About Orbea

Orbea started making bikes in the town of Mallabia in Spain's Basque Country in 1930. The company has a history that goes back even further than that, though. It was formed in 1840 and began life making guns. Business boomed over the following decades, particularly before and during World War I. After that there was a considerable slump in the gun market, but Orbea had considerable skills working with steel tubing. The company decided to change direction, dropping guns in favour of a rapidly growing new market - bike production.

Orbea got involved in competitive cycling almost immediately, signing leading cyclist of the era Mariano Cañardo and starting a road racing team that would compete in the Tour de France and other grand tours.

The company survived the economic difficulties faced by many businesses in Spain from the 1940s through to the 1970s, emerging in the 1980s as a dominant player in the world cycling scene. Orbea ridden bikes picked up stage wins in the 1985 Vuelta and the 1986 Tour de France. In later years it got involved in other sports including mountain biking and triathlon. These successes have contributed to the makeup of the current range.

Today Orbea is part of the Mondragon Corporation, a worker cooperative federation. It is one of the largest businesses in Spain, and it is the largest in the Basque Country. Orbea is one of 257 companies in the organization.

It remains Spain's largest manufacturer of bikes, while also being proud of its roots in the Basque Country. The range is extensive with over 75 bikes in various styles. Orbea is committed to innovating and creating the best possible cycling experience for everyone from the casual cyclist to the Olympic competitor to the professional racer. In terms of the latter it remains involved with a number of cycling teams and individual riders.

Range Of Orbea Bikes

• Road bikes - performance and endurance options in two main families of brands: Orca and Avant. They are available as alloy or carbon options.

• Mountain bikes - despite Orbea's heritage of road racing and producing road bikes, the mountain bike offering is their largest. Alloy, carbon and hydro options are available with models made for specific styles including all mountain, enduro, sport, trail, and XC.

• Triathlon - lightweight carbon frame bikes made for triathlon riding and TT riding

• Urban - bikes designed for city riding. Seven speed street options are available as well as fixies

• All use - affordable bikes designed for everyday use and leisure cycling

All of the bike styles and categories are available in both male and female specifications. Orbea also supplies a comprehensive range of parts.

Orbea Sponsorship

Orbea is involved with cycling teams and athletes through a range of sponsorship programs. This includes supplying bikes, parts and / or gear to teams such as the LUNA Pro Team, Team Cofidis, the Visit Dallas DNA Pro Cycling Team and more.