Catherine Prendel at the helm of the unique Luna Team project. With Orbea, Catherine was twice World Champion, like Craig Alexander when he was first to cross the line in the Hawaiian Ironman.

To ensure that the wheel never stops, Orbea seeks new goals, even intertwining many. Its association with Cofidis once more opened it up to the highest level, taking advantage not only of the victories but also of the day to day running, teamwork and the suggestions of the racers, which was not common in the history of the brand, sprinters like Nacer Bouhanni who add all of the watts in the world in the smallest space of time. The future comes with this speed, with structural changes, with the bicycle forming part of the life of people, beyond performance or leisure.

“THE BICYCLE HAS BECOME INTEGRATED IN EVERYDAY LIFE, LIKE A HUNDRED YEARS AGO. THE WHEEL DOES NOT STOP AND ORBEA WANTS TO BE ON THAT JOURNEY”

Orbea Lab 34

Orbea Lab 35

ORBEA

LAB

Orbea Lab 36

2007

2010

Ordu translates to “moment” in the Basque language. It’s the perfect name for a bike created to capture the efforts of training and distill them into the present, a single focus on having the time of your life. The time you push so deep into the tunnel you can’t recall the minutes spent on the road. When heart rate, wattage and gear selection completely vanish from your perception and it is only you and the bike. We all know moments like this - the rarest of events when somehow you ride beyond your capabilities and do the perfect effort. Everything clicks into place and you have the time of your life.

Ordu may be best known as a record-beating triathlon bike and to be sure, time spent in the wind tunnel tells us the new bike is going to win a few Ironman splits. But just in case 180km time trials aren’t your thing and you only run when you’re being chased, this Ordu was painstakingly shaped to comply with UCI regulations so that road racers can exploit the performance of Ordu without compromise.

2013 “A BIKE CREATED TO CAPTURE THE EFFORTS OF TRAINING AND DISTILL THEM INTO THE PRESENT, A SINGLE FOCUS ON HAVING THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE.”

2016

Orbea Lab 37

Progress is incremental. The Ordu you will ride in 2016 bears little resemblance to the first Ordu launched in 2007. But look underneath the technological advances and aerodynamic improvements of each successive generation and you will always find the spirit of competition.

Every Ordu was designed to win and the pedigree speaks for itself. Dramatically improving the bike – really grabbing attention through innovation – is a challenge we relish.

Orbea Lab 38

/ M10

NO-COMPROMISE FIT Ordu’s standard road stem, ten degrees of seat-angle adjustment using the included symmetrical seatpost, and linear stack and reach sizing make fitting an easy process.

ORBEA MMS The Ordu’s Multi-Mounting System makes mounting a variety of bottle, box, and fairings a snap. With a three-bolt downtube mount, a top-tube box mount, and a rear seat-tube box fairing mount (optionally included with every frame), the Ordu can adapt to any multisport or time-trial applications.

Orbea Lab 39

FREEFLOW FORK Reduces turbulence and drag created by wider/deeper wheel and tire combinations by moving the fork blades apart and away from the wheel.

TRIRIG OMEGA X BRAKES The Ordu was designed around a conventional center-bolt braking system, the new TriRig OmegaX brakes. Designed to stop well and be as aero as an overcomplicated integrated system, the OmegaX is the best of both worlds - practicality and speed.

MONDRAGON TUBE SHAPES CFD-designed carbon tubes makes for one of the fastest frames available.

Orbea Lab 40

Trail. It’s a word we’ve been stuck on since the day we first put rubber to dirt. To other riders, the story is the same. It’s where we found ourselves on the bike in the most pure, elemental form. The breathlessness of that instant, lost in the moment of the Trail, is undeniably one of the pinnacles of every rider’s experience. It’s why we’ve designed two new bikes around the concept of the Trail, not around the hurried rush of the race course. Tranquilo. Zen. Lucidity. Flow. We’d like you to meet the new, redesigned Occam, and its reckless hardtail brother, Loki.

2008

“ESCAPING YOUR DAILY ROUTINE TO RIDE YOUR BIKE ANYWHERE, ON ANY TRAIL, UNTIL YOU CAN’T RIDE ANY FURTHER”

2011

Singletrack filled with rocks and roots.

