Tech Week 2023: Oquo Are a New Brand of Carbon Wheels From Orbea

Oct 27, 2022
by Henry Quinney  
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Carbon wheels, despite having their detractors, are very much here to stay. Whilst only a few years ago they could in some cases be a strange workaround for Bontrager's Maxim of "Strong, light, cheap, pick two" by only giving you one of the three options to begin with, they have come a long way. Although still not convincing everyone, they do seem to have made firm inroads in gravity disciplines and are no longer only used with confidence in XC applications.

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Cutaways show how a rim can be reinforced around the rim bed to varying extents.

Oquo are a new brand based in the Basque Country, that has its family roots firmly interwoven with Orbea. Initially, the brand's range will consist of two ranges: Mountain Performance (MP) for XC and Trail, and Mountain Control (MC) for Trail and Enduro. Much like Orbea's bike range, these rims can be configured to add a personal touch. This service doesn’t come with any added cost to the final price of the wheels.


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Mountain Performance

The Mountain Performance XC wheel range consists of three models. The wheels share a lot of the same technologies and ideas, with some differences. The tech on offer consists of front and rear specific rims, asymmetric profiles, angled spoke holes, reinforced spoke beds, and an increased rim-wall width to reduce the chances of pinching or slicing a tyre.

MP30Team - Coming in at a svelte 1350 g and costing a not-inconsiderable €1999 the wheelset uses 30mm internal rim widths front and rear, which use 24 and 28 Sapim CX-Ray TCS spokes in each respectively. At its core, the wheelset uses DT240 S center lock hubs.

MP30LTD - Weighing slightly more at 1480 g and using 28 Sapim D-sprint spokes front and rear, the LTD wheelset also uses a slightly less expensive DT 350 hubset. Again, this wheelset uses 30mm width rims. A set will cost €1299.

MP28Pro - The cheapest of the models and, as the name would suggest, uses slightly narrow rims, the Pro wheelset uses an alloy rim and costs €599. Although a different material, it shares many of the same features as the carbon models. A weight hasn't been provided.


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Mountain Control

In the Mountain Control range there are two rims - one alloy and one carbon. These are the wheels meant for harder applications, such as trail, enduro and e-biking. Whilst a popular choice, carbon wheels aren't quite as prevalent on enduro bikes as they are XC, and Oquo reflect that choice by making one carbon and one alloy model. Much like the XC Mountain Performance wheels, there is a degree of customisation when buying the wheels.

MC32LTD - Using a 32mm front rim and 30mm rear and 28 and 32 spoke numbers, these are the carbon enduro race wheels the brand say their EWS racers are using. Available only in 29" and coming with DT 350 hubs, they will sell for €1650. Claimed weights are not published.

MC32Team - The alloy Team wheel uses the same rim widths as its more expensive carbon sibling, but costs far less. It's also available in a 27.5 and 29" mix and shares the same hubs. The wheels come with 28 spokes in the front and 32 in the rear and also use a 32 and 30mm rim width mix. They will sell for €699. Again, weights are not published.

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For more information, please visit oquowheels.com.

Tech Week 2023 is a chance to get up to speed on the latest mountain bike components, apparel, and accessories. Click here to view all of the related content.


