Orbea Occam H30 (2021)
The Occam H30 is the lowest trimmed full suspension mountain bike you can get from Orbea's Occam lineup. When I placed my order for this back in September 2021, it was still going for $2,499 and I had to wait 4 months to get it from my local bike shop (LBS). By December of 2021, the price increased to $2,599; that darn inflation hit and the lead time was even longer than 4 months.
The specs on this bike is pretty typical for this price range and you'll find very similar builds across other brands as well. It comes with a Marzochhi Bomber Z2 fork, Fox DPS rear shock, Shimano 1x12 drivetrain, Orbea's house brand dropper post, and Shimano MT201 2-pot hydraulic brakes. The wheels are aluminum and tubeless ready rounded out with Maxxis tires.
If you're looking to impress other riders with a flashy bike that screams, "look how much $$$ I spent!!", then this bike isn't for you. Nothing about this bike says, "look at me!". But if you're someone who just wants to shred on a great full suspension bike that doesn't require a mortgage, this bike is for you. You'll also find yourself sort of in an exclusive club too, since most people won't have this bike. How many times have you been on a trail and seen at least a dozen other people all riding the same Specialized or Santa Cruz bike? I mean, who wants to be like everyone else???
In my opinion, the most unique feature of this bike is the clean frame. Most all of the weld points have been shaved, and as many have commented before, the bike looks like a carbon frame. Only after you've closely inspected the rear triangle and chain stay area do you finally see a few weld spots to reveal it's true material. The bike isn't exactly a lightweight either. I've never actually weighed it, but my guesstimate is somewhere around 35 lbs.
After all that praise, sounds like the perfect bike, right? Well, is anything ever perfect? Here's the two things that I feel are it's weak points. First, the brakes are way under powered. The MT201's are Shimano's entry level hydraulic brakes and while it gets the job done, you'll quickly find that it doesn't inspire much confidence when bombing downhill. Definitely the first thing to upgrade. Second, and this is purely a matter of personal preference, is the saddle. I find the saddle to be a bit too stiff for my liking. My hind quarters have been spoiled for many years riding a Serfas gel seat so I swapped it out.
I couldn't be happier with this bike and will be riding it for many years to come. Just remember, riding an expensive bike doesn't make you a better rider or miraculously give you skills you didn't have before.