Loose climbs that take finesse to finish without walking. Steep, dark chutes through huge trees and over decaying logs. Ledgy switchbacks that you have only ridden that one time when you were in the zone. With all the buzz surrounding Enduro, eBikes, Fat Bikes and wheel size, it’s easy to forget that THIS is what mountain biking is all about.

2016

Escaping your daily routine to ride your bike anywhere, on any trail, until you can’t ride any further. This is why you began and this is why you keep coming back. The new Occam celebrates this freedom and brings you to the places where it all started - Welcome Home.

ORBEA 2015

1 MODEL, 2 PLATFORMS OCCAM

TWO OCCAMS - UNLIMITED OPTIONS USER

TRAIL MOUNTAIN

ALL MOUNTAIN

Occam TR is a 120mm platform with 29” wheels - lightweight, refined and capable.

Occam AM pairs 140mm of travel with 27.5” wheels and a slightly burlier stance.

Is the perfect choice for trail riders who love long, fast rides over varied terrain with maximum efficiencys.

Is the perfect choice of riders who want more travel and maneuverability. For technical descents where quick handling and increased travel are preferred.

Those who prefer long days in the saddle and crave a balance of downhill speed and lightweight stability, choose Occam TR.

TRAVEL

WHEELS SIZE

GEOMETRY (M)

CHAIN STAY

REACH

STACK (M SIZE)

435 mm

450 mm

606 mm

TRAVEL

WHEELS SIZE

GEOMETRY (M)

OCCAM AM - 140MM

TECHNICAL DESCENTS

140mm

27.5

OCCAM TR - 120MM

FAST RIDES VARIED TERRAIN

120mm

29

SUSPENSION CURVE

Those who are looking for a bit more fun on the descents and want a bike with a rugged specification, choose Occam AM.

CHAIN STAY

REACH

STACK (M SIZE)

425 mm

450 mm

604 mm

3.0 (LEVERAGE) 2.9 2.8 2.7 35MM (SAG)

2.6

60MM (PROGRESSIVE)

2.5 30MM (SAG) 50MM (PROGRESSIVE)

2.4 0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140 (TRAVEL)

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OCCAM OMR CARBON Orbea Monocoque Race (OMR) frames blend high modulus fibers and high strength fibers exclusively. Carbon sheets are laser cut to minimize excess materials and overlap, and hours of premolding is done to ensure optimal compaction with the smallest amount of carbon. A full EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) mold is used to eliminate wrinkles and imperfections, resulting in an ultralight 1990g frameset (without shock).

BOOST 148 Increasing rear axle spacing to 148mm over the 142mm standard moves the chainline outboard by 3mm, increasing the space available at the bottom bracket. This doesn’t sound like much but it means that Loki’s chainstays can be shorter without sacrificing critical tire clearance or losing 2x chainring compatibility. All of it adds up to more versatility and nimble handling.

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ADVANCED DYNAMICS SUSPENSION DESIGN: Database-modeled suspension testing using computer software, allowing Orbea to fine-tune the ride of a bike before it’s even built. This is the obsessive tinkering that turns a good bike into a great one.

UFO FLEXION Increases torsional swingarm stiffness, eliminates a pivot point and drops another 150g by borrowing carbon technology from F1 racing cars.

ORBEA TRAIL GEOMETRY The Occam’s low bottom bracket, slack headtube angle, short chainstays, and low stack height all add up to a bike as progressive as it is fun to ride.

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BECAUSE IT’S UNIQUE

Orbea Lab 45

Loki is omnipotent. It’s a slack, fun 29er trail bike and it’s a 27+ bike that relishes new terrain. It’s a first bike or a latest bike. Loki is omniscient. This bike knows how you want to ride and puts the world in your hands and the backwoods under your tires. It’s light and rugged. Elegant and powerful. Logical and filled with passion.