Posted In:
Reviews and Tech Tech Week 2023 Wheels Oquo Orbea


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57 Comments
  • 33 4
 I guess the mid size brands aren't squeezing us for enough margin they need to slap their name on all the bike parts now as well. Welcome to playing with the big boys Orbea can't wait to see your bars, stems, hubs and dropper post in 2024.
  • 11 3
 The lower spec orbeas already come with the orbea brand droppers, bars, and stems. I thought it was just to reduce the cost for the customer?
  • 19 15
 @tobyrennick: lol! You spelled company wrong. Nothing is ever about saving the customer money, it's all about boosting profits. Jfc, open your eyes.
  • 2 1
 @tobyrennick: I have never seen a low end Orbea in the wild. Thought Orbea focused more at the high end in North America.
  • 1 3
 @pink505: M20 rallons have SLX drivetrain and Deore breaks
  • 1 0
 @BobbyHillbomb: if ur logic was correct, why would orbea not but its own brand parts on the M team and LTD models...
  • 10 1
 @tobyrennick: because people who buy $10,000 bikes want the name brand. You're completely missing the point. The biggest profit margin for bike companies is the low/mid range, which is where these clone/rebranded parts appear, and they are there specifically to boost margins for the company, while that same company can convince dinguses like you that it's "to save the customer money."
  • 1 0
 Orbea already has under their components brand OC2. Now deets on the Enduro wheels - but hard to justify replacing the RaceFace Turbines that came on my Rallon - great wheels!
  • 6 2
 After the supply chain sh*tshow that happened these past couple years, I can see why companies would desire to become more vertically integrated. Hearing stories of entire warehouses of bikes being held up because of one singular missing part or even just decals would make keeping everything in-house seem more appealing, even if it isn't actually better or cheaper for the customer. I guess if you actually want the bike you want, buy a frame if they offer it and build it up the way you want it. *shrug*
  • 1 0
 @smoothmoose: I completely tacoed my turbines hope the Oquo are stronger
  • 1 1
 @BobbyHillbomb: Think what u want, but at the orbea brand parts are great. If orbea has a higher margin, its worth it to have cheaper models available, PLUS when orbea cant get parts from raceface like what happen in the past 2 years, having an in house brand is great.
  • 3 0
 @bicyclelifestyle: This is not a great example of vertical integration. Orbea owns the brand the builds the wheel, but all the manufacturing is done by others who ship parts with Orbea approved branding. Assembly is the bottom of the value add ladder.
  • 1 0
 @tobyrennick: for '23 they will.
  • 2 0
 @tobyrennick: using that same definition, a $7k+ Santa Cruz or Specialized is low-end as well. Besides SLX being strongly midrange, these prices aren't low-end.
  • 1 0
 @pink505: define "low end", I have an Oiz TR H10 that came with XT/SLX drivetrain, mech, cranks and shifter are XT, cassette is SLX, Deore M6100 brakes, RaceFace AR30 rims on Shimano hubs and Orbea OC2 post, bar, stem and grips.
  • 1 0
 @ChiefSilverback: I didn't realize they had their OC parts line already. An slx/xt build in my old brain should not have those parts. Those go on the all deore build and maybe a few in the slx builds. It is the same garbage as when they started putting a derailleur one level above crank/chain/cassette/ shifter and calling it the top tier build spec.
  • 11 1
 Having seen carbon rims fail, the key question not answered here is "What's the warranty?".
  • 8 0
 Bingo. No lifetime warranty? No deal. Zero reason not to go with WeAreOne or another company with bomb proof wheels that are willing to back them up.
  • 3 0
 @bonkmasterflex: Totally agree. On the one hand you get WAO wheels that are using the same hubs (or I9s if you prefer) and are at the same price point as Orbea's midrange MP30LTD and you get a full lifetime warranty.

Why anyone would take the chance on Orbea when WAO literally built their brand based on hand-made wheels that are as cheap or cheaper... I just don't get it.

PS: Just helped my bro-in-law buy an Orbea a couple weeks ago... not disparaging the brand or the bikes. I just don't get the price point for these.
  • 3 0
 @bhuckley: WAO still isn't a proper warranty, as they'll only cover the rim and leave the rider to pay for rebuild. Some other brands however will do a full wheel swap.
  • 3 0
 soooo....are they made in Spain or just based/designed in Spain? Orbea's in-house carbon wheels that came on my Oiz were made in China I believe. Swapped them out for some I9's before the bike even left the shop.
If these are made in Spain....Orbea likely getting the hype train moving before announcing the new Oiz
  • 3 0
 It's hard to tell with their website, but it looks like these wheels are actually made in Basque Country. So Eu made wheels, which counts for something. I wouldn't be surprised if this is part of a broader plan for Orbea to start making frames in the Basque region as well.
  • 5 0
 Lack of wheel weight seems like a major omission.
  • 2 0
 They have the weights on the website now 1350g MP30LTD
  • 2 0
 I'm curious where the carbon production is done. The article says Basque Based and their website says something similarly vague about assembly taking place in Spain. Where is the carbon done?
  • 3 0
 For the price/weight this is great!
  • 3 0
 I still can't pronounce Oiz and now this.
  • 3 0
 pronounced "O..E's" Smile
  • 2 0
 OH WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
  • 1 0
 Well given the current mtb fad of leaving out all the vowels, it could just be q.
  • 1 0
 For those who are unfamiliar with the Basque langue “ Oquo” is pronounced “ cue” like “ queue” or “q”. The first and last o’s are silent.
  • 1 1
 Meh. A line of products that aren't any better than what's already available. This is the equivalent of another couple of boxes in the cereal aisle. At least they use DT hubs.
  • 1 0
 I don’t mind their design philosophy which is a little different to other brands E.g. different rims for each end. The front rim should be wider in my view. I’ve achieved this on my latest bike via mixing wheelset series. The only problem is they really only used it properly on the alloy MC wheelsets. And why no mullet option in carbon for MC wheels?
  • 5 7
 Dear Pinkbike,

