Less Power, Better Ride? The Bold Move Behind the New Orbea Wild LT

The new Orbea Wild LT is just that: Wild, but in a tame, composed way. Orbea has tapped into the new Avinox M2S drive unit, but with their own tune, which surprisingly limits the peak power.

The new Wild LT is offered in alloy or carbon options and has some really smart integration details that make this a really unique offering amongst the current crop of full-power eMTBs. But just because they’ve de-tuned the peak power doesn’t mean they made the bike any less wild.

The Avinox M2S, Refined

First off, the Orbea Wild LT does use the Avinox M2S, but they have done some clever tinkering to make the most of the motor – just not in the way you might think. It’s not more powerful; in fact, Orbea has limited the Avinox M2S’s peak output to just 750W. The real magic is in the assist modes. Orbea has tweaked the motor’s behavior to better use that handicapped power. They have increased the pedal angle to be 5x more sensitive, the pedal torque to be 2x more sensitive, the pedal speed to be 3x more sensitive, and the assist start curve is now 3.2x faster.

All these tweaks make for a more responsive bike thanks to the detuned motor output; if these changes were made and the peak was still over 1,000W, the Wild LT would be completely unwieldy. It is important to note that the 1300W peak remains available in Boost mode, albeit only for a short burst.

What Orbea didn’t mess with was the torque output, and it still delivers 130 Nm of torque to make climbing and acceleration that much better. The SuperBoost mode will still let riders unlock the 150nm and 1,300W peak, but it is limited to a 60-second rip.

Furthermore, it’s not all nerfed; riders will still be able to add a tune to the bike that overrides the RS tune without trashing it, allowing them to unlock the full power of the Avinox M2S drive unit if they feel like playing with fire.

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Orbea also states that this detune on the M2S means up to a 25% energy saving, since riders won’t always be using the full fat of the system. Furthermore, there are two battery options available: a smaller 600Wh cell and the larger 800Wh option, which comes stock. The alloy frame options are only available with the larger 800Wh battery.

Integration Station

As we saw with the Rallon RS earlier this year, Orbea is going all in on integration with the Wild LT, and the main battery will power the dropper, derailleur, optional NEO shock, and lights (if equipped). One charger for everything, which is pretty nice. 

The RS HMI controller is the brain of the Wild LT’s nervous system, letting riders control almost everything on the bike. Using the remote, which also controls the dropper, riders can cycle through the stock assist modes, toggle the lights, engage walk mode, and power-cycle the drive unit, all without reaching for the top-tube display.

Geometry

In terms of geo, it looks like the Wild LT is quite similar to the Rallon, save for a few tweaks here and there to better align with the type of riding one gravitates towards on a full-power eMTB (a higher BB).

A major change from the previous Wild is the introduction of geometry-adjusting flip chips for head tube angle, seat tube angle, and bottom bracket height. Across the board, the Wild LT gets 448mm chainstays, which do seem a little restrictive for riders who like a shorter rear-center, but you can still run a mixed-wheel setup to make things slightly more playful.

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Quality of Life Details

The new Wild LT also comes with a few quality-of-life touches that should make long-term ownership much easier. This includes improved cable routing (no headset routing), protective film throughout the frame, fully sealed bearings, and a multitool with 2, 3, 4, and 5mm hex keys held in the pivot, while the rear axle holds a 6mm hex.

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Thanks to the Avinox M2S, Orbea was able to design the bike they wanted, and that bike is based on the new Rallon. Due to the M2S’s small size, the Wild LT can maintain a lower, more stable center of gravity, and when that is coupled with the suspension design found on the new Rallon, things look pretty damn tempting.

Pricing and Build Options

The Wild LT H20 starts at $6,173 USD (5,599€, £4,899) and will feature an aluminum frame, an Avinox M2S motor with an 800Wh battery, a RockShox Zeb Base fork, a Fox Float X Performance shock, a Shimano Deore drivetrain, Shimano MT420 brakes, and a Race Face AR wheelset.

The Wild LT M-LTD RS, at the other end of the spectrum, will retail for $14,883 USD (13.499€, £11,879). With a carbon frame, Avinox M2S motor (800Wh battery stock, 600Wh available), Fox Factory 38 fork and X2 shock, SRAM XX drivetrain, SRAM Maven Ultimate brakes, and Orbea’s own carbon Oquo MC32LTD wheelset.

To learn more and see the full price breakdown, visit Orbea.com and play around with the MyO program to custom paint your own.