01/ DOUBLE DUTY 02/ TRAIL GEOMETRY 03/ HYDRO ALUMINUM 04/ BOOST 148

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BICYCLES FOR A NEW PARADIGM The emergence of the new pedal-assist bikes a few years ago was undoubtedly one of the most important steps taken by the sector. At Orbea, we’ve wanted to work towards discovering the true sense of each product category, with the drive to innovate beyond the opportunity that it given to us by simply being in the e-bike segment. On the following pages, we will provide a brief overview of some of the key points of each platform.

Text by: Alex FernĂĄndez Camps Strategy and Design

Orbea Lab 47

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FUN, FUNCTIONALITY, STYLE! This is one of the broadest and most adaptable platforms in the sector. The KERAM is a product range intended for the vast majority of riders in this market. It has solutions for mountain biking 2.0 for recreational use, more versatile solutions for its combined use on asphalt and trails, and a more purely urbansports version.

primarily to the motor that will do part of the work of From here to.... To design an e-bike well, it is important to start with its features.

KERAM is also an extremely easy product to ride, thanks to the agility of its steeply sloping frame and steering angle (among other factors) that make riding especially stable and safe.

“THIS IS ONE OF THE BROADEST AND MOST ADAPTABLE PLATFORMS IN THE SECTOR.”

Among KERAM’s features is a geometry designed for From here to... in a more comfortable and safer position than on traditional-style bikes. This is possible thanks

01/ FUN UNDER CONTROL 02/ NO LIMITS ON ANY TERRAIN 03/ VERSATILITY

Orbea Lab 49

Orbea Lab 50

Orbea Lab 51

THE ELECTRIC SOLUTION OPTIMIZED. The Optima is our interpretation of an e-bike with a traditional city bike frame design. Its form follows its function, with utility the paramount focus of the bike. Instead of positioning the battery high on the bike, like on a rack, the seat tube-mounted battery offers a much more stable, secure ride, with a lower center of gravity. It definitely changes the personality of the bike, making it much more dynamic and enjoyable to ride!

Compared to a traditional diamond frame, the ergonomics of the Optima are adapted to a much more comfortable, efficient riding position. With the pedals farther in front of the rider, knee movement is reduced, lessening chances of discomfort and injury.

“THE OPTIMA IS OUR INTERPRETATION OF AN E-BIKE WITH A TRADITIONAL CITY BIKE FRAME DESIGN. ITS FORM FOLLOWS ITS FUNCTION, WITH UTILITY THE PARAMOUNT FOCUS OF THE BIKE.”

Orbea Lab 52

KATU IS LIGHTER, MORE DURABLE, AND CAPABLE OF GREATER CARGO CAPACITY WITH TWO OPTIONAL BASKETS THAT CAN CARRY UP TO 15KG EACH. THE ON-BIKE CHARGING SYSTEM HELPS KEEP THE PEDAL-ASSIST MOTOR GOING FOR HOURS AT A TIME BETWEEN DESTINATIONS, SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT YOUR GROCERIES SPOILING FROM THE MARKET TO THE FRIDGE!

Orbea Lab 53

INTELLIGENT MOBILITY. Katu is a big bike in a little package. 20” wheels offer pure functionality that essential urban cycling demands. It’s a bike for everyone, from beginners to professionals. It’s coming in an electric and non-electric version in a myriad of colors, brightening up every day at the office or on the run.

01/ A KATU FOR EVERYONE

Katu is a simple, comfortable, and very unique bike. It’s easy to ride, easy to manufacture, and with a form factor that appeals to an urban user. With smaller wheels, it’s far less invasive in a crowded city environ than a larger-wheeled bike, and the fabrication process is one that we’ve built around the idea of sustainability with water-based paints and efficient manufacturing.

06/ URBAN ESSENCE

02/ ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY 03/ A SOLID, 100% RELIABLE BICYCLE. 04/ I’LL TAKE IT ALL WITH ME

Inside Orbea 54

INSIDE ORBEA

THE INDUSTRIAL ART WITH JON FERNÁNDEZ AND MIGUEL ÁNGEL ESTANDÍA “We, Basque people, have the most passionate cycling fans, and this DNA-wired attitude informs our business model too.”

