Epic Rides 2024 - Sonder Book

EPIC RIDES

Welcome to the Spring 2024 edition of Epic Rides packed full of bikes and rider features.

It’s Sonder owners that inspire us - to see our bikes out from Matlock to Mongolia, hear tales of the simple joy of riding bikes and to ride with you in our store based winter series.

Right now the cycling industry is in a state of confusion. Our way is to focus on what we’re good at: great design with custom build to order on the edge of the Peak District for

riders around the world. And we’re busy with the fruit of years of design: a new steel Broken Road wilderness bike, El Camino electric gravel bike, Sedona full gas gravel race bike and Prima competition road race bike.

We’ve much personal pride in our new Evol enduro and Cortex trail bikes.

It’s taken two years to design and tune with sweetspot geometry, upgraded suspension and new season components.

Sonder was founded on the basis performance beyond price with social justice and environmental responsibility engrained in what we do - we’re proud to be the first bike brand in the world to be certified B Corp.

With 10 shop in shops around Britain offering free demo and longer bike rentals there’s more opportunity for you to buy instore or online and experience new Sonder moments yourself.

Grab a brew, sit back and enjoy Epic Rides.

Then get your bike out and go for a ride.

David Hanney, Chief Exec

Neil Sutton, Sonder Product Manager

sonderbikes.com

Epic rides 2024

Meet the family DH

From rowdy to roady and everything in-between.

Each Sonder is uniquely its own entity, capable of writing a million different stories on two wheels.

Enduro

Trail

XC

Back Country

fast 140/150mm 06 Super aggressive 29er

and agile 08 Fast short-travel 29er

27.5” 10 Ultra-capable hardtail hooligan

29er hardtail 16 Aggressive

XC hardtail 20 Race-ready

Prices and specs correct as of 08/02/24

Features

12 Highland hopping 14 Everything considered 22 Marrakesh express 25 Custom frame building 32 Wizard of OS 40 Sonder riders 46 Gravel Series

Gravel

Agro Gravel

Tour

Road

Endurance Road

award-winning 28 Multi gravel bike

gravel bike 30 Electric

gas gravel race bike 36 Full

Steel tourer 38 Reynolds

26 Wilderness trail bike 42 Endurance road bike wild country 18 29er trail bike

stiff race road bike 44 Super

EVOL

Super fast, super stiff 160/160mm trail bike Finale Ligure on the Italian Riviera, Whistler by the Sea. A blisteringly fast web of singletrack laced over the Mediterranean mountains provided the perfect test zone for our new mullet powered Evol. For Zack and Oscar it was golden ticket territory, a blur of gaps, berms and rock gardens.

Enduro World Series here they come!

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Details • Long, slack and low geometry for a confidence inspiring and forgiving ride • Mullet 29/27.5” best of both worlds setup • 160mm rear travel; 160mm fork travel • Designed around metric shock sizing standard • Tried and tested Horst link suspension design allows the suspension to stay active when braking • ​Clearance for up to 27.5 x 2.6” rear tyre • ​Internal routing for clean lines

Builds

Deep Storm Yolk

Framesets from £1,849 Full builds from £2,499

Every one has a story. What’s yours?

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CORTEX

Fast, agile and efficient short-travel 29er

Mountain biking is a voyage of discovery. On a day out you can find yourself in new places and situations you didn’t expect. At the top of big trails that require serious concentration. Trails that pop out ten miles further up the road than you expected. Thank goodness for Cortex efficiency to get you back to the railway station.

Details • Trail bike agility with enduro bike stability, the Cortex has a confidence inspiring, stable and forgiving ride • Designed around metric shock sizing standard • Tried and tested Horst link suspension design allows the suspension to stay active when braking • ​Clearance for up to 29 x 2.6” tyres • ​Internal routing in the front triangle for clean lines

Battleship Khaki

Builds Framesets from £1,399 Full builds from £1,799

Every one has a story. What’s yours?

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TRANSMITTER Ultra-capable 27.5” hardtail hooligan

Dear trail centres of the world, thank you for your devoted service to mountain biking. From schralpable berms and unshakeable northshore to rock strewn gardens and the techiest climbs.

Your gnarliest black runs and chillest blues. Your conveniently placed car parks, cafés and loos.

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sonderbikes.com

Details • Long reach, low bottom bracket and slack 65° head angle for bucket loads of confidence • Short chainstays for agility and insane acceleration • Hand welded 6061-T6 triple butted aluminium frameset • 150 mm of suspension floats you over the roughest and rootiest lines • Clean lines and tidy cables thanks to fully guided internal routing • 27.5” 2.6/2.8” tyres • Designed around boost 148/110 standards

Mango Charcoal Nemo

Builds Framesets from £399 Full builds from £1,149

Every one has a story. What’s yours?

