Since 2017, with the Terra, a real gravel bike has been part of the Orbea range. Right from the start, it was always at the top of the sales list. Eight years after its introduction, the Spanish manufacturer is now presenting its first ever e-gravel bike. Read on to find out whether the Orbea Denna also has what it takes to be a bestseller and how it differs from Orbea’s e-road bike, the Gain.
1. Success story mid-motor
2. Specifically designed motor profiles
3. Promise of remarkable range
4. Plenty of space for wide tyres
5. Carbon frame with flex?
6. Orbea Denna featuring a wide range of models
1. Success story mid-motor
In its press releases, Orbea emphasises that the new Orbea Denna breaks down boundaries. Actually, it has to. At least for those who come from road bikes but prefer to seek out off-road fun. Or for those who often ride their mountain bikes on technically easier terrain and would like to ride faster or longer distances there. In the past, Orbea has tended to lose both target groups to the competition.
So now the manufacturer is launching the Denna, so to speak, a charm offensive for all gravel fans. And to do that, it is taking an approach that combines the features of an e-road bike with those of a hardtail e-mountain bike in its own e-gravel bike. This means, for example, saying goodbye to the rear hub motor that you know from the Orbea Gain. Instead, the choice fell on the currently most powerful mid-mounted motor from Shimano, the EP801. Orbea has been working with this for quite some time in its Rise and Urrun e-mountain bikes. As such, it has plenty of experience with the unit. And apparently these were so convincing that the decision was made in favour of this drive. So they prefer to accept a slightly higher weight and use the advantages of a full-power motor.
2. Specifically designed motor profiles
According to Orbea, the Denna is a gravel-oriented e-road bike. The manufacturer implements these specifics primarily electronically. Based on Shimano hardware, the self-developed motor firmware and a suitable motor tuning give the drive its very own characteristics. The goal was to increase the range and also to offer as much traction as possible on loose surfaces. To achieve this, the Shimano EP801 was apparently toned down a bit.
The result is called ‘Gravel’ and ‘Gravel Plus’. Both are pre-configured motor profiles that you can select in the app. ‘Gravel’ is designed to give you the most natural riding experience possible. Ok, that’s what all ebike manufacturers say. In the case of the Orbea Denna, it means that in Eco mode, the motor is set to almost the absolute minimum. The smoothest response when starting from a standstill. Torque reduced to 20 Newton metres. As for the level of support, which can be set to one of 15 levels between Eco and Powerful, level 2 is selected. Even in Boost mode, the values remain at around a third of the maximum that the motor can provide.
If you want to benefit from the motor’s support for as long as possible, pedal at a high cadence and usually ride on terrain with good traction, you’ll like this profile. On the other hand, ‘Gravel plus’ is recommended when sand, gravel, roots and rough asphalt make it difficult to move forward and you want more torque even at lower cadences. Even then, there is still untapped potential in the Eco, Trail and Boost riding modes. However, the app gives you enough freedom to replace Orbea’s defaults with your own settings. After all, 85 Nm of torque and 350 watts of peak power are basically possible. Only you will have to lower your expectations in terms of range.
3. Promise of remarkable range
Coming as standard, the battery is built into the down tube and provides 420 watt hours of power. According to Orbea, this is enough to climb a maximum of 3,500 metres. We can’t say whether this is actually achievable in practice. To be on the safe side, you could get a range extender for the system. It weighs only about one kilogram and comes with an additional 210 watt-hours. The familiar Shimano EN600-L control unit serves as the interface for accessing the e-drive. This detracts a little from the riding experience. Unfortunately, Shimano does not yet offer control units that can be more conveniently placed on a drop bar. Other system manufacturers are way ahead in this respect.
4. Plenty of space for wide tyres
The tyre clearance offered by the Denna is absolutely suitable for gravel bikes. The tyres on the standard models measure 45 millimetres in width. With this measurement, even mudguards can easily be fitted to the ebike. The frame has the necessary mounts for this. However, if you want to take advantage of the maximum 50 millimetres, you will have to do without the mudguards.
5. Carbon frame with flex?
Orbea started from scratch with the Denna’s geometry. There are several differences between the Denna and both the Gain and the Terra. However, what all three have in common is carbon as the frame material. Weight and stiffness are simply two of the aspects in which carbon still outperforms most other alternatives. Apart from that, the Denna relies on a combination of a longer top tube and a relatively short stem compared to the Gain, which is much more road-oriented. This usually allows for more precise steering and gives you more control in slightly more demanding terrain. The larger bottom bracket height and wheelbase aim in a similar direction. Orbea says that the 425-millimetre-long chain stays are long enough to increase riding stability without sacrificing agility.
Even the design of the tubes follows specific requirements. The fork tubes, seat and chain stays, and top tube alternate between narrower and more massive sections. Their shapes also change. Where the design appears more filigree, the frame is designed to flex vertically. This absorbs minor vibrations, prevents muscle fatigue and increases riding comfort. At the same time, the flex is so slight that it neither absorbs valuable energy that you put into moving forward, nor makes the ebike react nervously.
6. Orbea Denna featuring a wide range of models
When it comes to the features of the seven models in the series, all we can say is that there is almost nothing that is not available. Gears from Shimano and Sram. Electronic and mechanical. Brakes also from both market leaders. The standard frame colours provide a little more uniformity. Here you have the choice between Matt Nickel/Carbon Raw Gloss and Escape Green Gloss/Foggy Matt. Although, there is still Orbea’s own personalisation service called Myo. This gives you access to countless other colours. You can also choose from a range of options within the programme, including stems of different lengths and angles, handlebars of different widths and flares, seat posts with or without setback, and a choice of aluminium or carbon wheelsets.
The models equipped ex works range in price from 5,299 euros to 9,999 euros. There is no upper limit. Therefore, there was no boundary at this point that the Denna could break down. 😉
Orbea Denna 2025 at a glance
- Variants: Orbea Denna M11e, Orbea Denna M10i 2025, Orbea Denna M20i 2025, Orbea Denna M31e 2025, Orbea Denna M20 2025, Orbea Denna M30 2025, Orbea Denna M40 2025
- Frame: carbon
- Fork: carbon
- Motor: Shimano EP801
- Battery: Orbea Internal 420Wh
- Control unit: Shimano EN600-L
- Drivetrain: Sram Red XPLR AXS 13s, Shimano XT Di2 M8150 12s SGS Shadow Plus, Sram Rival XPLR eTAP AXS, Shimano GRX RX822 GS, Shimano Cues U6000 GS Shadow
- Brakes: Sram Red AXS, Shimano R9270, Shimano R8170, Sram Rival eTap AXS, Shimano RX820, Shimano RX400, Shimano RS405
- Weight: from 13.3 kg
- Maximum permitted total weight: n.a.
- Colours: Matt Nickel/Carbon Raw Gloss, Escape Green Gloss/Foggy Matt
- Prices: from 5,299 euros
