Just when we thought the road bike disc brake debate might have a chance to settle down, Basque based race bike builders Orbea delivered us their all-new Avant.
The Avant range has been launched to offer a more sportive/gran fondo version of their pro-tour level Orca. The M-Ltd is the flagship model of this new range.
Its disc-only frameset (lower models in the range have dual fit options on their brakes) features internally routed hydraulic hose lines, and is ready for electronic drivetrains. This model even comes with FSA's SLK carbon seatpost, which is ready to take Shimano's latest internal seatpost mount battery.
The drivetrain is all SRAM Red, to match the Red hydraulic discs, and it's running on a fine combination of Zipp 303 Firecrest disc wheels and Vittoria Diamante Pro tyres in 25c. Up front, it's all K-Force light from FSA, finished in the new UD matt carbon that really looks the business.
Our test bike is a 57cm size, and tips the scales at bang on 8kg – that's including the Look Keo pedals it ships with. We’re looking forward to getting out on the Avant to give the Red discs a thorough thrashing in British winter conditions – we've only tried SRAM and Shimano discs in warmer drier climes so far. The Avant M-Ltd's price has been confirmed as £8,099/$8,999.
Look out for the exclusive test coming soon in the pages of Cycling Plus, and we’ll be talking more about the Orbea Avant here on BikeRadar too.