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Epic rides 2024

Highland hopping 4 days in Spring island hopping from Arran to Kintyre and Jura finds freedom on a Sonder Camino. Anna, Alpkit’s Financial Controller, joined a group of friends and truly found faraway nearby. Here’s the low-down on her adventure.

Words & pictures by Anna Beckett

We set off from the Peak District bright and early on Thursday morning. We headed to Ardrossan to get the ferry over to the Isle of Arran for our first ride of the trip just after lunch.

We rode over a mix of forestry tracks on the south of the Isle to the breathtaking Glenashdale Falls. We stopped past the Lagg distillery. Our hopes were up for a tea and cake stop. They’d just closed! But, in classic bikepacking fashion, it’s the kindness of strangers that makes the trip. They made us tea in our takeaway mugs to keep us going until our first bivvy spot near Lochranza.

The island was incredibly quiet, especially on its west side. Only 20 metres away from the road, I talked my friends into bivvying. Luckily, we didn’t get woken by any passing cars overnight.

But we did wake up covered in frost. Oops.

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Our ferry over to Kintyre took us past loads of seals – it was beautiful. We made the most of the gravelly forestry tracks. Lovely.

Apart from the one that was so boggy that we had to push our bikes.

On the third ferry of the trip to Islay, we met another bikepacker. A seasoned expert in the Scottish islands. He gave us good news and bad news. Firstly, the wind. He warned us it might get so strong it’d stop the ferries running.

Uh oh. Then good news. He recommended a fishing hut that was even better than the MBA huts we’d seen.

We were desperate for a swim spot by the time we arrived. Time ran away with us, so we took ferry four to Jura. We cycled just 8 miles to Craighouse for a dip and some belated birthday prosecco. Dinner that night couldn’t sonderbikes.com

It was my first multiday bikepacking trip, Rachael’s first ever bikepacking trip and Aliss’s first trip to Scotland as an adult.

It was incredibly special.

have been more local. Deer from the island, black pudding from Stornoway and chutney with ingredients from two doors away.

The next morning was the most amazing sunrise. We drank tea in our bivvies, setting ourselves up for a big day exploring Jura.

We rode a single track road all the way until it finished. Along the way, we stopped at a horsebox with tea and coffee facilities. It was amazing to drink tea on the beach.

We made a tactical decision to head back early and aim for the bothy our bikepacking friend told us about. We stopped for lunch in a quiet bay. Aliss had a lunchtime swim in the sun.

Then, we had to face the headwind. For a group of off-road riders, we quickly learnt the Every one has a story. What’s yours?

benefits of drafting, each taking it in turns to push on into the wind. We made it to the hut 43 miles (and 3 miles of walking!) later.

It felt like pure luxury.

The next day, we were on a mission: to get back to the car. It took a lot of logistical planning, peloton riding into the headwind, and seasickness on ferry 7. The sea was getting mean. We deserved a bit of a rest.

On the final night, we stayed in the Lochranza hostel, glad for a hot shower and bed. It set us up perfectly for our final day. We spent it tasting the local delicacies. The Arran Cheese Shop, Chocolate Factory and Arran Sense of Scotland. They’re all a must.

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E V E R Y T H I N G Ride now, pay later. What are the finance options and how do they work?

Buying a bike or kitting yourself out for an epic adventure can be a big purchase. We offer a number of payment and finance options to help spread the cost and help you Go Nice Places, Do Good Things sooner.

We offer finance options through V12 Retail Finance which let you choose to repay in monthly instalments up to 36 months (14.9% APR) on eligible purchases.

You can also choose to pay using a government Cycle to Work Scheme.

Your employer buys the bike and equipment and then leases it to you through an interest-free salary sacrifice scheme.

28 Day Ride Guarantee If for any reason you don’t love your Sonder bike or Sonder wheels you can send them back for a no-quibble refund within 28 days.

Accident replacement Scheme Our accident replacement scheme was created to soften the blow of accidental damage to your beloved Sonder products. If a product is beyond repair we will offer you a discount on a new replacement.

C O N S I D E R E D Expert design, obsessive build.

Every Sonder bike is designed and built by us here in the UK. We design the frame, build the protos and test on the trails.

Your Sonder bike and wheels will be built at Alpkit Campus in Nottingham by our team of expert mechanics, and you’ll get a photo of your bike as it’s being built.

Choosing a new bike has to be one of the most exciting things we get to do. Ever. Every bike is built to order, use our bike builder or speak to one of the team to tell us exactly how you want your Sonder.

