Nordest’s popular affordable 4130 mountain bike hardtail is back with a new Britango mk3, still built to climb like an XC bike. But now even more capable of smashing the downhills with once again updated slacker & longer geometry, plus a shift towards longer suspension forks. The 3rd generation changes are all relatively minor, but update the already solid hardtail that’s just itching to become your favorite trail shredder…
Nordest Britango mk3 affordable trail-ready MTB hardtail
Back in the summer of 2019, Nordest debuted their first affordable all-rounder Britango steel hardtail, with more of an XC focus. Less than half a year later they’d already added a second, burlier Britango TR as riders begged for a more capable downcountry trail bike. That model was a hit, and Nordest riders have been asking for a next generation. And, by popular demand, here it is…
The Nordest Britango mk3 keeps everything that made that TR frame great, and steps it up a bit more.
One affordable steel hardtail for all your trail riding needs, with a bit of a lean towards more technical capabilities
What’s new?
The new Britango mk3 looks a lot like gen 2. But it again refines the geometry to make it a better downcountry all-rounder. An important starting point to note, the new bike now is designed around 140mm forks (with a bit longer axle-crown than a few years ago). You can also still run down to a 120mm fork, but 140 is the Britango’s new sweet spot.
The new bike slackens its headtube another degree out to 65°, while steepening the seat angle a degree to 75°. Up front, frame Reach grows +/- 10mm longer. While out back there’s a balanced extra 5mm on the still short 425mm chainstays. Also frame Stack also ends up about 4-17mm higher with the bigger forks and longer, stronger reinforced headtubes. But the bottom bracket is 5mm lower to balance rider position out.
Beyond geo & travel, the new Nordest Britango mk3 also gets a nice UDH update, with new hooded thru-axle dropouts. And a bit more tire clearance. Now it will fit a max 29 x 2.6″ or 27.5+ x 2.8″ tire.
Tech details
The Britango mk3 is still welded in Taiwan from affordable double-butted 4130 chromoly steel, with a 2x gusseted headtube and machined chainstay yoke. At a claimed 2.69kg for the M/L frame, it’s just 140g heavier than the previous, less capable generation. The new steel frame features a 44mm headtube, Boost thru-axle with a UDH, and external cable routing with internal 31.6mm dropper post routing.
2024 Nordest Britango mk3 – Pricing, options & availability
The new Britango is available only as a frame for 650€ if you pre-order it now. EU shipping is free, slated for May 2024 delivery. That’s a hundred euro savings vs. the regular retail price this summer. Price includes steel frame, and alloy thru-axle, UDH & seatpost clamp.
The frame comes in two color options – gloss black or white. Each with a yellow ‘face’ headtube, inspired by the Egyptian vulture that gives the bike its name. And Nordest offers the Britango mk3 in three stock sizes (M, M/L & L).
“The Britango (Neophron percnopterus), is the smallest of the Iberian vultures… a summer migrator, which can generally be seen in Portugal, Spain and the Canary Islands from the end of February, remaining in the nesting zones from March to September. During the autumn it migrates south, spending the winter in sub-Saharan Africa. It prefers rugged areas, usually in river valleys and mountains, nesting in holes and rocky platforms.
