Looking for a good looking, well built e-bike to ride around town? The Orbea Vibe may be the perfect candidate for you. We have put many miles on the Orbea  Vibe H30 EQ over the past few months. Here is our review on the Orbea Vibe H30 EQ.

The Orbea Vibe H30 EQ is a class one electric bike with pedal assist up to 20 mph. There are a few iterations of the Orbea Vibe, this here H30 EQ is the misstep version. It comes with a rear rack and front/rear fenders. This is also the mid-step version, it is also available in a high-step version.

Powering the Orbea Vibe is an internal Mahle 36V/6.9A (248Wh) battery. It uses the Mahle X35 Plius rear hub motor with 250 watts of power and 40nm of torque.  There is no display on the bars, but there is a small thumb controller on the left hand side. You can connect to the Mahle system using the Mahle App on your phone to see exact battery percentage, speed, navigation. You can also customize the power output of each of the three pedal assist modes. 

The Vibe comes stock equipped with 700c wheels that are tubeless ready and 45c Kenda Tires. The drivetrain is a Shimano Deore 10 speed system. The brakes are Magura MT30 hydraulic disc brakes. This H30 EQ model comes with a rear rack that can hold up to 18kg. The saddle is a Selle Royal lift saddle and it comes with an integrated Lezyne headlight and tail light.

In addition to the internal battery, there is an option for an external range extender battery. Estimated range with the internal battery is 125km (77mi) and with the range extender up to 220km. The Orbea Vibe H30 EQ weighs in just around 40lbs and has a price tag of $3,499.

Firstly, we have had the Orbea Vibe H30 EQ for a while now, and have had a chance to ride it in a lot of different situations. We have made a few changes to test out different products. It should be noted that the stock parts we changed out, like the bars and tires, are quality parts. We just wanted to use this ebike as a test vehicle for those parts. 

Clearly the Orbea Vibe does not look like a typical ebike at first glance. That is one of the main things that we enjoyed about it. It doesn’t have very big oversized tubing and has those classic lines of an urban bike. The finish on the bike is also really nice, and you can tell it is a quality made ebike. 

Furthermore, the Vibe does not have a display onboard the bike. This has its pros and cons, but the thumb controller has a haptic vibration that reacts when you push to turn it on and change assist levels. Not having a computer keeps this bike looking really sleek and not like an ebike. 

I opted to get this mid step version as it is nice to have for a city bike in my opinion. Since riding around a city you make more stops, it is easier step forward and get both of my feet on the ground. The Vibe is also outfitted with nice components, from the Shimano Deore groupset, the magura hydraulic disc brakes and the bar/grip combo. This H30EQ also comes with fenders and a rack so you can throw on your panniers and hit the road. 

The Mahl x35 Plus hub drive that is on this bike is very smooth and delivers smooth power. It is very quiet, practically silent. Particularly in the lower pedal assist modes, you almost forget it is on. Even with the pedal assist turned off, the bike pedals well.

It is hard to think of anything we didn’t like about the Orbea Vibe H30 EQ. From fit to finish we enjoyed everything. The thumb controller isn’t the easiest to see what your battery level is without being connected to the app. The light colors that indicate how much battery you have give a wide range, so you could be anywhere in a 24% range.  In particular, if you are in the lowest battery range, you could be either at 25% or 5%, which could leave you with a dead battery on the road. 

If you do run out of battery you could continue your journey, just with a bit more effort. Obviously it isn’t as fun to ride without the pedal assist, but there was an instance I ran out of battery. Unlike much heavier bikes, I didn’t have too much of a struggle pedaling the few miles home. 

This isn’t the fastest ebike out there. The motor produces 40nm of torque, which is plenty for keeping a good speed around town. Even so, you aren’t going to win any ebike drag races with this bike, but it is very efficient.

The Orbea Vibe is an awesome choice for someone looking for a sleek, minimalist ebike to ride around town and commute on. The fact that it doesn’t look like an ebike is a bonus for people trying to keep it on the down low. 

Overall we definitely can recommend the Orbea Vibe if you are looking for a smooth riding ebike that doesn’t really look like an ebike.It is easy to customize or upgrade to your liking, like we did here with these parts we put on it.

Price: $3499
Sizes: Small, Medium, Large
Weight: 39.6lbs
Website: www.Orbea.com