2013 specialized amira SL4 expert vs 2012 Orbea Orca Dama SLT...???

Hi Ladies,

First of all, I am glad stumbling to this great forum. Finally I am braving myself and posting my question for the first time. I have been lurking and reading tons of info about road cycling for months now. Just a little background, I am a fairly new rider. Mid 30s, mom of 3 boys and quite fit. I bought a flatbar last December and have been enjoying riding ever since. I ride about 40-50km at a time for twice/three times a week. I live in Brisbane, Australia and where the area I live in you cant really avoid hills. I am at the point that I am ready to make a jump to getting a road bike so that I can ride and enjoy a longer faster ride.

I have tried a few bikes and have narrowed down my choice to 2012 Orbea Orca SLT or 2013 Specialized Amira SL4 expert. For me both bikes have relatively similar feel. Color on boths bike are not an issue. I can go either way. I have read so many positives feedback on amira line but for some reason I couldnt find much on Orbea other than a youtube video from grandfondocycle (i think) giving a raving review of the orbea. I guess, I just want to see/hear some feedback in regards to the longevity of the bikes or if anyone has encountered any concern on any of these bikes?

Thank you for reading and looking forward to hearing some feedback.

Mel

Ooh, tough choice, and a big jump! Are both within your budget? The wheels on the Orbea might be nicer (I have no idea, really, and being in the US the bikes might well be spec'ed differently from what you can get). Have you been able to take both out on a long ride, or are we talking bike shop parking lot or trainer?

Orbea just isn't as big as Specialized, and I think there are fewer shops that carry it overall, so that's probably why it's harder to find reviews.
Since they're both carbon, you do need to be a bit careful with them; barring crashes or other mishaps that might damage the frame, either will last you a while.

Orbea is a Spanish company, not common in North America, but quite common in Europe. We rented Orbeas to ride in France a couple of years ago and liked them. Above a certain price point, you aren't going to get a horrible bike, so it really boils down to what feels best and has the best components for the price. I bought my Look 566 as a last year's model on sale and got a great price as a result.

Thank you ladies for responding. I went back to both dealers and tested both of them back to back. I leaned towards Orbea at the moment but I just found out that the Orbea frame has a scraped mark at the bottom of the seat stay. It looked like someone leaned the bike frame against the wall or something and scraped it. I didnt have any picture of it but I think it may expose the carbon itself. The bike color is white with the mark becomes black. The LBS assures me that it's only cosmetic and they are willing to give about $300 off (on top of the discount) for that mark. Now the question is, should I be worried about the mark or I can wait for another week for a new frame to arrive? I have read that if the scraped exposes the carbon itself it may result to problem in the future??

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Originally Posted by Dedot

The LBS assures me that it's only cosmetic and they are willing to give about $300 off (on top of the discount) for that mark. Now the question is, should I be worried about the mark or I can wait for another week for a new frame to arrive? I have read that if the scraped exposes the carbon itself it may result to problem in the future??

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Unless you see multiple layers of carbon damaged and delamination around the area...it's fine. On balance people are WAY too scared about carbon frame damage. Any reputable framebuilder is going to allow for things like that in the build. I'd take the $300 discount if the cosmetics don't bother you.

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Originally Posted by Seajay

Unless you see multiple layers of carbon damaged and delamination around the area...it's fine. On balance people are WAY too scared about carbon frame damage. Any reputable framebuilder is going to allow for things like that in the build. I'd take the $300 discount if the cosmetics don't bother you.

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Agree. If the cosmetics of the mark bother you, don't buy it. But if you can overlook the scratch, very much doubt it is a problem. Doubtful the dealer would sell you a frame they thought really had a structural problem due to law suit concerns. You could also ask them to note it on the receipt in case there is a future problem in that area.