Text by: Jon Saez Photos by: Juanjo Otazu

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Inside Orbea 56

ORBEA COFFEES. We’ve talked to Orbea Manager Jon Fernández and Production Manager Miguel Ángel Estandia about Orbea’s new projects and history, and about the evolution of the cycling world in the past few years. In this interview, they share their experiences and opinions about a sport that never stopped growing in the past few years.

You’re two of the people with the longest experience and the highest responsibilities in the organization. You must have seen the cycling industry go through different times. How did you experience the evolution of the organization on the industrial side?

Jon Fernández: The big change took place in the past 25 years. Our production system has evolved from highly internal, intensive production with low value added to the making of low-end assemblies to the system we use at Orbea today. Now we make highvalue-added products, having evolved from robot-welded steel frames to hand-welded aluminum frames, i.e. high-performance welding. Then we moved to the modeling and prototyping of carbon frames and custom assemblies.

Miguel Ángel Estandía: At first, we just modernized the Orbea bikes as a means of survival, making lighter frames and focusing on road cycling. In the 1990s, with the boom of mountain biking, we sold everything you could think of. Then, in 1995, there was a crisis, worse than the recent one.

We recovered by betting on specialization: bespoke bikes for pros, made with the best possible materials. We became one of the largest manufacturers in Europe, making 40 to 50 frames a day. After that there came the Orca project and carbon frames. We revamped the brand again, to good results.

What’s Orbea’s industrial situation right now?

J.F.: We have two manufacturing facilities.

The main plant is in Mallabia, focusing on mid-to-high-range products for the European and American markets. And the other facility is in Portugal, where we produce low-to-midrange products under an intensive production

Inside Orbea 57

system. About 175 or 180 people work in our plant in Mallabia, while an additional 100 perform tasks in the other facilities and offices.

M.A.E.: The plant in Mallabia has a surface area of about 15,000m2. Here we make 170 or 180 high-end bikes. In Portugal, the plant is divided. At first, in 2000, we resorted to outsourcing. With time, we chose to raise our bet and now we have almost 8000m2, which account for 66% to 70% of production.

After the closedown of the plant in China, we rented larger facilities to house the production that used to come from Asia in either Portugal or Mallabia.

J.F.: Orbea is a brand with a long history.

We’ve built an identity associated with determination in goal achievement,

reinventing ourselves once and again. The company is 175 years old. In almost two centuries, we’ve reinvented ourselves several times, and this is proof of our willingness to remain in business. We, Basque people, have the most passionate cycling fans. Cycling is part of our essence; it’s wired into our DNA. Our DNA informs our business model too: we’re meticulous, rigorous and strict when we develop our products.

M.A.E.: We rely on a flexible model. For instance, we keep making the bikes in our range until the day when the range is discontinued. That is, when we introduce a new range, we keep delivering the old stock for at least 15 days, so that our models reach all users.

Inside Orbea 58

As seen from outside, bike assembly may seem to have no added value.

You may think it’s a job that could be done by a machine. But users know that workmanship is essential when you make bikes. In the age of automation and robots, what’s the added value of workmen?

J.F.: .: We try to appear as a brand that is close to users, a brand that can make the bike of your dreams. If you can imagine it, we can make it. And it’s no easy task, especially when you have bike-making machines. Handmade goods, hand painting… They’re just priceless.

M.A.E.: We use automated installations too, but only for full paint coating. Under atomized manufacturing systems like ours, using machines is more costly than craft production. And then there are the other bike components, those that can’t be machinemade if we want to deliver top-quality, highend products, with so much value added.

Zeus is one of the most special areas at the plant. Why do you have a special area for high-end bikes?

M.A.E.: Zeus used to be the place where we made road bikes a few years ago. High- and low-end bicycles carry different materials and, with them, different manufacturing processes.

As we became more specialized, we added new production lines and came up with new ideas to offer unique bikes that meet the needs of individual customers.

“(...) A BRAND THAT IS CLOSE TO USERS, A BRAND THAT CAN MAKE THE BIKE OF YOUR DREAMS (...). IF YOU CAN IMAGINE IT, WE CAN MAKE IT. AND IT’S NO EASY TASK, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU HAVE BIKE-MAKING MACHINES.”