Anything is possible.

sonderbikes.com

SIGNAL

Aggressive 29er hardtail to pedal all day The search for the perfect trail can take you everywhere. Down hidden paths off well-ridden routes. Along rides that emerge from guidebooks.

Up and down the motorway to secret locations. Out of your door, up the road, straight onto a favourite, local loop. For Zack and Oscar it was up through a little-known climb to the perfect piece of singletrack, cut through the trees with berms, doubles and tabletops.

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Details • Available in 4130 Chromoly steel or aeronautical grade titanium • A low bottom bracket makes it corner like its on rails, a spacious reach gives you room to move around on the bike • The 66/74 head and seat angles give you the confidence to bomb the descents while still being able to climb like a mountain goat • Guided internal cable routing • Bucketloads of clearance for 2.6” tyres • 148 mm boost thru axle standard

Copper Gunmetal Raw Ti

Builds Framesets from £699 steel / £1,399 titanium Full builds from £1,299 steel / £1,799 titanium Every one has a story. What’s yours?

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FRONTIER

29er wild country trail bike Still mud-splattered from the midweek blast, today’s plans are more relaxed. Same bike, different mode of enjoyment; the benefit of a genuine all-rounder. Easy does it up the side of Derwent Reservoir to Slippery Stones for a dip and a coffee. Blast back down the unpaved eastern flank high on endorphins and wondering why I’d ever need another bike.

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Details • Built for cross country efficiency and trail centre capability • Clean lines thanks to internal cable routing • Incorporates routing for a dropper seat post • Durable and light 6061 aluminium tubing • Optimised for rigid or 100 mm suspension forks • Clearance for 27.5+ tyres up to 3” or 29 inch tyres up to 2.5” • Chainstay mounted disc brakes and triple bottle mounts

Forest Crayon Black

Builds Framesets from £399 Full builds from £949

Every one has a story. What’s yours?

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Epic rides 2024

DIAL

Race-ready XC hardtail

After weeks of zipping around their local woods, Rebecca and Vera already felt like champions on the start line of Dirty Reiver. 200km of gravel and dirty road ahead of them.

Is aggro gravel a thing? It is for these two!

Details • Steep head angle and seat-tube optimise climbing performance and pedalling efficiency • High quality 6066 aluminium alloy reduces weight without compromising frame strength • Designed around Boost 148 rear spacing with a 12mm bolt-through axle • Clearance for up to 2.4” tyres • Internally routed cables

Jaffa Grey

Builds Framesets from £499 Full builds from £1,199

Every one has a story. What’s yours?

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Essaouira

Marrakesh

Marrakesh Express Stu Taylor relives his ups and downs on this years Atlas Mountain Race, 1302km of unsupported racing.

Words & pictures by Sonder Rider Stu Taylor

It’s 6pm as around 200 riders set off on the 3rd edition of the Atlas Mountain Race, with a 25 km police escort leading us out from Marrakesh.

As we enter the start of the first off-road section, the escort stops. We head off, making our way into the snow-capped High Atlas Mountains with pre-race rumours circulating amongst riders of the sub-zero temperatures expected over the first mountain pass at 2600m.

The later start meant we would be riding up and over this pass in the dark. Some riders opted to stop and bivvy but, with temperatures dropping to -11, I pushed on into the night.

An endless loose gravel road wound its way up and up, mostly rideable, but approaching the summit became loser and steeper, so a bit of hike a bike was in order to reach the top some 10 hours later at 4am.

The descent over the other side was described as a goat track, the deep coating of snow hiding 22

the trail meant putting all my trust in my GPS. I set off and followed the virtual line of my GPS down the mountain, walking more than riding due to the rocks and snow, arriving at the first checkpoint for 7am at 126 km. That was a pretty brutal start to the race but was also the toughest section, so it can only get easier from here!

Brevet card stamped, the first of many omelettes consumed, half an hour kip on the floor and I was off again pedalling into the cold morning sunshine.

With checkpoint two another 470 km away, you soon settle into the rhythm of life on bike, riding from resupply point to resupply point with your focus being on those distances and what or when your next meal is going to be.

Passing through some amazing little villages throughout the day, over remote gravel passes with the temperature dropping. Powered by the day’s omelette and looking forward to sonderbikes.com

my next, I arrived at a local restaurant at 9pm.

It was super busy with riders all milling around not really too keen set off again as it was really cold! The owner of the restaurant let us sleep anywhere we could lie down inside.

Riders were scattered everywhere.

The 4am alarms were ringing as riders began getting themselves ready to set off again. I left around 4.30am in the cold darkness with plenty of water and snacks stuffed into my bags and pockets. We were entering the most remote section of the route riding into the wilderness of the Anti-Atlas with 100 km of nothing other than the beautiful wild landscapes and trails to observe.

