The Orbea Alma 29er S30

Pride Of Spain

Two-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time World Champion Julien Absalon has been racing for Orbea since 2005. When he’s not winning races or training, Absalon spends time with the engineers at Orbea, bouncing around ideas and testing prototypes to further develop fast race bikes. Arguably, the Alma 29er owes a great deal of its racing heritage to Absalon. We decided it was time to get this race-bred 29er into the hands of the wrecking crew to see how it measured up.

WHO IS IT MADE FOR?

The Alma’s aggressive lines and frame geometry make it apparent that this bike is intended for the cross-country racer type. Riders interested in plushness or an added level of forgiveness need to look at Orbea’s dual-suspension models. This is a no-frills bike for going fast.

WHAT IS IT MADE FROM?

The Alma is a carbon monocoque frame crafted out of Orbea’s Silver high-modulus carbon fiber. Orbea claims their Silver high-modulus carbon fiber provides great stiffness while still absorbing vibrations. The Alma features unique and beautiful lines, most noticeably the cut-away shape on the downtube. The Alma also has a tapered head tube and corresponding steerer tube for increased front-end rigidity.

WHICH COMPONENTS STAND OUT?

Sometimes it’s the small details that stand out the most. This is the case with Gore RideOn derailleur cables. This sealed cable system paired with Orbea’s DCR (direct cable routing) system provides amazingly smooth and consistent shifting while keeping contaminants away from the derailleur cables. We are also impressed with the wheel spec. We have been longtime proponents of Shimano wheelsets, so we were excited to see their 29er-specific wheelset spec’ed on the Alma. The product managers at Orbea made a wise call by spec’ing the bike with a complete Shimano XT group versus bits and pieces from several manufacturers.

HOW DOES IT PERFORM?


Ergonomics: As soon as we jumped on the Alma, it was apparent that this bike has an aggressive, European feel to it. For the American rider, the Alma’s aggressive feel has some quirks. The handlebars are incredibly narrow, posing two problems. First off, we couldn’t get our brake and shift levers situated inboard due to the oversize taper of the handlebar. Second, the narrow bars gave the illusion that the front end was much taller than it actually was. For a 20-inch frame, the top tube felt quite short, something we attribute to the 90-millimeter stem.

Climbing: Moving out on the Alma, it didn’t take long for us to notice the stiff, snappy nature of the frame. Both in and out of the saddle, the Alma is a great climber. We never once touched the 24-tooth chainring on this bike. The aggressive geometry enabled us to maneuver the bike up technical terrain with ease and precision. The narrow handlebar made navigating tight singletrack a breeze; however, the leverage advantage from a wider bar would be nice for out-of-the- saddle efforts. The frame’s stiffness was great from a power transfer perspective, but the large-diameter triangular seat stays offered little or no vertical compliance. In the long run, the Alma provided quite the harsh ride, transferring the hit from every bump and rut in the trail.


Cornering: It is essential for a race bike to be quick through the corners. True to its racing heritage, the Alma is very responsive. The steep head tube angle allows the bike to change direction quickly and effectively. The Alma has a stiff rear end that the front end can’t quite match. This becomes more apparent under hard cornering when the front end becomes nervous and requires the rider’s constant attention to stay on line.

Descending: It’s no surprise that the Alma requires a skilled rider to navigate the descents. In the hands of a novice, the steep geometry would be unnerving, to say the least, but an experienced cross-country racer will easily take to the Alma’s descending characteristics. The 29-inch wheels provide the bike with a great deal of stability, and they roll over rocks, roots and ruts with ease. The 3.9- inch-travel RockShox Reba RLT fork always had a bit left in the tank, giving us added confidence over rocky terrain. The Hutchinson Python tires roll quite fast and provide good traction over hardpack terrain. For loose terrain, we would prefer a different tire or would plan on running drastically lower tire pressure.

Braking: The Shimano XT brakes worked flawlessly, and the 7-inch front rotor spec provided a nice boost of stopping power. The Hutchinson Pythons offered average braking performance for a cross-country race tire.

TRICKS, UPGRADES OR TIPS?

The Alma has a lot of potential as a no-nonsense cross-country race bike; however, several component specs keep this bike from being a podium contender. First things first: put a wider bar and appropriately sized stem on this bike. This quick fix will improve the Alma in nearly all performance-based categories, including climbing, cornering and descending. The bike comes equipped with a tubeless wheelset and tubeless-ready tires; utilize that technology and run a lower tire pressure. That will help to combat the Alma’s harsh ride and improve its descending capabilities. This bike should have been spec’ed with a 2x10 drivetrain; it just makes sense in this category. The 2x10 ratios on a 29er at this weight are plenty, and they would improve the bike’s climbing abilities. The Alma came spec’ed with Gore RideOn cables, which do a great job of smooth shifting. The downside is that you can only run these cables on the Alma because of the unique cable routing system.

BUYING ADVICE

Orbea delivers a lightweight, carbon fiber, hardtail race bike at a very attractive price. To hit the weight and price goals, compromises were made with regards to frame compliance and ride resilience. There is no hiding the fact that the Alma’s ride requires the rider to be fit. This is not a bike for the masses looking for the 29er experience. It is only for the serious racer who wants the advantage of a lightweight frame but can’t shell out $6000 for the privilege and is willing to take a little extra abuse.

Reprinted from our November 2011 issue. Like us on Facebook