Based out of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, Nordest Cycles is a brand new mountain bike company that is soon to launch it’s very first model called the Bardino. Headed up by Pedro Jerónimo of Jerónimo Cycles fame, the small Nordest Cycles team is able to make use of Jerónimo’s seven years of experience of building titanium road and mountain bike frames, with design and testing taking place in around Spain and Portugal, with frame production coming out of Taiwan.
The Bardino will be the launch vehicle for Nordest Cycles, and from first glance at this baby blue beast, it looks to be quite the versatile number.
“NORDEST Cycles exists thanks to the effort of a small multidisciplinary team guided by Jerónimo, designer of titanium frames that have been projected to measure for a decade under the name of Jerónimo Cycles. In the coming months we will present our first model, a Hardtail Enduro for MTB. A type of bicycle increasingly demanded by those seeking simplicity and zero maintenance of a rigid frame, which combines the reliability of traditional materials with the dynamism of an advanced study of geometry where we have put our illusion, knowledge and know-how” – Nordest Cycles.
Nordest Bardino Features
- 4130 cromoly steel frame
- 29in or 27.5+ wheels
- Clearance for 27.5×3.0in and 29×2.5in tyres
- Designed for 160mm travel forks
- Geometry designed around 40mm stem length
- 65° head angle
- 74.5° seat tube angle
- 44mm head tube
- 425mm chainstay length
- 55mm bottom bracket drop
- Threaded bottom bracket shell w/ISCG05 tabs
- External gear and brake hose routing
- Internal dropper post cable routing
- Claimed weight: 2650g (M/L frame)
- Available sizes: Medium, Medium/Large, Large
- Frame RRP: €549
- Complete bike RRP: €2499
Nordest Cycles is planning to offer the Bardino as a frame on its own, in a ‘kit’ that comes with a fork, headset and dropper post, and as a complete bike too. All options will be built upon the 4130 cromoly steel frame that’s designed to accommodate a 160mm travel fork and your choice of 27.5+ or 29in wheels.
At the top of the Bardino is a 44mm headtube that’s reinforced at the top and bottom. Nice proper head tube badge too.
A small gusset joins the underside of the downtube and head tube, which is necessary due to the significant loads placed on the mainframe from a 160mm travel fork such as a Fox 36 or RockShox Lyrik.
A reinforcing tube is used to support the seat tube extension. This helps to lower the top tube for additional standover clearance, while providing a smooth line from the head tube all the way through to the rear axle.
Nice curved seat tube brace just behind the seat tube. Note the use of fully external cable routing for both the rear brake and derailleur, so need to dick around with poking cables in and out of the downtube.
Threaded bottom bracket shell for ease of service. You’ll also be able to make out the entry port for internally-routed dropper posts, which sits just above the bottom bracket on the seat tube. The dropper post line then runs externally along the topside of the downtube.
ISCG05 chainguide tabs are included for those who wear flat caps and like the gnar. Nordest Cycles has designed the chainstay yoke with a flat plate of steel in order to provide necessary chainring and rear tyre clearance, all while delivering 425mm long chainstays AND clearance for 27.5×3.0in rubber.
There’s a 148x12mm Maxle out back, with the driveside hanger housing the thread for the thru-axle assembly. The dropouts are modular bolt-on chips that are made from machined alloy. However, it doesn’t appear that there’s an option to swap in different dropouts, say for setting the Bardino up as a singlespeed.
Geometry is modern, with each frame designed around a short 40mm long stem and a very long front centre. Long top tube lengths are drawn on for each frame size, and the seat tube is kept quite steep to keep the Nordest Bardino in line with modern long-travel trail and enduro bikes.
Combined with a big fork up front, dropper seatpost and 27.5+ wheels, the Nordest Bardino looks like quite the beast for riding hectic and rocky singletrack, though we’ll have to reserve judgement until we can swing a leg over one.
What do you guys thing of the Nordest Bardino?
Comments (1)
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Looks just right..apart from the rear brake fittings, why haven’t they put the fitting on the chainstay, rather than the seatstay?