Sonder Santiago makes The Guardian's 'Bicycle of the Week'

Sonder Santiago steel tourer makes The Guardian's 'Bicycle of the Week'

By Alpkit

Martin Love has reviewed the Sonder Santiago steel touring bike for The Guardian. Built around a Reynolds 631 steel frame and equipped with a Sram Rival 22 gearset and hydraulic disc brakes, this bike is designed for durability and versatility, ideal for long-distance riding and rugged terrains.

They say

Most bike buyers overlook the frame's durability, crucial for globe-trotting adventures. The Santiago stands out for its steel construction, offering reliability and maintenance ease over carbon alternatives. Its modern geometry and ample tyre clearance ensure a smooth ride across various conditions, proving steel's timeless value in touring bikes.

Steel bikes have long been the choice for long-distance riding – and they don’t come more reliable or assured than this tourer from Sonder.

We say

The Sonder Santiago redefines the touring bike with its focus on durability, comfort, and ease of repair. Its steel frame absorbs bumps effortlessly, making it suitable for both harsh winter roads and leisurely rides under the sun. This bike is not just an investment for today but a companion for decades.

"Best of all, it’s refreshing to know that in several decades your Santiago will still be riding as well as it did today."

The Santiago by Sonder offers an enduring blend of performance and resilience, making it an ideal choice for riders seeking a bike that lasts. For a detailed look into Martin Love's insights on the Santiago, read the full review here.

Sonder Santiago

  • BLACK FRIDAY

files/santiago-sx-flatbar_2889e119-019d-449b-a337-5e7a555b17b7.jpg
Santiago Apex1 Flat Bar
  • SRAM Apex 12-speed groupset
  • Sonder Alpha EX UK Made wheelset

$1,399.00 $1,649.00
Buy Now. Be Riding in 10 days.

  • BLACK FRIDAY

files/MicrosoftTeams-image_15_366403b4-b73c-402d-9b58-6557eb6beb74.jpg
Santiago Tiagra
  • Shimano Tiagra R4700 10-speed groupset
  • Sonder Alpha EX UK Made wheelset

$1,599.00 $1,899.00
Buy Now. Be Riding in 10 days.

  • BLACK FRIDAY

files/MicrosoftTeams-image_15_1237eb45-9f16-4d5d-bb37-9014fe4e48e8.jpg
Santiago GRX1
  • Shimano GRX 610 12-speed groupset
  • Sonder Alpha EX UK Made wheelset

$1,949.00 $2,299.00
Buy Now. Be Riding in 10 days.

  • BLACK FRIDAY

files/santiago-rival-22-hydraulic-tarmac_5a097e24-311b-41ef-9a83-96cdbf71f00b.jpg
Santiago GRX2
  • Shimano GRX 610 12-speed groupset
  • Sonder Alpha EX UK Made wheelset

$2,049.00 $2,349.00
Buy Now. Be Riding in 10 days.

  • BLACK FRIDAY

files/MicrosoftTeams-image_15_425830d1-450c-42e3-a511-adad3952ce87.jpg
Santiago 105
  • Shimano 105 R7120 12-speed groupset
  • Sonder Alpha EX UK Made wheelset

$2,049.00 $2,449.00
Buy Now. Deliveries from 5 December.

  • BLACK FRIDAY

files/MicrosoftTeams-image_15_bd53087a-8ddb-4a4a-8632-9f6934ec0ad1.jpg
Santiago Apex1 Hydraulic
  • SRAM Apex 12-speed groupset
  • Sonder Alpha EX UK Made wheelset

$1,699.00 $2,049.00
Buy Now. Be Riding in 10 days.

  • BLACK FRIDAY

files/MicrosoftTeams-image_15_e6508225-92cf-4852-997f-3ec9e7945f30.jpg
Santiago Rival1 Mechanical
  • SRAM Rival 1 11-speed groupset
  • Sonder Alpha EX UK Made wheelset

$1,599.00 $1,899.00
Buy Now. Be Riding in 5 days.

  • BLACK FRIDAY

files/santiago-rival-22-hydraulic-tarmac_edf1aa80-1349-40d0-92f9-015c6455085f.jpg
Santiago Rival22 Touring
  • SRAM Rival 22 11-speed groupset
  • Sonder Alpha EX UK Made wheelset

$1,849.00 $2,149.00
Buy Now. Be Riding in 10 days.

  • BLACK FRIDAY

files/santiago-grand-tourer-green.jpg
Santiago Rival 22 Grand Tourer
  • SRAM Rival 22 11-speed groupset
  • Sonder Alpha EX UK Made wheelset

$2,049.00 $2,449.00
Buy Now. Be Riding in 10 days.

  • BLACK FRIDAY

files/Santiago.jpg
Santiago Frame And Fork
Build your own steel tourer with a Reynolds 631 frame and fork
$1,149.00 $1,299.00
Buy Now. In stock for same day despatch.

Your next reads

Everything You Need To Know About Gravel Bikes

Gravel bikes seem to be all the rage right now. Maybe because they are. They’re the road bike’s fun younger sibling. They take you away from the tr...
July 06, 2023

How to choose the best bike for bikepacking

There are plenty of factors that will affect which bike is best suited to your bikepacking adventures. The type of terrain you’re covering, the di...
May 31, 2024

How to choose the best bike for bikepacking

There are plenty of factors that will affect which bike is best suited to your bikepacking adventures. The type of terrain you’re covering, the di...
May 31, 2024

How a pencil beats the cycle industry

Neil Sutton is as likely to be talking to customers as he is in the workshop. And when he’s designing, he arms himself with pencil and paper. T...
October 29, 2020

29 vs 27.5: How to choose the right wheel size

A few years ago you didn’t have to choose a wheelsize on a mountain bike – they all came with 26-inch wheels and that was that. But the world’s mov...
February 04, 2021

Is an Endurance Road Bike the One for Me?

