A 2026 Orbea Oiz XC prototype was spotted in Nove Mesto, using the same core single-pivot layout as the current 120mm Oiz. The new OO Lab design repositions the rear shock by tucking it inside the lower half of the top tube, aiming for a more integrated and lightweight appearance. Orbea Factory Team mechanics used custom wrapping to conceal a prototype that may already be finished in official Factory Team paint, suggesting a near launch. Multiple prototype versions were seen during setup and racing, while most riders continued using the existing Oiz. The clearest view came from Simon Andreassen, whose bike showed a slender raw carbon frame and a shortened link driving a normal shock.
"Even though it shares the same core single-pivot layout as the current 120mm Oiz, this new OO Lab prototype mountain bike repositions its rear shock, tucked inside the lower half of the toptube for a more integrated, more lightweight look. But what can we tell from our sneak peek?"
"In fact, the Orbea mechanics had this pretty slick custom wrap to cover up what may be a version of their unreleased Oiz, already finished in the official Orbea Factory Team paint job? That would suggest that even though some of the raw carbon OOLab-labelled prototypes still looked like a 'work in process', this painted bike would suggest a launch very soon!"
"The all-new bike design takes Orbea's in-line shock layout one step further, tucking the rear shock up into the lower half of the top tube. It still has a shortened link to drive a normal shock, but overall, the raw carbon prototype frame appears more slender and visually lighter than the bikes the majority of the Orbea Factory Team were racing at the Czech round of the XC World Cup."
"Besides that bike hidden under wraps, we still spotted a couple versions of the new prototype out in the open as it was being set up, worked on, and raced over the weekend. But most of the Orbea riders were still racing on the existing Oiz."
Read at Bikerumor
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