Approaching the first river crossing, it looked shallow enough to ride through from the head light on my bike… until the last couple of pedal strokes. The water was deeper, leading to wet feet - not ideal in still freezing temperatures.

The next couple of hours were spent counting down the minutes until sunrise and the chance to warm my feet up!

Reaching the top of the plateau was one of the many highlights of the race. The old colonial piste built on top of a network of canyons and the following downhill were super-fast and

went on forever. I passed through a vast variety of terrain, rocky canyons, deep red rock landscapes and the greenest of rolling gravel hillside at warp speed.

Heading back into another remote stretch of dusty pistes and endless mountain vistas, through hidden valleys and villages, down the cliffs into the most scenic palmery, for the tranquillity of checkpoint two location and to collect the next brevet stamp.

By this point into the race (601km, with 11600m of ascent in just under 3 days) my body was showing a few signs of being on the bike for long days. I could feel the saddle sores starting to develop and a dull ache in my neck, but other than that all was good. My Sonder Broken Road was spot on, riding like a dream, and no mechanicals to date.

By 8.30am the following day, having stopped numerous times due to neck pain, I began to worry if I was developing sherma neck.

A condition where you cannot hold your head up for any length of time, making riding your bike interesting, to say the least. At 12pm having popped numerous pain killers, it was time to do something.

Stu completed the Atlas Mountain Race on the Sonder Broken Road.

An endless loose gravel road wound its way up and up, mostly rideable, but approaching the summit became loser and steeper.

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Epic rides 2024

Riding into the wilderness of the Anti-Atlas with 100km of nothing other than the beautiful wild landscapes and trails to observe.

I strapped my helmet to the back of my hydration pack to hold my head up and in position, so I could see where I was going slightly easier. The rest of the day became a blur just riding, battling my neck and the inner demons to keep going, with a target of reaching Issafen a small shop with the hope it served food. At 11pm, I finally rolled in after what felt like a constant battle. When I found that a lot of other riders were resting here, I was relieved. I inflated my Cloud Base mat and climbed into my sleeping bag upstairs in a spare room of the shop with the others.

The usual 4am alarm went off, my swollen eyes just about opening. Knowing that today was going to be an easier day of 135 km to reach checkpoint three (which was at a hotel in a big town), I had decided that I needed to eat well, rest and shower in an attempt to sort out my body to make sure I could finish this race! So, I enjoyed the day taking extra time at any shops to stock up along the way.

Stopping to take photos and to take in this amazing country, we even got a good dose of sun.

Arriving in good spirits at checkpoint three, it was packed with riders who I had leap frogged back and forth for the last few days

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of the race. A massive 936 km into the race but it had all changed for me so much. It was now a war of attrition to make it to the end.

I had resorted to putting a toilet roll around the chin strap of my helmet to hold my head up rather than strap it up. This took the pressure off and relieved the pain slightly.

It also meant that I missed so much of the scenery along the way, just staring down at my crossbar. The ascents were bearable, but the downhills were so tough. Having to stop to rest on the way down when you should be enjoying the downhills was mentally too hard!

After a sandy stretch through the desert that was questionably rideable, this resulted in a 12 km walk, ride, push in the sand.

Having pushed through beautiful desert sunset, it was now late. As I approached a little shop to stock up, I asked if I could sleep inside. Although it had warmed up, it was still very cold at night. Instead of the usual space on the floor, Akim from the shop welcomed us into his home, offering a bed and shower whilst his mother made hot food, cakes and mint tea. This is one thing I really love about these events. The experiences that you are exposed to along the way and the generosity of people. Akim’s father a deeply religious man. He was very meaningful at how our paths had crossed, he gave me a very small token of gesture to take on my travels. A small silver spoon, so humbling.

With only two big climbs left towards Isaura and the finish line, I broke it down into the smallest of sections to maintain momentum.

Head down, keeping going before finally rolling over the finish line for the last brevet card stamp at 1366 km some 7 and a ½ days later. A couple of days slower than hoped due to my neck issues, but I made it to the end which was always the goal with some of the most amazing memories and brutal experiences of life out on the road!

sonderbikes.com

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When we’re not riding, we’re thinking about riding. We obsess over details, geometry, feel, function – anything to make the ride better. And we imagine you do too.

That’s why we launched our Custom Titanium Frames service.

We build Ti frames for obsessives like us, obsessives who know exactly what they want building. If it’s bike shaped, we’ll build it.

Award-winning designer Neil Sutton will work with you from concept to creation. From jump bikes and hardtails to tourers and racers, match your bike with your unique riding style.

Something that can seem like a pipedream is actually closer than you think.

