One of the ancient occupations of the inhospitable Nordeste (Portugal) was that of the almocreves; austere merchants who carried their saddlebags with goods to supply the Trasmontanos from village to village.
One of the typical products they carried was sardinhas (sardines). Very famous also outside the country, the Portuguese sardinhas travelled through Tras-os-Montes countless times on the back of pack animals led by the almocreves.

We have been inspired by these noble merchants to design the Nordest Sardinha, a bikepacking MTB created to go to the end of the world (and come back in one piece). Here the philosophy is to enjoy every pedalling, to discover the landscape and the people that the trip offers us, to contemplate the stars in some remote place, and the next morning to roll up the sleeping bag to continue the adventure.

The Nordest Sardinha is a machine to taste kilometers, comfortably, without haste, without problems, with our baggage well secured and weights distributed optimally, keeping low the center of gravity.

The adventurer Sardinha is designed to run autonomously on dirt tracks for many days, with the safety, comfort and convenience offered by a double butted CRMO 4130 tubing frame and modern safety geometry thanks to the head tube angle and the short chainstays. Many travellers have tested the prototypes and agree in highlighting the incredible comfort of its geometry, how well it climbs and how confident it is, even in difficult descents.

The frame can accommodate plus wheels for extra traction and flotation: 27.5 “+ up to 3.0″, 29 “, and 29″ + up to 2.6 “. With regard to the fork, we propose a rigid chromoly steel fork matching the frame, but you can also install a 100/120 mm travel suspension fork. The Sardinha is prepared to fit all types of supports, bags, saddlebags, mudguards and accessories you can imagine.

In September 2017 we presented the Nordest Sardinha prototypes in the 4th 48th HOUR OVERNIGHT CAMP (S48O) of PORTUGAL BIKEPACKING, we had time to test the prototypes and plan small improvements for the definitive model. We are currently in full production phase and if there are no setbacks, we will have stock in May 2018, frame is now available for presale at a special price in our online store (price until March 31st: 474.00 €)

During this year we’ve suffered all sort of inconveniences, it has been an obstacle race in which we had disagreements with some people we trusted, faced bureaucracy, Solved technical issues, learned to use new tools, suffered while waiting for shipments of our suppliers, we have had to improve our organization, we have spent time in front of the computer till late night, we have trip thousands of miles by land, sea, and air to make sure that many of you could test the prototypes.

When we look back we feel dizzy, but all these obstacles are small compared to the warmth that we have received throughout this journey, are a trifle compared to the improvised friends that we have met along the way, you, who help us every day selflessly and who already consider part of the team.

We can only thank you all for joining us in this adventure, and reinforce our intention to continue learning and pedalling every day to do a little better what we love.

Pedro Jerónimo and Jesús Guerra, WE LOVE BIKES, WE LOVE CYCLING!

Jerónimo y Jesús probando la Sardinha

The two days went by without incident, there was only place for the enjoyment of the wonderful scenery of Tras-os-montes with an unbeatable company.

The kilometres cycled on the bike without hurry, allowing us to be seduced by the winding curves of the road, the hills and the valleys. We stopped often to savor the experience, share a word or a drink with our mates, and take some photos.

The prototype of our new bikepacking, the Nordest Sardinha, behaved as expected, it is a real kilometer-eater. We’ll put it into production in 2018.

We can only say THANK YOU to all the mates, and to all of you for following us in the distance.

As a testimony we leave you some photos.