Nordest Albarda

Patrick
Gorgeous day on October 12, 2019.
Gorgeous day on October 12, 2019.

Although the Nordest Albarda sort of was my 50th birthday present to myself, it was built on a tight budget using the wheels I had on my red Volagi Viaje and robbing my Ritte Snob Disc of most of its parts. Building the Albarda was a slow process. An hour one evening, two hours another evening, and sometimes more when I lost track of time. Everything was built in stages. One night, the BB and crankset. The next night, the drivetrain. One night headset and fork. Another for the brakes and one last evening to bleed them. No hiccups or problems, except that the Chris King headset Nordest sold with the frameset isn't suitable for the fork. At least not in my opinion. So, a Cane Creek 110 was installed instead. The fork and DT Swiss Centerlock lock ring didn't have enough clearance for me. Then I remembered that my wife's Alfine hub had an older DT Swiss lock ring with an inner spline. This one would leave a wider gap to the fork leg, so I swapped lock rings since it really doesn't matter what type of lock ring is on my wife's bike.

Nordest Albarda in its initial build.
Initial build.
Sporting 700C wheels I had sitting around.
Back on 700C.
TRP-25 Centerlock rotor.
TRP-25 rotor.
Front hub converted to thru-axle.
Thru-axle conversion.
SRAM derailleur with Rockbros cage.
Rockbros oversized pulleys.
Hope RX4 flat mount caliper.
Flat mount caliper.
Hope RX4 rear brake caliper.
Rear brake caliper.
Stolen 11 speed SRAM eTap derailleur.
Stolen from my Ritte.

I also needed a new stem. Doing the rough math in my head, I figured the stem needed to be slightly shorter with more drop. One weekend morning, I fired up QCAD on my MacBook Pro and drew my Volagi Viaje and my custom-geo Nordest Albarda. A very simplified drawing, because all I needed was a stem length and drop. Whereas my Volagi runs a 110mm stem with -6º, a shorter 100mm stem with -17º put me into a very similar riding position as the Volagi. So, one was ordered. Zipp, of course, to keep components across my bikes the same. The purpose of the bike is to put me back on 700C wheels so that I can compare them to 650B RoadPlus. With a total weight of 8.6 kg, the Albarda is noticeably lighter than the Volagi. Time will tell if I'll prefer one over the other, and maybe I'll discover that both wheel sizes have their place.

Info
First RideOctober 11, 2019
Bike Weight8.7 kg
Mileage8,643 km
Update History
March 29, 2024Another Round Of Changes
October 07, 2023Nordest Albarda 2023 Update
May 15, 2021Nordest Albarda on 650B
May 06, 2021Nordest Albarda 2021 Update
Components
TypeBrandModel
FrameNordestAlbarda
ForkNordestAlbarda Carbon
HandlebarEastonEC70 SL, 44cm
SeatpostEastonEC90 ISA Carbon
StemZippService Course SL
HeadsetCane Creek110
Wheels47° NordLB WG44 Rims, Hope Pro5 Hubs
PedalsCrank BrothersEggbeater 3
TiresRené HerseSnoqualmie Pass, 700Cx44
SaddlePrologoDimension Nack
BrakesHopeRX4+
Brake RotorsBucklosRT-MT760, 160/160mm
Bottom BracketWheels ManufacturingBSA-68/73-30
CranksetRotorAldhu, 175mm
ChainringWolf ToothDrop Stop, 42T
CassetteSRAMXG-1251, 10-44T
GroupsetSRAMRed XPLR eTap AXS

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Nordest Albarda in a new 1x12 setup for 2024.
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Nordest Albarda 2023 Update

My Nordest Albarda was built on a budget in the fall of 2019. I used a Nox Composites wheelset that had previously been on my red Volagi Viaje. The braking system and 2x11-speed SRAM Red eTap HRD drivetrain were borrowed from my Ritte.  In 2020, I purchased a SRAM Red AXS groupset for the Nordest and moved the eTap HRD parts back to the Ritte. In the spring of 2021, I asked 47° Nord to lace a pair of Chris King R45D hubs to a set of Light Bicycle 650B WR35 carbon rims. That’s how I’ve ridden the bike for the last two and a half years, sometimes swapping out the wheels using the Nox with grippier tires during the winter months.

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Evening ride to the Grenchenberg on May 12, 2021.
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Nordest Albarda On 650B

After 217 kilometers my new wheels have proven that 650B is my ideal road and gravel size. I made this discovery with my third Volagi Viaje years ago already. But for the last two years, I rode my latest bike, my Nordest Albarda, on a set of 700C wheels. Such wheels roll well, but they don't like to change direction as quickly as a smaller 650B wheel. I like a bike to be lively and agile. Directional stability can have its advantages, but I generally prefer quick, sharp steering. Switching my Albarda to smaller wheels, instantly gave me that. The bike is so much more fun to ride. Not just when going downhill, but when climbing as well. When riding up a climb out of the saddle, it always seemed like the 700C front wheel was working against me. After putting 650B wheels on the bike, that feeling is gone. The bike now is a better extension of myself when motoring up a climb out of the saddle.

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Nordest Albarda in 650B mode.
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Nordest Albarda 2021 Update

When I built my Nordest Albarda in the fall of 2019, I didn’t spend the money to get all new parts for it. I took the SRAM Red eTap HRD groupset off my Ritte and used the Nox Composites wheels that had been on my red Volagi Viaje, which I had sold. A year later, the bike finally got its own drivetrain components. When I switched to 650B RoadPlus with my third Volagi Viaje, I was immediately sold on the slightly smaller but wider wheels. The Viaje felt way better with 650B wheels. If I weren’t climbing and descending as much, I’d be perfectly happy rolling around on 700C, but in the mountainous Jura, 650B just feels better.

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