The Orbea Diem E-Bike: Your Questions Answered

Spanish bike builder Orbea has a slick new electric bike that promises to jazz up your daily commute. Called the Diem, the new bike launched earlier this month with a sleek looking frame, aShimano e-bike motor and neat flourishes like built in lights.

To put the new bike through its paces, we headed out to Germany to spend a day riding it around the city of Düsseldorf. But before we reveal everything we found out about the bike, we thought it was time to address some of the pressing questions you had about Obrea’s latest efforts.

So from simple facts like the tire size through to summaries about how easy it to carry up stairs, here is my best effort to answer your questions about the all-new Orbea Diem e-bike.

And if you want to learn even more about the Diem, we’ll have a full review for you to enjoy soon. So watch this space!

Does It Have Gears, And What’s The Range?

Yes, it does have gears and there are actually three different options for you to chose from on this front. The entry-level Diem 30 comes fitted with a traditional Shimano groupset; specifically, it’s a nine-speed setup with a Cues derailleur controlling the shifting across an 11-46-tooth cassette.

On the Diem 20, there’s a belt drive coupled with an internal hub gearbox, which gives you five gears. The top-of-the-line Diem 10 also has an internal hub gearbox, but it’s controlled by Enviolo’s automatic shifting and uses a sort of bike-specific CVT. Orbea doesn’t put a number on the gear ratio you get here, but on my short ride around Germany it seemed like plenty of flexibility for flat riding and some steeper inclines.

Do Standard Panniers Work On The Racks?

There are two different racks to chose from on the Diem and both use Ortlieb’s QL3.1 system. The setup has three pins on the pannier, which your bags can clip onto securely. So, as long long as your pannier is compatible with this system, then you’re good to go.

What’s The Weight Limit For The Racks?

When it comes to how much you can load onto the Diem’s racks, it again comes down to which one you chose. If you opt for the slim RR-01 carrier you’ll be able to load it up with up to 44 lbs of stuff. The larger RR-02 carrier gives you increased capacity as it can hold up to 33 lbs of stuff.

If that isn’t enough luggage capacity for you, a front rack can be added to support an extra 22 lbs, and you can also tow a trailer behind each model in the Diem lineup.

How Hard Is It To Carry Up Stairs?

Despite being an electric bike, the Diem is a pleasantly surprising weight. I’m not going to say it’s lightweight, because it still weighs about 50 lbs. But, it’s not a bad weight to lug up a flight of stairs, as I did to get some nice shots of the bike.

What’s more, the frame is a good shape to get a decent purchase on it while you’re carrying, and the belt drive on the Diem 20 and 30 reduces the chance of getting oil stains on your new trousers.

Will It Fit More Than One Water Bottle?

Sadly there’s only mounting points for one water bottle holder on the Diem frame thanks to its interesting shape, which Orbea says was created to give it more flex on the bumps.