It's not been long since the launch of the Terra, Orbea's carbon-framed graveler. Though, the team has kept busy having focussed on creating an alloy framed counterpart, named the Terra Hydro. Not only does the new alloy bike make the Terra more accessible to a wider range of people, but it also features additional mounts for panniers, boosting its capacity for big bikepacking epics.

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Back in November, Orbea debuted the Terra, a fast gravel bike that's said to be comfortable, efficient and easy to ride while being well prepared for a touch of light bikepacking. Now, the brand has introduced three alloy framed models to the Terra range that provides comfort and control through the use of hydroformed aluminium tubes, all of which have been picked very carefully.

The engineers have painstakingly determined the shape and thickness of the aluminium tubes to increase their stregnth and resistance to flex. Many of the tubes are butted too in a bid to shed a bit of weight and making them lighter in the midsection, which in turn takes stress away from any joints and welds. As for the fork, that's the very same carbon fork that you'll find on the carbon Terras, picked for its combination of comfort, tyre clearance and torsional stiffness, says the brand.

2022 Orbea Terra Hydro top tube logo.jpg, by Liam Mercer

Orbea says that the Terra is the ideal choice for the 'pure' graveler who yearns for long rides at speed. As such, the new alloy frame comes with all of the mounts found on the carbon bike but it gets additional mounting points for a rear rack.

The Terra Hydro is compatible with both 700c and 650b wheels, allowing for a 45mm and 50mm widths respectively. It can also be built with 1x or 2x drivetrains thanks to its asymmetric chainstay design.

Orbea's new gravel bike is available in six sizes from XS to XXL and it shares the very same geometry as its carbon sibling. On a Medium frame, that includes a 558mm effective top tube, a 430mm chainstay, a 71° head angle and a 73.5° seat tube angle.

The new range is made up of three models with prices starting at £2,000 for the base level Terra H40. They then go up to £2,300 for the Terra H30 that comes sorted with a Shimano GRX 2X drivetrain.

• www.orbea.com

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