Orbea has revealed an update to the Orca Aero, which it claims offers a 21-watt advantage over its 2022 predecessor, thanks to a raft of changes including improved aerodynamics of the bike plus its rider and improved stability from a bottom bracket drop it says is the largest in the pro peloton. We first spotted the new bike at the Tour Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes, where Orbea had helpfully added yellow arrows to the frames black paint to highlight what had changed from the 2022 model. The Orca Aero sits alongside the (non-Aero) Orca lightweight bike in Orbeas portfolio for the Lotto-Intermarch team at the Tour de France and is priced from 5,000 to 10,000. 21 watts faster The Orca Aero's 78mm bottom bracket drop places the rider in a lower position that's more aero and more stable. Orbea says the 2025 road race season was, overall, the fastest ever and it will continue to develop specific lightweight/aero and aero bikes, offering its sponsored WorldTour team a choice depending on the nature of the stage. But Orbea claims the new Orbea Orca Aero is efficient not only on flatter stages, but also when theres more altitude gain and that it is one of the fastest bikes in the WorldTour, with a 21-watt claimed aero gain over the 2022 model. It attributes this to its total system approach, which it says takes account of how the bike interacts with the rider, rather than simply designing a bike thats fast on its own in a wind tunnel. So, although it started off with the standard CFD and wind-tunnel analysis, this was followed up with testing in a velodrome and extensive road testing by Lotto-Intermarch riders. Wind-tunnel testing of the bike on its own showed a 5.1-watt aero gain over the 2022 Orca Aero at 50km/h and Orbea says this number is similar across a range of wind speeds and yaw angles. The 37mm tyre clearance is the widest in the pro peloton. But Orbea has also worked on the aerodynamics of bike-plus-rider to achieve the claimed 21-watt figure. It says this comes from a range of factors, including enhanced rider stability, thanks to a 78mm bottom bracket drop that sits the rider lower. This is said to increase positional stability and control at higher speeds and when cornering, as well as reducing the riders frontal area. Theres also an extensive range of cockpit fit options, with 13 different bar/stem dimensions and 40mm of vertical adjustability via spacers. Thats supplemented by two seatposts that together offer offsets between 0 and 25mm. There are an additional 13 sizes for the Lotto-Intermarch pro riders that offer longer reach, with most concentrated in the narrowest 360mm bar width. Orbea says its positional benefits reduce drag by a further 14 watts at 50km/h when riding on the flat. Theres another 6 to 7 watts of claimed gains from reduction of vibration losses on cobbles or rougher tarmac thanks to the ability to fit tyres up to 37mm, which it says are the widest that would be allowed under the UCIs 700mm wheel-plus-tyre diameter regulation. The Orca Aero is most aerodynamically efficient with tyres from 29mm to 35mm, Orbea says. Finally, Orbea quotes a frame weight of 900g, but claims the new bike is comparable in stiffness to a climbing bike, which could save around 2 watts when tackling an 8% climb at 17km/h. More aero frame design A wide range of bar widths and stem lengths enable the rider to optimise their ride position. Orbea says the Orca Aeros head tube is as narrow and sharp as possible. It still fits a standard round steerer, rather than designs such as the Delta steerer preferred by Cannondale or the bayonet fork of the Colnago Y1Rs. Orbea says its accompanying integrated handlebar is aero, lightweight and stiff. The fork is designed to sit close to the down tube with a range of tyre widths and to be