Interested? Get in touch with Sonder now, tell us your story and start your custom journey. Prices start from £2,599

Why ti?

Rides great. Smooth and zingy like steel but at a fraction of the weight.

It’s tough. Titanium is hard and takes knocks and bumps brilliantly.

Lasts a lifetime. No rust or corrosion means you can ride year-round in all weathers.

Easy to recycle. Most of the energy making a Ti frame is used in refining the ore.

So recycling is not just easy, it’s worthwhile.

Self cleaning. Honestly! When sunlight hits wet Ti, water can get between dust and oil so they float and flow apart.

Every one has a story. What’s yours?

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BROKEN ROAD Wilderness trail bike

We’ve dreamt about the Tour Divide for years. 4,447km from Banff, Canada to Antelope Wells on the Mexican border. Big Mountains, forests and so much wildlife.

On a big ride you discover so much about the world.

And about yourself. Bikes are magic. Companions to share a lifetime of adventures.

Details • Aeronautical grade titanium tubing isolates the rider from shock, giving an efficient ride • New steel version now available • Designed for optimum use with 29” wheels • Designed with a relaxed head angle, creating the perfect set up for eating up the miles over any surface • Adjustable sliding dropouts let you lengthen your Broken Road and allow for either 29 or 27.5”+ wheels • Rear rack mounts allow you to load up with panniers

Smoke Forest Green Raw Ti

Builds

Framesets from £699 steel / £1,549 titanium Full builds from £1,499 steel / £1,949 titanium Every one has a story. What’s yours?

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CAMINO Multi award-winning gravel bike

I planned what I thought was a relatively easy first day, weighed down with all the gear to bivvy above the snow line, plus cooking equipment and food. Plus a bottle of red wine because, well, it was a holiday!

After years of planning my racing and training, it’s been liberating to be more spontaneous. I’ve enjoyed riding my bike this year more than I can remember. On my Camino I can go anywhere – Emma Pooley, Sonder Rider, Olympian, World Champion.

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Join hundreds of other Camino owners on the Sonder owners Facebook group.

Details • 6061 aluminium or aeronautical grade titanium • Long wheelbase and 69° head angle make for a stable and confident ride • One piece carbon monocoque fork with cage mounts • Mud guard, pannier rack and expedition mounts • 700 x 50mm or 650b x 2.2” tyre clearance • 12mm bolt-thru axles • Internal cable routing

Builds Framesets from £549 Full builds from £1,099

Every one has a story. What’s yours?

Jaffa Sky Slate Raw Ti

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EL CAMINO Electric gravel bike

Winter days are short days, eking out as much riding as possible Luke and Lexi went electric to see how far they could get before the sun went down.

Starting the day bombing through tunnels on the Monsal Trail, they headed up to Stanage Pole via a cheeky lap at Lady Canninng’s. Ladybower seemed the perfect coffee and butty stop before linking up local trails and bridleways to smash up the Mam Nick hill climb. Up on Chapel Gate the big fireball in the sky finally called time on what turned out to be an epic winter ride. How far? Well far. Explore more.

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Details • Lightweight – only 3kg more than the non-electric Camino • Same progressive geometry as our award-winning Camino • 250Wh battery housed in the downtube and a 250W rear hub motor give 45Nm of driving force and a real-life range of up to 70km of assisted riding • One piece carbon monocoque fork with mudguard & cage mounts • Rear mud guard and pannier rack mounts • Ride tyres up to 50mm • Internal cable routing

Jaffa Slate Aqua

Builds Full builds from £2,699 Every one has a story. What’s yours?

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Epic rides 2024

The Wizard of OS In 2022, Mark Wedgwood achieved the unique feat of cycling 7,300 miles across all 204 OS Landranger maps - in numerically ascending order.

Words & pictures by Mark Wedgwood

I am fascinated by maps and I always have been. But especially Ordnance Survey (OS) maps. They have always interested me more than books. They brought the world to life, fired my imagination, and held the promise of something new and undiscovered in these fascinating and varied islands.

And over the years, they led me to make many cycling trips.

In mid-2021, I unexpectedly found myself without full-time work and with the precious gift of time. It seemed like a wonderful opportunity for a big adventure. We were still in the throes of a global pandemic, so my attention was directed at Britain – and in turn, naturally, at my OS map collection. I found an old OS marketing freebie I picked up years ago from a bookshop: a very simple poster-sized outline of Great Britain with all 204 of the different 1:50,000 OS maps overlaid as numbered squares. I noticed for 32

the first time that there is a particular numbering system used by the OS for its coverage of the country – and, suddenly, there it was. My big adventure!

