Testing The Sonder Camino Al

Testing The Sonder Camino Al

By Talyn Williams>

A great value bike capable of much more both on and off road than the price might suggest.

Read the full review here.

Bikepacking Bags

  • Made In Britain

46 / Camouflage
Camo Glider
Frame bag for road and gravel bikes: UK made, weatherproof, available in 3 sizes
€89,99

  • Made In Britain

0.75L / Camouflage
Camo Fuel Pod
Top tube bag: UK made, weatherproof, available in 3 sizes
€44,99

  • Made In Britain

files/fuelpod-black.jpg
Fuel Pod
Top tube bag: UK made, weatherproof, available in 3 sizes
€49,99

  • Made In Britain

1.5L / Olive Green
Stem Cell
Lightweight stem-mounted bikepacking bag in 1 and 1.5L sizes
€59,99

  • Made In Britain

Storm Grey
Gravel Bag
Handlebar bag with roll-top closure: UK made, weatherproof, 5L expandable capacity
€69,99

  • Made In Britain

Panther Black
Toploader
Canister handlebar bag: UK made, weatherproof, 4L
€74,99

  • Made In Britain

13 / Storm Grey
Kuoka
Dual-ended handlebar bag: UK made, weatherproof, 13L
€64,99

  • Made In Britain

Panther Black
Confucius Loop Bar Bag
Loop bar handlebar bag: UK made, weatherproof, 4L
€84,99

  • Made In Britain

Black
Enchilada
Fold-out saddle tool roll: storage for the "every ride" essentials
€34,99

  • Made In Britain

Mountain Brown
Koala 0.5L
Saddle pack: UK made, weatherproof, 0.5L
€29,99

  • Made In Britain

Panther Black
Koala 2L
Saddle pack: UK made, weatherproof, 2L
€54,99

  • Made In Britain

7 / Storm Grey
Koala 7L
Saddle pack: UK made, weatherproof, 7L
€89,99

Mountain Journal Entries

How We Make Our Bike Wheels

We build every Sonder to order in our UK factory. And we now build our wheels too. Right here in the UK. Taking control of the whole bike building ...
December 09, 2023

Everything You Need To Know About Gravel Bikes

Gravel bikes seem to be all the rage right now. Maybe because they are. They’re the road bike’s fun younger sibling. They take you away from the tr...
July 06, 2023

How to choose the best bike for bikepacking

There are plenty of factors that will affect which bike is best suited to your bikepacking adventures. The type of terrain you’re covering, the di...
May 31, 2024

Hardtail vs Full Suspension Mountain Bikes

Where to start? This is a tough one. It isn’t as simple a question as it might seem. There are lots of factors that come into play when choosing yo...
May 27, 2024

Is an Endurance Road Bike the One for Me?

With such a range of bikes on the market these days it can be super confusing which bike to choose for your upcoming epic days in the saddle. It’s ...
February 25, 2021

Guide to down-country mountain biking

Combine mid-travel, progessive geometries and lighter weights and you get a bike that lets you ride far and have serious, serious fun. This is down...
June 20, 2024

The Essential Guide to Dynamo Hubs

Putting a dynamo hub on your bike means you can power lights and charge your electronics wherever you go. Power is always with you! Dynamo hubs ...
January 22, 2021

How a pencil beats the cycle industry

Neil Sutton is as likely to be talking to customers as he is in the workshop. And when he’s designing, he arms himself with pencil and paper. T...
October 29, 2020

Find out why the latest bike lights will give you the confidence to ride at night

High-power bike lights have profoundly changed our night riding experience. Advancements in LED and battery technology have made riding at night fu...
September 07, 2023

650b vs 700c what's the best wheel size for my gravel bike?

