Orbea

Alma 29 Silver/Shimano XT Complete Bike - 2012

When Orbea introduced the Alma 29 mountain bike, its unique frame design not only stood out from traditional offerings at the time, it's carbon mastery changed perceptions of how hardtail mountain bikes should ride. That was seven years ago. What you see here is the evolution of that pioneering frame, now utilizing current standards. We dressed this light and lively cross-country ride in Shimano XT, Fulcrum, and RockShox to ensure that the components match the feathery, yet stout, nature of the Alma frame.

The Alma 29’s distinguishing factor is its 4x4 design, meaning that both the front and rear triangles are actually quadrangles, with four corners. The 4x4 design is based around the understanding that a triangle is nature’s stiffest geometrical design because any forces on it simply become tension or compression in the members (think chainstays, seatstays, and seat tube in the case of the rear triangle). By adding a short fourth member, located in front of the dropout, Orbea’s engineers have designed the rear end of the Alma to deflect harsh trail imperfections by way of the joints, or nodes, flexing slightly.

The Alma’s front end is built in the same quadrangle manner as the rear end with the fourth side located just in front of the seat tube. Here, Orbea’s team of engineers used an oversized downtube for added stiffness, and they shaped it to protect from tire spray, so it acts like a built-in fender. The Alma uses a BB30 bottom bracket shell and a tapered headtube with a 1.5” lower bearing. This allows for a solid interface between the downtube and these structurally vital components, while adding a boost in stiffness for optimum power transfer and steering precision.

Orbea’s monocoque molding process and carbon layup are just as essential as the 4x4 tube shapes to the Alma’s esteemed ride characteristics. The monocoque structure means they make each Alma 29 frame as a one-piece homogenous structure. Fibers run continuously along the length of the tubes and around the joints, which eliminates failure-prone joining techniques to enhance the total strength and durability of the bike. The beauty of this process, in contrast to metals that exhibit the same characteristics in all directions, is that carbon fiber can be tuned for different mechanical properties along different axes. This allows for a small degree of movement without losing any torsional stiffness.

Another key feature of the Alma 29 is its SSN (size specific nerve) technology. Orbea uses this technology to ensure the same characteristics exist across the size range. More specifically, each frame size has specific carbon lay-ups and tube dimensions. Instead of simply scaling a frame design up or down, every size gets its own unique structures and molds to optimize strength and weight ratios for every rider.

While optimization of ride quality is paramount, it would be pointless if the derailleurs didn’t shift flawlessly. The Alma 29 uses DCR (direct cable routing), which means the cables are routed using the shortest method possible. This not only cuts down on weight, it reduces the amount of friction between the housing and cables. We kept true to the perfect shifting theme, and opted for the precision and light action of Shimano’s XT components. You’ll find the low-profile Shadow rear derailleur out back, with an XT derailleur and a 2X10 26/38 crank up front. We’ve found that when matched to an 11-36 cassette, this combination reduces clutter and weight while retaining all the gear ratios our legs need to spin 29” wheels. Speaking of wheels, this Alma 29er rolls on Fulcrum’s fast-engaging and lightweight Red Power XLs wrapped in Geax AKA XC 2.2" tires.

The Alma 29 is meant to go fast, so we went with a 180mm front rotor and 160mm rear for added stopping power and cooler operation of the XT levers and calipers. Rock Shox’s Reba 100 RLT with a 15mm Maxle Lite thru-axle gets the nod due to its consistency, durability, and serviceability. Equipped with all the bells and whistles like rebound, low-speed compression, and preload adjustments, including an adjustable lockout, this fork perfectly matches the Alma 29’s race-ready demeanor. Alloy Orbea components complete the cockpit and a Selle Italia SL XC Flow saddle ensures miles of off-road comfort.

The Orbea Alma 29 comes in White and is available in Small, Medium, and Large.