Epic Rides 2022 by Alpkit

EPIC RIDES 2022

Sonder /'s nd / e

sonderbikes.com

n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries and inherited craziness—an epic story that continues invisibly around you. Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

EVERY ONE HAS A STORY. WHAT’S YOURS?

Epic rides 2022

Meet the family

Hardtail trail bike 29er

Short-travel 29er

Stories

Super fast 140/150mm aggressive 29er

06 Peace mission to Stelvio 12 World Tour of Yorkshire 26 Racing the Trans Madeira 34 Bikepacking the West Kernow Way

52 Lucky rain

44 What’s possible in 55 hours

Aggressive hardtail 29er

Aggressive 27.5+ hardtail

sonderbikes.com

Race-ready XC hardtail

Reynolds Steel tourer

50 Award-winning gravel bike

Endurance road bike

Wilderness trail bike

CONTINENTAL TWIN Road tandem tourer

Epic rides 2022

Distance: 222km

Total Ascent: 7,002m

High Point: 2,678m

% Unpaved: 75%

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. Words & pictures by Sonder Rider Emma Pooley

Some climbs are beyond iconic in cycling – they’re more like minor deities. The Stelvio is one such celestial ascent: punishing, photogenic, regularly starring in the Giro, and invariably referred to in tones of reverence. Many cyclists believe the Stelvio pilgrimage to be a key pillar of the sport, pedalling their devoted way up its switchbacks to leave offerings of sweat and tears as sacrifice on its rough tarmac. As with most divinities, difference of opinion is considered blasphemous. But I confess to being a dissenter – perhaps the only one? I think the Stelvio is a rubbish ride: loud with cars and motorbikes, stinking of fumes, the top a circus of tawdry trinket shops and

overpriced bars. There are hundreds of more enjoyable climbs in the region. Admittedly, my feelings about it are biased by painful memories from the Giro many years ago: it was the queen stage in 2010. By struggling to the finish line in second place (my forte) I sealed my failure to win the Giro (a feat I would accomplish several more times in my professional cycling career). In road racing you lose on more days than you win, but some days you really know you’ve lost. Disappointment is hard to forget. So when cyclists start singing hymns to the Stelvio I just smile politely and change the subject, while inwardly rolling my eyes. I try to avoid

ranting about how overrated it is and how the traffic is awful, and the coffee up there is overpriced and terrible... because maybe, I thought, if I leave the Stelvio alone it will stay out of my way too. Until last August, when I found myself on a rocky path towards reconciliation. It was unplanned, like many of my exploratory bike rides are these days. I had just a 5-day window in the whole summer for a bikepacking trip (my favourite way to go cycling these days) and I wanted to go properly off-road, away from cars and roads. Without much time to plan or knowledge of the singletrail outside my local area, I turned

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to Komoot and found a route by the reliably excellent Sara and Andreas of @projectpedalfurther. Their “Marmotsland Tour” winds from the Engadin over to Livigno and back, taking in valleys and trails that I’ve wanted to explore for years. It seemed the perfect route to take my Sonder Signal for its first multiday trip – kind of a honeymoon for me and my new bike. Like most honeymoons (or so I’ve heard) it wasn’t all a bed of roses. I added a day at the start to get from Davos to Engadin and my planning was too vague, so I ended up slogging over the Albulapass (fantastic on a road bike, I highly recommend it… but depressingly slow on a fully-laden MTB) and then walking down the too-technical-andtoo-steep-for-me singletrail on the other side. But it was OK: I could laugh at my incompetence and the unexpected challenges. On day two I managed to rig up a support system for the saddle bag (so that it didn’t try to kiss the back wheel every time I rode over even the tiniest bump: short legs + 29" wheels + big knobbly tyres = not much clearance) and that made the rough sections way more fun: mountain bikes really ARE more forgiving on technical terrain than a gravel bike, and even a scaredy-cat roadie like me can feel it!

Still couldn’t use the dropper seat post but since the only options were to grow 10cm or stop complaining, I resigned myself to that minor inconvenience. The second day’s route was fabulous: a long climb to Pass da Costainas through the God Tamangur forest with its bears and silver mining history, then beautiful Val Mora up to the Italian border and a fantastic section of singletrail swooping down to the Lago di San Giacomo hidden away in Val Fraéle. Usually it takes me about 3 days on a bikepacking trip to relax into the no-hurry, enjoy-the-journey slow-cruise mode which I find so peaceful. But this time I was in the zone by day two – maybe it helps to be away from roads and totally immersed in wild scenery. I also transformed rapidly and joyfully into full dirtbag mode: as scruffy as if I’d been on the road for months, fluctuating between gorged (when random tasty meals were available) then famished and thirsty, braking for sudden snack stops, sitting on the floor to eat, grimy and stinky, and absolutely revelling in it. It’s relaxing to let go of the tedious constraints of modern life, like timekeeping and cleanliness. The only thing I had to do was find accommodation of some kind before night fell – I hadn’t packed bivouac or camping gear, because that

space in my saddle bag had been sacrificed to running kit and a book. My holiday, my priorities. After the thrilling descent to Lago di San Giacomo di Fraéle, I turned off the Marmotsland route towards the Lago di Cancano. These twin reservoirs are tucked away above Bormio in a jewel of a valley, encircled by a dirt road that leads to the eastern dam wall, the ruined Fraéle towers guarding over Bormio below, and a little rifugio. I knocked on the door at dusk, and it was a win! They had a room and a generous portion of dinner available (for guests with Covid certificate, at least). The place brought back memories for me – also memories from the Giro, but happier ones. It was here that 10 years before, I had finally managed to win a stage, at the top of the switchback Torri di Fraéle climb. I still suspect Marianne Vos gifted me the stage because she was just a bit bored of all the winning – but nonetheless, a good day. Happy memories, delicious dinner, and a hot shower (OK, sometimes even the keenest dirtbag can accept a brief intrusion by modern life and modern plumbing): the perfect end to a fun day’s biking.

It’s relaxing to let go of the tedious constraints of modern life, like timekeeping and cleanliness. The only thing I had to do was find accommodation of some kind before night fell... Every one has a story. What’s yours?

Super fast, super stiff 140/150mm trail bike In a couple of days, Sonder Rider Zack Harrop would race his Evol at the Crans Montana EWS in Switzerland. A blisteringly fast enduro race through big mountains and a complete change from racing in the UK. When you love riding bikes you make the most of every moment of the Alps in the summer time. So Zack went out to the mountains around Chamonix. Was it practice? A warm up? Or just bloody good fun! 8

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Confident high-speed descender with a bottomless suspension feel and the agility to throw it hard into every corner. Goldilocks geometry gives a comfortable neutral riding position and allows efficient pedalling so you won’t waste energy on the uphill slogs (save it for the descent!). Every one has a story. What’s yours?

Details Hydroformed and custom butted 6061 alloy frame with 140mm through RockShox Deluxe RT Debonair rear shock [1] • Goldilocks Geometry – Long, Low, Slack but still pedals well uphill • Metric shock standard • Horst-link suspension [2] • Internal cable routing [3]

Blue Black

Builds Evol SX Eagle £1,699 Evol NX Eagle £2,299 Evol GX Eagle AXS £3,699 9

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.

A short travel 29er for epic days from trail centres to big days out around classic routes. Efficient, playful and confidence-inspiring with 130mm of travel up front. Cover huge ground on a big day out and enjoy every technical section you come to. Stamp on the pedals and fly up short, loose technical climbs. Every one has a story. What’s yours?

