Response from Orbea
February 13th, 2006 by Tim GrahlI posted a couple days ago regarding the rumor I heard that the Orbea Alma 29ers are no where near ready to go. Well Orbea is telling me different. Here is their response:
The Alma 29 will be a 2007 early release product, meaning late spring. This is really a technical distinction, because our product release cycle begins in the summer prior to the calendar year. Delivery of the Alma 26 really has little to do with the delivery of the 29er. That bike has been available for several months, but demand in Europe has far outstripped demand here, so we have deferred to Spain on this to secure other, more valuable product for the US market. We will have media samples of the 29er at Sea Otter and delivery is projected for late spring. Our production engineers are putting the finishing touches on the frame right now, so I think this is a realistic expectation. We are not out to mislead anyone on this project and are incredibly excited about its potential. Orbea has incredible manufacturing resources and this is fully within our capabilities.
So it may be looking good afterall!
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Well, that’s good to hear! A company that actually wants to have product out there when they say they will do it. Refreshing!
As for the comments about weight in regards to this bike vs. aluminum: It’s very simplistic to look only at the weight savings, which at 150 grams, ( or whatever it really turns out to be) isn’t that significant. However; it would be more wise to consider that when properly applied, carbon fiber can reveal a better ride, a stiffer platform for power output, and yes, lighter weight. Whether or not Orbea’s “soul” bike can do this in a 29″ platform is yet to be seen.
yeah, just don’t drop it on a hard surface…as for a better ride…we all have opinions I just don’t agree with yours.
Man, will a well-decked Alma 29″er ever piss off the competition on the starting grid!
Can’t wait to see the new geometry they picked. They did, didn’t they? Any chance of a size XL? For a company that wants a product to sell it, I’m still baffled by them pulling the Alu XL bike. As if 29″ers are for small people only?
I agree that a tumble in a rock garden could fail a carbon frome. Many are sceptical about the ride quality of full carbon frames. The misconception is that they all ride like poo and they are incredibly fragile. Many folks also claim that 29ers are slow and stupid. These folks tend to have one thing in common…they haven’t given these bicycles a chance.
I’ve ridden many carbon frames, mostly road (where ride quality is far more noticeable). Even the cheapest carbon frames seem more responsive to power output and have superior vibration damping qualities to metal frames. Carbon is pretty much impervious to fatigue, while steel, ti, and aluminum can only flex a given number of times before they lose their resiliency. If you smash it hard enough carbon will break, but until then it’s the ultimate material.