There are some aspects of the Orca that look better, and more completed. The graphics work especially well with the frame elements. However, an eye for what works on a high-end racing bike, and a familiarity with the rest of the bikes out there, make the refinement and “evolution” arguments invalid, IMHO.
The Orca has tested to be overly stiff on the rear end, due to the massive section joining the seat cluster and seat stays. While this molding strategy is commonly employed to make joining front and rear easier, in this case it’s resulted in a section with what looks like a 3" diameter tube. Absolute stiffness overkill for a seatstay. It does, however, make the visual “flow” off the top tube work better.
The integrated seat clamp accomplishes three functions on the RT700: holds the aero-teardrop-section seatpost; switches to normal round seatpost with removal of plastic plug; integrates rear brake cable stop. All that, plus completing the form of the top tube. There are also little branding elements on the top of the clamp. That clamp was one of the signature details of the bike. The Orca, by contrast, uses the clamp as a design element without the reason for it’s existence. It went from a light, functional, beautiful detail, to an entirely superfluous, stylistic element. There’s even a ‘serif’ on the end of the clamp. To me, that says someone liked the look of the RT’s clamp, but couldn’t achieve the degree of component integration on the Orca.
I completely disagree on the “normal evolution” or “limited engineering solutions” or “logical way the seat clamp has to be attached” arguments. These are the only two bikes out there, that do it this way. And the RT was designed first. The new Trek Madone does it really differently, and with superior carbon engineering. Most other bikes have a normal-looking clamp, non-integrated to the frame.
I have taken down the original posting. There’s nothing provable, of course. And not much to learn or moralize about. But I don’t hear Orbea’s designers bitching about how the Kestrel bikes look like theirs, albeit in a more functional manner that provides benefits to the rider vs. strictly styling exercises. The professionals that ride their bikes are still using the old Orcas, probably because they ride better than the new one, while still having a unique look.