Basque brand targets aftermarket sales with new wheels
Orbea has expanded its Oquo line of wheelsets, with eight new models for road and gravel bikes.
The Spanish brand says the wheelsets are designed to complement its own road and gravel bikes, but also offer a viable performance upgrade for all cyclists regardless of their bike.
The new road and gravel wheelsets come following the launch of the Oquo brand and its first line of mountain bike wheels in 2022.
The new wheelsets all use Zipp hubs and Sapim spokes, with six options in the ‘Road Performance’ category, and two occupying the brand’s ‘Road Control’ (gravel) category.
Two wheelsets feature alloy rims, costing £599/$799/€599. The carbon models start at £1,299/$1,599/€1,299, rising to £1,999/$2,299/€1,999.
The wheelsets are set to feature on Orbea’s forthcoming season of road and gravel bikes, and will be available to customise using the company’s MyO bike programme.
Range spec and details
!["Oquo]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2023/06/BR02220-6041499.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Oquo")
Road Performance
The Oquo Road Performance wheelsets come in six options, covering three tiers.
All carbon wheels feature a 21mm internal rim width, paired to a ‘mini-hook’ rim design.
This mini-hook design preserves clincher compatibility and enables the use of higher tyre pressures (up to 95psi/6.5 BAR for tubeless, and 116psi/8 BAR with tubes) than with hookless rims.
Orbea says it also makes tyre changes simpler, thanks to the slanted profile of the hook’s outer-facing edge, which helps tyres slide over the rim with greater ease.
The rims are optimised for use with 700 x 25-32c tyres, though Orbea says you could run up to 35c rubber, if you choose.
The top-spec LTD carbon wheelsets feature Sapim CX-Ray aero spokes (24 front, 24 rear) and Zipp Cognition hubs spinning on ‘premium’ Swiss steel bearings.
The Cognition rear hub has 54 points of engagement. It also features Zipp’s Axial Clutch system, using six magnets and a Sylomer spring mechanism, which is said to help the hub engage as efficiently as possible.
The rear hub also has a star-flange straight-pull design, which is said to distribute riding forces with greater balance than a conventional layout.
The LTD wheelsets are available in 57, 45 and 35mm rim depths, with claimed weights of 1,520g, 1,380g and 1,360g, respectively.
!["Zipp]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2023/06/BR02222-ba9d271.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Zipp")
The mid-level TEAM carbon wheelsets share the same carbon rims (both in terms of layup and shape), but have cheaper Sapim CX-Sprint spokes and Zipp ZR1 hubs.
The ZR1 rear hub features 66 points of engagement, while both hubs spin on stainless steel bearings.
These are available in 45 and 35mm rim depths, and weigh a claimed 1,495g and 1,465g, respectively.
The entry-level PRO wheelset features a 35mm-deep alloy rim with a 19mm internal width, Sapim CX-Sprint spokes and Zipp ZR1 hubs. At time of publication, Orbea hasn’t shared a claimed weight.
Unlike the other Road Performance wheelset, which features lightweight alloy nipples, the PRO wheelset has black anodised brass nipples (which should prove more corrosion resistant).
All Road Performance wheelsets are available with HG and XDR freehub bodies. There is no N3W option at the time of launch.
RP 57 LTD
!["Oquo]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2023/06/OQUORP57LTD-03d3553.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"OQUO_RP_57_LTD\"")
- Rim material: Carbon
- Rim depth: 57mm
- Rim width (internal): 21mm
- Hub: Zipp Cognition V2
- Spokes: Sapim CX-Ray
- Spoke count: 24/24
- Nipples: Sapim alloy
- Disc mount: Centerlock
- Claimed weight: 1,520g
- Price: £1,999/$2,299/€1,999
RP 45 LTD
!["Oquo]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2023/06/OQUORP45LTD-b8087a0.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"OQUO_RP_45_LTD\"")
- Rim material: Carbon
- Rim depth: 45mm
- Rim width (internal): 21mm
- Hub: Zipp Cognition V2
- Spokes: Sapim CX-Ray
- Spoke count: 24/24
- Nipples: Sapim alloy
- Disc mount: Centerlock
- Claimed weight: 1,380g
- Price: £1,999/$2,299/€1,999
RP 35 LTD
!["Oquo]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2023/06/OQUORP35LTD-a8e106c.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"OQUO_RP_35_LTD\"")
- Rim material: Carbon
- Rim depth: 35mm
- Rim width (internal): 21mm
- Hub: Zipp Cognition V2
- Spokes: Sapim CX-Ray TCS
- Spoke count: 24/24
- Nipples: Sapim alloy
- Disc mount: Centerlock
- Claimed weight: 1,360g
- Price: £1,999/$2,299/€1,999
RP 45 TEAM
!["Oquo]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2023/06/OQUORP45TEAM-e51bc8f.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"OQUO_RP_45_TEAM\"")
- Rim material: Carbon
- Rim depth: 45mm
- Rim width (internal): 21mm
- Hub: Zipp ZR1
- Spokes: Sapim CX-Sprint
- Spoke count: 24/24
- Nipples: Sapim alloy
- Disc mount: Centerlock
- Claimed weight: 1,495g
- Price: £1,299/$1,599/€1,299
RP 35 TEAM
!["Oquo]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2023/06/OQUORP35TEAM-13f96bf.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"OQUO_RP_35_TEAM\"")
- Rim material: Carbon
- Rim depth: 35mm
- Rim width (internal): 21mm
- Hub: Zipp ZR1
- Spokes: Sapim CX-Sprint Oxi
- Spoke count: 24/24
- Nipples: Sapim alloy
- Disc mount: Centerlock
- Claimed weight: 1,465g
- Price: £1,299/$1,599/€1,299
RP 35 PRO
!["Oquo]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2023/06/OQUORP35PRO-9629b98.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"OQUO_RP_35_PRO\"")
- Rim material: Alloy
- Rim depth: 35mm
- Rim width (internal): 19mm
- Hub: Zipp ZR1
- Spokes: Sapim CX-Sprint
- Spoke count: 24/24
- Nipples: Sapim brass (black)
- Disc mount: Centerlock
- Claimed weight: N/A
- Price: £599/$799/£599
Road Control
The two Oquo Road Control wheelsets are pitched towards the broad churches of endurance, all-road and gravel riding.
