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Orbea Gain M20i Review

Richard Shrubb
By
Richard Shrubb,
Contributing Author
Kristy Snyder
By
Kristy Snyder,
Professional Editor
Images from manufacturer's website

40 mi

RANGE

20 mph

TOP SPEED

4 hrs

CHARGE TIME

25 lbs

WEIGHT

Rear Hub

MOTOR TYPE

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Orbea Gain M20i Review: Takeaway

The Orbea Gain M20i 20mph is a top-quality training road bike. It’s perfect for those who are older, returning from injury, or just want to give less than 100% outside competition. It comes in the color of your choice and a variety of setups according to your needs and wants.

Ideal for...

Touring Training
Those Wanting a Blend Between an E-Bike and Traditional Bike
Riders Returning from Injury
Exercising with Help when Needed

E-Bike Overview

With its low weight and fairly gentle rear hub motor, the Gain M20i 20 mph is ideal for someone returning from injury or who is getting older and wants to keep up with the club peloton.

Thanks to its carbon frame, fork, and wheels, it comes in at a featherweight 25.3 lbs. The 250W, rear hub motor and 248 Wh battery give a gentle push on a hill without their weight making it feel like an e-bike.

The rear hub motor offers minimal pedal resistance when you aren’t using it or have run out of battery. This can mean you can choose when to use the motor assistance instead of needing power all the time like on mid-drive e-bikes such as the Cannondale Road E+ 1 Pro.

As one of the world’s leading racing bike makers, Orbea builds each e-bike with master craftsman expertise for the perfect riding experience.

Reasons to Buy

One of Orbea’s eccentricities is that you can almost endlessly personalize the bike when you order it. This particular model comes in a choice of three colors — or you can choose your own to your style and taste. Customize the frame size, handlebar configuration, tires, and saddles as you make this just the machine for your needs.

In particular, the Gain M20i is great as a training bike to support your non-competition rides, perhaps so you can get 100% of speed without hitting 100% effort on climbs. It’s also good if age is catching up with you and you don’t want to lose touch with your riding buddies.

Things to Consider

The Orbea Gain M20i isn’t a full-powered e-bike like the Cannondale Road E+ Pro. It has a smaller, lighter battery and a smaller, lighter rear hub motor. It’ll ride with the agility and comfort of a traditional all-carbon race bike, but there are electric road bikes out there that deliver more power and range.

Specs & Components

Brand
Orbea
Motor
Mahle X35 Plus rear hub
Battery
248 Wh in-tube
Cockpit
Mahle
Power Delivery
PAS
Gear System
Shimano Ultegra electronic, 12-speed rear, 2-speed front
Frame/Fork
Carbon monocoque
Wheels
Carbon. Choice of road tires — 28c or 30c
Saddle
Choice of Saddle
Handlebars
Choice of Handlebars
Colors
Personal choice or, red, gray, or green

The specs above come from the manufacturer and may vary from what you’ve experienced. Notice something that needs correcting? Let us know.

Ratings

Power
3/5
3

This bike is deliberately under-powered by Orbea so the experienced rider can get a gentle push without too much extra weight. Even so, it’s far less powerful than other bikes in the same class, so we’ve docked it a couple of points. You’ll find it accelerates quickly and maintains its speed due to the low rolling resistance of the tires.

Range
3/5
3

The designers of this e-bike have chosen to use a smaller battery to save on weight. The 40-mile range is possible, but it’ll require conservative battery usage.

You’ll expend a lot of energy pedaling this bike as you would a road bike, but it’ll give you the added push where you want to dial back with your legs.

Battery range is impacted by payload weight, weather conditions, and terrain. A larger rider in a crosswind will get fewer miles than a lighter rider in less windy conditions, for example.

Comfort
5/5
5

As close to an all-out competition road bike as you can get from an e-bike, the Orbea Gain M20i seats you in a tucked, racing position. This can be uncomfortable for riders unused to road racing bikes, but there are models more suited to newbies.

There are also five different sizes to choose from on this e-bike, accommodating riders from 4’9″ to 6’5″. Both the stock Fiziki Aliante R5 stock saddle and the Fiziki Antares R5 Versus Evo upgraded saddle are highly rated when it comes to comfort.

Durability
4/5
4

A complex machine like this requires a lot of maintenance to keep in good condition. Regularly inspect and clean everything from the electronic gear system to the chain.

Orbea offers lifetime warranties on its frames, forks, and wheels.

Style
5/5
5

Even without your own personal choice of color for the frame, the Orbea Gain M20i is an unarguably beautiful road machine. Its downtube is small enough that you may not immediately think a battery is inside, and the proportions are just right with a bit of magic Spanish flair added.

Our Research Methodology

We personally research and test every e-bike featured in our reviews and guides to provide accurate, data-driven recommendations. Learn how we review.

About Our Editorial Team

Richard Shrubb
Written by Richard Shrubb
Contributing Author
Richard is a well-established journalist and copywriter with years of experience in the EV and e-bike world. He has worked with international sailing magazines, e-bike publications, and national newspapers.
Kristy Snyder
Edited by Kristy Snyder
Professional Editor
Kristy Snyder is a professional writer and editor living in Pittsburgh with over 10 years of content creation experience. When she's not contributing to eBikes.org, Kristy enjoys reading, practicing yoga, drinking beer, and hitting up rail trails.

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