Gravel riding is a dynamic and exhilarating facet of cycling. It offers a realm where versatility meets rugged adventure. In this landscape, the ch...
January 12, 2024

Camino gravel bike is one of the best bikes for bikepacking

Camino is lightweight, fits wide tyres, has multiple mounting points and is one of the best bikes for bikepacking.. In this group test published ...
April 23, 2024

Sonder Sedona GRX1 Review A Titanium Gravel Bike for the Races

The Sedona GRX1 is a titanium gravel bike that aims to deliver high performance for smoother riding and adventure. In this review on offroad.cc Mat...
April 18, 2024

Sonder Santiago Grand Tourer underscores the timeless value of steel in cycle touring

In this wonderfully detailed review, Simon Withers explores the distinct qualities of two modern steel tourers: our own Sonder Santiago and the Sur...
April 10, 2024

Colibri is the perfect lightweight winter trainer

The challenge set to Dan Joyce was to find the perfect winter road training bike. It had to be equipped with modern features to serve as a winter t...
April 08, 2024

Evol mullet blends agility, speed and control on and off the ground

The redesigned Sonder Evol has taken a significant leap forward by adopting a mullet design featuring a 29-inch front wheel and a 27.5-inch rear wh...
February 29, 2024

Gravel Racer vs Gravel Explorer

In the dusty and gritty world of gravel biking, our journey extends from quiet winding paths to heart-pounding races. To cater to these different r...
February 26, 2024

Sonder Camino Gravel Bike: A Versatile Companion for Bikepackers

This long-term review, by Robyn Furtado for bikeradar, explores our Sonder Camino gravel bike. Robyn provides a thorough examination of the bike's ...
February 25, 2024

The ultimate gravel commuter bike is a Sonder

Road.cc picks the best bikes they have reviewed for every type of cycle commuting scenario, from road bikes to e-bikes and all points in between. T...
February 23, 2024

Adventure Cycling in North Yorkshire: Riding Route YC

The North Yorkshire Coast and North York Moors were to be the location for my next adventure with Edinburgh based Endurance Riders Markus Stitz and...
February 15, 2024

Sonder Broken Road Steel - The Ultimate Adventure Bike

The Broken Road Steel has been introduced as a chromoly version of our esteemed titanium adventure bike. Reviewed by Lucas Winzenburg for Bikepacki...
February 12, 2024

Broken Road ST: A Steel Steed for Bikepacking Bliss

Reviewed by Graham Cottingham, the Broken Road ST emerges as an affordable alternative to its titanium predecessor, tailored for bikepacking enthus...
February 10, 2024

All-time favourite hardtail, and it's a Sonder. Can you guess which one?

After an in-depth 12-month evaluation, Sean White of MBR magazine has bestowed high praise on the Sonder Signal Steel hardtail mountain bike, ranki...
February 02, 2024

How one bike became one man's ultimate cycling solution

Luke Friend, a seasoned writer, editor, and bicycle mechanic with 25 years of experience, has a deep-rooted passion for cycling - he is also a Sond...
January 18, 2024

Prima dreamer; the awakening of a road race bike

Hours of trial, error and riding. Sketches strewn across the desk, the relentless pursuit to find that elusive perfection. Such is the lot drawn by...
January 05, 2024

Sedona scratches that gravel racing itch

Put the 3 words gravel, endurance and racing together and you get a 3 metre square area of the Kayapo Indigenous Territory of Brazil. Let's try tha...
January 05, 2024

Test riding the El Camino gravel e-bike

Tom from Cycling366 recently reviewed the Sonder El Camino E-Gravel Bike. After a winter ride on his local trails his assessment was filled with bo...
January 05, 2024

Visit our stores and experience our new Sonder gravel e-bike

This is your opportunity to get hands-on with the latest in e-gravel biking technology and see for yourself what all the buzz is about! There is no...
December 19, 2023

Colibri Titanium Road Bike impresses for its perfect mix of comfort and sport!

Matt Buckley's road test of the Sonder Colibri Ti Chorus for Cyclist magazine highlighted this bike's impressive features and versatility. Combined...
October 17, 2023

Atlas Mountain Race – Sonder Titanium Broken Road bike rode like a dream

By this point into the Atlas Mountain race (601km, with 11600m of ascent in just under 3 days) my body was showing a few signs of being on the bike...
March 15, 2023

Our Kingston Women's Ride with Jenny Graham

A couple of weeks back, we had our first ever women's only ride. We're over the moon with how it went. We opened our ninth store in Kingston Upo...
October 06, 2022

Bike Perfect reviews Camino Rival

The significantly more confident, stable geometry and provision for a dropper post mean Sonder’s latest Camino opens up a lot more off-road opt...
August 25, 2022

Sonder Santiago on Tour!