Details Hydroformed and custom butted 6061 alloy frame with 120mm through Rockshox Deluxe Select+ • Down country geometry – Trail bike agility with Enduro bike stability [1] • Metric shock standard • Horst-link suspension [2] • Internal cable routing

Battleship Khaki

Builds Cortex SX Eagle £1,649 Cortex NX Eagle £2,249 Cortex GX Eagle AXS £3,699 11

Epic rides 2022

A World Tour of Yorkshire Long before Al Humphreys introduced us to the world of microadventures he spent four years cycling around the world. For his latest adventure he went back to his home county of Yorkshire for a month-long tour. Words & pictures by Alpkiteer Alastair Humphreys

The allure of travel differs for each of us. It might be gazing up in awe at the Gothic treasure you never knew existed, the kinship of being invited into someone’s home to share a meal, the relaxation of beaches or the opportunities for adventures new. But whatever it is that appeals, there is one unifying aspect: the aeroplane that gets us there. However, flying is not only terrible for the environment, it also consumes a significant percentage of our budget and a painful proportion of our time away. To get round this we might decide to stay closer to home for a weekend mini-break or a microadventure. But what happens if you are looking for something bigger? If the opportunity arose for a month-long adventure, would you not want to fly far away? Back in my 20s, I spent four years cycling around the world. It was the adventure of a lifetime. It was also a curse in that I now measure all my travels against that epic yardstick. But I wanted to see whether I could find a local journey that replicated some of the freedom and variety of those continent-crossing years. Could I have a proper adventure without leaving home? Though I am currently exiled down south, I grew up in Yorkshire and – like many of our tribe – identify proudly and loudly as a Yorkshireman. But I was aware that there was much of my home county that I knew nothing about. And so I decided to spend a month cycling around Yorkshire, wild camping along the way. I deleted all my apps for email, music or social media, loaded up my panniers, and began. I pushed aside envious thoughts of Machu Picchu, Milan or Miami as I lifted my bike off the train in 12

Middlesbrough – the traditional top right hand corner of Yorkshire – on a grey, wet morning. But the sun came out as I followed well-marked trails through Teesside’s engineering and industrial heritage to the coast, fired with calories from my debut ‘parmo’ lunch. From the very first push of the pedals the ride took me to places I had never explored before. Yorkshire welcomes cyclists and almost all my ride was on cycle paths, bridleways, or quiet back roads. The county is still proud of its involvement in the 2014 Tour de France and those iconic photographs of ‘Le Col de Buttertubs’ (which I laboured up later on my journey.) Many old railway lines have been converted into traffic-free cycle tracks by Sustrans, such as the excellent section of the Trans Pennine Trail running from Hornsea into the centre of Hull or the path heading south from York that has a scale model of the Solar System – beginning with an eight-foot Sun – where every hundred metres of cycling corresponds to 57 million kilometres of space, until you reach Pluto some 6.4 miles later! My accommodation plans were anything but space age: I slept in a bivvy bag under the stars, with a tarpaulin to shelter beneath in case of rain. I settled down for my first night on the grassy heights outside Saltburn-by-the-sea, watching the sun set behind Yorkshire’s last remaining pier. The next evening I rinsed off the day’s sweat in the mirror-calm sea then made tea on a small driftwood fire in a deserted pebbled bay. A few nights later I was on the North Yorkshire Moors, dozing off on a bed of soft heather and moss, my lips stained blue from wild bilberries. On one night of heavy rain I was relieved to take refuge in a remote bothy, drying out by a log fire as I listened to the curlews and owls. sonderbikes.com

I pushed aside envious thoughts of Machu Picchu, Milan or Miami as I lifted my bike off the train in Middlesbrough – the traditional top right hand corner of Yorkshire – on a grey, wet morning.

Considering that this adventure was supposed to feature the familiar landscapes of my youth, I was surprised by how often I was surprised. Whilst I feel embarrassed that I had never even heard of Beverley Minster, it certainly made stumbling upon its magnificence all the more thrilling. I never knew that Hull had white phone boxes, not red. The riverside path between Doncaster and Rotherham was an unexpected nature haven. I discovered a phenomenal David Hockney exhibition in the old mill at Saltaire and gawped in the depths of Gaping Gill, one hundred metres deep and England’s largest underground chamber. I had zig-zagged from the northeast coast down to the Humber bridge, from West Yorkshire to Tan Hill (Britain’s highest pub) on the Cumbrian border. And finally I circled down into the dales I knew so well, back to the house I grew up in, the house where my parents still live. As it was when I completed my round the world cycle, the triumphant end of my adventure was to arrive back home and sit down for a nice cup of tea – Yorkshire Tea, of course. I had been curious whether I could have a genuine “travel” experience without flying. Could one place hold my attention if I really paid attention? And could a mere month in my home county in any way replicate cycling across continents? The answer to all these questions was a resounding ‘yes’. Cycling around Yorkshire was one of the most intriguing and enjoyable journeys of my life.

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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 beyond feedback of a focus group. That way we are free to do our own thing and allow great things to happen. Neil Sutton is our bike designer. He’s more than an expert; he’s a natural. And being free to do his own thing; he gets on with it.

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Neil Sutton, Sonder Bikes Designer

Neil designs every element of Sonder bikes. He turns ideas and conversations into sketches and technical drawings. Drawings that cover the big decisions on geometry and the smallest frame details. Neil works directly with our factories, the best in the world. And each bike is meticulously built with components, wheels and tyres chosen to deliver a complete ride experience that the bike is designed for. Sonder has won awards across every discipline.

Meet Neil It’s been an epic year at Sonder so we caught up with Neil to ask him what’s on his mind.

Bike supply has been incredibly challenging with many believing the supply chain to be broken. How’s that looking now? It’s been incredibly hard for everyone – most importantly its been hard for our customers. Our focus has been to get our customers riding as soon as we can and we genuinely appreciate everyone’s patience. Lead times of SRAM and Shimano components in particular have been difficult with factories having to down tools due to lockdown and material shortages. Unfortunately some smaller high quality frame factories haven’t survived – our full suspension frame factory closed its doors for example.

We’ve got good supply of SRAM in 2022 and its going to be late 2022 before we have a consistent supply of Shimano. We take pride in being early adopters of the latest tech and are one of the first brands with AXS electronic shifting and Rudy gravel bike forks. Even though component supply is challenging we’ll continue to get new tech as soon as it is available.

How have you managed to keep innovation going over the last couple of years? With difficulty! The material shortages risked slowing innovation across the industry – it’s been a hard balance for factories to satisfy current orders and make new products. We’ve taken opportunities where we can to develop new prototypes. We launched a new Camino and got new bikes in the pipeline. The Prima and the El Camino are coming very soon!

We’re extending our size range and each is designed to work with a 50-80mm stem so whether you’re 5'2" or 6'2" you get the same ride feel. The result is a more agile and confidence inspiring ride of enjoyable miles on b-roads and bridleway.

Anything else you’re excited about? We’re bringing wheel-building to our factory. I like to have as much control as possible and wheels are a huge factor in how bikes perform. Our wheels cover a massive range of riding styles so I’m very particular about how they’re built.

Tell us about the new Camino. I wanted to make the Camino more capable without losing the spirit that people love. The new Camino has an enhanced ride experienced with responsive steering and progressive geometry that better balances a rider’s centre of gravity when riding. It’s got space for 50mm tyre clearance if you need it to run bigger tyres with space for mudguards if you’re using over winter.

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Two brand new Sonder bikes will arrive this year. We’ve been out putting miles into the prototypes and we bloody love them! Here’s a first-look at Prima, our out-and-out road bike and El Camino, our prototype gravel e-bike. Coming soon!

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El Camino

Your Sunday best.

The Camino with 100% more juice.

