Saladdodger, read positive and negative opinions re the flared bars, to be honest they are one of the features that first attracted me to the bike so will see. I’ve read great reviews about the he Sonder MTBs over the years so again that reputation was one of the things that drew me to the Camino and it’s great to get such positive comments from owners.
Really looking forward to getting mine, only problem is the next build date is end of July as waiting for forks aparantly. That’s why I was wondering about waiting for a revised 2019 model. Called Alpkit/Sonder and they said they are currently looking at a revised frame from a different factory but seems like it’s still in the development stage so probably not till much later this year at the earliest I would think.
Ok, so after waiting 10 weeks from placing my order, and delay after delay due to first the forks not arriving from the factory and then similar with the frame my Camino V2 finally arrived yesterday 😀
the fork issue meant that i spec’d the raw carbon fork from the Ti version in a bid to get the bike ASAP without waiting for the painted ones it usually comes with. I’m so glad I did as I think it looks ace.
Spec
sonder camino al V2 apex hydraulic
size Large
Tarmac with black carbon fork
650b wheels with tubeless WTB byway tyres
Double wrapped bars
on opening the box all I can say is that it looks great, much better than in the pictures on the Alpkit site that don’t do the bike justice. One slight disappointment though is that my bike has come with the flared ‘bomber’ bars which, after a test ride at Alpkit HQ I decided weren’t for me so I spec’d the less flared ‘spitfire’ bars. I’ve mailed Alpkit and they have offered to send out the right bars but a bit of a pain to have to change them myself.
Regardless I fitted the bars and peddles and here is how it looks fresh out of the box
problem posting picture-I’m on it.
Enjoy!!
Shakedown ride out last night, first impressions.
I really like this bike. It's so comfortable. I test rode a 700c Camino at Alpkit HQ and that too was a really nice smooth ride but on the 650b Byways its just even better.
The reach is a little long for me so I'll likely be fitting a shorter stem, but apart from that and handlebars aside it seems perfect. More luck than judgement but even the saddle was the right height for me straight out the box! Talking of the saddle, I actually quite like it. It's got a nice matt rubberised kind of finish which looks well on the bike, Comfort wise it's not bad at all for me and a few more rides out will decide if it's a long term item. The handle bars, as predicted are not quite right for me as they seem to put too much strain on my wrists which were quite sore when I woke up this morning so I'll be swapping those out when Alpkit/Sonder send me the correct ones.
One thing to watch out for if you have feet anything over maybe a size 9 is the tendency for your left heel to catch on the left hand chainstay as it seem to project out more that the right side. I did catch mine initially but slight alteration to foot placement (another bonus of the flat peddles) seemed to sort it.
I soon got to grips with the Sram 1 x 11 gearing and although some have said the feel is 'agricultural' I really like it and think it suits the bike spot on. I was mainly on the flat yesterday so haven;'t had chance to explore the limits of the ratios but I have to say I do like the simplicity of the set up.
Over all I'm really chuffed with the bike and can't wait to put some serious adventurous miles in.
A few more pics (now I've figured out how to do it!) from last night.
Hello everyone,
First post here. Hope bumping threads isn't frowned upon here, but I'm just looking for any long term opinions on the Camino Al. I'm very close to parting with cash for one, I'm going to pop into their shop in the peak district for a quick test ride to confirm.
Everyone seems to be more or less positive about this bike, within reason. Still the case?
I was thinking of getting the Al Camino with SRAM Rival, hydraulic discs and 650b wheels. It's good value for the money. Another contender is the Whyte Glencoe or the Boardman 8.9adv. The Sonder is better spec than the Whyte and I can't get along with the Boardman in orange...
Thanks all.
Yeah, still love mine. It’s a bit scruffy now, having survived being hit by a car a few months ago & losing some paint. I’ve also had to redrill & tap one of the tack mounts as I managed to cross thread it.
Still my favourite bike though & I am hoping to replace it with the ti version once winter is over & ive sold my road bike. Plan to run 2 sets of wheels, 650b for general riding & a ‘fast road’ 700c set for when I’m out with roady mates.
