Sonder’s highly popular Transmitter alloy frame has undergone a refresh for 2019 with new geometry, a longer reach, new colours and more.
The Sonder Transmitter is one of those bikes that spans genres, it’s a bike that appeals to mile munchers, bike packers, park riders and hardcore hardtail hooligans. It’s versatile, a riot to ride, and affordable to buy, and now it features a few changes to make it even better.
For 2019 Sonder has overhauled the geometry on the Transmitter by adding a little more reach to the frame, and adjusting the head angle. The new bike is designed around a 150mm travel fork and offers a true head angle of 65° when sagged, while the seat tube has been steepened up a little to 75° .
It’s all about reach when choosing a new bike and Sonder have made sure they’ve made a few updates in this area. The figures on the new Transmitter range from 422mm on a size small frame growing to 482.5mm on an XL, longer than before but not crazy long.
Like the Signal Ti we rode last year, the 2019 Sonder Transmitter has a chainstay length to suit the size of the frame and the size of the rider. Small and Medium frames have a chainstay length of 425mm, a large sees a slight increase to 427.5mm while the XL is a full 5mm longer than the small at 430mm. These geo and reach changes also make the new Transmitter short offset ready should you wish to experiment with a shorter offset fork.
Along with tweaking the geometry of the frame, Sonder also took the opportunity to ditch the old bolt on cable/hose guides and move to internal cable routing for a cleaner finish and also redesign the dropouts for improved strength and stiffness.
Visually the new Transmitter gets a trio of glossy colour options that we think give the bike a more upmarket look compared to the matte finish found on last years bikes. Even with the colour changes though, the new frame is unmistakably a Transmitter and uses a similar tube set to the original bike including that signature flattened top tube.
New 2019 Sonder Transmitter Features
- Designed for a 150mm travel fork.
- 65° true head angle.
- 75° seat tube angle.
- Lower BB height.
- Longer reach 422-482.5mm.
- Short offset ready.
- Internal cable/hose routing.
- Updated dropouts.
- 3 new glossy colours.
- Boost spacing.
- Size-specific chainstay lengths.
The Sonder website has already been updated with the new range of Transmitter frames plus a few options when it comes to buying one. A Transmitter frame only costs £300 and there’s the option to buy a frame with Cane Creek Helm fork for £999. Complete bike options range from £999 for a full Sonder Transmitter with RockShox Recon fork and SRAM NX groupset, an extra £1000 will get you the bike with a Revelation fork and GX Eagle drivetrain.
Further up the range, there’s the Sonder Transmitter GX Helm for £2199 sporting a complete SRAM GX Eagle drivetrain and Cane Creek Helm fork, and at the very top of the tree is the all singing, all dancing Transmitter XX1 Eagle Pike which is built with (surprise surprise) a RockShox Pike RCT3 fork and 1×12 XX1 drivetrain and costs £2799.
Here’s what Sonder has to say about the new Transmitter;
“The signature flattened top tube gives vertical compliance but lateral stiffness – it really is an all mountain bike. That long wheelbase combined with the slack front end, size specific chainstays and a lowered BB give stability and control through the rowdiest of terrain.
Transmitter is designed around Boost 148/110 standards and 650b 2.6/.8 tyres, and optimised for 1x groupsets. The geometry and extra grip from those big tyres means even the most sheepish rider will tackle those steep sections, up and down, like a pro.
Transmitter frames now feature internal cable routing through the downtube, integrated headsets, through-axle hubs, refined dropouts, butted tubes and smooth welds (and 3 shiny new colours).
Transmitter is a bike that just fits in with hard riding. This new version is still the fun trail bike it’s always been, and will still be a perfect partner for multi-day epics or short and fast trail centre blasts, but the changes we’ve made have raised the Transmitter’s limits, so you’ll be able to push the bike harder than ever before!”
Full details of the new Sonder Transmitter are up on the Sonder website right now, along with some pretty good deals on the previous generation bike too.