We’ve dreamt of Prima, a blistering fast road bike. Dialled geometry, ultralight 7046 aluminium tubeset, wheels that cut through the wind, fast, precise shifting. A Sunday best bike that we’ll keep immaculate (and sneak into the garage for a quick peek before bedtime). Imagine having that for £2,000. The Prima arrives late summer.

Imagine El Camino, a gravel ebike that easily goes over 150 kilometres on a single charge. A range that lets you do a proper multi-day ride over roads, by-ways and bridleways. Power comes from a 522WH battery and we’ve gone up to 240km in testing. Go faster, or further, or just really appreciate the assistance of moving your luggage-laden bike on day two of a big weekend. We can’t wait for the El Camino to arrive.

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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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Built for speed on fast singletrack and for attacking big mountains. It pedals like an XC and descends like an enduro. Stand up, sprint, and ride it hard on the groomed trails at Llandegla and Glentress or take it to the big mountains and let loose.

Every one has a story. What’s yours?

Details Choose between steel and titanium • 4130 Chromoly, hand welded steel frame [1] • 3Al/2.5V Aeronautical grade hand welded titanium frame [2] • Aggressive trail bike geometry • Internal cable routing • Thru axle • Size-specific chainstay lengths

Copper Gunmetal Raw Ti

Builds Signal Steel SX Eagle £1,199 Signal Ti NX Eagle £2,199 Signal Ti Pinion Eagle £4,449 17

Epic rides 2022

Aggressive 27.5" hardtail that holds the lairiest lines 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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Ultra-capable 27.5” hardtail - fast, lively and precise. Cut trails like a scalpel. Transmitter flows across cambers, roots, rocks and ruts. Get speed, agility and masses of fun with a long wheelbase, long travel and long reach. Then ask why anyone buys full suspension.

Details Stealth Dropper Routing • Internal cable routing [1] • Size-specific chainstay lengths • Chain guide ready [2] • Boost 148 rear spacing

Mango Charcoal

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Nemo

Transmitter SX Eagle £1,049 Transmitter NX Eagle £1,499 Transmitter GX Eagle £1,999

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Every one has a story. What’s yours?

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Epic rides 2022

The hands that build your bike World class bikes built in Britain. Hand built to perform Every Sonder is built to order by expert mechanics at our factory on the edge of the Peak District. We’re in the homeland of where the UK bike industry grew up. A stone’s throw from the original Raleigh factory. The hands here are skilled. Our mechanics are the best in the industry and there’s genuine pride in the work that’s done here. Every Sonder comes with its own certificate signed personally by its builder – an artist always signs their work.

Bringing wheel building back to the UK Your wheels have a huge influence on the ride character of a bike. We’re unique as we design wheels and frame together – back in 2015 no-one made the wide-rim wide-hub wheels we wanted, so we developed them ourselves. By bringing wheel building back to the UK we take it a step further so the wheels are as one with the bike: Burly 27.5+ wheels to land the biggest jumps on the Transmitter;

lightweight climbing wheels for the new ultralight Prima; load bearing touring wheels on the Santiago to give confidence as you’re flying downhill with 20kg of luggage attached to your bike. We see the bike and the journeys as a whole. And we make the wheels that fit. We’re building bikes on small scale. It’s very special.

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Hand-laced, precision-tuned wheels. Designed in Britain. Made in Britain. Performance wheels get more watts out of your engine. Quicker engagement of the freehub means faster acceleration, more control. We build Alphas stiff and strong so what you feel is a responsive, direct ride. The moment you move your legs, you’ve gone. If you don’t love them after 60 days you can send them back. Sonder Alpha Series. Get more oomph. Sonder Alpha wheelset £299.99

Purposefully designed around our bespoke hubs, hand-built for quality, with precision double-machined axles and sealed bearings for hassle-free servicing, and round and round the world durability, Sonder wheels dial killer performance and reliability.

120 engagement points. Twice as many as standard freehubs for immediate pedalling response. No compromise performance, 6 pawl freehub gives more control and faster acceleration. Super smooth sealed cartridge bearings for low maintenance. 60-Day Rolling Returns. If you don’t love your Sonder wheels, you can send them back for a no quibble refund within 60 days.

sonderbikes.com/wheels

Epic rides 2022

FRONTIER 29er multi-activity trail bike

Still mudsplattered 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 Resevoir 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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Quick, lightweight and capable. A genuine multiactivity hardtail. Responsive geometry balances with big wheels for a sharp feel and “ride over anything” confidence. Take it to a trail centre and set some fast laps. Load it up with bags and ride rugged country, bikepacking to the bothy and beyond.

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Details 6061 aluminium frame • Internal cable routing [1] • Boost 148 rear spacing • Rigid fork option with triple cage mounts • Triple bottle cages • Pannier rack mount • 29" & 27.5" compatible [2]

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Frontier SX Eagle Rigid £849 Frontier SX Eagle £999 Frontier NX Eagle £1,199 23

DIAL

Race-ready XC hardtail After weeks of zipping around her local woods, Rebecca already felt like a champion on the start line of Dirty Reiver. 200km of gravel and dirty road ahead of her. Is aggro gravel a thing? It is for Rebecca!

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Lightweight XC hardtail, built for speed and efficiency. Beat your best time, cover big miles on a long day out, race to the podium. With its lightweight 7005 aluminium tubeset and 100mm travel up front, the Dial gives maximum pedalling efficiency whether you’re riding 200km at Dirty Reiver or racing flat out. Every one has a story. What’s yours?

Details Dial aluminium frame • Internal cable routing [1] • Chain guide ready • Boost 148mm rear spacing [2] • Dropper post ready: reverb stealth port [3]

Jaffa Grey

Builds Dial SX Eagle £999 Dial NX Eagle £1,399 Dial GX Eagle £1,699

Epic rides 2022

Racing the Trans Madeira Neil Cottam gives us a ‘backie’ on the Pink Panther for five days. Racing across Madeira’s rugged mountains and creating yet another one for the ever growing bucket list. Words & pictures by Sonder Rider Neil Cottam

What can I tell you about Madeira? (Well, you know, aside from the fact that they make a marvellous cake). It’s part of a little volcanic archipelago nestling quietly in the North Atlantic, west of Morocco and southwest of Portugal. The eponymous main island, measuring just 35 miles long and 13 miles wide, is extremely rugged and is dominated by the high peaks of Pico Ruivo (1862m), Pico das Torres (1851m), and Pico do Areeiro (1818m). A tiny package that packs a mighty punch. My first two weeks were centred around Funchal. I enjoyed a couple of days of uplift with Freeride Madeira, where I met a lovely bunch of guys also from the UK, one of whom, Ned Leary from Nottingham, recognised my Evol 29er – The Pink Panther – it turned out that he was an Alpkit fan too. We also rode a very special trail – Folhadal – accessed by a series of irrigation tunnels cut through the rock (the famous Levadas). My mates Mitch and Archie Bryan arrived with a few days to spare before the race. We hung out in the lovely little beach town of Machico and pedalled up and down hills quite a lot. One particularly wet day led us to the infamous Boca da Risco (which translates rather comfortingly to “Mouth of Risk”), one of the islands best descents, famous for its knife-edge views of an angry ocean far below. It didn’t go all that well. It turns out that it’s not at its best when it’s wet. We fell off quite a lot. The Trans Madeira comprises of five days of racing, thirty special stages (SS), 222km of riding, 4,355m of ascent, and 12,500m of descent (oh yeah). The first three days were the toughest, both physically and technically, the organisers clearly had no intention of easing us into it.

