Orbea Wild-FS H30 Review
Thomas Owen
2023-01-13The Orbea Wild FS is a full-suspension e-mountain bike (eMTB) designed to excel on both the climbs and descents.
It comes equipped with 160mm travel and 29er wheels as well as a Bosch motor and battery pack. Orbea is a Basque company, with a strong heritage in all types of cycling; the northern region of Spain sharing some of the Pyrenean range with its northern French neighbours.
If there’s anywhere in the world where you can devise, test and produce a truly incredible eMTB, it’s the Basque Country.
There are eight models in the Orbea Wild FS range, ranging from $4,999 for the Wild FS H30 20MPH to $9,599 for the Wild FS M-LTD 20MPH. The Orbea Wild FS is an electric mountain bike, or eMTB and comes with a full-suspension setup. Each bike is equipped with motors from the Bosch Performance CX Line, Bosch’s eMTB specific range.
Additionally, they all have Bosch PowerTube batteries ranging from 500WH to 625WH for the higher specced models. The range on these varies, a 500WH battery has a claimed range of up to 65km, and the 625WH battery claims up to 82km.
Frameset & Geometry
The Orbea Wild FS bikes are full-suspension eMTBs and are designed to improve confidence in new riders as well as being aggressive enough for more experienced riders to tackle techy trails. Orbea has updated the Wild FS to introduce a slacker head angle for greater stability when going downhill or over obstacles.
A lower bottom bracket on the Wild FS makes for greater cornering as the bike and rider’s centre of gravity is lowered. Orbea has lengthened the cockpit and wheelbase of the bike for stability over higher speeds and giving the rider more room to move on the bike while maintaining balance.
A steeper seat angle allows riders to sit up in a better pedalling position than previous models, and a shorter seat tube allows longer dropper posts to be fitted to the bike, giving you even more control on the descent.
The Orbea Wild FS is not sized or made according to gender, and instead, Orbea encourages riders to choose a bike based on their height and personal preference rather than a pre-determined gender-specific bike. With 160mm of suspension, the Wild FS isn’t playing around.
It’s designed to be suitable for techy trails as well as bike parks, it’s a do-it-all eMTB with the geometry to match. Orbea has also updated the latest Wild FS version to use 29″ wheels. These allow riders to generate more speed downhill as well as being able to roll over obstacles more easily than on 27.5″ wheels.
Motor and Battery
All models of the Orbea Wild FS range use the Bosch Performance CX Cruise (20mph) motor. The Performance Line CX Bosch motors are designed exclusively for eMTBs. Bosch claims that they are lightweight, compact and offer an extremely powerful drive to bring the rider more control on the trail.
The entry-level Orbea Wild FS H30 uses a Bosch PowerTube 500WH battery. The mid and higher levels of bikes (e.g. the M20 & M-LTD) use Bosch’s 625WH PowerTube batteries. The PowerTube batteries come in two versions, Horizontal and Vertical. Orbea uses the Horizontal version on the Wild FS. They have an additional safety catch which Bosch claims will prevent the battery from falling out.
The PowerTube 500(WH) is designed for trekking and eMTBs for those who enjoy riding for long distances. Using a standard charger it reaches 50% charge in approximately 2 hours, or 100% charge in approximately 4.5. The range of the PowerTube 500 is claimed to be around 65km using a combination of all modes and favourable conditions.
The PowerTube 625(WH) as seen on the mid-high end of the Wild FS range is designed for long and mountainous riding. Bosch claims it will stay-put even if the rider is on treacherous terrain. Using a standard charge it reaches 50% charge in approximately 2.1 hours, or 100% charge in approximately 4.9 hours. The range of the PowerTube 625 is claimed to be around 82km using a combination of all modes and favourable conditions.
Components
All bikes across the Wild FS range come with 12-speed 1-by drivetrains, with a mixture of Shimano and SunRace components being used at the lower end, and full Shimano XTR for the more expensive models. Shimano hydraulic discs brakes are used across the board. The lower end of the spectrum (H30) uses an alloy frame, whereas the higher-end uses carbon or a carbon/alloy rear triangle mix.
The low to mid models use Fox DPS Performance air shocks (205×65mm), whereas the higher models use Fox DHX2 Factory coil shocks. For the forks, the lower models use RockShox Debonaire eMTB 160mm, whereas the higher models move to using Fox forks, from both the Performance and Factory range the higher up the ranks you go.
Orbea uses their own-brand wheels for the lower models and uses DT Swiss wheels for the top of the range bikes. Tyres are the same for each bike, with Orbea using Maxxis Minion DHF 2.6″ on the fronts and Maxxis Minion DHRII 2.6″ for the rears. Across the whole range, the OC2 Dropper post 31.6mm is used.
Unique Features
Orbea uses an in-house design system called MyO. The platform allows riders to choose their designs for the bikes and lets them choose colours of the graphics as well as paint, giving the rider creativity and the ability to build their dream bike without having to take it to a specialist frame painter.
Many of the mid-high range Wild FS bikes come with their own built-in key-holder. The OC key holder locks the bike’s battery so you can be sure it won’t be stolen if you stop at a café. The holder is located in the bike’s headset through a screwable top cap. The headset and tightened top cap are therefore situated in a recessed position in the headtube, making it a little bit annoying to access the top cap.
Ride Feel and Suggested Use
The Orbea Wild FS range is an eMTB designed for use on trails and in bike parks. The full-suspension and large 29er wheels allow riders to be confident in tackling obstacles as well as riding up climbs. The upright seat tube angle makes for a comfortable position for climbing, as well as keeping the front wheel down when angling up steep sections. The combination of slacker headtube angles and a longer wheelbase make this bike more forgiving on the descents. The 160mm of travel can make up for a rider’s mistakes quite easily, giving them more confidence to try harder trails.
Assembly
When purchasing in the United States, Orbea does not include home delivery as an option. They state that the bike must be sent to an Orbea dealer. It does not specify whether the dealer will automatically build the bike for you, so it is worth double-checking with the dealer before purchase.
People Also Asked For:
- How much does the Orbea Wild FS weigh?
The Orbea Wild FS M-LTD in size L weighs 22.5kg/49.6lbs
- Can you mount two Bosch batteries on the Orbea Wild FS?
Yes, you can use the Bosch DualBattery system, whereby the bottle cage is replaced by a second battery to extend the bike’s range even further.
- What is the maximum payload weight for the Orbea Wild FS?
The rider and luggage should not exceed 110kg or 242lbs.
User Reviews
There are several reviews on the Orbea Wild FS range, and the majority were extremely positive. Users found that the bike climbs extremely well, and also makes descents enjoyable with the 160mm suspension.
They comment that the Bosch motor and battery work well together and provide enough torque to help riders get enough momentum to ride over obstacles. However, they do note that some of the Fox coil shocks do not work as well as the air shocks for this bike, but this is individual and based on personal preference for ride feel.
It is possible to adjust the componentry at the point of purchase on Orbea’s website.
Sizes
Here are some estimated sizes from the Orbea website for the Wild FS bikes:
Size S/M – suitable for 160-175cm / 5’2”- 5’7”
Size L – suitable for 170-185cm / 5’5” – 6’1”
Size XL – suitable for 180-198cm / 5’10” – 6’6”
And remember, Orbea does not make a distinction between men and women’s sizes for this family of bikes.
Ride or Pass?
The Orbea Wild FS is a capable and exciting eMTB. With the new updates to the geometry and inclusion of performance Bosch motors and batteries, it makes climbing easier and the descent enjoyable. It is worth noting that even the entry-level model is expensive, although you can tailor the components to your own needs.
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