Pro bike: Georgia Gould’s Luna Orbea Lobular Cross

No-frills aluminum workhorse gets the job done

November 30, 2010 at 10:25 am

Marketing folk love to push the latest and greatest technologies on the public but when it comes to cycle racing it’s still the rider who does the work, and few examples demonstrate that old adage better than Luna’s Georgia Gould.

Gould’s Orbea Lobular Cross does without most of the current buzzwords, with its straight 1-1/8in head tube, threaded bottom bracket and normal-sized tubing throughout – not to mention the full alloy construction.

But the US mountain bike and cyclo-cross pro has still nabbed wins at two USGP races and the Boulder Cup, plus numerous podiums, while competing against riders on more technologically advanced hardware.

Barring the different paint job, Gould’s Orbea is the same model she used last year. “It’s pretty straightforward but this sucker gets it done!” she told us just before the New Belgium Cup in Fort Collins, Colorado. “I get what I get and everything works well and it’s quality – that’s for me the biggest thing, to have stuff that works and lasts.”

Despite the lack of carbon fiber, Gould’s all-alloy Lobular Cross frame is still competitively light at around 1,400g and in fact, weighs less than some composite chassis we’ve tested. Moreover, the modestly massaged tube profiles – especially the lobed down tube from which the frame gets its name – helps eke more performance out of the triple-butted 6000 series alloy.

Orbea’s lobular tubeset features a down tube that morphs from vertically ovalized at the head tube to horizontally ovalized at the bottom bracket – with a unique four-lobed shape in the middle: orbea’s lobular tubeset features a down tube that morphs from vertically ovalized at the head tube to horizontally ovalized at the bottom bracket – with a unique four-lobed shape in the middle

James Huang/BikeRadar

Orbea’s Lobular tubeset features a down tube that morphs from vertically ovalized at the head tube to horizontally ovalized at the bottom bracket – with a unique four-lobed shape in the middle

The build kit is straightforward as well, with a Shimano Dura-Ace 7900 drivetrain, carbon-spoked Mavic R-Sys Premium wheels wrapped in Maxxis clincher tires, Kore wide-profile cantilevers, an Easton EC90X carbon ‘cross fork and a Selle Italia SLR saddle. Changes from last season include the new PRO carbon seatpost and alloy bar and stem.

Total bike weight as pictured here is a respectable 7.88kg (17.37lb). Gould was running a two-ring setup when we caught up with her in Colorado but she says she’s done it both ways and doesn’t have a strong preference in most cases.

“I’ve done the double and I’ve done the single in the front,” she said. “There are some courses where I haven’t even ridden that much in my big ring but the double in the front is definitely great, especially for Europe where you have a 200m paved start. When I was running a single 42T at the front I’d be a little spun out.”

Shimano don’t offer dedicated dura-ace 7900 outer chainrings in ‘cross-specific sizes so the usual seamless look is somewhat interrupted here: shimano don’t offer dedicated dura-ace 7900 outer chainrings in ‘cross-specific sizes so the usual seamless look is somewhat interrupted here

James Huang/BikeRadar

Shimano don’t offer dedicated Dura-Ace 7900 outer chainrings in ‘cross-specific sizes so the usual seamless look is somewhat interrupted here

Experienced ‘crossers will quickly deem Gould’s clinchers to be inferior to most of her competitors’ more supple tubulars. However, Gould successfully runs her Maxxis tires at shockingly low pressures – as low as 23psi up front and 25psi out back – and says the company’s latest Mud Wrestler tread offers excellent traction: “I raced these at the Boulder Reservoir and they were awesome in that loose, sandy stuff.”

Gould says her main goal for the rest of the season is to the win the US cyclo-cross national championship in Bend, Oregon. Depending on the outcome, her season may simply end there – or not.

“Winning nationals is a big goal of mine,” she said. “If I win nationals I have to go to worlds and definitely, if you have a chance of getting on the podium or winning the world championships, you should probably go! I’m definitely open to it but I’m not going for Christmas week or Koksijde so if I do end up going it’ll probably be right before or maybe 10 days before.”

Georgia gould (luna) says these maxxis mud wrestler clinchers offer excellent grip in the wet – and that she’s able to run as little as 20psi up front: georgia gould (luna) says these maxxis mud wrestler clinchers offer excellent grip in the wet – and that she’s able to run as little as 20psi up front
James Huang/BikeRadar

Gould says these Maxxis Mud Wrestler clinchers offer excellent grip in the wet – and that she’s able to run as little as 20psi up front

Complete bike specifications

Frame: Orbea Lobular Cross, 54cm
Fork: Easton EC90X
Headset: FSA Orbit IS
Stem: PRO Vibe 7 OS, 90mm x -6°
Handlebar: PRO Vibe 7 OS, 42cm (c-c)
Tape: cork
Front brake: KORE Race+
Rear brake: KORE Race+
Brake levers: Shimano Dura-Ace STI Dual Control ST-7900
Front derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace FD-7900-F
Rear derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace RD-7900-SS
Shift levers: Shimano Dura-Ace STI Dual Control ST-7900
Cassette: Shimano Dura-Ace CS-7900, 12-27T
Chain: Shimano Dura-Ace CN-7900
Crankset: Shimano Dura-Ace FC-7900, 172.5mm, 39/46T w/ Thorne outer chainring
Bottom bracket: Shimano SM-BB7900
Pedals: Shimano XTR PD-M970
Wheelset: Mavic R-Sys Premium clincher
Front tire: Maxxis Mud Wrestler, 700x35mm
Rear tire: Maxxis Mud Wrestler, 700x35mm
Saddle: Selle Italia SLR Kit Carbonio
Seatpost: PRO PLT