Each morning we would be bussed up to a high point, followed by a short transition to the stage, and then racing would begin in earnest. Day one began at 1500m with the first five stages taking us all the way back down to sea level, each averaging between two and four kilometres, and about 5-8 minutes of flat-out commitment. It’s not easy to race blind on hard technical trails. From there we were again bused back up into the mountains and were to face our nemesis – Boca do Risco. A relatively flat 6km transition gradually peters out from forest road to singletrack and you arrive at the start gate. All the way there we were discussing, and dreading, what the trail might have in store for us. As it turned, with no rain in the area for a couple of days, we were presented with a sublime descent in primo condition. It was outstanding, and one of the most exhilarating and thrilling rides I’ve ever had. It was a far cry from the misery we had endured a few days previously. Archie had a marvellous day and finished 18th overall. Mitch and I were solid mid-pack. I’d like to tell you that we slept like babies that night, but we didn’t. We were camping on the beach; the gently rolling waves should have lulled us peacefully to sleep, unfortunately the local dogs had other ideas. The lack of sleep was not the ideal preparation for Day two and the grey, wet, conditions that greeted us on the summit compounded that. I had a challenging day; I’m red/green colour blind, and it’s quite high up the scale. The flat light and dark, wet, woodlands meant that I struggled constantly to pick out the trail and features – I crashed more times than I care to remember; three or four times on “Ratboy”

alone, including a spectacular over-the-bars on a jump that I didn’t see until it was too late – fortunately for me there were several spectators there to witness my tragic ineptitude. SS11 – Porto da Cruz – was bonkers. I think it was pure survival for most riders. Around ten minutes of steep, technical, exposed, insanely rocky singletrack. There were times when I was just a passenger and was thankful to roll out of it unscathed. Mitch had an excellent day. Archie suffered a day of mixed fortunes after he smashed his rear dérailleur on Porto da Cruz and had to walk some of it – his hopes of a high placed finish were in tatters. That night we camped on the seafront in Funchal. Day three proved to be a tough one. We started high, above the clouds, at 1805m on Pico do Areeiro, dropping a thousand metres before embarking on a very long transition, interspersed with an extraordinary hike-a-bike. It was steep, rocky, and relentless; I thoroughly enjoyed myself, it was my kind of challenge. Archie and I were together all day. We stopped for a short break and waited for Mitch to catch us up. The excitement was building amongst us; we knew what was coming, I’d been extolling the virtues of Folhadal all week. We donned our headlights and set off through the tunnels. As we emerged from the second we were greeted by a vertiginous waterfall cascading down the rockface to our left, and on our right fell away a vast steep valley gilded with dense primordial forest. As stunning a view as you will see anywhere in the world. Twenty minutes of teetering along the pencil thin lip of the Levada led us to the start gate.

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The Trans Madeira comprises of five days of racing, thirty special stages (SS), 222km of riding, 4,355m of ascent, and 12,500m of descent (oh yeah).

A steep committing drop-in was followed by a sweeping right-hander that led us into twisty forest singletrack, which in turn transitioned to the most amazing natural gulley, thick with a sublime mixture of organic matter – Lava Loam. We swooped left, then right, then left again, and on it went; floaty drops, perfect transitions, and berm after natural berm; eventually firing us out, exhilarated, into a sunny glade. Days four and five were the antidote to the savagery of previous days. After camping on the football pitch at the Sao Vincente, in the shadow of a huge, vertical, wall of rock, we were treated to great singletracks through scrub woodlands, jungle, and sun-kissed alpine meadows, all the way down to the sea and back again; less technical and more flowing, our aching bodies and battered bikes were nursed to the finish line. A classy hotel, infinity pool, and a party with free beer, rounded off, perfectly, a perfect week. And best of all? The company of old friends. Obrigado.

This time it’s personal Meet Tom, our Sonder Sales Team Leader. His team know bikes inside out. They’ll help you to choose the right bike, of course. But they can help you get off to a great start once it arrives too. We love all the research and anticipation that comes with choosing a new bike. It’s a personal thing. Tom and his team love to hear what you’re doing and will help you with sizing, components, tyres, everything to make your ride just right. Getting the right ride doesn’t stop with what you buy. Here are some tips for getting your bike set up once it arrives.

4 steps to setting up a drop bar bike 1. Set your saddle height. The easiest way to get a rough starting point for the right saddle height is the heel-to-pedal method. Sit on your bike, put your heels on the pedals and pedal backwards. At the six o’clock position your leg should be roughly straight. If it’s bent, put the saddle up a bit. If your foot comes off the pedal, pop it down. Use this a starting point and see how it feels. Often people ride with the saddle too high; if you notice your hips rocking as you pedal try nudging your saddle down in 5mm increments. 2. Set your fore/aft seat position. With your pedals at the 3 o’clock position and your feet properly on the pedals, drop a plumb line from the front of your knee cap. This should be directly above the pedal spindle. You can slide the saddle forwards or backwards to get to the right position. Cleat position plays a role here too. So experiment to see what’s most comfortable. 3. Check your reach. With your hands in a comfortable position on the hoods of the brake levers, look down at the hub of the front wheel. If your bars block the line of sight, your reach is good. If the hub is more than 3cm in front of behind the bars it’s worth trying a different length stem. 4. Set your bar height. There’s a lot of personal preference here. Think about the angle of your back when your hands are on the bars. 45 degrees is comfortable and lets your back act as its natural spring. A flat back is more aerodynamic and requires you to be more flexible and puts more weight on your hands, which can cause vibration white finger. If you’re too upright your body weight is directly above the saddle, watch out for lower back pain.

Be more At the Grand Depart in 2014, we saw someone pass a new bike to Bernard Hinault to ride. He pulled a piece of string from his pocket, lined it up with the centre of his cranks and adjusted the saddle to the end of the string. On he got and rode away. Even Bernard needs the saddle just right. 28

By finding out about your fitness, flexibility, length of reach and riding style, we’re able to offer the right advice to make sure you get a bike that’s really comfortable to ride. Tom’s top tip: Don’t be too proud. Setting your bike up to look fast rather than feel comfortable could slow you down in the long run.

Saddles for every shape Spend quality time behind bars

Choose the right saddle and you can ride in comfort for hours. Low-profile efficiency. All-day padded comfort. Wide or narrow to suit your shape. Saddle choice is personal.

Flared bars are great for long-haul comfort and give commanding control off road. A straight drop gives a more efficient, aerodynamic ride. Or choose something in between. Wide, narrow, flat, flared – you choose.

Our pedals

Which stem should you choose? A change in your stem can change the character of your ride. Shorter stems bring you more upright and give tighter handling. Longer stems give more speed and stability.

Every new bike deserves a new set of pedals. All Sonder pedals give efficient power transfer, secure footing and years of low maintenance rides. And each model is a work of art in its own right.

Laid back or flat out

A change in your seatpost can transform your ride. Layback posts offer comfort and flexibility but if you’re after all-out speed straight posts can get you right over the pedals for maximum power. Titanium seatposts give a comfortable ride and weight savings in one go.

Sonder components are little pieces of magic, individually designed to bring out the best in our bikes. Expertly made and field-tested by us so that they work in complete harmony. Whatever your size, riding style, niggles or quirks, you can find the perfect build. The ride you dream of. 29

BROKEN ROAD Wilderness trail bike

Tom and Rich had talked 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.

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A companion to share adventures of a lifetime. A titanium hardtail to ride into the wilderness. And while it’s home, tackle your local trails or ride through long nights on a 24 hour race. 29er, 650B, 700C, hub gear, single-speed, fixed. It’s your choice.

