Orbea's third-generation Terra is a far more defined gravel bike than its predecessors, and it now has more of everything: mounts, tyre clearance, storage, and most of all, capability. It's more of a jack of all trades than either the previous generation Terra or its sibling Terra Race, and for anyone who loves a long day on the saddle, it's a bike to consider.
I first rode the Terra on home soil, in the Basque Country gravel near Vitoria-Gasteiz, on largely smooth, rolling tracks. The bike was introduced to the press at the same time as the racier Terra Race, and after the camp, I had to decide which one to review (though we will likely have reviews of both in the future). And despite the Terra Race really tickling my competitive, want-to-ride-fast side, deep down I enjoy exploring and long distance more than speed, and so I made the choice to call in the Terra.
Suvi Loponen
Soon after, a test bike landed in Glasgow, and I did the obvious smart thing: I rode the Badger Divide, a 320 km route from Inverness back to Glasgow. With wider-than-stock tyres and my own saddle, the Terra made line choices easier and the whole ride that little bit more enjoyable – and made me quickly agree with the marketing spiel that this bike is for exploring.
Highs: Calm, confidence-building geometry that works well on long days. Very usable tyre clearance to 700×50 mm (45 mm with full mudguards). Functional down tube storage. Practical standards (27.2 mm post, round steerer, UDH) and MyO paint and components options that make fit and customisation easier at no extra cost.
Lows: Long reach + tall stack may still challenge the smallest riders. Lacks the punch of stiffer frames.
Price: US$6,299 / £5,749 / €5,999 / AU$10,199
Weight: 8.15 kg / 18 lb (including two bottle cages and computer mount)
The Terra frame
Orbea splits the new Terra into seven complete builds, but there's only one chassis, which means the OMR carbon fibre frame composition remains the same through those models, apart from size-specific tweaks in the layup. At first glance, the most eye-catching feature of the frame is the big-volume Lockr storage in the down tube, which is in high contrast to the thin and flat top tube, and compact rear triangle with dropped seatsays (in all but the XS size; more on this in a bit).
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