It's our classic touring bike, made using 100% recycled Reynolds 631 steel. It's not a bike for breaking records, but for seeing the world. When we...
August 18, 2022

Wheel Building Is Here

We build every Sonder to order in our UK factory. And now we build our wheels in the UK too. We design our frames and wheels together. Back in 2...
July 14, 2022

Meet the Designer | David and the Goliath? Totally

When you’re small you have to try harder. You trust your conviction and find the difference in the detail. You operate without boundaries looking b...
June 16, 2022

Sarah's First Sonder

Sonder Technician Jack went for a long weekend bikepacking and camping at the Hay-on-Wye literary festival. The closer your campsite to the eve...
June 14, 2022

Passo di Stelvio detour: A peace mission

Emma Pooley sheds light on her journey from World Champion and Olympian to dirtbag bikepacker on a Signal Ti. Some climbs are beyond ico...
May 19, 2022

The West Kernow Way: sometimes the adventure finds you

After returning home from a gruelling but epic bikepacking adventure, the 800-mile off-road Great North Trail, I heard a sound I had not missed. Th...
May 05, 2022

Dirty Reiver 200 - 2022 gravel ride

What is ideal prep for a big cycle event or race? Well it is not finding on the eve of travel for the event that you have destroyed your freehu...
April 28, 2022

Bombproof 700c wheelset for pushing boundaries

We're thrilled with the recent review of our Alpha Aero wheelset from Road.cc and excited to share why we think our wheels could be a fantastic cho...
April 19, 2022

road.cc reviews Camino Al gravel frameset

The Sonder Camino AL frame and fork option is an excellent base on which to build a commuting, gravel or bikepacking bike. Loaded with features...
April 06, 2022

Sonder Camino 2022: FAQs

There's a brand new Camino out in the wild. And we've managed to make our multi award-winning gravel bike even better. So how exactly have we done ...
February 11, 2022

We’ve updated our award-winning Sonder Camino

We’ve launched our brand-new Sonder Camino. It’s got new geometry and new frame features for a faster, more stable and more agile ride. The Camino ...
February 10, 2022

Cycling UK reviews Colibri Al Tiagra

The Colibri is nice to ride, principally because it’s a sub-10kg bike that doesn’t tip you forward onto a low handlebar vibrated by carpel-tunnel-...
February 03, 2022

Sonder Custom Bike Build: Titanium Dirt Jump Bike

If you could build any type of bike in titanium, what would you build? Sonder Product Manager Neil designed himself this titanium dirt jump bike. B...
October 28, 2021

Sonder Winter Gravel Series Is Back!

Sonder Winter Gravel Series is back! And this year, it’s even bigger. Join us this winter for rides from all eight Alpkit stores. From Bristol to B...
October 15, 2021

The Perfect Audax Bike is a Sonder Colibri

Sonder rider Grace Lambert-Smith tells us why she loves her Sonder Colibri. Ever since I started long-distance cycling, I’ve been in awe of the ...
April 07, 2021

29 vs 27.5: How to choose the right wheel size

A few years ago you didn’t have to choose a wheelsize on a mountain bike – they all came with 26-inch wheels and that was that. But the world’s mov...
February 04, 2021

You don't get this on a road bike - A North Pennines Sonder Story

This story was sent to us by Sonder Customer Phil Thomas, a very happy owner of a Sonder Camino. My alarm goes off at 5am. "Why the.... Oh yeah!...
January 27, 2021

Sonder EVOL SX wins Singletrack 2020 Awards

The fact that the Singletrack Awards are voted for by its readers - super keen riders, just like us - makes winning this award even more special. ...
January 06, 2021

Sonder Evol Wins Best Bike Under £2K

We're incredibly proud to announce that the Sonder Evol has won Best Bike Under £2K in this year's Singletrack Reader Awards. We always look for...
January 05, 2021

Cycling Weekly review best of the best Camino Al gravel bike

The Sonder Camino AL Rival1 was selected for an Editor's Choice award in 2020. This year's list contains 78 items which scored a 9 or 10/10 with o...
December 22, 2020

Cycling Plus Award Colibri Bike of the Year 2020

The winning package of versatility, accessible price, value for money and longevity deservedly goes to the Sonder Colibri, a bike that I found myse...
November 20, 2020

Project Evol - how one of our Sonder rider built his dream bike

Written by Neil Cottam I think it must be something like 18 months, maybe more, since Neil Sutton (Sonder's Head of Design) first mentioned the ...
November 05, 2020

