ORBEA ORCA M35SE 2016

£1399

The frame is a cracker...

... No, we don’t mean it’s going to break. Orbea’s OMP carbon is a rung below the stuff the pros ride, but still makes for a very nice frame that weighs a bit over a kilo, and it’s paired with a natty, full-carbon fork. Specwise this bike is nothing special – the wheels are basic and the own-brand brakes aren’t quite as nice as the groupset-matching 105 option – but the chassis is genuinely excellent, and worthy of some serious component upgrades down the line. The ride quality is springy and exciting, and it’s a fearsome climber. The Orca is definitely a race bike and you’ll feel the bumps, but road buzz is well controlled and it’s a precise and rewarding steed.

It looks the part

You may not consider this a selling point, but if you squint you could be forgiven for mistaking this Orbea for a team bike from that marginal gainsobsessed WorldTour squad, Team Sky – it’s a strikingly similar shade of blue. Regardless of your feelings for the Brailsford bunch, this is a tidy-looking bike, from the funky, squared-off fork dropouts to the stout bottom bracket and fully internal cabling.

It’s a bargain right now

A new Orbea Orca’s just been launched so this is the perfect time to grab a bargain on the outgoing bike. At full retail this wasn’t what you’d call a screaming deal, but this model is currently discounted by £600. The 2017 machine will be a bit lighter and stiffer, but that doesn’t change the fact the old one is a damn good bike.

ONE THING WE’D CHANGE Its tyres... for starters

We’d struggle to limit ourselves to one to be honest – the slightly skinny tyres would be first to go, quickly followed by that rather squishy saddle. Eventually we’d shell out for some wheels more worthy of the frameset, but they’ll do for now.