Oreka brings a new turbo trainer to market, and it looks pretty impressive

Launching today, with stock available mid-December, is a new entry into the indoor smart trainer market. The Oreka O7 slots in below the other Oreka trainer options and offers a lower pricepoint - £970 to be exact - with features that continue to be unique. 

If the name Oreka doesn't immediately ring a bell, that's because it is a relatively new brand with a presence limited to Europe. In early 2020 Oreka came to market with the Oreka O2: a kind of bike-meets-treadmill product. It brought free riding, with both wheels and natural movement, to the lowest price point for anything like it. Later that same year, the Oreka Training O5 continued the innovation but looked more like other turbo trainers on the market. The Oreka O7 once again builds on the previous products, this time bringing a compact size to the table. 

Many of the features established with the O5 show up again on the O7. Primarily that means the same resistance system. Oreka doesn't require mains power at all in either the O5 or the O7. The rider powers the units while pedalling and resistance comes from increasing, or decreasing, power through a series of electromagnets. The resistance is a fixed factor of current provided and it requires no calibration. Just get on and ride, you don't need to worry about calibration or powering the device.

Being free to set up the trainer anywhere makes for a trainer that begs for portability and it's here that the O7 stands apart, since this is the compact entry in the Oreka lineup. Compared with the Oreka O5, the new trainer occupies a smaller 60cm long by 80cm wide space when in use and folds down to 60x22cm. It also drops weight by 7kg bringing the total system down to 23kg. For an idea of how that compares to the competition, a Wahoo Kickr is 51cm x 71cm when in use, and the Tacx Neo 2T is 57.5cm x 75cm. 

As expected at this point in the development of smart trainers, the O7 brings the same ANT+ FE-C and Bluetooth Smart connections found on other turbo trainer options. Connect to any of the major training software solutions using phones, computers, Apple TV, or tablets. Of particular note is that the Oreka app can also handle controlling the trainer, or recording a workout, without an internet connection. 

Connection to the bike is as standard as its connection to software. Adapters for 130mm, 135mm, 142 x 12mm, and 148 x 12mm axles are all included. Cassette compatibility is a bit more limited though with no 12-speed options listed. Campagnolo is also missing, however as long as everything is 11-speed, Shimano-compatible cassettes will fill the need. 

Once riding, the specs are impressive. Max power comes in at (40 km/h) 2,500 watts while grade simulation sits at 25 per cent. Both are noticeably higher than competitors at a similar price point. 

Oreka O7 Specs

• Trainer Type: Direct Drive trainer
• Transmission: Direct - Shimano/SRAM Freehub
• Electrical requirements: Plugless Technology 
• Upgradeable firmware: by Oreka APP
• Suitable axles: 130mm, 135mm, 142x12mm & 148x12mm 
• Supplied with: Adapters for indicated axes
• Max. power (40 km/h): 2,500 watts
• Max. slope: 25% 
• Flywheel: Virtual 
• Calibration: Magnet fit Technology (calibration not required)
• Occupied Surface (length x width): 60×80 cm, and folded: 64x22 cm
• Frame height: 49cm 
• Weight: 23kg
• Wireless communication: ANT+ FE-C , Bluetooth Smart opensource 
• Control by: Autonomous connection, Computer via ANT + antenna, ANT + FE-C bicycle computers, Smartphone, Tablet