As a kid of the 90’s, Rawson was really drawn to bright colors. Chartreuse, turquoise, fuchsia, purple, and other hues really stuck with him as a kid. Perhaps that was the inspiration behind this Orbea Alma M-LTD rigid 29er.

The Alma is Orbea’s XC race bike. The M-LTD comes built as a rigid with Orbea’s Spirit carbon fork. This bike is suspension corrected for 100mm of front travel. It’s light, snappy, and with a zippy geometry, it would be perfect for the inner-town singletrack here in Santa Fe. Rawson works at Mellow Velo, an Orbea dealer in town, so he got to see the Alma in person before pushing the button on a “My O” custom paint scheme.

That’s where his 90’s era color love came to life. He chose a fuschia to purple ombré fade, with turquoise lettering. It really pops and certainly caught my eye one day when I was in the shop. The build was custom selected by him, using Santa Cruz Reserve wheels, SRAM Eagle, and yes, those are Origin8 carbon components, because why not? Rawson said he liked the way the Origin8 goods felt and looked, as well as the price. I’d say it’s not too shabby!

These bikes are really perfect for the riding here, where you can put in massive days in the backcountry and still hold your own on a rigid bike for most of it. Realistically, those bigger backcountry trips aren’t really Rawson’s style, but he rips it around on the inner-city trails just fine. I was amazed at how lightweight this bike is and particularly enjoyed the dirt splattered across the vibrant paint.

Party on, dude.

Once this whole pandemic subsides, you can check one of these out at your local dealer and if you’re in Santa Fe, swing through Mellow Velo to check one out in person.

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