Sonder Broken Road Ti long term review

Marketed as a ‘hardtail mountain bike for long rides, remote places, and wilderness bikepacking’. It’s ideal for covering the miles in comfort.

Sonder Broken Road Ti

• Brand: Sonder Bikes
• Product: Broken Road Ti GX
• Price: was £2,649 (current equivalent is Broken Road Ti Eagle 90 for £2,799)
• From: Alpkit
• Tested by: Lewis Deacon for 8 months

Pros:

• Comfort
• Mounting options
• Lightweight wheels and tyres

Cons:

• Needs a dropper post
• Internal routing may not suit those going really far afield
• Missing some mounting points (this has been addressed on the latest version however)

The Broken Road Ti’s name gives a clear indication of where this bike sits in terms of intended purpose – the version of the bike that arrived for testing slightly differs to what’s available now to order with SRAM’s updated groupset range (90/70/GX Eagle), but the majority of components are the same.

The Broken Road Ti is intended for 29in wheels (can also run 27.5”+), but can be adapted to be set up a number of ways as it has sliding rear dropouts, which allow for the bike to be set up singlespeed or even with an geared hub (frame options on Alpkit’s website also includes a Pinion gearbox as well as a number of customisable options).

The version tested here came with 2.4in Goodyear Peak Ultimate tyres on Sonder’s own Alpha 29” wheels, but it will take up to a 2.6in in that wheel size. The tyres held up surprisingly well over the wetter and muddier rides for a fast-rolling low tread profile tyre and the Alpha wheels survive rocky onslaughts well for a budget set of included wheels.

I ran the frame with a variety of bags over the winter and spring on longer rides, or when carrying kit and the Ti frame and etched decals are showing very minimal signs of wear, and any surface marks can be buffed out if need be.

During a part of the testing I was rather ill for a while but after my malady the Broken Rode Ti became my bike of choice to recover fitness and ride on the local group ride, rather than my enduro bike. The light, responsive and comfortable ride was ideal for me during recovery.

The ride

I found the Broken Road Ti to be a good climber (especially with the dropouts slid back to enable a longer chainstay which hepled offset the rather ‘trad’ slack seat angle). And the overall generous wheelbase and acceptable standover made the bike still fun (despite the rather ‘trad’ head angle and modest fork travel) chasing friends when descending.

The wheelbase inspires confidence, but it must be remembered that this bike only has 100mm of travel, so some caution needs to be allowed for when entering rougher terrain.

After a first ride and being caught out on a couple of steep switch backs that run into Hebden Bridge, I fitted a dropper post which, as usual with droppers, transformed the bike into something more capable than I expected, even with the geometry focussed on long distance and old skool ‘nimble’ handling.

Alpkit’s customer service was excellent when I needed to replace a derailleur hanger. There are several different models for different versions of the bike so best to call and discuss with the team. It’s worth noting the new Broken Road Ti has a UDH hanger so this is even more simple to source.

The compliance and stiffness given by the long down tube and ovalised top tube really made this bike comfortable from the off and I was able to ride long days in the saddle with no issue at all. By the way, pre-dropper the rigid seat post had a decent bit of twang to it when seated. But yeah, will keep the dropper thanks!

The internal routing might be seen as a plus or a minus. While it looks clean and makes luggage mounting easier, it could become a maintenance hindrance if this is to be used as a bikepacking bike to far flung locations. It would also really benefit from some foam-sleeving in places to help deaden the occasional ding-dinging over rough terrain.

The frame has a number of mounting points for bags etc, including triple bottle mounts which give some flexibility when using frame bags, however even with these on a large frame it was a bit of a squeeze to fit a larger bottle in. Sonder have added further mounts (for example top tube mounts) on the newer versions of the frame, which again adds to the adaptability of this frame.

Overall

This bike is a capable and adjustable option for exploring a bit further away from home. The comfort offered by the frame is key and the geometry is right where it should be for a bike designed for a bit of milder mile munching. In reality, this is the sort of bicycle that most people contemplating a gravel bike should go for instead.

Sonder Broken Road Ti specification

• Frame// Titanium
• Fork// RockShox Reba RL, 100mm
• Wheels// Sonder Alpha 29
• Front tyre// Goodyear Peak
• Rear tyre// Goodyear Peak
• Chainset// SRAM GX
• Drivetrain// SRAM GX
• Brakes// SRAM G2, 180/180mm
• Stem// Sonder PIskie
• Bars// Sonder Aspect
• Grips// Sonder Clutch
• Seatpost// Sonder
• Saddle// Sonder Abode
• Size tested// XL
• Sizes available// M, L XL
• Weight// TBC

Geometry of our size XL

• Head angle// 67°
• Effective seat angle// 73°
• Seat tube length// 495mm
• Head tube length// 150mm
• Top tube// 637mm
• BB height// 60mm BB drop
• Reach// 480mm
• Chainstay// 440-460mm
• Wheelbase// 1,204-1,224mm