SEAN’S SONDER SIGNAL ST GX

MONTH 8: A dirty bike, with clean lines; Sean gets granular on the Sonder’s frame details

£2,899 • 29in • alpkit.com

If you’ve been following along with my monthly updates on the only hardtail in mbr’s longtermer stable, you’ll have noticed that I’ve been dishing out plenty of praise on the Signal ST. The fit and sizing, ride quality and most of the component choices have hit the spot for me, so Sonder seems to have done a cracking job.

I’m now well over halfway through this bike’s test period, so is there anything at all that’s bugging me or cause for concern? Well, we’re firmly into wet and filthy trail conditions now and after a bone-dry summer and early autumn I’m getting back into the routine of dragging out the bucket, brushes and hose pipe after each ride.

And with that, I’m getting up close and personal with the bike again. When scrubbing components and wiping down the frame I’m reminded of the smaller details and spec choices that I first noticed when prepping the bike way back in spring.

I’ve mentioned the lack of chainstay protection and the rattle from the internal dropper cable routing in previous updates. So what else has raised an eyebrow?

Well, I appreciate the clean lines of the Sonder and like the fact that the frame is free of superfluous braze-ons (the brand has plenty of bikepacking-focused models if that’s your bag) but there are no chain guide mounts fitted. With the Signal being pitched as an ‘aggressive 29er hardtail’ I thought these would be standard fare – giving the option for added chain security. That said, the GX Eagle 1x12 transmission hasn’t missed a beat, or dropped a chain… so maybe there’s no need. Talking of SRAM, I’d like to see the new UDH (universal derailleur hanger) used, rather than Sonderspecific hardware. Maybe that will come on the next generation of this frame?

The Signal’s frame also uses a somewhat dated-looking International Standard brake caliper mount; not a real-world issue once the brake is set up, and looking at similar bikes in this category, this still seems to be the default fitting on skinny steel stays. Also of note is the 160mm rear disc – which seems small, especially for a size XL bike – but you’ll have to wait until next month for the lowdown on the Sonder’s braking performance.

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