Adding to their growing frame line-up, Nordest Cycles debuted a new ‘downcountry’ hardtail called the Britango. Available as either the standard steel Britango or the premium Britango Ti frames, both build up into do-it-all cross-country to trail mountain bikes thanks to modern geometry, big tires & mid travel 120-140mm forks…
Nordest Britango XC affordable trail hardtail, in steel or ti
The new Britango is Nordest’s latest trail slaying hardtail built around a 120mm trail fork (compatible with up to a 140mm fork.) A simple capable 29er with modern trail bike geometry, the Britango takes its name from the Egyptian vulture – a small Iberian vulture found in both Nodest’s dual homes in the Canary Islands & Portugal. Nordest says the black & white bird frequents some of the roughest, rockiest terrain in the mountains – those same places they like to ride.
Downcountry geometry
Nordest calls the bike a downcountry hardtail. What does downcountry mean? It’s something I probably first heard a few years ago from the organizers of BCBR about rides where you mix a lot of pedaling with DH trail like descending. Nordest says it’s that cross-country bike feel when climbing steep tracks, that transforms into an enduro bike feel when going down fast on the trail.
How does that work? Nordest combines short 420mm chainstays with 29″ wheels and a steep 74° seat angle to get you forward for climbs, then lean back and let the slack 67° head angle and long reach/short stem handle things on the descents.
Tech details
As a do-it-all trail bike, the Britango is designed to fit either 29″ wheel with up to 2.5″ tires, or to go 27.5+ with up to 3″ rubber. The steel bike features Boost 148mm rear spacing with interchangeable, bolt-on dropouts (but the ti frame has fixed, hooded dropouts.)
The bike uses a plate chainstay yoke to fit plenty of chainring clearance in around a threaded bottom bracket, and even includes a cable guide if you chose to run a front derailleur.
All cable routing is external, plus the bike gets three water bottle mounts (2x multi-position on the steel downtube).
The steel bike features top & down tube gussets, plus an externally relieved 44m headtube for tapered forks, and a real headbadge. The steel bike uses a 27.2mm seatpost without internal routing, but Nordest will sell you a PNW Pine dropper to fit the frame.
UPDATE: A TR trail version with a 31.6mm seatpost, internal dropper routing & slightly tweaked playful geometry is now available as well.
Pricing & affordable availability
The new Britango adds another to Nordest’s affordable frame options. If you are building your downcountry hardtail trail bike on a budget, the 550€ steel Britango frame is your best bet.
Get on the 2250g frame either in black or white with a yellow face headtube (just like the Egyptian vulture, apparently), with frames in stock now. Nordest does not offer the Britango yet as a frame+fork kit, or a complete bike like they do for the enduro hardtail Bardino yet, so it’s frame-only for now.
If you are looking to build more of a forever hardtail, the double butted TiAl2.5V 1400€ Britango ti is a great starting point. While the steel bike is ready to go, the titanium version is made-to-order. That means that you have to wait about 8 weeks to get one in hand, but also means you can opt for the standard 27.2 post or go for a 31.6mm option for internal stealth dropper seatpost choice, all for the same price. You also can add custom geometry here for just 100€ more, which is totally a steal.