[2]

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Details 3Al/2.5V aeronautical grade hand welded titanium frame • Adventure trail bike geometry: comfortable for miles and miles • Adjustable sliding dropouts [1] • Rack & guard mounts [2] • 650B+ ready

Raw Ti

Builds Broken Road SX Eagle £1,649 Broken Road GX Eagle £2,249 Broken Road Pinion £3,499

Epic rides 2022

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.

Open up B-roads and bridleways, off the tarmac and onto the dirt. Longdistance comfort on long tracks and roads. Half roadie, half mountain slogger. Who’d want to be just one thing?

Details Choose between aluminium and titanium • Expedition geometry: comfortable, confidence inspiring riding position • 700x50mm clearance [1] • Rack & guard mounts [2] • 650B & 700C compatible • 12mm bolt-thru axles

Builds Camino Al Apex Flat £899 Camino Al GRX1 £1,299 Camino Ti Force1 £2,399

Sage Midnight Black Raw Ti

[1]

[ 2]

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

Epic rides 2022

Bikepacking the West Kernow Way Cycling UK are doing good piecing together new trails. Their latest route inspired Josh Parsons to be one of the first to ride it. A 230km bikepacking loop through the stunning Cornish countryside. Sea views, killer climbs, tin mines, bronze age history and, of course, pasties. Words & pictures by Keep Smiling Adventures

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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. The sound of cars roaring past. I sat looking at my two bikes. One was exhausted and a bit broken from the last 800 miles. And then the other. The Sonder Camino Ti all pristine and ready to go. All I needed was an adventure and, what do you know, Cycling UK release their most recent adventure route. The West Kernow Way. Sometimes you find the adventure and sometimes it just finds you. I started packing the Camino up with everything I would need for a few nights and a leisurely 230km (140 mile) ride around the beautiful, yet hilly, Cornwall. I like to start with how I’m going to sleep on these trips. And, after being in a tent during The Great North Trail, I thought I would treat myself to a bit of luxury.

My Alpkit Mora hammock. Hammocks really are the pinnacle of comfort while camping. And this one packs down so small, it’s perfect for keeping the weight and pack size down – which is important in Cornwall, as 20% climbs are normal around there. Next up it’s the sleeping bag: the Pipedream 400. This is my go-to sleeping bag for most of the year in the UK, as it’s plenty warm enough and packs down super small. And of course, if you are going to Cornwall, you will be needing a tarp. I don’t think I have ever been to Cornwall without it raining. Two water bottles, my water filter and a small frame bag for a bit of food. Light, simple and effective is how I like to roll. So, I grabbed my cameras and headed down to where I would start the West Kernow Way… Redruth.

All I needed was an adventure and, what do you know, Cycling UK release their most recent adventure route. The West Kernow Way. Sometimes you find the adventure and sometimes it just finds you.

Every one has a story. What’s yours?

keepsmilingadventures

Epic rides 2022

I arrived at Redruth at 3pm ready for my first half day cycling the West Kernow Way. As with everything in Cornwall, it’s a hill. You are either going up a hill or down a hill. There isn’t much in-between. I started with a good little climb, where I did question if I should have put on a slightly easier gear than my 42/42. As I got to the top of the hill, I was greeted with my first bit of Cornish history, the old tin mines. Making my way through some overgrown singletrack, rocky descents and a hike-abike through a long puddle, I made it to St Michael’s Mount. If you are lucky with the tide here, you can cross over and get a closer look, but I had to enjoy the ancient castle from afar. I highly recommend chilling on the beach and taking it all in. It really is spectacular. I continued past Penzance in look out for a couple trees to hang my hammock. I soon realised the hammock probably wasn’t the most optimal choice

as the trees were lacking. However, after I kept searching, I found my spot and had the best night’s sleep. Waking up the next day, I was greeted with clear blue skies and bright sunshine. The route takes you around to Land’s End along a little gravel track following the coast, which is beautiful. I’d recommend trying to get to Land’s End quite early so you can see it before it gets busy. You then get to ride probably my favourite part of this whole ride. Along the coastal paths with all the tin mines and perfect blue sea views, the riding is super fun. This is where the gravel bike comes into its own. You head back inland across this vast open landscape towards The Lizard. It’s a great spot for some good old-fashioned Cornish pasties. And a good chance to soak in views sitting by the lighthouse. Well, that was my plan. But alas, the shop had just

closed. So, I sat looking out to sea with my strawberry pencil sweets instead. As I continued and the day was coming to an end, I found myself sitting on a beach in a beautiful little cove just enjoying the sun. I set my hammock up that night to the sound of waves. Waking up on the final day, the sun had been covered up by the clouds. The temperature was a little cooler, which was probably for the best, as this day consisted of lots of steep climbs out of the little coves. As I headed through some of the tiniest and steepest country lanes towards the end of the West Kernow Way, there was one final awesome trail. It’s the old mining trail, a gravel biker’s dream, and probably the flattest section on this whole route. A great way to end this adventure. There is an adventure in all of us, you just have to find it, or let it find you.

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What we’d take for this trip: Elan Bivvy, Cloudbase mat, Pipedream 200 sleeping bag, Kraku stove, MytiMug 650, Qark headtorch, big bag of salted peanuts, The Salt Path by Raynor Winn, Osmo towel, toothbrush and mini toothpaste.

Trail Tip: A second flat and you didn’t bring

that old tin of patches!

You’ve used your spare and you get another puncture. You’ll be amazed how well this hack works. Once you have found the puncture, assuming it’s not next to the valve, tie a simple overhand knot to isolate the problem. Keep as much innertube free as possible and the knot as small as possible. Ride home sheepishly.

Every one has a story. What’s yours?

Epic rides 2022

CONTINENTAL TWIN

Road tandem tourer for sharing miles of joy

A good friend from work retired, bought a tandem and now cycles all over the Europe. We see their stories pop up every now again and they bring a smile to our faces. When a bike is your companion, is there room for three in a relationship? Only when it’s a tandem! Smile on a tandem and the world smiles back.

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The Continental Twin’s hand-built titanium frame finds the balance of silkysmooth speed, comfort and carrying capacity. Enjoy a day out to explore new roads, load it up for the Wild Atlantic Way or cross a continent together.

Every one has a story. What’s yours?

Details 3Al/2.5V aeronautical grade hand welded titanium frame • 12mm thru-axles • Full rack & guard mounts • Full external cable routing

Raw Ti

Builds Every Continental Twin is a bespoke build

Epic rides 2022

Meet Vera Ngosi

Q Hey Vera, how’s it going?

I’m good! I’m currently doing my best to survive yet another winter by making lots of adventure plans for the spring and summer to look forward to. It seems like you’re always smiling when you’re on your bike. How did you get into cycling? I got into cycling through a funny series of events. Five years ago, I was lured into doing a big charity ride on a tandem because I was told I didn’t have to do much work on the back and could just drink prosecco and enjoy the views. The ride turned into a comedy-fest of endless mechanicals and it turns out I actually had to pedal quite hard as the stoker. But, I fell in love with the adventure and challenge of cycling and the new places it allowed me to see, and the joy I get from riding has only increased since. You got into endurance cycling thanks to the Ultra Distance Scholarship. Can you tell us a bit more about this?

encouragement from my partner, I applied not thinking I stood a chance and then a month later found out I had won it! So for six months in 2021, I embarked on this incredible journey building up to this self-supported endurance bike race, learning how to bikepack, bivvy, and cycle day after day on a sore bum. It was the toughest challenge I had ever taken on but it was so transformational, both physically and mentally. I felt really proud to get to the finish line of this race, which in hindsight was the start of many more bikepacking adventures. What do you think could be done to improve the cycling community? So much needs to be done to improve the cycling community, but a few thoughts that come to mind are: • Diversifying events, from social club rides, to competitive events. Offering a range of rides and event categories to suit different rider’s abilities and interests would help draw more people into cycling. Some cycling spaces can feel very elitist and send the message that you have to have the lightest bike and latest gear or be focused on speed in order to belong. This can be alienating to a lot of other riders.