aerodynamically efficient across a range of wind yaw angles, while the down tube itself has been widened, because Orbea claims the extra width enables more efficient airflow management. The extra width also improves the aerodynamics over the aero bottle cages. The down tube merges with the bottom bracket area, creating a keel in front of the rear wheel, which Orbea again claims helps to reduce drag while staying within the UCI regulationss. Meanwhile, the rear of the new Orca Aero has been slimmed down, with a narrower seat tube and thinner, lower-placed seatstays, increasing compliance and reducing frontal profile. Theres a redesigned seatpost that augments rear-end aerodynamics, and the battery in Shimano systems has been moved to the bottom bracket area to enable it to be kept narrow. Orbea says its lower aero bottle cages improve aerodynamics. Turning to the bottle cages, these have been designed to sit flush with the frame and are positioned low down to improve aerodynamics. Its a feature shared with other aero road bikes such as the Wilier Filante SLR ID2 and Trek Madone, although Orbea has designed its cages around standard round bottles. Orbea continues to provide the service box, which was a feature of the 2022 Orca Aero, and sits on the front side of the lower down tube. It acts as a fairing, lowering drag, while enabling the rider to stash ride essentials without the need for down tube storage. Its removable and not permitted by the UCI in races, so you wont see it on the bikes of the Lotto-Intermarch team at the Tour de France. Orbea Orca Aero specs and prices Orbea specs the Orca Aero with carbon wheels from its Oquo sister brand. Orbea will sell the new Orca Aero in seven sizes, from 47 to 60, and in three stock colours per spec level, as well as offering colour customisation and a range of component upgrades via MyO. Orca Aero M10i LTD Frame/fork: OMX carbon Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace w/ power meter Gearing: 52/36t x 11-34t Wheelset: Oquo Road Aero RA57LTD carbon spokes Tyres: Vittoria Corsa Pro Speed Wide Rim, 29mm Cockpit: OC SH-RA10 carbon one-piece Seatpost: OC Road Aero RA11 carbon Saddle: Fizik Vento Antares R1 Price: 9,999 / $12,127 / 10,999 Orca Aero M11e LTD Frame/fork: OMX carbon Groupset: SRAM Red AXS w/ power meter Gearing: 48/35t x 10-33t Wheelset: Oquo Road Aero RA57LTD carbon spokes Tyres: Vittoria Corsa Pro Speed Wide Rim, 29mm Cockpit: OC SH-RA10 carbon one-piece Seatpost: OC Road Aero RA11 carbon Saddle: Fizik Vento Antares R1 Price: 9,999 / $12,127 / 10,999 Orca Aero M21e LTD Frame/fork: OMX carbon Groupset: SRAM Force AXS w/ power meter Gearing: 48/35t x 10-33t Wheelset: Oquo Road Performance RP50LTD Tyres: Vittoria Corsa N.Ext Wide Rim, 29mm Cockpit: OC SH-RA10 carbon one-piece Seatpost: OC Road Aero RA11 carbon Saddle: Fizik Vento Antares R1 Price: 6,599 / $8,268 / 7,499 Orca Aero M20i LTD Frame/fork: OMX carbon Groupset: Shimano Ultegra Gearing: 52/36t x 11-34t Wheelset: Oquo Road Performance RP50LTD Tyres: Vittoria Corsa N.Ext Wide Rim, 29mm Cockpit: OC SH-RA10 carbon one-piece Seatpost: OC Road Aero RA11 carbon Saddle: Fizik Vento Antares R1 Price: 5,899 / $7,386 / 6,699 Orca Aero M22 LTD Frame/fork: OMX carbon Groupset: Campagnolo Record 13 Gearing: 52/36t x 11-36t Wheelset: Oquo Road Performance RP50TEAM Tyres: Vittoria Corsa N.Ext Wide Rim, 29mm Cockpit: OC SH-RA10 carbon one-piece Seatpost: OC Road Aero RA11 carbon Saddle: Fizik Vento Antares R1 Price: 5,899 / $7,349 / 6,699 Orca Aero M30i LTD Frame/fork: OMX carbon Groupset: Shimano 105 Di2 Gearing: 52/36t x 11-34t Wheelset: Oquo Road Performance RP50TEAM Tyres: Vittoria Corsa N.Ext Wide Rim, 29mm Cockpit: OC SH-RA10 carbon one-piece Seatpost: OC Road Aero RA11 carbon Saddle: Fizik Vento Antares R3 Price: 4,999 / $6,284 / 5,699