Bike Check: Neil Sutton’s Sonder Titanium Dirt Jump Bike

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What bike would you build yourself if you had access to all the software and the people to build it for you? For Sonder’s Neil Sutton, the answer is this stunning Titanium Sonder dirt jump bike.

You might not be aware of this, but as well as the off the shelf steel and alloy bikes on sale in Alpkit stores and online, Sonder can also build you a custom titanium frame too, and one of Neil’s dream projects has been to build himself a DJ bike from the aerospace material. I actually remember riding with Neil a few years ago and him speaking about this project, but it’s only this year that he’s finally managed to bring it to reality.

neil sutton sonder titanium dirt jump bike
Photo credit @joewilkinsphoto

We can thank Neil’s young son for the production of this one-off DJ bike. With the young ripper progressing to pump tracks, Neil needed something to keep up and how else do you become the coolest dad on track than with a one-off Titanium frame?!

As you know I’ve wanted to do this ever since joining Sonder and having access to a Ti factory that will do one-off custom frames. My son is now 6 and this summer I want to get him riding pump/bmx tracks so it seemed like the perfect excuse to make this!

Neil Sutton

While this is a one-off, anyone who does fancy a similar bike for themselves does have the option to get in touch with Sonder and have one made. Neil says a similar frame would cost around £1249, with custom designs at around £1549. A complete bike could be put together for around £2000 though that won’t get you a pimped-out model that we see here.

neil sutton sonder titanium dirt jump bike
Photo credit @joewilkinsphoto

Perhaps the trickest part of the frame is the eccentric BB which ensures the chain is taut on the single-speed drivetrain. The EBB can also affect the BB height and chainstay length and his held in place with 2 M8 bolts for a non-slip fit.

Neil Sutton’s Custom Sonder Ti Dirt Jump Bike Geometry

  • Reach – 410mm
  • Head angle – 69-deg
  • Head tube length – 110mm
  • Seat Angle – 71-deg
  • Seat tube length – 320mm
  • Chainstay length – 386mm (to the centre of EBB)
  • BB drop – 10mm (measured at the centre of EBB)
neil sutton sonder titanium dirt jump bike
Photo credit @joewilkinsphoto

Neil Sutton’s Custom Sonder Ti Dirt Jump Bike Specifications

  • Full custom, one-off Ti frame. Aeronautical grade tubing with slightly thicker gauge tubing for the top and downtube than we use on other bikes so it doesn’t need extra gussets/bracing
  • Rockshox Pike DJ fork, 100mm travel
  • Hope Fortus 26 wheels, single speed rear hub
  • Shimano XT M8000 Brake and RT86 rotor
  • Renthal Apex 40mm stem and Fatbar lite 40mm rise bars
  • ODI Elite Pro grips
  • Cane Creek Hellbender 70 headset
  • SRAM GX Eagle Carbon Cranks
  • WTB Deva Ti railed saddle
  • Sonder Ingot Seatpost – one off 150mm long
  • Schwalbe Bily Bonkers tyres setup tubeless

If you fancy building something like this or want to check out the current range of Sonder bikes then head over to the Sonder website.


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Andi is a gadget guru and mountain biker who has lived and ridden bikes in China and Spain before settling down in the Peak District to become Singletrack's social media expert. He is definitely more big travel fun than XC sufferer but his bike collection does include some rare hardtails - He's a collector and curator as well as a rider. Theory and practice in perfect balance with his inner chi, or something. As well as living life based on what he last read in a fortune cookie Andi likes nothing better than riding big travel bikes.

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