Would it be possible to get a copy editor to proof read your articles?
I know reading an article, even online with pictures, is becoming antiquated, but it doesn't help my short attention span when I coming across frequent incorrect word usage or poor sentence structure errors such as quoted below.

"Oquo are a brand based in the Basque Country, and have its family roots firmly interwoven with Orbea, are a new brand into the fold.(- This just needs some help) Initially, the brand's range with (will) consist of two ranges: Mountain Performance (MP) for XC and Trail, and Mountain Control (MC) for Trail and Enduro."

Thank you
  • 8 1
 Dear pinkbike - thanks for the awesome job getting all these announcements and articles out to us - for free no less. Much appreciated!
  • 2 1
 @trillot: it's not because we do appreciate this mostly very high quality content offered to us for free, that we can't plea for perfection.
  • 5 1
 Yeah, quite the dog's breakfast. Will amend. Cheers
  • 2 1
 @henryquinney: You're far too polite. I couldn't have written gooder myself. Cheers!
  • 1 3
 These are the same wheels that come on the M-Team to Pro models. Solid wheels but the DT 350 hubs that they ship with... come the f*ck on lol. At least throw 240s on a 8K bike. The OC wheels are a good beater set for winter riding but damn... stock they weigh in at like 1580grams... no ones racing on that kind of weight.
  • 3 1
 I disagree, 1580 is a pretty good weight for wheels and good enough for racing (unless you are in the top circuits). The rolling weight is low, the hubs are a little heavier than 240s, but they have small rotational inertia compared to rims. The 350s are new for 2022 and better than the last generation.
  • 1 0
 @mrkkbb: you can get a wheelset for around $1200 that comes in at 1300 grams....
  • 1 1
 @GravelCat: I want to say BS, but please tell me which manufacturers offer a 1300 gram carbon wheel set for $1200
  • 2 0
 @mrkkbb: here: r2-bike.com have fun
  • 2 0
 @mrkkbb @GravelCat : I just bought a set of 30mm internal Extralites rims and hubs from R2 that weigh less than 1,100 grams and cost $1,600. Good times!
  • 2 0
 @zerort: NICE!!! I'm thinking of picking up a super lightweight set of wheels from them again. I recently purchased Duke Luck Jacks 30mm ID with Duke Hubs. Amazing wheelset. I think it came in at 1350grams. I'll have to take a look at extralites. I'd like to get a super light wheelset with some thunderburts for fast gravel rides on the full sus.
  • 1 0
 Err... Nice logo.. I guess?
  • 2 3
 What a surprise - another Brand joining the carbon wheel market. Next thing will be their own house branded stems and bars........ then maybe even a dropper
  • 6 0
 they've had their own branded parts forever. Just the wheels are new
  • 3 0
 They have been doing that for years.
  • 2 0
 I assume this is sarcasm since Orbea already has all of those things
  • 2 0
 @SATN-XC: 100 percent SATN-XC.
  • 1 0
 The new Oiz will be revealed Nov. 2nd.
  • 1 0
 my toddler can pronounce that easily
  • 1 4
 Centerlock only.
  • 2 0
 Depends on the wheel. Looking at the MC32LTD it uses a DT Swiss 350 hub with 6-bolt brake mount.
  • 1 0
 @Crazypirate22: interesting that it shows that now. When I first went to their site, only centerlock was given..
  • 1 0
 You can convert centerlock to 6-bolt fairly easily, but not the other way around?

www.competitivecyclist.com/shimano-centerlock-to-6-bolt-rotor-adaptor







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