On my Camino I can go anywhere - by Emma Pooley

In March 2020, when the true threat of the new corona virus became apparent across Europe, I was on holiday in Spain. Specifically, I was trying to...
October 22, 2020

Sonder Evol: Q&A with Bike Guru Neil

Bike Guru Neil’s been raving about the Evol, Sonder’s new 140 mm travel bike, since before the first prototype even arrived. We figured it was abou...
September 10, 2020

The Development Behind the Sonder Signal

As if the Camino, Transmitter and Colibri aren't enough of a statement of intent, Sonder Product Manager Neil Sutton has delivered the most incredible bike with the Signal. 

August 06, 2020

BikeRadar reviews Colibri Ti Force 22

An excellent-value, comfortable all-rounder that will last for years. The focus is very much on value and versatility, and that shines throu...
August 03, 2020

Singletrack review the Sonder Camino Al gravel bike

With its flexible wheel size options and plenty of tyre clearance, there’s scope for building the Sonder Camino AL however you want it. However, as...
June 09, 2020

Why Choose a Short-Travel 29er?

When we head out to the trails, we often take the Cortex. So the question is, with all this choice, why choose a short-travel 29er? The combinat...
May 28, 2020

Guy Kesteven at Bike Perfect Reviews the Sonder Cortex

We handed the Cortex over to Guy Kesteven for some real trail testing. Cortex is a light, well-shaped frame that balances instant familiarit...
March 27, 2020

Frontier Makes Red Bulls List of Best Bikepacking Bikes 2020

Arguably one of the best value bikes in this selection, Sonder’s Frontier Rigid is a 27.5” (or 29” compatible) mountain bike, armed with a wide...
March 12, 2020

Testing New Frontiers

When the folks over at Sonder Bikes got in touch with us here at Adventure Pedlars to help them put the New Sonder Frontier V2 through its paces, i...
December 05, 2019

Cycling Life Review the Sonder Frontier

Giving several centimeters of squish, their suspension-like characteristics help the Frontier float over rough terrain. With big handlebars, an...
August 04, 2019

Bike Radar Reviews Sonder Cortex

Bike Radar have their eyes set on the new Sonder Cortex "Sonder has added to its bicycle range with the Cortex trail bike — a 120mm travel full ...
July 26, 2019

Sonder Cortex: Singletrack First Ride Review

Andi at Singletrack gets an exclusive first ride review of the latest 120mm travel full-suspension bike from Sonder. Meet the 2020 Sonder Cortex. ...
July 26, 2019

Singletrack Review the Sonder Signal Ti

You know that rock garden that you’ll happily hop into on your full bounce bike? Well, the Sonder will do it too, only you’ll probably lift the...
July 19, 2019

MBR Review the Sonder Transmitter

"With slackest head angle, longest reach and shortest stem, the Sonder Transmitter is built for bombing, inspiring confidence to fully attack d...
July 05, 2019

Off Road.cc Review Sonder Transmitter NX Eagle

The Transmitter is a playful, all-mountain rig with some hooligan tendencies. It suits all manners of riding from trail centres to more natural...
June 15, 2019

The Beast

As I descended from the Widdop Reservoir on what should be a trail, although it seemed more like a river, my feet were swimming inside my waterproo...
April 17, 2019

Dirty Reiver 2019 gravel ride

We've been involved in the Reiver since it started, it's become such a mainstay in the calendar that its hard to believe this is 'just' the 4th edi...
April 12, 2019

Sonder Santiago steel touring bike reviewed by Road.cc

Stu Kerton has reviewed our Santiago Rival22 Hydraulic steel tourer for Road.cc and praises it for its smooth, comfortable ride on and off-road. De...
April 09, 2019

Advntr Review the Sonder Camino Al gravel bike

Sonder have played a blinder with the Camino, producing a fast, fun and comfortable bike with no obvious flaws. Often we test bikes that have a...
March 22, 2019

Sonder Santiago steel tourer makes The Guardian's 'Bicycle of the Week'

Martin Love has reviewed the Sonder Santiago steel touring bike for The Guardian. Built around a Reynolds 631 steel frame and equipped with a Sram ...
March 20, 2019