Map 1 is at the top of Shetland. Maps 2 to 7 move down NE to SW across Shetland and Orkney. The remaining 197 maps sweep in majestic rows – 26 of them – across the country from West to East until reaching the bottom right corner of Cornwall at map 204 (Truro and Falmouth). It was all just waiting to be explored. In numerical order. By bicycle.

A rough calculation told me it could be a journey of perhaps 7,000 miles. This was a perfect distance, I told myself, to fit nicely into the best six cycling months of weather and glorious long days that the UK can offer.

Probably. And I would have a prevailing westerly wind helping me sail through the whole country. Hopefully.

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I enjoyed countless hours of cycling across wonderfully empty roads through endlessly varied and mostly gorgeous countryside.

Of course there would be many practicalities to overcome. I would need to get back to the start of each subsequent coast-to-coast with my bike somehow (I was not proposing to ride all the way back again each time!). And I would need places to stay. I might need some “rules” to stay faithful to. And I would certainly want to see my wife and grown-up children at reasonably regular intervals along the way.

Cornwall before the end of October. Just.

By Halloween I was in Bude, in map 190, after cycling for more than 100 days across Scotland, Wales, England and the Isle of Man. I had the most incredible run of luck with the British weather; but it finally let me down and I went home thinking that was that until next year. Except that summer returned in early November, allowing me to continue as far as map 198, including a brilliant visit to OS headquarters in Southampton. I wasn’t going to be left with 6 maps, so I picked my weather windows and finally got the job done by 28th November, always in good weather; but occasionally in near darkness as the supply of daylight receded.

But first I needed a bike I could ride every day for 6 months and trust. I live in Hathersage in the Peak District where we are lucky to have a branch of Alpkit. I chose the Sonder Colibri AL. I already owned everything else I needed.

So now there was no excuse. I booked ferry tickets to Shetland for early May. Game on!

So that was the easy bit. Now I had to plan and execute six months of cycling, trains, ferries accommodation and existing commitments between May and the end of October. Which was a logistical nightmare.

I actually never knew where I would be more than a couple of weeks ahead. But I did reach Every one has a story. What’s yours?

Mark rode the Sonder Colibri to complete his unique feat.

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Epic rides 2024

And what a journey it turned out to be.

I enjoyed countless hours of cycling across wonderfully empty roads through endlessly varied and mostly gorgeous countryside, beautiful villages, handsome towns and a few big cities. The unpleasant parts were few and far between.

The numbers...

I met some great people and was reunited with family and friends all along the way.

• 4 nations: Scotland, England, the Isle of Man, and Wales

The kind bike mechanics in Alpkit Edinburgh and Hathersage always kept me moving along and I saw Britain – all of it – like never before. There is no better way than from a bike.

• 2 island groups to cycle north to south (Shetland & Orkney, maps 1-7)

There is so much more to say that it deserves putting in a book. I hope to do exactly that; but if you can’t wait, I wrote a daily blog of my adventures that can be found at ridealltheosmaps.co.uk and I also shared many photos of my entire journey on Instagram at @ridealltheosmaps Altogether, I made 70 separate ferry journeys and took my bike on 111 different trains.

According to the OS, I cycled 7,306 miles in the right direction (plus hundreds more “unofficial” miles to get back across the country) and I climbed up 395,374 feet of official ascent! That is a big ride.

It was brilliant.

• 204 maps in the 1:50,000 Ordnance Survey Landranger series

• 26 separate coast-to-coast journeys from west to east (maps 8-204) • 7,000 miles (approx) of cycling (and ferries) to cross 204 maps in order • 7,000 miles (approx) of trains, ferries and cycling to return east to west!

• 13 maps in the longest coast-to-coast journey (maps 157-169) • 2 maps in the shortest coast-coast journey (maps 203-204) • 9 coast-to-coast journeys entirely in Scotland • 3 coast-to-coast journeys from Scotland to England • 4 coast-to-coast journeys entirely in the north of England • 6 coast-to-coast journeys from Wales to England • 4 coast-to-coast journeys entirely in the south of England • 6 months to complete the whole journey!

Altogether, Mark made 70 separate ferry journeys throughout his adventure.

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Our stores

Pop into any of our stores to see the full Sonder range, rent a bike, take part in an event or just grab a brew with our Sonder team and talk all things bike.