Inside Orbea 59

“WE WANTED TO RETURN TO OUR EUROPEAN ORIGINS. UNDER THIS MODEL, IT’S EASIER TO CUSTOMIZE OUR PRODUCTS AND THUS OFFER SOMETHING DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER BRANDS.”

What is there behind the sensational headline, ‘Orbea closes down factory in China’?.

J.F.: It was basically for business reasons.

Disinvestment isn’t necessarily the result of failure. We just stopped manufacturing in China, but our logistics and business activities in Asia are still on – even reloaded, you could say. We’ve chosen the European manufacturing system, which is deeply rooted

in our environment and makes us feel really proud. Upholding this legend built over the decades, from the 1930s on, there are just a few of us now. We’re proud of being the heirs of a legendary industrial legacy.

M.A.E.: We wanted to return to our European origins. Under this model, it’s easier to customize our products and thus offer something different from the other brands.

Inside Orbea 60

INSIDE ORBEA

617km is the distance between the Orbea plant in Mallabia and the classic store on Carrer Gran de Grà cia in Barcelona. It’s the same distance we covered 60 years ago with the spirit that best represents us, our hearts full of hope and enthusiasm.

Carrer del Consell de Cent, 321, 08007 Barcelona

Inside Orbea 61

Our fighting spirit, deeply rooted in the tradition of cycling and full of warmth, focused on our own hub of cycling in Barcelona, a repository of our history, our vibrance, and our culture. .

1km is the distance between 1 Carrer Gran de Gràcia and 321 Carrer del Consell de Cent. A few weeks ago, Diego dusted off the old boxes in the basement, full of memories and stories of cycling, and carried the precious treasures to the new store.

A few days ago, I visited Orbea Campus and met the team: Pedro, Nil, Roger, Neus, Ricardo and, of course, the veterans. Diego, who was so enthusiastic about the new project, and Sisquillo, who compared his experiences as a mechanic in Cipollini’s team to those he’s having this year with Nacer Bouhanni on Cofidis.

Inside Orbea 62

“ORBEA CAMPUS ISN’T ABOUT THE PHYSICAL SPACE, BUT THE FEELING AROUND IT. THE CHALLENGE LIES IN TAKING THE TRADITIONAL CONCEPT STORE APPROACH ONE STEP FARTHER, HOLDING RIDERS’ HANDS AND GUIDING THEM THROUGH THEIR EVOLUTION ON TWO WHEELS, WHETHER THIS MEANS THEIR FIRST ATTEMPT AT RIDING OR IMPROVING THEIR RACING PERFORMANCE.”

Inside Orbea 63

It’s a symbol of our commitment to building relationships within the cycling community that go beyond mere transactions.

On a more-down-to-earth level, it means offering the best advice on cycling gear and service, organizing interesting training rides and planning cycle tours along the trails in Collserola.

Inside Orbea 64

Inside Orbea 65

INSIDE ORBEA

NACER BOUHANNI We have always been fond of growing along with our athletes; we don’t want to be just a bike provider, but a brand that stands by all its athletes and teams in every aspect of the cycling world. With that in mind, we sit down to listen to Nacer in search of ideas to make both parties feel comfortable.

In Orbea’s books, the fighting nature has always appeared as one of the Identity signs. Boxing, along with cycling, is part of the life of Nacer; a passion installed in him by his father since childhood. The road forward was a clear one.

Text and photos by: Jon Saez

Inside Orbea 66

VISUAL IDENTITY Along with our design studio, Move, we have worked together to design a visual identity. It consists of 2 logos. The first one, showing “NB13,” embraces his initials and the number 13; defying superstition, it’s his personal logo, the one to look over, to pamper, to keep off the radar so as to give it an extra feeling of intimacy.

The second one, a boxing fist with the word “fight”, is the logo he will use in 2015 as a graphic resource used in all the high visibility circumstances: it’s the logo that will get more visibility and through which he will connect to his public; his character does not go unnoticed and this logo expresses it perfectly.