Singletrack take a first look at the new Transmitter

If you’re a numbers nerd or geometry geek you’ll recognise that while these are significant changes, they aren’t all that extreme and should result...
March 18, 2019

New Sonder Transmitter: Q&A with Neil Sutton

Tell me a bit about the Transmitter Transmitter was one of Sonder’s first bikes, launched in February 2016. We were early to the 650b+ party, so...
March 08, 2019

Advntr: Close Up with the Sonder Santiago

ADVNTR.cc's Nigel Leech recently dropped into Alpkit HQ to take a close look at the Sonder Santiago steel touring bike. With its competitive price ...
March 05, 2019

The Inaugural Tour of the Sonder Santiago

Friends of Alpkit, Rich Seipp and Grace Lambert-Smith, share a love of riding bikes for days at a time, so we let them take the new Sonder Santiago...
February 12, 2019

Camino Al in Top 10 Adventure Bikes of 2018/2019

The comfortable position is perfect for gravel excursions or riding long distances loaded with luggage. See the full list here.
January 14, 2019

Alpkit Camino Ti making things possible

"Go Nice places, Ride nice things." - Andrew P Andrew got in touch with us after riding the Torino Nice Rally on his Camino Ti. Here's his tale:...
December 11, 2018

Bikepacking.com Hunka Down for a Bivvy

Team a bivvy bag with a simple flat tarp, and you have yourself an extremely effective way of warding off the UK’s notoriously inclement weather. ...
September 19, 2018

Active Traveller Review the Sonder Frontier

This cracking value and rock solid machine from Sonder is just crying out to be loaded up and taken to the horizon. Read the full review...
August 16, 2018

Double vision

Setting goals for myself is something I started to do when I left a life of carpentry and began gaining qualifications in the outdoor industry. I’d...
August 10, 2018

Singletrack Test Out the Love Mud Distortion Pedals

At 170g each, and measuring a smidge under 14mm at their thickest part, the Distortions have the low weight and profile of much pricier pedals. Re...
July 09, 2018

Sonder Transmitter Scores 9/10 in MBR's Hardtail of the Year Test

A bike that descends with complete confidence Read the full review here. Read the review
June 20, 2018

Testing The Sonder Camino Al

A great value bike capable of much more both on and off road than the price might suggest. Read the full review here.
May 22, 2018

Full Singletrack Review of the Sonder Transmitter Carbon GX Eagle Revelation

The simplest way to describe the Transmitter Carbon is that it’s a whole lot of fun. It’s incredibly capable on technical and flow trails whilst be...
May 22, 2018

It's a 9/10 for Our Bikepacking Bags in this Buyer's Guide

In this review of bikepacking bags Cyclist Magazine discusses the trend towards bikepacking as a more streamlined alternative to traditional cycle ...
May 21, 2018

Active Traveller Review the Colibri

If you are in the market for a comfortable, light and capable road bike, specced to head for some big days out, this is your boy- and as with all A...
April 04, 2018

Neil Cottam Reviews the Sonder Signal Ti

It is possibly the best all-round trail hardtail that I've ever ridden, I wanted to be out riding on it all the time - that is the mark of a go...
March 03, 2018

Camino Al Gravel Bike featured in IMB mag

Up front, it was flared drops that really had us surprised, thinking they were just a quirky, beard stroking addition; they are fundamental to ...
March 01, 2018

Sonder Transmitter Carbon Review

Blisteringly fast, sweetly detailed, radically dialled … a proper aggro attack bike that loves to shove its big front tyre into trouble and then bo...
November 22, 2017

The Guardian Preview the Colibri

It strikes a delicate balance between pace, handling and poise, and will keep you safe and comfortable on the most arduous of slogs. Read the review
November 12, 2017

Active Traveller: Sonder Camino Al

An excellent option for all round adventuring Read the full review here.
October 09, 2017

A Review of Our Rando Bikepacking Range

I love the brushed grey appearance, and the fact that everything you buy is ready to be attached to the bike, with no need for extra racks, mounts ...
August 14, 2017

Frontier - Tried and Tested

The Frontier might be considered a Jack of all trades but the clever bit is, it's able to master most of them. Read the full review here.
July 21, 2017

