Orbea facts for kids
 |
|
 |
|
| Co-operative | |
| Industry | Bicycles |
| Founded | 1840 |
| Headquarters | , |
|
Area served
|
Worldwide |
| Products | Bicycles and related components |
Orbea is a company that makes bicycles. It is located in Mallabia, Spain. Orbea is part of a larger group called the Mondragón Cooperative Corporation. It is also the biggest bicycle maker in Spain. Orbea designs and builds bikes in its own factories in Spain and Portugal.
Contents
Orbea's Story
_01.JPG)
Orbea was started in 1840 by three brothers: Juan Manuel, Mateo, and Casimiro Orbea. They began their business in Eibar, in the Basque Country of Spain. At first, they made rifles and guns.
In 1930, Orbea stopped making guns. They decided to start designing and making bicycles instead. This was the beginning of Orbea Bicycles. By 1934, Orbea bikes were already competing in big races like the Tour de France. A famous Spanish cyclist named Mariano Cañardo rode for the Orbea road cycling team.
A New Start for Orbea
In 1969, the company faced money problems. So, the employees decided to buy Orbea from the Orbea family. They formed a special kind of company called a co-operative. In the same year, the new Orbea co-operative moved from Eibar to nearby Mallabia. There, they built their first factory just for making bicycles. For many years, Orbea focused on making bikes for people to ride for fun in Spain and other parts of Europe.
Returning to Racing
In the 1980s, Orbea returned to competitive road cycling. Their teams were known as Gin MG-Orbea and later SEAT-Orbea. Famous Spanish cyclists like Pedro Delgado, Jokin Mújika, and Pello Ruiz Cabestany rode for them. They competed in both the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España.
Orbea also started making mountain bikes in 1989.
Types of Orbea Bikes
Orbea designs and makes many different kinds of bikes. These include bikes for road racing, mountain biking, triathlons, and city riding. Some of their well-known bikes used in competitions are the Orca and Avant road bikes. They also make the Rallon and Occam Mountain Bikes, and the Ordu models for time trials and triathlons.
Orbea in Competitions
Orbea has supported and provided bikes to many racing teams. One example is the Euskaltel–Euskadi professional team from the Basque area of Spain. Another is the Herring Gas team in the United States.
- In 2008, Samuel Sánchez won the road race gold medal at the Beijing Olympics. He rode an Orbea Orca Carbon bike.
- Also in 2008, Julien Absalon won the mountain bike gold medal. He rode an Orbea Alma.
- Craig Alexander is a three-time Ironman World Triathlon Champion. He won in 2008, 2009, and 2011. He rode an Orbea Ordu for his first two wins.
The UCI Professional Continental team Cofidis Solutions Crédits also raced on Orbea bikes in 2016 and 2017. The Rio Grande Elite Cycling Team, a UCI Domestic Elite Cycling Team, currently uses Orbea bikes for their races.
Electric Bikes (E-bikes)
In late 2017, Orbea launched its Gain e-bike model. E-bikes have an electric motor that helps you pedal. The Gain model is available as a road bike or a hybrid bike. In 2019, Orbea also introduced the electric-assisted Orbea Wild mountain bike.
See also
In Spanish: Orbea para niños
