Beautiful Bicycle: Custom Orbea Oiz with Flight Attendant

If you're a cross-country (XC) racer or you've spent time on Contender's shop floor, the Orbea Oiz hardly needs an introduction. Light, precise, and ruthlessly efficient, it has long been considered among the "best of the best" for XC race bikes. Known for its stiff rear triangle and impeccable power transfer, it's a bike that makes the most of every watt, rewarding riders who love speed.

For our latest Beautiful Bicycle, this particular Oiz—the brainchild of a Contender customer, who used Orbea's custom program to bring their vision to life–ratchets that race-ready reputation up to an 11. Outfitted with RockShox Flight Attendant, which uses rider, gradient and terrain inputs to deliver automatic, lightning fast adjustments on the fly, the result is a next-level Oiz, that's just as intelligent as it is light and stiff.

And here's the kicker: while this was a customer's Orbea dream build, Contender has pre-ordered six Oiz models just like it, in a range of colors and sizes. The upside: each Oiz comes with the Flight Attendant upgrade on the suspension, along with the speed and convenience of already being in stock. The downside? None, actually. Think of it as the exclusivity of a custom build, but without the wait.

Without further adieu, let's unpack what makes this Oiz such a fantastic build.

Carbon Frame, Custom Paint

At the heart of this build is Orbea's carbon Oiz frame; stiff where it needs to be and feather-light everywhere else, a no-compromise XC race chassis. This one goes a step further with a custom Orbea paint job that blends crisp, clean white, metallic burgundy, and what RockShox calls 'blue crush' on the fork, for a look that truly stands out.

Drivetrain

SRAM's XX AXS Transmission is the lightest, most precise offering in their lineup, built for riders who count grams as much as seconds. It delivers instant, wireless shifts under load and the durability to keep performing deep into the race season.

Suspension

As noted above, beyond the custom paintjob, the highlight of this build is the RockShox SID Flight Attendant (an upgrade from the baseline Oiz M-LTD model). As prefaced above, this SID fork and SIDLuxe shock system constantly analyzes inputs and adjusts damping and travel in real time, ensuring the suspension is always in the right setting. It's not just a comfort upgrade; it's a performance advantage, translating to added speed when the trail gets rough.

Wheels and Tires

OQUO carbon wheels, paired with Maxxis Rekon Race tires, keep things rolling fast and true. Light, stiff, and responsive, the wheels feature a two-tone paint finish that echoes the custom frame. The Rekon Race tread pattern is a go-to for XC racers, blending rolling efficiency with just enough bite for Utah singletrack.

Cockpit and Controls

The integrated OC Mountain Performance MP10 carbon cockpit keeps weight low and stiffness high, while its two-tone finish mirrors the custom frame and wheel accents for a holistic, clean look. ESI foam grips add comfort for marathon days in the saddle, and stopping power comes courtesy of SRAM's Level ULT two-piston brakes.

Saddle and Dropper

A svelte Selle Italia SLR Boost Carbon Fill saddle tops things off, paired with Fox's Transfer SL Factory dropper post in Kashima. It's one of the lightest droppers available, adding real-world utility without slowing things down.

Learn More

At Contender Bicycles, we love seeing how a rider's vision comes together in a one-of-a-kind build.

Ready to take the plunge yourself? Interested in learning more about the Oiz, or kicking the tires on one of the custom Oiz builds (with Flight Attendant) that we just received?

We'd love to help. Drop by the shop any time, send a message here, or give us a call at (801) 364-0344. We’d love to help out.

Spec Table