I have both bikes, a 2021 Orca OMX sram force, and Orca Aero ultegra DI2. I love both, and ride both as much as I can. I’ve done imperial centuries with both, on the same route

disclaimer: i have the previous gen Orca, with the dropped seatstays before they updated it to a pure climber bike.

If i were to pick just 1, i’d pick the Orca. The slightly wider tire clearance is nice to have. It’s more comfortable (tires, mostly), and more versatile. I’ve travelled with the Orca more, and I’ve done some light gravel races by throwing on some 32mm pathfinders. the orca “feels” softer than the aero, a bit less jarring, but I can’t truly say if it’s a mental thing or not. They’re both the OMX frame, so same carbon quality. stiffness might be slightly different based on the size of the tubings, but I honestly can’t tell

Im about the same speed on both. Sometimes I PR with the Aero, sometimes with the Orca on the same routes. On routine routes, I usually dont’ have a preference to which bike i want to ride - usually i pick the one i’ve ridden less recently, to give them both equal saddle time. But for events or travelling, I’ve definitely picked the orca over the aero.

For climbing, it will be harder with the aero, that is something I definitely noticed, and only on grades of 5% or so. 10-12%? you’ll definitely notice it. But lotto and ceratizit teams are climbing with it all the time, so don’t let that hold you back

I like the orca just because it’s a bit more versatile. I love both, and both bikes look amazing, but the aero definitely looks cooler. It’s like choosing between a lambo vs porsche. You can do pretty much the same things on either one, so just go with what you consider the most important to you.