Posted on March 11, 2022 by Jordan Villella

Orbea extended its Terra gravel line, showing off a new, more affordable alloy option; the Terra Hydro. Orbea launched the latest version of the Terra in November 2021. Leaning more to the gravel race side and less to cyclocross.

The nice thing about alloy is that it can include additional rack and fender mounts for gear-hauling and off-road adventures for the new Terra Hydro. The Terra hydro takes much inspiration from the carbon fiber Terra with nearly the same geometry, fork, and ample tire clearance.

The new aluminum Terra models are made from Orbea’s hydroformed aluminum. In the quest for a light frame that offers resistance to unwanted torsional flex, Orbea engineers determine the shape and thickness of the aluminum tubes for each size frame. Many of the tubes are butted to save weight, making them lighter in the mid-section, away from the stress of joints and welds.

For the fork, it’s the same OMR monocoque carbon fork on the Terra carbon models. The fork was updated to perform better in gravel, along with the frame for the November launch of the new Terra. Orbea feels that the new OMR fork offers the best tire clearance (50mm) and torsional stiffness for gravel disciplines.

The Orbea Terra has changed from cyclocross to sorta-gravel to full-on gravel. The Terra Hydro takes handling and geometry from the carbon version, keeping the ride focused on comfort and handling.

As for the carbon vs. alloy geometry, the Terra Hydro does have a few tweaks that help it achieve more in the adventure and packing routes. Like the carbon Terra, the Terra Hydro is designed around a longer reach, lower bottom brack, but with a short stem to keep the steering sharp. Side-by-side, the Terra Hydro has 10mm shorter chainstays (420mm Terra carbon and 430mm Terra Hydro).

The Orbea Terra Hydro drops the price for entry into the Orbea gravel bike universe. The brand launched the new Terra Hydro to make gravel more accessible by supporting a wide range of cyclists, and the many build options and components choices, there should be a model for everyone’s style.

The Terra Hydro starts at $2,400 and finishes the line at $2,700 with three builds, with either 1X11, 2X11, or 2X10 speed drivetrains.

The frame boasts more mounts for fenders, racks, and can accommodate three water bottles, making it an excellent option for bike packing or ultra-endurance racing–however, it does lack top tube mounts and fork mounts that have become fairly common for this type of bike. The Terra Hydro comes stock with mostly 700X45 tires, but Orbea says riders can opt for 50mm tires and 650b wheels.

The Orbea Terra Hydro is available in three different models with builds to suit the other gearing options you’ll need for the journey, with sizes XS to XXL. The Orbea Terry Hydro H30 comes with Shimano GRX RX810, RX600, and RX400 series components and an 11-speed drive train.

The entry-level Orbea Terry Hydro H40 is available only with a 2X10 drivetrain and Shimano GRX RX400 components. All models are available in Matt-Gloss Black, Matt Copper, or Gloss Mango.

Frameset: Terra Hydro disc frame and Terra OMR carbon disc fork Groupset: Shimano GRX RX810, RX400 Handlebar: OC GR30-R Gravel Riser Stem: OC RP21 Road Performance Seatpost: OC2 Carbon 27.2mm Saddle: Fizik Aliante R5 Wheels: Orbea Ready GR Tires: Vittoria Terreno Dry Gravel G2.0 TNT 700×38mm Price: $2,799

Frameset: Terra Hydro disc frame and Terra OMR carbon disc fork Groupset: Shimano GRX RX812, RX600, RX400 Handlebar: OC GR30-R Gravel Riser Stem: OC RP21 Road Performance Seatpost: OC2 Carbon 27.2mm Saddle: Fizik Aliante R5 Wheels: Orbea Ready GR Tires: Vittoria Terreno Dry Gravel G2.0 TNT 700×38mm Price: $2,699

Frameset: Terra Hydro disc frame and Terra OMR carbon disc fork Groupset: Shimano GRX RX400 Handlebar: OC GR30-R Gravel Riser Stem: OC RP21 Road Performance Seatpost: OC2 Carbon 27.2mm Saddle: Fizik Aliante R5 Wheels: Orbea Ready GR Tires: Vittoria Terreno Dry Gravel G2.0 TNT 700×38mm Price: $2,499

All three models are available in six sizes and three different colors.

For more info, check out Orbea.com.

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Does anyone out there know if you could sand the welds down on a bike like this without altering the structural integrity of the frame? There are so many aluminum bikes with blobby welds out there I wonder why companies don’t take the time sand the weld joints down.

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