SEAN’S SONDER SIGNAL ST GX

MONTH 3: The devil is in the detail when it comes to keeping a frame riding quiet

£2,899 • 29in • alpkit.com

The Sonder is a great-looking hardtail, especially in this metallic copper finish, attracting plenty of attention at the trail centre car park. Its well-proportioned steel tubing, subtle graphics and stunning paintwork hint more towards a custom option from a boutique brand or frame builder, rather than a keenly priced production bike. It definitely blends old-school style with new-wave geometry and sizing. I’ll dig more into the fit and dimensions next month, but before I do that I want to touch on some of the frame’s details.

I like a bike that rides quietly – who doesn’t? – and to keep things quiet, the Sonder’s external cable routing is a good starting point, even though it may look dated in 2022. The routing for the rear mech and brake is direct and well managed, but it’s the cable for the dropper post – the only one concealed inside the frame – that’s raised some questions.

The housing for the dropper cable is piped through the down tube, exiting below the bottle cage and then diving back into the seat tube – nothing unusual here. There are no rubber bungs to secure the cable in the three frame ports though, and this translates to occasional rattling when riding. It’s only noticeable when the trail turns rough and rowdy, however.

Something else that’s missing is protection for the driveside chainstay. There’s no moulded armour or rubber strip, just the bare frame – I used a neoprene wrap that was free with mbr some years back. It felt like stepping back in time though, so I’m going to copy James with his Focus longtermer and consider some

VHS 2.0 Slapper Tape to protect that sparkly copper paintwork.

WHY IT’S HERE It blends classic steel tubing with modern geometry