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.
Some cyclists replace their bikes every year and never bother to change much. They may replace tires, brake pads, chains, and maybe even a cassette. Besides that, a new setup only comes with a new bike. I prefer to hold onto a bike if it’s fun. I also enjoy to keep tuning it. Sometimes, the job at hand is only about replacing old and/or worn parts. Other times, it’s about changing fit and function altogether. The complex interaction between a bike and me depends largely on my own variability. As I’m aging, my physical capabilities are the largest factor in that intricate person-machine relationship. A bike setup that felt right just a few years ago may no longer be right today. Upgrading the machine is, therefore, often about keeping the machinist smile.
My human motor was more finely tuned and performed best when matched to a 2x drivetrain with a tightly spaced cassette just a few years ago. Thanks to the latest addition to my bike stable, the Marin Gestalt X12, I discovered that my 54-year-old diesel engine runs quite smoothly when allowed to power a simple 1x12 drivetrain. I love simplification. Getting rid of the front derailleur has lots of benefits. It’s one less battery to keep charged. From a mechanical point of view, a front derailleur is a pretty crude method to move a chain from one chainring to the other. It causes both the chain and the chainrings to wear out faster. Also, I rarely use the smallest three cogs in the big ring (48T). With a 1x12 drivetrain, on the other hand, every cog gets its fair share of work. So, the time has come to match the Nordest Albarda to the preferences of this new old guy.
Starting in the fall of 2023, it’s equipped with:
- Crankbrothers Eggbeater 3 pedals
- Easton EC70 SL 31.8mm, 440mm carbon handlebar
- Fouriers 31.8mm seat post clamp
- Rotor Aldhu 5-bolt 110BCD spider
- Rotor Aldhu standard 30mm road axle
- SRAM Force FlatTop chain
- SRAM Red XPLR AXS rear derailleur
- SRAM XPLR XG-1251 10-44T cassette
- Wheels Manufacturing BSA-68/73-30 bottom bracket
- Wolf Tooth 42T oval chainring
- Wolf Tooth 6mm chainring bolts
That said, there’s a chance I’m sending the Nordest Albarda frameset into temporary retirement and move all its components to a new frameset in 2024. A frameset with a nearly identical wheelbase, less BB drop, more reach, and a slightly steeper head tube angle caught my attention. If I do, you’ll read it here.
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Volagi Viaje 2024 Update
Following in the footsteps of the 1x12 conversion of my Nordest Albarda, the Volagi Viaje naturally has to be taken there, too. Volagi brought this bike to market in a Kickstarter campaign in August 2012. It was designed for the bike components of that time. Whenever new stuff comes out, message boards and comment sections fill up with cyclists moaning and groaning about the bike industry, forcing new standards upon us. I’m not one of them. I love seeing bike technology advance. I don’t adopt everything. In fact, a lot that’s supposedly “forced” on us isn’t my cup of tea. I’ll never buy a bike with fully internally-routed cables, for instance. I just won’t. But I love options. And options we have. Besides, when you can take an 11-year-old Volagi Viaje and throw the very newest components on it, where’s the reason to moan and groan? Standards haven’t changed all that much. You just need to be smart about the bikes and components you’re choosing.
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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 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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