As an in-house brand of UK distributor I-Ride, Orro enjoys enviable input from experienced professionals from a range of backgrounds.
The 2023 Venturi Tri is the latest bike to bear this name and builds on solid development across its iterations.
The one Venturi Tri model available runs a Shimano Ultegra Di2 groupset and Vision SC55 TLR wheels. The proprietary base bar carries Profile Design extensions and arm rests.
At £5,950 it’s clearly a lot of money but with several brands asking double that and more for comparable builds the Venturi Tri seems almost modestly priced.
Orro Venturi Tri frame
As with almost every other bike launched since 2010 there are suggestions that aerodynamic optimisation and compliance improvements abound.
In this case the key talking point is rounded leading edges – certainly not ground-breaking but definitely of-the-moment.
The intriguing point comes from the use of Sigmatex Spread Tow carbon fibre. This UK-engineered material uses thinner laminates with increased fibre volume compared to similar materials and Orro says it’s secured exclusive use within the bike industry.
Orro Venturi Tri cockpit
A bayonet-style fork is topped with an interesting stem arrangement, which houses the Di2 junction box, guides the brake hoses in their respective directions and tidies the front of the bike no end.
The proprietary base bar is neat and integrates seamlessly but offers no adjustment in terms of rotation. The pylons are made up of interlocking stackable spacers offering a wide range of adjustment and a brace is supplied for taller set-ups.
Arm-rest cups with the standard two-bolt pattern are compatible with the extension mounts and these mounts offer 15° of rotational adjustment.
While not enough to achieve the current trend of hyper-aggressive ‘praying mantis’ high-hand positions, the supplied L-bend extensions do allow a higher hand position than the traditional flatter set-up.
Orro Venturi Tri fit and adjustability
The seatpost offers a huge range of fore-aft adjustment meaning a good fit should be more than manageable if the correct size is purchased.
You get 100mm of adjustment from the seatpost itself and further adjustment via the rails of the saddle. The seat clamp is integrated into the sliding unit from which the main adjustment arises.
Once dialled in the position is easy to hold, even at lower speeds when climbing. The low base bar makes descending a confident affair, holding the body low and maintaining front wheel traction.
Orro Venturi Tri performance
On the local TT course times close to a PB were hit for a noticeably lower effort, and on the longer rides on familiar loops it was easy to maintain a pace consistent with best previous efforts.
The days of TT bikes not being good at climbing or handling badly are long gone – the Venturi Tri climbs purposefully seated or out of the saddle and turns like a good road bike.
Orro says the groupset is an ‘Ultegra/Dura-Ace mix’ and in reality this is an Ultegra Di2 groupset with Dura-Ace brake levers and shift triggers.
In operation, Ultegra Di2 is indistinguishable from its more expensive stablemate and shifting is impeccable.
Single buttons at each shift point mean Shimano’s brilliant sequential shifting is employed, automatically switching between small and large chainrings at a given point in the shift process. This point can be customised in the (free) Shimano e-Tube app.
The latest generation of Shimano disc brakes are reassuringly capable. The Orro Tri has a 140mm rotor both front and rear but there wasn’t a single situation in which more power would have been preferable.
That power never feels too binary, with Shimano’s Servo-Wave tech bringing a progressive feel to a solid bite point.
- Trek Speed Concept SLR 9 review
- Canyon Speedmax CFR Disc eTap review
- How much time does a triathlon bike save?
Orro Venturi Tri packability and storage
Travelling with the Orro Tri is relatively easy. The seatpost has height markers making your position easy to replicate and the way the bars come off means they can be folded flat against the frame without needing to disconnect the brakes.
The extensions can be taken off and shift cables unplugged as the junction box is easily accessible under the stem cap.
There’s no internal storage on the Venturi Tri and there’s only one set of bottle bosses within the main triangle of the frame.
A second set of bosses lives on the top tube and can be utilised for a bottle cage or a bolt-on bento box, and the arm rest brace could be used to mount a between-the-aerobars style hydration system.
Further, third-party mounts are available to fit various storage options to the back of the seatpost. All that means you should be able to kit the bike out with the hydration and spares you prefer to carry for any distance event.
Vision’s solid SC55 TLR wheels are a great all-round mid-depth offering. Wrapped round them are Vredestein Superpasso 28mm tyres, which arrive already set up tubeless.
Orro has produced a brilliant triathlon bike at a sensible price, with well thought-out parts and great adjustability.
Verdict: A sensible-value, great-handling TT rig.
Score: 86%
Orro Venturi Tri specs
Weight: 8.89kg
Frame: Sigmatex Spread Tow carbon fibre
Fork: Integrated bayonet style
Gears: Shimano Ultegra Di2
Brakes: Shimano Ultegra
Wheels: Vision SC55 TLR
Finishing kit: Integrated base bar, Profile extensions, Selle San Marco Shortfit saddle
Highs: Brilliant handling, great value.
Lows: Some may not get on with the low base bar.
Buy if... It’s a great option as a first TT bike.