CUSTOM ORBEA ORCA Besides performing a “set-up” and an ultra rigid frame for the sprints, we thought it was important to outfit the bicycle with a special “graphic”. When we sent him the first prototype still without paint, he sent us “a whatsapp” saying: “this color! It’s perfect. Matte black”.

So, Alex, our graphic designer, combined a matte black with glossy black applying the 2 logos and turning out this beauty as a product. remember the first time we met with Nacer. We had done a special follow up with him, especially since we knew he was going to join the Cofidis Team organization in 2015, but not until December 2014 were we able to meet face to face in Lloret del Mar, during the first stage of Team Codifis.

Nacer seems distant. Once you break the ice and the conversation starts to flow, you realize it’s all about introversion, concentration. The one that moves to another plane when he arrives first at the finishing line: “is the adrenaline” he explains.

“Victory is the best way to communicate,” he answers a reporter at the Team introduction in Roubaix when asked about his communication style. “Everybody likes to feel special,” he states through a shy smile slightly revealing his teeth, in response to questions about him working on his personal brand.

Inside Orbea 67

Friends 70

Friends 71

FRIENDS

The importance of whaling in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries turned the Cantabrian Sea and its coast into a sort of Silicon Valley for this area of activity. It was here that the galleon San Juan set sail to sink off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada –Ternua in Basque: the brand name of technical apparel for mountaineers.

As a matter of fact, Ternua Group is comprised of three distinct brands, all of them operating in the sports industry: Astore, Lorpen and Ternua.

We’d like to focus on number three, whose location (about a 30 minutes’ drive from our headquarters) and values are quite similar to ours. They are dear friends to us.

Innovation and adventure quest Ternua is particularly recognizable by the technicality of its clothes. They are the result of invaluable expertise and well-calibrated development processes that include real expeditions under extreme conditions for both the people and the clothes.

Alberto Iñurrategi, one of the most accomplished mountaineers, is their star ambassador. And their director of innovation in disguise too. “Each of Alberto’s expeditions is an innovation project underneath. From the first sweatshirt we designed for his adventures, we’ve worked together on the evolution of our clothes, taking into account his contributions for improvement and our team’s research on materials.”

Our relationship with Alberto, however, goes well beyond a ready-made marketing strategy. Alberto and his late brother Félix were schoolmates of the company’s founders, the Uribesalgo brothers.

“EACH OF ALBERTO’S EXPEDITIONS IS AN INNOVATION PROJECT UNDERNEATH. FROM THE FIRST SWEATSHIRT WE DESIGNED FOR HIS ADVENTURES, WE’VE WORKED TOGETHER ON THE EVOLUTION OF OUR CLOTHES, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT HIS CONTRIBUTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT AND OUR TEAM’S RESEARCH ON MATERIALS.”

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Sustainable vocation If you want to understand why Ternua is a sustainable endeavor, you’ll have to meet them. To them, sustainability means more than just ecofriendly packaging or videos appealing to emotion. Ternua understands sustainability as a value deeply rooted in their products. This is why they were the first to recycle feather. Moreover, they use organic cotton in all their garments and, since 2009, they’ve been trying to make PFOA- and PFOS-free clothes.

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FRIENDS

With over 30 years of experience in designing and manufacturing bicycle bags, Scicon is established as global leader in bike transportation. There are currently 20 professional cycling teams travelling with Scicon bike protection, suitcases and rain bags including Team Cofidis.

Not much attention is paid to the ‘behindthe scenes’ logistical part of professional cycling, the thousands of air miles Nacer Bouhanni’s Orbea Orca does wrapped in a Scicon AeroComfort 2.0 before being raced hundreds more.

But Scicon are there every step of the journey, making sure that the riders’ bikes get to their destinations race ready, saving the mechanics packing time by engineering a bike bag that requires minimal disassembly and saving the team money on excess baggage fees by creating a lightweight product without compromising protection.

“SCICON ARE THERE EVERY STEP OF THE JOURNEY, MAKING SURE THAT THE RIDERS’ BIKES GET TO THEIR DESTINATIONS RACE READY.”

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Apartado 76

www.orbea.com