1. Inverness IV3 5LS 01463 513053

6. Ilkley LS29 8HF 0194 359 7577

2. Edinburgh EH9 1PY 0131 564 1281

7. Hathersage S32 1BB 01433 730930

3. Metrocentre NE11 9YS 0191 603 0939

8. Betws-y-Coed LL24 0BW 01690 507 307

4. Keswick CA12 5JJ 01768 721287

9. Bristol BS8 2RF 01172 141707

5. Ambleside LA22 0DB 015394 54954

10. Kingston KT2 6QD 020 8191 1351

RENT. RIDE. RETURN. (REPEAT) If you’re planning a bike ride and looking to hire a bike, renting one of our demo bikes is a great way to try before you buy. You can rent a bike for a day, a weekend, or a week, and get your rental fee back if you choose to buy a bike. Prices start from £49 a day and include our range of gravel, road, hardtail, and full suspension mountain bikes.

Every one has a story. What’s yours?

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SEDONA Full gas gravel

Chris and Isaac searched every nook and quarry in North Wales for the perfect gravel. Preparation for their latest race, Brwydr y Graean ‘Battle on the gravel’ meant testing both the new Sedona and themselves to the limit. Lung busting full sprint climbs, fearlessly carving down descents and laying the power down on the ‘straights’.

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sonderbikes.com

Details • Hydroformed downtube adds stiffness for a sharper, more aggressive ride • High end aeronautical titanium • 71.5 degree head angle and 74 degree seat tube angle, shorter stack and 420mm chainstays • 3 bottle cage mounts and give multiple carrying options • 3 accessory mounts (1 x 65mm frame, 2 x 54/130mm fork) • ​Clearance for up to 700c x 45mm tyres • ​Internal routing for clean lines

Raw Ti

Builds Framesets from £2,199 Full builds from £2,749

Every one has a story. What’s yours?

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SANTIAGO Reynolds Steel tourer

I rode round the last cobbled switchback, summit in sight.

Glance to the right, that view! Part Belgian berg, part Alpine col the way over Vršič pass, Slovenia’s highest paved road, would lead me down to my campsite in the Soca valley below. No room at the inn?

Nice to know everything I need is attached to my bike.

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Details • Traditional bike, contemporary geometry • Reynolds 631 steel tubing • Longer wheelbase and higher stack height for a more comfortable riding position and assured ride • Clearance for up to 650b x 47 mm or 700c x 37 mm tyres • Full rack and guard mountains, 3 sets of bottle cage bosses and extra cage mounts on the fork • 100 mm front, 142 mm rear bolt-through dropouts

Green Grey

Builds Framesets from £999 Full builds from £1,199

Every one has a story. What’s yours?

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Epic rides 2024

SONDER RIDERS

It’s a heartfelt privilege and joy to work with our select gang of Sonder Riders. As well as being friends, they help us with product design by pushing our bikes, components and cycle clothing to their limit. And they inspire us all with their daring deeds, trail tales and fresh experience of living life outdoors. So here’s to our Sonder Riders and their stories.

Jenny Graham Welcome to Jenny Graham! We’re so delighted that Jenny has joined us as our latest Sonder Rider. Jenny holds the Guinness World Record for being the fastest woman to circumnavigate the planet by bike. 18,000 miles unsupported in 124 days 11 hours. And she had an absolute blast in the process. Jenny is deeply rooted in her community in the highlands of Scotland, which she says is the best playground in the world.

Alastair Humphreys British adventurer and author. Spent over 4 years cycling around the world and pioneered the concept of ‘microadventures’. As well as his adventures by bike, Al has walked across Southern India, rowed the Atlantic Ocean, trekked 1,000 miles across the Empty Quarter desert and 120 miles around the M25. It’s no wonder he was voted one of National Geographic’s Adventurers of the year.

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sonderbikes.com

Stu Taylor All mountain biker, brewer and coffee roaster. Riding and racing bikes around the globe, Stu found himself drifting into the world of ultra-endurance, selfsupported bike packing events. He’s unstoppable and has ridden in the Highland Trail 550, the French Divide, Silk Road Mountain Race and Atlas Mountain Race.

Emma Pooley One of GB’s most respected and successful cyclists.

As well as 10 Olympic and Commonwealth medals, Emma held the women’s Everesting record and has actually done a gravel Everest on a brutal 571m gravel climb on her Camino Ti. Emma now rides purely for fun and the sense of personal challenge in ultra-distance bikepacking events. She also has a huge passion for eating real, tasty food in sport. This year she’s racing the 20k Ultratrail – 1000km across the highest roads in Europe.

Tom Seipp

Pete McNeil

Neil Cottam

Tom was recently crowned U23 British 24hr Solo MTB Champion at the renowned Strathpuffer 24. This was his 8th Puffer, and his best results yet. With history of completing the tour divide and many other ultras, he’s planning a few special trips this year.

Mountain bike guide, adventure racer, and expedition leader. Pragmatic and humble, Pete runs Adventure Pedlars in the Hope Valley. Pete has finished an impressive 5th in the Highland Trail 550 and 8th in the first Silk Road Mountain Race.