Outdoors Magic Review Transmitter Carbon

Sonder’s latest Transmitter Carbon is a thoroughly modern trail weapon with the secret power of giant, terrain-flattening 650b+ tyres backed up by ...
May 24, 2017

A First Look at the Sonder Frontier

It is a bike that will likely tick many boxes for anyone planning multi-day rides, without first returning home for their tea. Read the ...
April 13, 2017

2 new Sonder bikes

Nearly 1 year ago we were wheeling 3 bikes into the Excel arena for the London Bike show and the 'official' launch of our Sonder bikes. Well fast f...
January 24, 2017

Hope Tech Review Sonder Broken Road

Whether you’re going on a multi-day adventure and need something super lightweight and reliable or maybe you just fancy a fun hardtail for getting ...
December 01, 2016
Vir Fortis Review

Vir Fortis Review

Fat bikes’ wider-than-normal tyres provide extra grip, making them ideal for riding in snow or through deep mud. Read the review
November 01, 2016

Bike Radar Transmitter Review

A great blend of swaggering, speed-breeding stability sharpened up by instantly reactive, traction-chasing, short stem steering . Alpkit resets...
September 20, 2016

The Camino Gravel Report - part 3

So, I bought a new bike, from a company that just started doing bikes, with no test ride and very little customer reviews to rely on. I literally f...
July 06, 2016

The Dirty Reiver 200 km off road cycling challenge

Last Saturday, The Dirty Reiver 200 km off road cycling challenge took place in KielderForest, Northumberland. The event is basedon the Gravel Grin...
April 20, 2016

Single track Review Sonder

A little while ago, Alpkit, makers of all sorts of outdoor kit, announced that they were starting a bike brand – Sonder. And the fruits of their la...
February 15, 2016

Bike Rumour review Sonder

a high-spirited aluminium hardtail for big mountain and hard trail riding Read the review
February 15, 2016

Why the MTB world is embracing 650b+ wheelsets

650b+ is still quite new, a lot of people still look at it in the same way they did 29ers when they arrived on the scene, instantly dismissing it a...
February 07, 2016
Sonder Camino Really Impressed

Sonder Camino Really Impressed

The Sonder Camino really impressed. If you’re looking for a capable bike for tackling a multitude of surfaces and terrain, and especially if you ha...
October 08, 2015
Sonder Transmitter First Ride Review Outdoors Magazine

Sonder Transmitter First Ride Review Outdoors Magazine

If you're looking at buying a Transmitter as a first mountain bike late this year, our simple advice is: just do it. Great bike that'll look af...
October 04, 2015

L'Eroica Britannia 2014 gravel race

There is no doubt that the L'Eroica Britania was and is a resounding success, everyone I spoke to loved the event, loved the route and would love t...
June 25, 2014

The spirit of L'Eroica Britannia gravel race

My assumptions of what L'Eroica Britannia would be and I guess in some ways the spirit of how I would enter, were entirely based on the promotional...
June 24, 2014

L'Eroica Britannia - The bike

I'd seen the pictures for L'Eroica (the Tuscan version) and I guess in a way it was love at first site. I'm not a roady but I love Italy, I love fo...
June 19, 2014

Dorset Gravel Dash

I don’t remember how I discovered gravel racing, its not as though the UK has a huge scene… until last weekend it had no scene at all. I guess prob...
June 03, 2014
Koala seat pack questions answered

Koala seat pack questions answered

A few weeks ago I got my hands on a 'Rough cut' pre-production Koala and last week took it on a 100 mile ride to the BNO in the Peak District and b...
October 03, 2013

The Col's Way

A simple idea; travel by bike from Nottingham to our old home town of Cambridge to visit the folks. I didn't want to go by road, but finding an alt...
June 03, 2013
Italian Singlespeed Champs report

Italian Singlespeed Champs report

The Italian Singlespeed championships took place last weekend in Sovico in Northern Italy. Alpkit had been invited by Paolo Zorloni of Zeta Bike Co...
May 15, 2013
One bike to rule them all

One bike to rule them all

For what seems like the entire year to date I haven’t ridden a mountain bike with gears… this started as the racing that was initially available su...
August 10, 2009
Single Track Awards

Single Track Awards

Saturday 2nd February saw us travel down to Corby, the epicentre for UK single track, to attend the annual Singletrack Magazine awards. We were une...
February 02, 2008

Leave a comment

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published

=