The Orbea Oiz  OMR is impossible to argue with. Oiz is the highest peak within view o Orbea’s headquarters:  say “Oiyth” in Spain, “OY-eez” in the US. It wins and wins at the highest levels of sport, and for all the right reasons. OMR is the acronym for Orbea Monocoque Race, the Spanish company’s highest-level carbon-fiber mix-lots of high modulus plies to maximize stiffness and minimize weight while still providing excellent durability. A small frame weighs 1.65kg. This full suspension cross-country rig offers 100mm of travel as well as your choice of wheel sizes.

Big wheels roll better. But smaller riders can’t fully enjoy the benefits of 29ers. So they offer the Small, Medium, and Large frames with 27.5” wheels and the Medium, Large, and Extra Large frames with 29” wheels. Each frame is tweaked accordingly to maximize the wheels’ agility.

Big wheels can make a bike ride like a truck. Orbea makes sure that doesn’t happen by keeping the chain stays very short, lengthening the reach so that shorter stems work better, and slackening the head angle so that the bike can turn fast on treacherous steep stuff.

The rear suspension works better because it works different. The resistance curve is such that you can access all of that travel, with regressive leverage. If you want a classic XC ride, you can set 15-20mm of sag and you’ll experience a firm ride that still goes all the way. In terms of small-bump sensitivity, the seat stays take care of that, called UFO or U-Flexion by Orbea, they’ve strengthened the stays by building the right chain and seat stays and one unit, the left as another, and making the chain stays blocky and stiff and the seat stays flexy. Because they’re so compliant, they don’t need pivots at the rear axle.

Another plus of removing pivots is reducing weight. They’ve gone further on their frame diet by molding the rocker that attaches the seat stays to the shock, and join it with a steel bolt and cartridge bearings for durability and stiction-free movement. The big bearings and the full-carbon swing link are supported by what Orbea calls Tensegrity, a steel strut in the joint between the linkage and the seat stays. It resists lateral forces and is still light.

The rest of the bike has received the same attention to detail. The head tube is designed for 1 1/8” to 1 1/2” steerer tubes, providing great torsional stiffness and minimal weight gain. There’s a direct mount for the front derailleur, making it easy to choose either a 1x or 2x drivetrain. The rear brake caliper is secured to a direct post mount because it’s simpler, lighter, and virtually eliminates chatter caused by harmonic vibrations. The bottom bracket is the light, stiff, and internal BB92.

Cables run internally, and they can accept either electronic or mechanical shifting. You can even hook up iCD shocks to get electronic control over your damping. If you go electronic, the battery will reside in the 31.8mm seatpost. And it’s all covered by a lifetime warranty.

The Orbea Oiz OMR is addicted to winning.