So the endurance cycling thing really happened on a whim. I like to joke that I went from zero to ultra in 6 months! The first Ultra Distance Scholarship came out at the end of 2020, and someone shared it with me because I had mentioned in passing that it would be cool to do a long distance ride like LEJOG one day. The scholarship was designed to increase representation of Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic people in endurance racing, and they were offering the winner of the scholarship a custom-built bike, entry to an ultra cycling race (the 2000km Pan Celtic Race 2021), a coach to help you get trained for this, and lots of other support. It was targeted at people who were new to this type of cycling, and so after some 40

From hobbiest to ultra-endurance racer – there’s going to be mud, sweat and tears. One things for sure, Vera’s not afraid of a challenge.

• Broadening representation. There is a famous quote that says “You can’t be what you can’t see.” Brands, clubs and collectives need to diversify the images that they put out for people to see, but there’s a fine line between representation and tokenism which needs to be carefully managed. • Finding new avenues to reach underrepresented groups when advertising opportunities and events. A great example of what some organisers are now beginning to do is they are

ring-fencing some tickets for underrepresented groups whom news of the event often reaches much later than the usual crowds, thereby giving them a chance to be able to get tickets before they sell-out to the default crowd.

Do you feel represented in the cycling community?

From an ethnicity point of view, I do not feel well represented in the cycling community by virtue of the fact that for most cycling activities I participate in, I end up being the only black person there. In the last 2 years since finding an online community and becoming part of the Women of Colour Cycling Collective, this has started to change. I’ve been able to connect with a group of inspirational black women across the country, and have had opportunities to attend events with some of them, and this has helped to improve that feeling of belonging. What are your plans for the rest of 2022? We can’t wait to see what you get up to! 2022 for me is a year of gravel and MTB bikepacking adventures. I’m building my skills through finding lots of new trails near me, and also visiting centres such as Forest of Dean and Bike Park Wales to get some lessons.

I’m most looking forward to some long weekends cycling some of the famous Cycling UK routes such as King Alfred’s Way, West Kernow Way, South Downs Way etc. I’ve also entered events including Battle on the Beach in Pembrey, Sisters in the Wild gathering in the Lake District, and the Dorset Divide gravel ultra race in the summer. I’m sure there will be plenty of other events as the year goes on!

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OUR 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. Currently she’s finishing off her first book about travelling around the world so watch out for that coming out later this year as well as stories about Jenny’s gravel traverse of Spain which she’s about to set off on.

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.

Alastair Humphreys Al is an adventurer, author and great friend who spent over four years cycling around the world before he introduced us to 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. This year Al’s plans are to explore more locally than ever before. “I’ve cycled all the way around the world but I haven’t cycled every trail on the tiny map that I live on yet – that seems crazy. So I am on a mission to look for local adventure and to seek as much everyday nature as I can”.

See all our amazing riders at sonderbikes.com/riders

Epic rides 2022

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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Classic steel smoothness. It’s the closest thing you can get to riding your favourite armchair. In a good way! It’s the bike for long winter rides. It’s the bike for cycle touring. It’s the bike for riding around the world.

[1] [2]

Details Reynolds 631 100% recycled steel • Touring geometry • Full rack & guard mounts [1] • Cage mounts on forks [2]

Builds

Grey Green

Santiago Apex1 Flat Bar £1,149 Santiago Rival1 Mechanical £1,299 Santiago Rival22 Hydraulic £1,549

Gower Peninsula, West Wales

What’s possible in 55 hours It’s 55 hours from 7pm Friday to midnight Sunday. Enough time to flip a weekend of chores into two days exploring what lies beyond your front door. Sarah Leighton found the love of bikepacking with her Sonder Camino. Words & pictures by Sonder Rider Sarah Leighton

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There’s something extremely satisfying about packing everything I need for a few days outdoors, and heading straight out from my front door. It reminds me of being a kid, when every bike ride was a real adventure.

I had the time of my life! I spent way too long going back up the biggest sand dunes to get another shot, falling into ferns, and then doing it all again. I didn’t want to leave...

At the end of October, I plotted a 2 night bikepacking route from my doorstep in Cardiff city, to explore the Welsh valleys and the Gower Peninsula. This was my first time bikepacking on the Camino, with my only previous bikepacking experience being a couple of one-nighters on my road bike. My main issue is that I’m not a lightweight packer, more of a ‘just in caser.’ In my head, I had an image of everything being neatly tucked into a seat pack, frame bag, and handlebar bag. The reality however, proved much harder to achieve. So I accepted that Rome wasn’t built in a day, and put the surplus bits into a small backpack, with the intention of seeing how I could improve things when I was on my way. I’ll often agonise over decisions in the house, but once I’m out and immersed in the adventure, things become clear. It’s like learning on the job, not just reading the manual.

Cycling past Saturday shoppers We’re fortunate to have a pretty good network of cycle routes in South Wales, which makes route planning a little easier by giving you a place to start. I’d planned the rest of the route around 2 places that I wanted to camp. So I headed out of the city following the River Taff, on cycle route 8. It’s quite funny to be all kitted up ready for an adventure, whilst cycling past Saturday shoppers. As soon as I’d left the city though, an overwhelming feeling of excitement hit me. The bike riding child was free, ready to explore, with nothing weighing her down (apart from the backpack of surplus items of course). I headed up into the Welsh valleys, where forestry tracks skirt the edges of the hills, looking down on the many mining towns nestled on the valley floors. The weather played ball, and although there were some ominous looking clouds around, I felt only a few specks of rain. I’d given myself plenty of time to get to the camp spot for my first night, with the first day only totalling around 60km (a hilly 60km though I will say!) It was all pretty easy riding in terms of terrain, with only the very last 500m requiring a bit more concentration to avoid stacking it before dinner.

The bright lights of the Welsh Valleys I had a restful night in the tent, with the autumn darkness being the perfect setting for a chilled evening. The stars shone bright and I hoped for a good sunrise, because I’d purposely picked a very pleasing east facing view in anticipation. The sunrise wasn’t ground breaking, but the view still had me drinking my coffee with a smile. With a full day of riding ahead of me, I stirred up 2 sachets of porridge with peanut butter, and set about repacking the bike. Looking for any improvements I could make, I managed to redeploy my tent poles to a new and improved location. Bingo. This was exactly what I’d hoped would happen, and for what seemed like quite a small improvement, my level of smugness was through the roof. Every one has a story. What’s yours?

Epic rides 2022

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The south side of the Neath valley, descending towards Neath, offered incredible views as I blasted my way down gravel tracks with wind turbines towering above. The terrain changing from gravel, to hillside paths, and eventually to the canal path that runs alongside the Neath canal. A quiet path, or at least it was on this day, which runs all the way to the M4 motorway. After successfully negotiating the extremely low bridges across the canal path without losing my head (literally), I made my way to Swansea, in anticipation of a much needed café stop. I’d taken a bike lock with me for fear that I’d not be able to stop anywhere for food with no one to watch the bike. As it turned out, I didn’t need the lock, as there’s a great café on the cycle path that appeared to be popular with cyclists. Glass fronted and easy to keep an eye on your bike whilst you order, before sitting outside. But most importantly, it had incredible cakes. I had a Galaxy blondie, in case you’re wondering.

