2026 Orbea Occam SL and Occam LT
Wheel Size: 29’’
Travel:
- Occam SL: 140 mm rear / 140 mm front
- Occam LT: 150 mm rear / 160 mm front
- Sizes offered: S, M, L, XL
- Headtube angle: 65.5°
- Seat tube angle: 78°
- Reach: 490 mm (size Large)
- Chainstay length: 440 mm
- Sizes offered: S, M, L, XL
- Headtube angle: 64° / 64.5°
- Seat tube angle: 77° / 77.5°
- Reach: 480 / 485 mm (size Large)
- Chainstay length: 440 mm
Frame Material: Carbon fiber (aluminum version carries over unchanged)
Price: Complete bikes from $2,999 to $9,999
Intro
Orbea is giving their Occam SL and Occam LT Trail bike siblings an update, and while the changes aren’t dramatic, they’re going to be welcome ones for a lot of folks — first and foremost, the addition of cable routing ports on the downtube so that you can forgo the headset routing of the prior-version frames if you’re so inclined. Let’s check out what they’ve changed.The Frames
The new Occam carbon frame is mostly the same as the old one — Orbea has added cable ports to the downtube so that you no longer need to use headset routing, and given the Occam the +/- 0.75 degree headset (with a neutral 0° option in the middle) that debuted with the new Rallon a couple of weeks ago. The new Occam gets some new color options as well, but is unchanged otherwise. There’s still an aluminum version of the Occam frame available as well, but it doesn’t get the new headset or cable ports.
Orbea offers two versions of the Occam: the shorter-travel, efficiency-focused Occam SL, and its longer-travel sibling, the Occam LT. Both share the same front and rear triangles (in both aluminum and carbon fiber versions) but use different shock extenders to produce substantial differences in geometry. The Occam SL uses a carbon fiber yoke and a 50 mm-stroke shock to produce 140 mm of rear wheel travel (paired with a 140 mm-travel fork). The Occam LT gets an aluminum yoke with a geometry-adjusting flip chip that, in conjunction with a longer 55 mm-stroke shock, produces 150 mm of rear wheel travel and geometry to suit a 160 mm-travel fork.
The carbon Occam frame still supports headset cable routing if that’s your preference, but now features cable ports on the downtube so the headset routing isn’t mandatory. You can choose which routing configuration you’d prefer through Orbea’s MyO customization tool when you order one. The Occam frame also now supports the optional +/- 0.75° offset headset cups that Orbea uses on the new Rallon Enduro / DH bike.
The rest of the frame details carry over unchanged; check out our First Look from when this iteration of the Occam launched back in late 2023 for all the info.
Fit & Geometry
Orbea offers the Occam SL and Occam LT in four sizes, Small through XL. Both use most of the same frame components, but the geometry varies by more than it did on the outgoing Occam and Occam LT, due to the differences in shock yoke and fork length. Both new Occams feature 440 mm chainstays across the size range, but the Occam SL gets a fixed 65.5° headtube angle, while the Occam LT comes in at 64.5° or 64°, depending on the flip chip setting. The geometry tweaks also mean that the Occam SL gets a slightly steeper seat tube angle (78°, vs. 77.5° / 77° on the Occam LT) and its reach grows slightly as well, with the Large Occam SL coming in at 490 mm, and the Occam LT at 485 / 480 mm, again depending on the flip chip setting. The reach changes by 25 mm per size, topping out at 515 mm on the XL Occam SL, with the Occam LT starting at 430 mm for the Small frame in the low setting.
The Builds
Orbea offers a wide range of builds on the Occam SL and Occam LT, plus additional options for customizing things like the dropper post length, brake selection, wheel upgrades, and more through their “MYO” program on their website. On both the Occam SL and Occam LT, the “H” builds indicate an aluminum frame, while “M” ones get the carbon option.
The Occam SL builds all get Orbea’s own “Squidlock” remote lockout lever for the fork and shock, which toggles both in unison. Orbea has developed custom “I-Line” versions of the new Float rear shock with Fox, which tuck the remote lockout cable above the shock where it’s hidden from view by the frame. The remote puts the fork and rear shock into “Climb” mode (i.e., the middle of the three modes on non-remote shocks) when firming things up, and both into “Open” when releasing them.
