ORBEA ALMA 29 SILVER S50 COMPLETE BIKE

While full suspension bikes are intriguing, it’s hard to deny the attraction of a lightweight, race-worthy carbon hardtail. And few are more lustworthy than the Orbea Alma 29 Silver S50 Complete Bike. The frame starts with a perfect blend of stiffness, durability, and downright sexy lines. With its smart package of SRAM, RockShox, and Fulcrum components, it’s a bike that’s hard to beat on the trail or off the showroom floor.

The sleek styling of the Alma is more than just good looks. Orbea’s engineers designed the Alma to absorb some of the harsh input from the trail, and the general shaping is a result of this. This increases the comfort of the bike and comes by way of the joints, or nodes, in the frame flexing slightly. They call it their 4x4 design. You’ll see that both the front and rear triangles are actually quadrangles, with four corners and four sides. The fourth member unlocks the triangle in a way that invites a small amount of tuned deflection. The reasons for this are simple – to increase the comfort for the rider. Couple this with the advantages of 29er wheels and the Alma 29 Silver is a true all-terrain bike. The downtube is also a place where the Alma looks different. It’s oversized for stiffness and shaped to provide some protection for the rider from mud and spray from the front tire, acting like a fender.

Orbea makes each Alma 29 frame as a one-piece homogenous structure. Without bonded joints where failures can occur and with fibers running continuously along the length of the tubes and through the intersections, the total strength of the bike is increased along with the durability. This version uses Orbea’s Silver grade carbon fiber, and it’s a material that offers great impact resistance and toughness – two desirable characteristics for a bike frame that’s made to hammer.

The Alma 29 is also designed and built in accordance with Orbea’s SSN (size specific nerve) technology so that it offers the same comfort and performance characteristics across the size range. More specifically, each frame size has specific carbon lay-ups and tube dimensions. And while optimization of the ride qualities is paramount, it would be pointless if the bike didn’t shift flawlessly. This is why the Alma uses DCR (direct cable routing). It’s made to use Gore’s slick-shifting cables, and it comes with a complete set. The inner wires are sealed from start to finish and the routing on the underside of the top tube keeps them protected from the ravages of the trail.

The Alma 29 uses a tapered head tube with a 1.5” lower bearing. When paired with the tapered Reba RLT fork, this increases the stiffness and stability of the entire steering assembly. Because of this, you’ll be able to ride through rutted or rocky trails or through sketchy, off-camber corners with confidence. This is especially great for bigger, more powerful riders.

We have the Alma 29 Silver outfitted here with a blend of drivetrain components from SRAM. While it looks to be outfitted with X9 components, and it is for the 2x10-speed shifters and BB30 2.2 crankset, the Alma 29 S50 gets an upgraded X0 rear derailleur. It’s a matter of give a little, take a little, and the front derailleur is an X7 unit. We think it’s a worthy swap. You’ll get a RockShox Reba RLT 15mm Fork up front to tame the bumps, and Fulcrum’s Red Power XL wheels and Hutchinson Toro Tires keep you rolling fast down the trail. Avid Elixir 7 brakes check your speed when you need it.

The Orbea Alma 29 Silver S50 Complete bike is available in Small, Medium, and Large and comes in three colors – Carbon/yellow/silver, White/blue/carbon, and White/red/carbon. All Orbea bicycle frames come with a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defect.

Alma 29 Silver S50 Complete Bike Price:  $3499.00