From moorland to cliff tops The sun came out as I cycled alongside Swansea Bay. I headed on towards the Gower Peninsula, famed for becoming the UK’s first designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. I took inspiration for this from a route I’d found on Bikepacking.com, and following that I quickly turned off the road to cross a section of moorland. From moorland to cliff top coastal path, and then the real challenge. A hikea-bike section across the sand dunes. I had the time of my life! I spent way too long going back up the biggest sand dunes to get another shot, falling into ferns, and then doing it all again. I didn’t want to leave, but equally I still had a way to go to my second camp location. So I powered on, pushing hard to get to the top of a hill at the centre of the peninsula for sunset. From here, I rode farm lanes and fields at dusk, finally getting to the top of the hill that overlooks Rhossili Bay at the end of the peninsula, just as it turned dark.

The camp spot that I had high hopes of being truly epic, turned out to be a little over populated, not by people though. Wild horses roam the hill, and they’re not the best campsite friends. And although I’m a lover of all creatures great and hooved, I’m not a fan of their galloping hooves thundering past my tent, literally inches away. I had visions of one tripping and flattening me, so I spent all night running out of my tent every hour, yelling like a maniac. I half expected to see a news article the next day reporting strange noises heard coming from Rhossili hill. There are burial chambers on the hill, and the remains of a World War II radar station, so I could see a good story in that. The next morning, I could see the storm that was forecast approaching, so made a speedy descent to get breakfast in a village pub. The heavens opened as I made my way back to Swansea via moorland, hills, and woodland paths. My plan was to get a train from Swansea back to Cardiff, and as I rode towards the city I questioned how muddy was too muddy to get on a train. But I figured they’d probably seen worse, and there was only one way to find out. No one batted an eyelid at the mud caked drowned rat on the train, as I sat and pondered when I could next do this all over again.

Tom Warwick

What we’d take for this trip: Aeronaut 1 air pole tent, Numo mat, Cloud Nine sleeping bag, Koro stove, Viper headtorch.

Every one has a story. What’s yours?

613.8

120

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70.0

JP07-08 120

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Epic rides 2022

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YOU DREAM IT WE’LL BUILD IT 596

S/P:Ø30.9

AH F 1.6 -DT*1 01 .3 * 8 9 2 .0 T

70 7.5

CABLE GUIDE JP02-70

S/S

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445

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0 S-0

522

70.0

110.0

215

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120

CABLE STOPPER JP02-18G

42.0

WB:1150 Ø22.2*1.8T OVAL26*18

425.0

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100

42 733.4

BC 1.37*24T R-L

For many, owning a custom frame is the ultimate dream. A custom Sonder is made for you and only you. For the journeys you have planned. Meticulously created by our expert designers and builders to get the fit and feel you want. Crafted by specialist titanium workers. Assembled on the edge of the Peak District. You are part of the process and it’s your excuse to be unapologetically self-indulgent. To focus on every degree, millimetre and feature. 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.

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.

Martin’s Custom Fat Bike As a kid, Martin was always building bikes with his dad. That’s why he used his inheritance to invest in a bike his dad would be proud of. He chose Titanium – a modern classic that would outlast him. One he could leave for his nephew. That’s why he chose Paul Components Klamper brakes and a Pinion gearbox. He can take it anywhere. He uses it for beach rides with his wife – and his dog, who he puts in a trailer! sonderbikes.com

Nottingham Bikeworks

Donate your cycle clothing and old bikes.

Founded in 2013, Nottingham Bikeworks developed into a Community Interest Company from a small residential garage to the large-scale community cycling hub it is today. Based in the heart of Nottingham they champion everything bike related, with a belief that everyone should have access to cycling and be able to learn the skills to look after their own bikes. By partnering Continuum alongside Nottingham Bikeworks it really is exciting to see how unused, or old cycling equipment can be put back to use in an incredibly positive and proactive way. Built around their small and dedicated team of staff and volunteers, they are working hard to support their community to ensure more people experience the health and well-being, and functional benefits of cycling. They engage with people from a diverse range of backgrounds through educational courses, bike sales, repairs, workshops and events for cyclists of all abilities. You can donate old bikes which are then either refurbished for individuals, or sold to help fund their wider projects. If the bikes cannot be made roadworthy then they will strip and recycle, repurposing every single usable part. Alongside the bikes, we also pass on cycle related clothing and other accessories that they then offer out to individuals or use as part of their group cycle engagement and skill projects. We caught up with managing director Ian about how the donations are helping forge that community engagement and how working with Continuum can really enhance the work they are doing. “We run a number of build-a-bike projects that donated bikes get used for. These will be refurbished alongside the individual who’s going to be the recipient of the bike, which means that they are also getting the skills and confidence building and making

links with us. Often those people will be from refugee groups, where we’ll help with practical transport and other things such as social and community interaction, and local orientation through a programme of bike maintenance classes and cycling training. We’ll then get these people come to us all the time just for a chat, because they know us, and the bikes have been the gateway to that relationship building. They get a mode of transport to get round the city and we help them keep it on the road with our Free Fix Friday project to keep it ticking over.” It’s amazing to hear how incredibly positive things have been over the last year, so much so that they are now looking to expand by taking on a second facility in Nottingham. So by offering continued support through our Continuum we hope to be able to really enhance what they are able to do and the help they provide to so many. “Having a second site will really help balance both sides of the organisation... that’s generating income through sales that will give us bigger scope to bring in more money that can go on the community projects, but also more space for workshops and housing kit. This will help build on the work we do across the board, from refurbishing bikes right through to other projects, such as mental health rides and exposing kids to different forms of cycling for fun. We are really excited about developing our programmes that take young people from areas and backgrounds in Nottingham that wouldn’t normally have access to mountain biking and really looking to break down the barriers of getting into biking.”

Do you have any unwanted bikes at home or maybe at your workplace? Bring your old bikes to stores and we’ll responsibly refurbish, re-purpose or recycle.

Epic rides 2022

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.

[1] [2]

The endurance road bike for remote roads and the toughest climbs, whatever the weather. It’s the bike for riding fast and smooth, day after day. Every day of the year. Take it to the Alps, ride home roads and lost lanes. Your lightweight road-buddy for ultra-endurance racing. Every one has a story. What’s yours?

Details Choose from Aluminium or Titanium • Internal cable routing [1] • Tapered headtube • Tyre clearance to 36mm tyres [2]

Raw Ti Reef

Builds Colibri Al Tiagra £999 Colibri Carbon 105 £1,949 Colibri Ti Force22 £2,449

Slate

Lucky rain Sometimes it’s good to feel small! Harri Wilson on her Camino. On escaping the demands of a busy ICU ward. On awe and gratitude. Love it! Wow! Great picture!

With the sky glowering black behind me and the gale chasing me along Loch Shiel, I dashed to Glenﬁnnan bothy to hole up and hide out the storm.

