Meet Denna, Orbea's New Mid-Drive eRoad Bike with Gravel Specific Motor Tuning

Today Orbea launches its new Denna, a mid-drive eRoad bike that has “gravel-specific assistance”. With big tire clearance and a frame designed for a smooth ride, the new Denna is ready for long hours in the saddle.

(Photos / Orbea)

When it comes to growth, the eRoad bike segment seems a little off-the-back when compared to the other eBike segments. But it is picking up momentum, with some brands offering the bikes with a certain “all-road” element. Maybe that’s the key: versatility.

Orbea Denna eRoad Bike motor and battery

Let’s see how the Denna stacks up!

The Orbea Denna

Pulling from their experience with the Rise and Rider Synergy concept, Orbea has created a “gravel-optimized” motor, the RS Gen2 RC. This motor claims to have a “perfect balance of power and torque”. While using a Shimano EP8 motor as the base, Orbea has added their own firmware and motor tuning profile to customize the EP8 to their desires for the Denna.

Orbea calls this optimized motor their RS Gen2 RC where:

RS – Stands for Rider Synergy. This is Orbea’s firmware for Shimano EP motors. It allows the bike and rider to work together for a more natural ride feel.

Gen2 – This means the second generation of Orbea’s RS firmware. It pops the maximum torque to 85 Nm.

RC – This is an acronym for Road Control, which is Orbea’s Denna-specific motor tuning that provides natural, powerful assistance, tuned just for gravel.

The motor comes with two modes, Gravel and Gravel+. The Gravel mode is tuned for smoother surfaces, where the rider finds it easier to maintain higher cadences using the cassette’s range to provide the most natural ride feel.

Whereas Gravel+ mode increases the torque limit. This helps the motor adapt to looser surfaces by providing more torque at lower cadences for the most traction.

While most people have different interpretations of what “gravel” means, the Denna is ready for any terrain. Some riders will rarely get on unpaved roads and prefer narrow tires, while some look for the road less traveled and need fatter tires. The Denna can fit up to a 50mm tire.

Plus, the Denna’s geo is designed to help ride over rough terrain. Orbea offers optimized chainstay length with a longer wheelbase, a longer top tube than the Gain, a lower bottom bracket, and a size-specific fork trail.

All Denna models are equipped with mounting points for fenders and two water bottles. There are also mounts located under the top tube which can be used to mount accessories or bags. The spacing is wider than a traditional bottle cage mount, but Orbea mentioned that they will eventually have a bag for this mount in the future.

Denna Geometry

Battery/Range

The Denna comes with a 420Wh battery that uses next-generation cells that offer more power in a smaller and lighter package. With the efficient, energy-saving RS Gen2 RC firmware, Orbea says that you can climb up to 3,500 m of elevation in Eco mode.

If you need more range, there is an option to add the available 210Wh Range Extender. The extender is light and smaller than a water bottle. So, you can fit it in the bottle cage right above the plug on the seat tube.

Smart Features

Orbea packed the Denna with smart features that can help make handling easier. Shimano’s EP family features very accurate and fast monitoring capabilities. The RS Gen2 firmware is made to utilize and take advantage of this, resulting in lag-free power that feels natural.

Orbea Denna eRoad Bike handlebar mounted controls

All of the Denna models allow the rider to switch between assistance modes with the left brake lever. Plus, Denna offers the option of using the Shimano EN600 display unit, to monitor the assistance profiles on the fly.

If you already use a Garmin device, you can simply pair it with the bike. This will give the rider access to all of the info about the bike’s battery and motor right there on the computer head unit.

Smooth Ride Quality

Orbea’s specific frame shaping at critical areas allows for controlled vertical flex (the most noticeable example is the top tube where it thins out dramatically toward the seat tube). This helps to absorb bumps and vibrations on rougher roads. The frame’s tube shapes resist lateral flex, so the Denna can maintain pedaling efficiency and keep its sharp handling.

Orbea Denna eRoad Bike remote gravel road

All of the Denna models use OMR carbon, including the fork. Orbea says that this offers the “best combination of strength, stiffness, and comfort”. Using the MyO configurator, riders can select from components that can improve comfort and handling. Items like handlebars with more rise, a +15 degree stem in different lengths, a setback seat post, and 50mm tires.

Denna Models, Retail & Spec Highlights

There are a boatload of models to choose from. And you can customize all of the separate models how you’d like. Go HERE to really get into the weeds and pick the bike that best fits your needs best. All of the pricing below are starting prices, customizing will generally increase prices.

All of the bike models below are the “20 MPH” models, there are “28 MPH” models as well.