Mechanical engineer, biker and outdoorsman with a penchant for the offbeat or unusual. He’s raced the Yak Attack, Rumble in the Jungle, Strathpuffer and circumnavigated Sri Lanka on a local singlespeed bicycle.

Every one has a story. What’s yours?

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COLIBRI

Endurance road bike

Alongside the first sketch of the Colibri is a doodle of the West coast of America. We dreamt of riding from Alaska to Mexico. A hummingbird that makes this 4,000km journey. They’re tenacious little buggers. And light. And fast. Find your inspiration in nature.

Details • Fast, smooth endurance road geometry • Frame available in 6061 aluminium or aeronautical grade titanium • One piece carbon monocoque fork with mudguard & cage mounts • Rear mud guard and pannier rack mounts • Ride tyres up to 36mm, or 32mm+ • Tapered steerer and headtube gives more precise cornering • Internal cable routing

Reef Slate Raw Ti

Builds Framesets from £549 Full builds from £1,099 Every one has a story. What’s yours?

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PRIMA

Super fast, super stiff race road bike

The North York Moors in November. Bitterly cold and unforgiving cross winds. However inhospitable the landscape appears, it’s draped with ribbons of silky smooth tarmac, flowy descents and brutal hill climbs. The perfect Sunday morning training ground. It’s certainly somewhere you don’t want to go slow.

Keep it fast, dial it in and be home for elevenses.

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sonderbikes.com

Details • Steep 73.5 head angle and low stack height coupled with short 410mm chainstay length for an aggressive riding position • 7046 alloy – as strong, stiff and light as carbon frames • SRAM Universal Derailleur Hanger • ​Clearance for up to 700c x 32mm tyres • ​Internal routing for clean lines

Blue Red

Builds Framesets from £849 Full builds from £1,449

Every one has a story. What’s yours?

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Epic rides 2024

Inverness:

snecky Chancer 03:27

25.6mi

1,675ft

1,675ft

Expert gravel ride. Very good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels. You may need to carry your bike at times.

Edinburgh:

THE AULD REEKIE RIDE OUT 04:30

30.2mi

2,350ft

2,350ft

Planned by our pals at Farr Out, the Edinburgh round of our Sonder Winter Gravel Series heads southwest out of the city to the Pentland Hills in search of glorious gravel.

It’s a joy to spend time with customers at our stores over winter for the Sonder Winter Gravel Series.

The company, the routes, the whole day – just brilliant. And the best thing is, you can ride these routes whenever you like.

From all corners of Britain, here are the routes of this season’s Sonder Winter Gravel Series. And there’s even a special prize if you ride them all!

Keswick:

Rolling Skiddaw 03:42

26.3mi

2,400ft

2,400ft

Heading east on Keswick-Threlkeld Railway trail to Threlkeld village, then climbing up onto the bridleway around Blease Fell and up to Skiddaw House.

Ambleside:

Dungeons & Dragons 03:14

23.4mi

1,725ft

1,725ft

Expert gravel ride. Very good fitness required.

Some portions of the Tour may require you to push your bike.

Betws-y-Coed:

ROMAN'S REVENGE 03:00

Try the routes for yourself, scan QR to download gpx files.

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18.3mi

2,100ft

2,100ft

Head North from Betws-y-Coed into the Gwydir Forest through lost lanes and forest gravel.

Get wonderful views of Moel Siobod and hidden lakes on the way. sonderbikes.com

Metrocentre:

Tyne Valley wister 05:00

36.9mi

2,025ft

2,025ft

Expect quiet cycleways, field edge tracks, woodland trails strewn with fallen leaves and riverside views on this route, which is just short of 37 miles.

Ilkley:

Rombald’s Ride 02:40

18.8mi

1,925ft

1,925ft

This ride out takes in the gorgeous expanse of Denton Moor, heading northeast out of Ilkley up Hunger Hill and up to the summit of Round Hill.

Hathersage:

The Dambuster 05:01

35.1mi

2,950ft

2,950ft

A tour of Derwent and Ladybower Reservoirs, although there’s some riding to the south to begin with, over Offerton Moor and along the challenging Brough Lane.

Bristol:

The GrIt Lush 40 05:22

40.2mi

2,900ft

2,900ft

Expect a huge variety of surface types and conditions, though one thing is for sure: it will be mucky!

This is definitely a ride for the winter tyres.

Kingston:

RIDE for the hills 04:00

37.2mi

1,575ft

1,575ft

Expert gravel ride. Very good fitness required. Big ride out of the grey to the stunning hills in the distance.

Remember there’s gold in them thar (Surrey) hills.

EVERY ONE HAS A STORY. WHAT’S YOURS?