Orbea Kemen Electric City Bike Review |

The Orbea Kemen and Kemen SUV are two new introductions to the Orbea line-up. The Kemen is dubbed a city bike and the Kemen SUV activates opportunities beyond the comforts of a paved road.

The Lab

The Kemen is a Shimano powered Class 1 pedal assist bike. This means it will deliver pedal assist up to 20mph. They are both urban bikes and the SUV capable of more rugged terrain. Included with both offerings are an 1100w Headlight and LED tail light from Lezyne. Both models come with fenders and a rear rack with slight differences between the two models to best suit their intended environments.

The hydroformed aluminum frame boasts a smooth and sleek design and internally routed cables to keep things clean. It is offered in both a High top tube and a Mid top tube with the choice of three different color options. Frame sizes include: S, M, L, XL, and two different component build kits, the 10’s and 30’s.

All of the Kemen models use a Shimano EP8 drive unit, that offers up to 5 hours of ride time from its integrated 540wh battery. Additionally, Orbea does offers a Range Extender for those concerned with battery size. Orbea has also introduced a new Smart Charger with approximate charging time for a 0% battery is 3 hours to 80% and 4 hours to 100%. This new Smart Charger considers factors, such as: battery temperature and amount of charge, to optimize how the battery is charged extending the life of the battery allowing it to withstand more charge cycles.

The Kemen 10 uses a 1×11 Shimano XT Link Glide drivetrain and Magura MT5 E-Stop hydraulic disc brakes deliver the stopping power. 29×2.25 Schwalbe G One All Around tires keep you rolling smoothly and comfortably across a wide variety of terrains. Additional creature comforts are provided to you as the rider from a Selle Royal saddle, a dropper post, and comfortable wide bars.

Advantages

To Orbea’s credit the Kemen is more than the parts that are put on it, at it’s bare form it is an incredibly sleek and clean looking electric bike with very pleasing frame lines in both the high and mid bar models. The attention to detail with the integrated battery to keep the frame thin, an integrated light above the head tube, rear racks that follow the flow of the frame lines and fenders that offer ample tire coverage, creates a very good looking and functionally capable electric bike. Beyond its looks, the Kemen offers a ride experience that rivals the best of them as an naturally smooth and efficient rolling bike. The geometry of the bike puts you as the rider in a very comfortable position that is well balanced and lets you truly be in control. We like that the Kemen has an integrated battery and found 540wh to be ample enough battery never needing for more (as long as we remember to charge it up).

Drawbacks

Although the Magura MT5 brakes are great brakes the brake pads may not be for everyone. As more aggressive riders, we’ve found that the brake pad spec is, although a good choice for many, not the prime choice for us as we wanted more bite and braking control we know the Magura brakes were capable of offering. In light of the Kemen’s geometry, be wary of your sizing choice. At 6′ tall personally I found it a very nice fit, however, quickly as others had their go in the saddle we noticed the size Large to be truly too large for some of our testers. By using Orbea’s Rider Connect program finding a dealer locally that has Orbea’s in stock will let you go and test ride one yourself for the right fit.

Final Thoughts

All in all, we give the Kemen two thumbs up and we like what Orbea is doing in the electric bike world. Our Kemen Mid 10 offered a very comfortable ride and reliable performance. We may have tested the limits of this Kemen but we were always surprised with how it handled even the roughest terrain and made childs play of the smooth pavement it is most suited for. If you’re likely to be seeing a lot of dirt or gravel miles, the SUV is a natural contender offering wider tires and ability to carry more weight.