I'm looking to get my forst real road bike- a 2007 Orbea Orca. I am relatively new to the road cycling world, but have heard a lot of positive things about this bike. I'm an architect and also happen to appreciate the slightly different design direction taken by the Orbea in the new Orca frame.

Anyway, I've seen this bike on a number of web sites for around $4700-$4800 for the Orca w/ Sram Force compnents. Then I noticed the fine print on these sites where it states they cannot ship the bike to you. Apparently, if you want an Orbea you have to configure the bike oyu want on their web site and then have you local bike shop order it that way. Why is this? I'd like to order the bike online and avoid paying $400 in sales tax if I could.

I live in Los Angeles so if anybody has any info to share I'd greatly appreciate it. I've already been to Helens in Manhattan Beach and their pricing is the same as the MSRP listed on Orbea's site. I guess nobody is making deals on these bikes?

Thanks in advance!
not2blu

I know this sounds odd, but personally, being as compulsive as I am, I would build it up myself. I would order the frame, then get a Record group from 11speed with a high end set of wheels of my choice, then go from there.

For a frame like that, I would accept nothing less than a personal custom build with the best components available. I too love this frame. The lines are second to none. I personally think it's one of the most beautifully elegent carbon frames on the market right now.

But this is just me. As for your personal situation, I honestly wouldn't know what to say, other than to find a high end quality bike shop in your area, with a Pro builder, and have them do a good fit session. Then, order you the bike the way you want it, with the gruppo and wheels of your choice, etc.

Nice choice! I'm waiting on an orange Orca frameset myself.

As I suspected, these are guidelines set down by Orbea as a condition for selling their bikes/frames. Probably to reduce the risk of "poaching" on LBS territory. BTW, the print is not so fine!

This is not unique to Orbea or to the bike industry. Try buying a rolex online from an authorized dealer.

Companies do this to maintain the prospeity of their distribution channels and ensure that their distributors have a decent chance to make a living.

I'd advise you that in light of the significant expenditure involved in your Orca, you develop a decent LBS relationship, get fitted properly and get advice from the people there about cycling. Being new to cycling this can be the best expenditure you made.

+1

I've purchased a 2003 Fuji Team, a 2004 Cervelo Soloist Team, my Orca frameset, and a bunch of other stuff from the same LBS over the years and they do things to keep my business even offering services at no charge. A good LBS relationship is worth the extra cost they sometimes charge.

Maybe too much bike for a "first real road bike" ?? but what the heck I've being there...

cycleworldbikes.com is also a store in Northridge, CA. The owners love to wheel and deal and persistence might get you 15-20% off. Lifetime free minor tuneups too. They definitely carry Orbeas although they are hard to find on their website.

Just purchased this 2007 Orbea Orca. Fit is very important and we preferred working with a good LBS so that we could see what components and wheels look like on the frame. If you do not like it, change it out. Weight as pictured below 15.9 pounds from LBS digital scale.

SEXY! I also just bought an Orbea [Opal] with SRAM Force from my LBS and the experience was great! I'd recommend checking out the Orca with Force components. I think Orbea has some kind of deal with SRAM because the Orca with Force is $4,850 versus $6,650 with Record (www.orbea-usa.com). Record is AWESOME, but I don't know that it's $1,800 more awesome than Force... Just my $0.02

That is hot. But it cries out for a white saddle.

White Saddle +1

I bought my Orbea at Budget Pro Bicycles in Eagle Rock. They quoted me MSRP when I ordered it, but charged me a little less when it arrived. The price included a fit session and lifetime tuneups. I continue to get great service.

Orcas are very sweet bikes...I got to ride on the other day. I also road a Diva and it was just as nice.....consideing I was way to big for it.

What gruppo is that...Ultegra? And what Rolf wheels are those...?

Sweet looking ride, and I would consider a lighter saddle like the Specialized Toupe...and I think I would have gone for a double, not a triple chainring...

I'd love to ride an '07 Orca and see how it compares to my '06 Orca.

I think it's dura ace and the wheels are Rolf Prima Elan Aeros - I have a set on my Opera Palladio - they are terrific!

I have the black Rolf Prima Elan Aero's but its hard to tell because they all look alike...

My '06 Orca is 14.75 lbs. (sans pedals) with the Rolf wheels, Toupe saddle, and some retro-fitted titanium hardware...

That bike could be sub-15 lbs. with a lighter saddle and if it weren't a triple chainring...

Correct on the wheels and gruppo. The saddle deal is that it can be swapped out for anything else so a white is possible. The compact versus triple was pondered and because of the hills and wanted a higher top end, decided on the triple.

She's a beauty LOTR's!!! Someday I will own one of those, but I must get better to justify spending the big bucks.

I saw another Orca at the shop with the SRAM Force Gruppo, Look Keo super dooper titaniam pedals, a saddle and Bontrager Race XXX carbon tubulars and it weighed 15.4 pounds on the digital scale.

Also, the bike pictured is 48 cm and set up for a woman (wife). Seat is wider, handlebars are Bontrager Carbon short reach. She was custom fitted and the Orbea Orca had the best match for frame geometry. She road an Orbea for a couple of hours as well as other bikes before making a selection. Then we built up the bike.

This is the point for the OP. For a first road bike, this is going to cost a lot of dough no matter how good you shop so get the fit right, ride the bike and make sure you like the ride. The Orca is a very cool bike and looks better in person and according to my wife rides and climbs like a dream.

First off, bikes are usually weighed without pedals...nevertheless. that is still a damned light bike...

I saw the saddle and frame size and stem length and knew it was for a woman already. One of my three road bikes has a triple and it has never been a handicap shifting, accelerating, etc.

Your wife must be loving it. As far as saddles go, I am not a woman (I SWEAR!) but I will tell you this...if you spent that much on a road bike for a woman, buy saddles as though they are free, until she finds the one that is right. The saddle is the biggest hindrance for a woman to keep riding, in my experience with women...but once they find the right one, they are good to go...

Wow whats the frames size for that bike

+infiniti on all the good reasons to get to an LBS. Also, you can join any number of blike clubs or advocacy organizations which will get you 10-15% off new bikes at many a LBS.

The pedals are Shimano Dura Ace and I remember that I had the LBS weigh them and they matched Shimano's advertized weight. So just subtract the Dura Ace pedals and you have the weight of the bike sans pedals. I agree that for marketing purposes, it makes no sense for a company to advertize weights with pedals, but when the bike was completed, we hung it on the digital scale. FYI... the frame alone weighs 1050 grams.

The seat is a Terry Butterfly. She has one on the tandem as well and can ride for hours without any seat problems. However, the deal with the LBS is that she can elect to try other saddles for the next few months and swap them out. Her issue was finding a high end bike frame that she liked that fit. The process took several weeks and lots of test rides.

And you are right, she loves the fit and the ride.

Cheaper if you can custom build it. My friend just built one and cost him just a bit over 5000:

Frame: 2200 from gottarides.com
Record group: 1200 from 11speed
Mavic ES: 800 from ebay
Fsa seatpost, stem, k-wing bar: 500
Look Keo pedal: 120 from probikekit
Tires, tube: 80

gottarides.com ? Is that an Ebay site or something?