Both wheelsets have a 25mm internal width and feature the mini-hook design. Orbea says this brings compatibility for 700 x 32-50c tyres.
One wheelset has a carbon rim, the other alloy, but both use Sapim CX-Sprint spokes laced to Zipp ZR1 hubs.
Orbea says the carbon RC 25 TEAM wheelset employs 24 front and 28 rear spokes, and weighs a claimed 1,390g. It can be had with an HG, XDR or N3W freehub body.
The alloy RC 25 PRO wheelset has 28 spokes in both wheels. Like the alloy Road Performance wheelset, claimed weights are yet to be supplied.
It can be bought with an HG or XDR freehub, but (like the Performance Road wheels) can’t be specced with an N3W body.
It’s worth noting that the Road Control nomenclature digits refer to rim width (compared to the Road Performance wheelsets, which refer to rim depth).
RC 25 TEAM
!["Oquo]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2023/06/OQUORC25TEAM-1bc429a.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"OQUO_RC_25_TEAM\"")
- Rim material: Carbon
- Rim depth: 30mm
- Rim width (internal): 25mm
- Hub: Zipp ZR1
- Spokes: Sapim CX-Sprint
- Spoke count: 24/28
- Nipples: Sapim alloy
- Disc mount: Centerlock
- Claimed weight: 1,390g
- Price: £1,299/$1,599/€1,299
RC 25 PRO
!["Oquo]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2023/06/OQUORC25PRO-f7e946f.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"OQUO_RC_25_PRO\"")
- Rim material: Alloy
- Rim depth: 35mm
- Rim width (internal): 19mm
- Hub: Zipp ZR1
- Spokes: Sapim CX-Sprint Oxi
- Spoke count: 28/28
- Nipples: Sapim brass (black)
- Disc mount: Centerlock
- Claimed weight: N/A
- Price: £599/$799/£599
Oquo Road Performance wheelset first impressions
!["Oquo]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2023/06/BR02223-cc89417.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Oquo")
At the press launch for the new Oquo wheelsets, I had the opportunity to try the top-specification RP 35 LTD and mid-level RP 35 TEAM options.
I rode around 70km on each wheelset in the hilly Navarre region of the Basque Country, enough to make plain that the Oquo wheels deliver enticing performance.
The Zipp Cognition hubs employed on the RP 35 LTD wheelset – and used on the American brand’s top-level NSW wheelsets – respond incredibly sharply to inputs of power, and pick up impressively when pedalling restarts after a brief freewheel.
There’s lots of stiffness here, which bodes well for use in the fastest environments (I’m told the wheels will be ridden in anger for the first time at the Tour de France Femmes and Clásica de San Sebastián later this year).
!["Oquo]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2023/06/BR02229-929bb27.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Oquo")
Set up tubeless with 25c Vittoria Corsa Speed tyres, they seemed to deal well with creases and cracks in the road. The combination delivered good road ‘feel’ and sensations of grip, although I was left with the impression that the wheels might have inspired even more confidence if they’d been shod with a wider set of road bike tyres.
I was also impressed by the ZR1-hubbed RP 35 TEAM wheelset. Pickup isn’t quite as rapid, but the overall balance of stiffness and compliance broadly remained (unsurprising, given the carbon rims are identical).
My impressions were skewed here by the use of 28c Vittoria Corsa N.EXT tyres (also set up tubeless), plus the wheelset being fitted to a lower-spec bike.
The 28c tyres certainly helped to smooth overall ride experience, and have left me wondering how both would perform on a broader spectrum of tarmac quality, fitted to a control bike.
!["Oquo]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2023/06/BR02214-854bae9.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Oquo")
While many will likely now equate Oquo with Orbea in the same way as Roval with Specialized, Bontrager with Trek, KNOT with Cannondale (and so on), Oquo wheels are intended to offer an upgrade path for riders of any bike.
As far as branding is concerned, Orbea has done a neat job of keeping it light yet distinctive, which the brand will hope will mean the wheels won’t offer a dreaded brand clash.
I’m looking forward to testing the Oquo Road Performance wheelsets in further depth to see if they can deliver the performance required to compete with the best hoops specialist manufacturers can offer.