Here are the highlights for all the Occam SL builds:
- Drivetrain: Shimano Deore 12-speed
- Brakes: Shimano MT201
- Fork: Marzocchi Bomber Z2
- Shock: Fox Float Performance
- Wheels: n/a
- Dropper Post: OC Mountain Control MC21
- Drivetrain: Shimano XT w/ SLX cassette and Deore chain
- Brakes: Shimano XT 2-piston
- Fork: Fox 36 SL Performance
- Shock: Fox Float Performance
- Wheels: Race Face AR 30
- Dropper Post: OC Mountain Control MC21
- Drivetrain: Shimano SLX w/ XT rear derailleur and Deore chain; Race Face Aeffect crank
- Brakes: Shimano Deore 2-piston
- Fork: Fox 36 SL Performance
- Shock: Fox Float Performance
- Wheels: Race Face AR 30
- Dropper Post: OC Mountain Control MC21
- Drivetrain: Shimano XT w/ SLX cassette and Deore chain
- Brakes: Shimano XT 4-piston
- Fork: Fox 36 SL Factory
- Shock: Fox Float Factory
- Wheels: Oquo Mountain Performance MP30 Team
- Dropper Post: OC Mountain Control MC21
- Drivetrain: SRAM XX Transmission
- Brakes: Shimano XTR M9220 four-piston
- Fork: Fox 36 SL Factory
- Shock: Fox Float Factory
- Wheels: Oquo PM30 LTD carbon
- Dropper Post: Fox Transfer SL Factory
The Occam LT builds forgo the remote lockout featured of the SL variants and get beefed-up suspension, heavier-duty wheels and tires (depending on the exact build), and so on. As with the Occam SL, there are a variety of options for tweaking spec options through the MYO program — including DH-casing tires if you’re so inclined — as well as tweaking bar height, seatpost drop, brake upgrades, and more on many of the builds. Custom paint is also available on the M10 and higher builds.
Here are the highlights for all the Occam LT builds:
- Drivetrain: Shimano SLX w/ XT rear derailleur and Deore chain; Race Face Aeffect crank
- Brakes: Shimano Deore 4-piston
- Fork: Fox 36 Performance
- Shock: Fox Float X Performance
- Wheels: Alloy, tubeless
- Dropper Post: OC Mountain Control MC21
- Drivetrain: Shimano SLX w/ XT rear derailleur and Deore chain; Race Face Aeffect crank
- Brakes: Shimano Deore 4-piston
- Fork: Fox 36 Performance
- Shock: Fox Float X Performance
- Wheels: Race Face AR 30
- Dropper Post: OC Mountain Control MC21
- Drivetrain: Shimano SLX w/ XT rear derailleur and Deore chain; Race Face Aeffect crank
- Brakes: Shimano Deore 4-piston
- Fork: Fox 36 Performance
- Shock: Fox Float X Performance
- Wheels: Race Face AR 30
- Dropper Post: OC Mountain Control MC22
- Drivetrain: Shimano XT w/ SLX cassette and Deore chain; Race Face Turbine crank
- Brakes: Shimano XT 4-piston
- Fork: Fox 36 Factory Grip X
- Shock: Fox Float X Factory
- Wheels: Oquo Mountain Control MC32 Team
- Dropper Post: OC Mountain Control MC10
- Drivetrain: SRAM X0 T-Type w/ GX chain and cassette
- Brakes: Shimano XT four-piston
- Fork: Fox 36 Factory Grip X
- Shock: Fox DHX Factory
- Wheels: Oquo Mountain Control MC32 LTD
- Dropper Post: OC Mountain Control MC10
Bottom Line (For Now)
Orbea hasn’t changed a ton about the new Occam siblings, but we like the changes that they’ve made — especially the addition of downtube cable routing ports so that you can forgo headset routing — and tacking on the new adjustable headset is a nice touch, too. We spent some time on the Occam LT a while back (before the headset / cable routing update), and BLISTER+ Members and folks with our Digital Access Pass can check out our impressions below. We’ll report back if and when we get enough time on either of the Occam variants for a proper Full Review.
Flash Review: Our Initial On-Trail Impressions
BLISTER+ members and those who purchase our Digital Access Pass can check out the Flash Review below to read our initial on-trail impressions. Get our Digital Access Pass to view all our Flash Reviews and Deep Dives, or become a BLISTER+ member today to get access to that and a LOT more, including the best worldwide Outdoor Injury Insurance, exclusive deals and discounts on skis, personalized gear recommendations from us, and much more.
Flash Review — 2024 Orbea Occam LT
Orbea is talking about the new Occam LT as being quite different from the bike it replaces, and we’ve started spending time on it to find out how accurate that is. Check out our early impressions.
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