Words & pictures by Harri Wilson

A huge summer storm was rolling in. The forecast was even wetter than the past two days had been, and extremely wild. I was on day seven of a haven’t-quite-decided how many days bikepacking trip, clearing my head after months working in ICU, and had meandered 400 miles around the glorious off road tracks of the west of Scotland so far. With the sky glowering black behind me and the gale chasing me along Loch Shiel, I dashed to Glenfinnan bothy to hole up and hide out the storm. My tent’s good, but it’s probably not that good. The unusually early stop of 3pm was welcome after a week of long days and endless climbs. My Camino had been fully laden with kit including ten days’ food when I left Glasgow, and I tore through three bars of chocolate like a wild beast as I got a good fire going. Cosy by the gentle embers, kit draped everywhere, I was asleep by 9pm. The rain outside hadn’t relented for 48 hours now. A famously heavy sleeper, I was wakened at 2am by a banging noise. Stock still in my sleeping bag, I strained every sense. The ear-splitting scraping was the tree that grows above the bothy, bent over by the wind and dragging along the roof. The screaming fury of a Highland storm battered the bothy on all sides, and all at once I felt very, very small. I was acutely aware that this bothy, and the kindness of the bothy culture that maintains it, was probably saving my life. The wind boomed through the surrounding hills, the rain poured, and I willed the roof to stay on with all my might. I was glad I’d brought the Camino inside. Waking the next morning, the storm had blown itself out, and taken my fire with it. Enjoying the civilisation, I took a slow start and savoured my proper coffee. Leaving the bothy, I tucked a five pound note into the donations box and latched the door tenderly. The deep sense of awe and gratitude had not left me. I descended lazily along the flooded path, and noticed quite a crowd of tourists below the Glenfinnan Viaduct. As I clicked the shutter to take a photo of my own, the Jacobite steam train rolled perfectly into frame. Perhaps it was lucky rain I had on that trip. 52

sonderbikes.com

Sonder Gravel Series 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 the this season’s Sonder Winter Gravel Series. And there’s even a special prize if you ride them all!

All routes available at sonderbikes.com/gravel-series

Edinburgh:

THE AULD REEKIE RIDE OUT 04:30

30.2mi

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. Metrocentre:

Tyne Valley wister

Keswick:

Rolling Skiddaw 03:42

26.3mi

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.

05:00

36.9mi

03:14

23.4mi

1,725ft

Expert gravel ride. Very good fitness required. Some portions of the Tour may require you to push your bike.

Ilkley:

Rombald’s Ride

02:40

18.8mi

2,100ft

1,925ft

Hathersage:

ROMAN'S REVENGE 18.3mi

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.

Betws-y-Coed:

03:00

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.

Ambleside:

Dungeons & Dragons

2,025ft

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.

The Dambuster 05:01

35.1mi

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

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. Every one has a story. What’s yours?

Epic rides 2022

CORTEX GX EAGLE AXS

SIGNAL TI GX EAGLE

TRANSMITTER GX EAGLE

FRONTIER NX EAGLE

Warp speed 140/150mm enduro 29er

Short travel 29er full suspension MTB

Aggressive titanium 29er hardtail

Aggressive 27.5+ hardtail

Hardtail 29er trail bike

Hydroformed and custom butted 6061 alloy frame with Rockshox Deluxe Select+ RT rear shock

Hydroformed and custom butted 6061 alloy frame with Rockshox Deluxe Select+ rear shock

Signal Ti aeronautical grade titanium frame

Hand welded 6061-T6 triple butted frameset

6061 Aluminium frame

Rockshox Yari RC

Rockshox Pike Ultimate

Rockshox Revelation RC

Rockshox Recon Silver RL

Brakes

SRAM Code R

SRAM G2 R

SRAM Guide T

Wheels

Sonder Alpha 29

Sonder Alpha 27.5

Sonder Nova 29

Goodyear Newton MTF Trail Tubeless / Goodyear Newton MTR Enduro Tubeless

Goodyear Escape Tubeless

Goodyear Peak

Goldilocks geometry – great for bike park laps, big mountain descents and pedals well uphill

Down country geometry – XC agility with enduro stability

Aggressive trail bike geometry

Stealth dropper routing

Internal cable routing

Metric shock standard

Internal cable routing

Thru axle

Chain guide ready

Triple bottle cages

Internal cable routing

Size-specific chainstay lengths

Boost 148 rear spacing

S: 3.3kg; M: 3.4kg; L: 3.5kg; XL: 3.6kg

S: 2.73kg; M: 2.91kg; L: 3.05kg; XL: 3.11kg

S: 1.97kg; M: 2.0kg; L: 2.1kg; XL: 2.14kg

S: 1.99kg; M: 2.01kg; L: 2.07kg; XL: 2.17kg

S: 1.84kg; M: 1.9kg; L: 1.98kg; XL: 2.03kg

Wheelbase

1213mm

1191m

1149mm

1169mm

1127mm

Reach

455mm

440mm

432.5mm

442.5mm

420mm

65 degrees

66 degrees

65 degrees

68 degrees

445mm

425mm

445mm

Build Spec

EVOL GX EAGLE

Frame

Fork

Tyres

Features

Metric shock standard Horst link suspension

Horst link suspension

Boost 148 rear spacing Pannier rack mount 29" & 27.5" compatible

Internal cable routing

Frame weight

Head angle Chainstay length

DREAM sonderbikes.com

Prices and specs correct as of 20 March 2022 and subject to change

DIAL GX EAGLE

BROKEN ROAD PINION

CAMINO TI EKAR

Capable XC bike for fast trails

Expedition titanium pinion hardtail MTB

Award-winning gravel bike

Dial aluminium frame with XC-tuned geometry

3Al/ 2.5V Aeronautical grade hand welded titanium frame

Rockshox Reba RL

One piece carbon monocoque fork

SRAM Level TL

SRAM Guide R

Sonder Alpha XC

COLIBRI TI FORCE 22

CONTINENTAL TWIN

Titanium endurance road bike

Road tandem tourer

3Al/ 2.5V Aeronautical grade hand welded titanium frame

Chromoly fork

Monocoque carbon fork with mudguard and cage mounts

One piece carbon monocoque fork

Campagnolo Ekar

SRAM Rival 22

SRAM Force22

Shimano 105

Sonder Alpha 27.5

Miche Graff

Sonder Nova 700C

Sonder Alpha Aero 700c

Sonder Alpha 700C

Goodyear Peak Tubeless

Goodyear Connector

WTB All Terrain / Comp

Panaracer GravelKing SS TLC

WTB Expanse

Fast & sharp XC geometry

Adventure trail bike geometry

Touring geometry

Internal cable routing

Dropper post ready – reverb stealth port

Comfortable for miles and miles

Internal cable routing

Adjustable sliding dropouts

148mm x 12mm dropouts

Rack & guard mounts

Expedition geometry – comfortable, confidence inspiring riding position 700x50mm clearance

SANTIAGO RIVAL 22 HYDRAULIC Reynolds Steel tourer

Reynolds 631 100% recycled steel, cold worked, air hardened seat tube, top tube and down tube

12mm thru-axles

Tapered headtube

Full rack & guard mounts

Cage mounts on forks

Tyre clearance to 36mm tyres

Full external cable routing

Full rack & guard mounts

Rack & guard mounts

650B+ ready

650B & 700C compatable

S: 1.75 kg; M: 1.82 kg; L: 1.9 kg; XL: 2 kg

S: 1.96kg; M: 1.98kg; L: 2.0kg; XL: 2.2kg

S: 1.73kg; M: 1.75kg; L: 1.84kg; XL: 1.92kg

S: 3.3kg; M: 3.5kg; L: 3.7kg; XL: 3.9kg

S: 2.1kg; M: 2.2kg; L: 2.21kg; XL: 2.28kg

Subject to build

1114mm

1154mm

1073mm

1063mm

1014mm

Bespoke

435mm

430mm

395mm

385mm

390mm

Bespoke

69 degrees

68 degrees

69 degrees

71 degrees

72 degrees

Bespoke

430mm

440-460mm

435mm

450mm

420mm

Bespoke

12mm bolt-thru axles

BUILDS Every one has a story. What’s yours?

EVERY ONE HAS A STORY. WHAT’S YOURS?

Officially Carbon Neutral

Epic Rides 2022

Articles inside

Peace mission to Stelvio

Bikepacking the West Kernow Way

Lucky rain

Racing the Trans Madeira