Pro bike: Kathrin Schweinberger’s Orbea Orca

Ceratizit-WNT were promoted to the Women’s WorldTour level in 2024, bringing their Orbea bikes with them.

Riders on the team get to choose between the Orca Aero or the lightweight Orca, which the team debuted at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift in 2023.

While at the Women’s UAE Tour, we got our hands on Kathrin Schweinberger’s Orbea Orca Aero to see how the team and rider will be setting up for the 2024 season.

• Read more: Pro Bike - Arianna Fidanza’s Orbea Orca Team Edition

Orbea Orca: A traditional aero bike

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Kathrin Schweinberger’s Orbea Orca Aero

First released in 2017, the Orca Aero received an update in 2021 to cement its aerodynamic credentials. Those credentials are visually plain to see, with the bike cutting a familiar aero shape.

Deep tube shapes are a theme of the bike but it took many of its design development cues from the Spanish brand’s time trial bike, the Ordu. Many of the developments were made to the rear of the bike, including amendments to the upper section of the seat tube to optimise airflow. The chainstays were made horizontal, as was the top tube, while both the top and seat tubes were optimised for larger 25mm and 28mm tyres.

Orbea produces some of its components in-house, including the OC stem and handlebars which were also designed to improve aerodynamics.

For 2024, Ceratizit-WNT have adopted a modest colourway that blends blue and navy on the tubes with a red seatpost. It’s a relatively safe colourway compared to some of the efforts in the Women’s WorldTour peloton which never disappoints with its vibrant colourways.

• Read more: 2024 Women’s WorldTour bikes, wheels and groupsets: A complete guide

Shimano dominates Women’s WorldTour

Shimano is by far the most dominant groupset brand in the Women’s WorldTour peloton, although it is somewhat checked by SRAM. The Japanese brand provides groupsets for nine of the 15 teams, while SRAM supplies groupsets to the other six. Campagnolo is absent, as it also is in the men’s WorldTour peloton.

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Shimano's groupsets dominate the WorldTour pelotons

For the UAE Tour, Schweinberger had a 52/36t chainset which is a popular choice in the women’s peloton.

At the rear, an 11-34t cassette provided a good balance of gears, with a 36/34t easiest gear being more than ample for the climbs that the race served up.

Orbea turns in-house

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Oquo is Orbea's in-house wheel brand

The handlebars weren’t the only components sourced by Orbea in-house. The wheels also came from Orbea-owned Oquo. Despite the desert parcours that lends itself to more aero, deeper rims, the Austrian opted for Oquo’s shallower 45mm deep wheelset.

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Tyre widths are still getting wider if these 30mm-wide Vittoria Corsas are anything to go by

Schweinberger broke from convention when it came to the tyres. Most riders have topped out at 28mm, barring at certain races like Paris-Roubaix, but the Austrian was using 30mm-wide versions of the Vittoria Corsa Pro.

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The build was finished with a Fizik Argo saddle

The bike was finished with a Fizik Argo saddle and Wahoo Speedplay Aero pedals.

For more bikes of the pro peloton, visit our pro bikes library.

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