"Wow, that looks good!" TOUR editor Eva Stammberger was thrilled when she saw the "Diva" from Orbea at Eurobike 2007: chic design, extravagant tube shapes, exciting paintwork - and small enough for the triathlete's 1.60 metre height. It is rare enough for high-quality racing bikes to be offered in the 26-inch size.
It used to be different. In the 1990s, there were still numerous racing bikes that rolled on 26-inch wheels instead of the usual 28-inch wheels. This was logical from the point of view of smaller cyclists, as only smaller wheels allowed the entire bike to be scaled down proportionally and thus achieve typical road bike riding characteristics. In the meantime, 26-inch models in small frame sizes are hardly to be found any more. Instead, small riders are offered bikes that seem to fit at first glance thanks to their short seat and top tubes. However, because these models are usually designed for 28-inch wheels, the steering angles are very slack, which leads to unnecessarily sluggish steering behaviour. There is an additional problem for people under 1.65 metres: Because the frame tubes of 28-inch bikes cannot be shortened below a certain length, even small models are often too long.
The "Diva" is different: its top tube is only 500 millimetres long, allowing riders like Eva Stammberger a sporty, not too stretched-out riding position. The editor came back from her first test lap with a broad grin on her face. "One-A steering behaviour; the narrow handlebars also feel great." The right equipment also contributes to the positive riding impression: 165 millimetre short cranks, special shift brake levers for small hands and 38 centimetre narrow carbon handlebars cater to the needs of smaller people.
But not everything about the bike was to Stammberger's taste. The main criticism: the gear ratio of the compact crank was not sufficient for a fast pace. This is due to the fact that small wheels cover less distance per revolution than 28-inch wheels. To compensate for this, the gear ratio should actually be higher than usual. Compact cranks with their smaller chainrings compared to standard cranks are therefore not ideal on 26-inch bikes, at least for trained riders. Another argument against the compact cranks on the "Diva" is that they do not match the frame geometry - we could not find a setting for the front derailleur in which the chain ran past the guide plates in all gears without touching them. The problem did not occur with a standard crank fitted on a trial basis. Another thing we didn't like: the stem - a 220-gramme piece from the Zeus own-brand - proved to be extremely impractical. Two different hexagon sockets are required for the three bolts of the handlebar clamp, the bolts are only accessible from an angle and are very difficult to reach.
In addition to such details, the price of the "Diva" is likely to be the main problem. Even if you take into account the inevitably higher production costs due to the small number of units, €3,700 seems a little steep for the equipment on offer.
PLUS: high-quality equipment tailored to small riders; very good wheels; high level of comfort on the frame
MINUS: Limited shifting function; impractical stem; relatively heavy; expensive price
Frame set/complete bike: 2,399/3,699 Euro
Reference/Info: Orbea Germany; phone 01805/1230021; www.orbea.com
Frame sizes*: 46 (with 26-inch wheels), 49, 53 cm (both with 28-inch wheels)
Seat/steering angle: 74,5°/71,5°
Seat/top/head tube: 486/500/105 mm
Wheelbase/caster: 923/56 mm
Frame height/camber**: 490/112 mm
EQUIPMENT
Fork: Orbea Diva Carbon
Steering bearing: FSA
Circuit: Shimano Ultegra, Shimano ST-R700
Shift brake lever
Bottom bracket: Shimano FC-R600, 50/34 t, crank length 165 mm
Wheels/tyres: Mavic Ksyrium Elite, Vittoria Rubino
Handlebar/stem: Zeus Carbon/Orbea Orca
Saddle/post: Selle Italia LDY Trans Am/Zeus
Pedals: Look Delta
MEASURED VALUES & INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Weight of complete wheel: 7.8 kilos (without pedals)
Frame/fork/steering bearing weight: 1,125/358/57 g Standard. Weight frame set***: 1,705 grammes: 3.0
Steering head stiffness: 77 Nm/°: 3,3
Lateral stiffness fork: 51 N/mm: 1.3
Bottom bracket stiffness: 63 N/mm: 2.0
Comfort frame: 259 N/mm: 2.0
Comfort fork: 82 N/mm: 3.3
EVALUATION****
Price/performance: Satisfactory
Frameset: 2,7
Equipment: 2,1
*The tested frame size is printed in bold.
**Projected dimension from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top edge of the head tube/ saddle head tube rise at 60 cm seat height (centre of saddle frame - top edge of head tube).
***Adjusted weight for frame size 57 and fork steerer length 225 mm.
**** The individual grades are included in the overall grade with different weightings, which we only partially indicate for reasons of space.
(Photos: Daniel Simon)
