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Looking around for another bike and am quite interested in the Sonder Camino flat bar version for an all day ride type of bike + commuting and maybe some bike packing.
Looking at the geometry though it doesn't look like it has been adjusted for a flat bar so it is the same as the drop bar version. The stack and reach are pretty close to what I ride now but the effective top tube is considerably shorter (592 on the Camino vs 613 on current bike). I don't fully understand all the implications of the measurements but top tube is what I have used in the past.
The last thing I would want for an all day ride bike would be to feel cramped so was wondering if there are any people who have the flat bar version and can comment or if if there is something I am missing ?
Thanks
Yep it’s the same frame and either you’ll need a really long stem or you’re going to be pretty upright if you’re use to drop bars
There aren’t many flat bar gravel
bikes. i think specialised do a flat bar gravel bike the Diverge evo e5 but it seems to be out of stock. I think Marin have some options
I converted my Camino to flat bar and it works well but needs a long stem, and I also added bar ends to give me some extra length to get over the front when climbing.
I would say in hindsight though I could probably have achieved the same thing with a hardtail mountain bike.
Most gravel bikes are evolved from road geometry and standards, so it's worth considering those that are evolved from the MTB side of things. Road-based gravel bikes tend to come with shorter wheelbases and need a long stem - I ran a Cotic Escapade with flats and it wasn't great.
One to consider is the Kona Dew, whose geometry is very similar to bikes like the Surly Grappler. Marin do similar models, sometimes presented as commuter bikes but offering a lot more. These blur the monstercross / gravel / MTB boundaries and can be run with flats or drops, 650b or 700c.
We have two Dews in the family collection:
The first is a Dew DL, an alloy model running factory Deore 11sp with upgrades including DT GR1600 650b wheelset and carbon flat bars. These are only £550ish, with the obvious downgrades being QR 135 standard and Tektro discs. Shared between me and my daughter, used on family gravel rides and occasional commuting.
The second is a Kona Dr Dew, steel with nicer parts based around 12sp Deore and 142 bolt-thru. Pictured here before some upgrades including better tyres for offroad.
Both make very good flat bar gravel bikes. They can be shorn of mudguards and have bigger tyres added easily, making them very much like rigid MTBs.
I did some, by which I mean quite a lot, of searching for a flat bar gravel bike. I very briefly had a Spesh Diverge E5 Evo, but that really was an expensive way of buying a mountain bike from 1999 so it went back. I ended up with a Giant Allroad AR Advanced and I'm very pleased with it.
I use a Ridgeback Flight hybrid with some gravel tyres on.
I tried adapting a road/cx frame with flat bars, it felt horrible as soon as there was any kind of gradient.
Most gravel bikes are evolved from road geometry and standards, so it's worth considering those that are evolved from the MTB side of things.
The Sonder Camino - the current one at least - is definitely one of those. From 2023ish, they made a big, big increase in reach/TT and slackened the head angle.
This will make them much more suitable for a flat bar than the older Camino.
Most gravel bikes are evolved from road geometry and standards, so it's worth considering those that are evolved from the MTB side of things.
The Sonder Camino - the current one at least - is definitely one of those. From 2023ish, they made a big, big increase in reach/TT and slackened the head angle.
This will make them much more suitable for a flat bar than the older Camino.
Yep. Like I say mines converted to flat bar, and with a decently long, but not old school long, stem it works quite well. Bar ends help getting weight over the front for stand up climbing but not crucial.
What's the stem length on your current bike? If it's short then a 20mm longer one on the Camino should sort the job. Bikes were interesting with 150mm stems but a 70/80mm one would suit a flat bared gravel bike more than a MTB standard 30/50mm IMO.
I've got one of the older Caminos. Probably from 2020. I now have a Ritchey Kyote bar on it which I really like, but it did need a much longer stem than when I had drop bars on it. I think it's an 80mm.
Sonder Camino - post ‘23 is far more mountain bike-y so as other have said would be more suitable.
fustle causeway is also in this category but more expensive.
You could consider the Sonder frontier? Some light wheels and suitable tyres and it’s do what you want well.
the other alternative is a stooge because that’s always an answer.
You might also be interested in other ATB style bikes: Brother Big Bro, Surly Karate Monkey, etc. Rigid, 29er, MTB-ish geometry; slightly more traditional than the Stooge/Jones approach to these things.