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TECH NEWS
SonderColibri-MT-188.jpgSonder launches first carbon road bike called the Colibri
Sonder is the bike brand of Alpkit, the outdoor clothing, camping and bikepacking specialist, and it has just launched its first road bike. It’s called the Colibri and features a full carbon construction with disc brakes and space for 28mm tyres, and will cost £899 for the frameset with full builds starting from £1,649.
What they have designed is a road bike intended to appeal to cyclists interested in long distance rides and covering big distances, and the crop of long-distance races like the Transcontinental Race, Indian Pacific Wheel Race the Pan American Highway. It retains the adventurous spirit that was present in the Sonder Camino titanium adventure bike I rode back in 2015.
- Alpkit Sonder Camino titanium adventure bike - first ride review
The frame is made from Toray T700 carbon and is designed for disc brakes with thru-axles. It has space for up to 28mm tyres and the seatstays have obviously been designed to provide as smooth a ride as possible, whilst the oversized chainstays, bottom bracket and downtube deliver measuring lateral stiffness. There’s a matching full carbon fork with a tapered head tube, and all cables are internally routed.
There are four sizes (small to XL) and the medium has a 393mm reach and 553mm stack, 998mm wheelbase, 552mm top tube, 73-degree head angle and 415mm chainstays.
As I wrote at the top of the article, the frameset will cost £899, and there are three complete builds priced from £1,659 up to £2,199. The cheapest complete build is specced with a SRAM Rival 22 groupset with TRP mechanical disc brakes and Vittoria Rubino G+ Isotech 28mm tyres on Love Mud Orbit rims.
Producing the new bike in carbon offers weight savings just not possible with titanium or aluminium, and for continent-crossing bikepacking adventures at pace does call for a reasonably lightweight build. The carbon road market is a crowded one though, but Sonder looks to have priced the new bike very competitively, and it enjoys good brand loyalty. We'll look to get one in for review to see how it rides. More details at www.alpkit.com/sonder/sonder-colibri
To test the bike the company enlisted a young man called Luke, put him on a plane to Norway with a brief to go on a bikepacking adventure. That he did, and you can watch a short film of the fun he had in the video below.
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
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There are people out there who will make you the belt out of your old tyre.
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Furry dice and an air freshener for your helmet.
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13 comments
So a long distance bike for bike packing adventures, designed for riders who will do anything to avoid panniers. Why narrow your market for the sake of a few eyelets?
More BS "Producing the new bike in carbon offers weight savings just not possible with titanium or aluminium, and for continent-crossing bikepacking adventures at pace does call for a reasonably lightweight build."
are you so one dimensional/blinkered you can't see what crap you're writing?
How heavy is this frameset then Dave given you mention the weight savings are not possible on any other material for bike packing adventures? Well the website states 1000g +/- 30g depending on frame size + 300g for the fork, I'm calling bullshit on that fork weight for a start off and T700 is fairly bog standard CF, maybe that 1000g is for the smallest frame they have, in which case given the restrictive 28mm max tyre, no eyelets a few hundred grams 'saving' over say an airbourne Carpe Diem titanium gravel, touring, adventure, commuter frame isn't really anything to write home about is it?
The on One space chicken looks a better bet tbh, far more versatile, much wider tyre option, mudguard eylets oh and eyelets on the stays too. https://www.on-one.co.uk/c/q/bikes/gravel-adventure-bikes/space-chicken.
Frankly it's a pointless frame that is outclassed by others in versatility and is barely a few hundred grams lighter than even a proper touring ti frame.
It's a darn sight cheaper than a Ti tourer, even their own Camino. It's also squarely aimed at bikepackers who mostly ride tarmac, they're a small company well suited to niche products.
I was initially drawn to the space chicken, it's a really good looking bike in the flesh. However it's far too heavy at over 10.5kg in small and anyway I have a problem with Planet X/On One, I just don't trust their stuff.
Having met the owner, Dave Loughran, at last year's bike show I came away totally put off. He was clearly on a massive ego trip, really lapping up and courting all the attention. Dressed in all white Planet X kit compared to his staff's grey and clearly expecting them to kiss his ass all day I found him very patronising, he had a very 'take it or leave it, I'll sell plenty anyway' attitude. I wouldn't trust a couple of grand to anyone who was clearly more bothered about the deal than the product.
Saying that I still try to buy with my head, not my heart. However in my experience Planet X fall very short here too. I was surprised but not that bothered when the velcro pulled straight off my Planet X gloves the first time I wore them. I was disappointed but not completely shocked when their 'bargain' lights ALL turned out to be unreliable, fragile, 2 months at best rubbish. But I was incandescant with rage at having my life endangered when, after no accidents or impacts my Planet X carbon handlebars snapped all the way through after 8 months use!
Luckily I was going slowly up a hill, it could have been so much worse. Eventually, after blaming me they offered a replacement but no refund. I will not print my reply.
I'm sure if Dave could find a way of making shimano, sram, etc branded components cheap and nasty he'd do it, Range Rover have a new model out you know. I'll never spend another penny with that shyster and why are there are almost no independent reviews of their stuff and zero reviews of their core market, sub 2k bikes? Something funny going on there.
Style over substance.
I think you are being unkind. I've just bought a rear light from him and it switches itself off every time I hit a speed hump. Automation like that doesn't come cheap you know.
You make a fair and well argued point. I'll flog the Grade 105 carbon and buy a Big Fat Vacuum Turkey (or whatever it's called) immediately. What could go wrong and who cares about a couple of extra kilos?
Have you heard yourself? Why be so rude?
Airborne Carpe Diem? What is this, 2003?
Always found Alpkit products to be a good quality.Like the look of the Colibri.
Whyte Wessex is better.
Great advert, decent price. Clearance for 30mm Schwalbe G-one speed tyres (s-ones) would have been good though....
The website says 30mm so there's some confusion there. Great thing about Alpkit is if you ring with a bike question they'll put you straight through to Neil, their 'bike guru' (!), who plays a big part in putting together all things cycling there and he'll cheerfully answer all your questions.
Try getting that kind of service from Wiggle!
Just to clarify, the picture at the top shows the g-one speed fitted (also see the the close up which shows the pimpled surface), so it does take 30c tyres evidently
Not sure why this is better than a gt grade carbon 105 etc as well
They called it Colibri because its Lighter?