The I in bicycle

Bought second hand in 2011 after having my bikes stolen. I don’t know much about the bike origin and which components it came originally with. It’s not the most comfortable bike on earth, but it has served me well for going up and down the hills. It’s

I’m very curious about the year for this bike, a long time ago I found someone’s personal website with some pictures of a bike with the same paint scheme as mine. I can’t recall but I think the year mentioned on that website was either 2003 or 2004.

Throughout it’s lifetime on my hands (almost 15y), I’ve replaced worn drivetrain(s), worn out derailleur pulleys, the front brake with a Magura Louise, a leaking Manitou suspension with a Rockshox SID XX, and the last component to fail in 2024 was the rear wheel hub. This last failure was frustrating, the ratchet mechanism failed (two broken pawls), and there are no replacement parts anywhere online, no references engraved on the hub, nothing, so it meant replacing the whole rear hub and rebuilding the wheel. So I did what any sane person would do, and bought a new second-hand bike while I fixed the rear wheel. I fixed the rear wheel and this bike is now parked and looking for a new owner. The headset’s bearings likely need replacement also.

This is the bike that I had for the longest period of time, funny enough it also coincided with my most irregular cycling period. ¯\(ツ)/¯

Pedals and saddle on the picture are there just for the picture, as I moved my Shimano PD-M540 pedals to the new bike. Also, notice the loop on the rear derailleur cable housing, I was pretty lazy when I replaced it last time, right?

Technical specifications

I’ve found two possible bikes that fit the description, unfortunately the website doesn’t have photos of the bikes. When I bought the bike it had a Manitou Axel suspension fork, so I’m now inclined for it being the 2004 version.

1. Orbea Comp Air 2003 - bikezona.com
2. Orbea Compair Axel 2004 - bikezona.com

Current specs

• Frame: Orbea CompAir
  • Material: Aluminium 6061
  • Size: S/M? (will need to check)
  • Derailleur hanger: XLC DO-A08 xlc-parts.com // amazon.es
• Fork: Rockshox SID XX DualAir 2010? - 26" with hydraulic remote lock that I never use
• Wheels:
  • Size: 26"
  • Rims: Mavic X221
  • Hubs: Orbea (Front); Shimano FH-M525A Disc 6-bolt QR (Rear);
• Bottom bracket: SRAM GXP
• Drivetrain:
  • Crankset: Truvativ Stylo 3.3 GXP 22/32/42
  • Cassette: SRAM PG-970 11-32
  • Chain: SRAM PC-971
• Derailleurs:
  • Front: Shimano Deore XT
  • Rear: Shimano XT
• Tyres:
  • Front: Schwalbe Hans Dampf ADDIX TwinSkin TLR 26" 2.35 (60-559)
  • Rear: Schwalbe Rocket Ron Performance ADDIX TwinSkin 26" 2.25 (57-559)
• Brakes:
  • Front: Magura Louise Carbon BAT
  • Rear: Avid Juicy
  • Discs: Tektro 160mm