With such a range of bikes on the market these days it can be super confusing which bike to choose for your upcoming epic days in the saddle. It’s ...
February 25, 2021

Guide to down-country mountain biking

Combine mid-travel, progessive geometries and lighter weights and you get a bike that lets you ride far and have serious, serious fun. This is down...
June 20, 2024

How We Make Our Bike Wheels

We build every Sonder to order in our UK factory. And we now build our wheels too. Right here in the UK. Taking control of the whole bike building ...
December 09, 2023

The Essential Guide to Dynamo Hubs

Putting a dynamo hub on your bike means you can power lights and charge your electronics wherever you go. Power is always with you! Dynamo hubs ...
January 22, 2021

Hardtail vs Full Suspension Mountain Bikes

Where to start? This is a tough one. It isn’t as simple a question as it might seem. There are lots of factors that come into play when choosing yo...
May 27, 2024

650b vs 700c what's the best wheel size for my gravel bike?

Gravel riding is a dynamic and exhilarating facet of cycling. It offers a realm where versatility meets rugged adventure. In this landscape, the ch...
January 12, 2024

Evol mullet blends agility, speed and control on and off the ground

The redesigned Sonder Evol has taken a significant leap forward by adopting a mullet design featuring a 29-inch front wheel and a 27.5-inch rear wh...
February 29, 2024

Sonder Custom Bike Build: Titanium Dirt Jump Bike

If you could build any type of bike in titanium, what would you build? Sonder Product Manager Neil designed himself this titanium dirt jump bike. B...
October 28, 2021

Testing New Frontiers

When the folks over at Sonder Bikes got in touch with us here at Adventure Pedlars to help them put the New Sonder Frontier V2 through its paces, i...
December 05, 2019

Full Singletrack Review of the Sonder Transmitter Carbon GX Eagle Revelation

The simplest way to describe the Transmitter Carbon is that it’s a whole lot of fun. It’s incredibly capable on technical and flow trails whilst be...
May 22, 2018

Sonder Santiago steel tourer makes The Guardian's 'Bicycle of the Week'

Martin Love has reviewed the Sonder Santiago steel touring bike for The Guardian. Built around a Reynolds 631 steel frame and equipped with a Sram ...
March 20, 2019

Cycling Plus Award Colibri Bike of the Year 2020

The winning package of versatility, accessible price, value for money and longevity deservedly goes to the Sonder Colibri, a bike that I found myse...
November 20, 2020

Bike Radar Reviews Sonder Cortex

Bike Radar have their eyes set on the new Sonder Cortex "Sonder has added to its bicycle range with the Cortex trail bike — a 120mm travel full ...
July 26, 2019

Bike Radar Transmitter Review

A great blend of swaggering, speed-breeding stability sharpened up by instantly reactive, traction-chasing, short stem steering . Alpkit resets exp...
September 20, 2016

New Sonder Transmitter: Q&A with Neil Sutton

Tell me a bit about the Transmitter Transmitter was one of Sonder’s first bikes, launched in February 2016. We were early to the 650b+ party, so it...
March 08, 2019

A First Look at the Sonder Frontier

It is a bike that will likely tick many boxes for anyone planning multi-day rides, without first returning home for their tea. Read the full review...
April 13, 2017

Bike Rumour review Sonder

a high-spirited aluminium hardtail for big mountain and hard trail riding Read the review
February 15, 2016

Sonder Evol: Q&A with Bike Guru Neil

Bike Guru Neil’s been raving about the Evol, Sonder’s new 140 mm travel bike, since before the first prototype even arrived. We figured it was abou...
September 10, 2020

Sonder Evol Wins Best Bike Under £2K

We're incredibly proud to announce that the Sonder Evol has won Best Bike Under £2K in this year's Singletrack Reader Awards. We always look for...
January 05, 2021

Frontier Makes Red Bulls List of Best Bikepacking Bikes 2020

Arguably one of the best value bikes in this selection, Sonder’s Frontier Rigid is a 27.5” (or 29” compatible) mountain bike, armed with a wide...
March 12, 2020

Sarah's First Sonder

Sonder Technician Jack went for a long weekend bikepacking and camping at the Hay-on-Wye literary festival. The closer your campsite to the eve...
June 14, 2022

Atlas Mountain Race – Sonder Titanium Broken Road bike rode like a dream

By this point into the Atlas Mountain race (601km, with 11600m of ascent in just under 3 days) my body was showing a few signs of being on the bike...
March 15, 2023

Guy Kesteven at Bike Perfect Reviews the Sonder Cortex

We handed the Cortex over to Guy Kesteven for some real trail testing. Cortex is a light, well-shaped frame that balances instant familiarit...
March 27, 2020

Meet the Designer | David and the Goliath? Totally

When you’re small you have to try harder. You trust your conviction and find the difference in the detail. You operate without boundaries looking b...
June 16, 2022

Wheel Building Is Here

We build every Sonder to order in our UK factory. And now we build our wheels in the UK too. We design our frames and wheels together. Back in 2...
July 14, 2022

It's a 9/10 for Our Bikepacking Bags in this Buyer's Guide

In this review of bikepacking bags Cyclist Magazine discusses the trend towards bikepacking as a more streamlined alternative to traditional cycle ...
May 21, 2018

Passo di Stelvio detour: A peace mission

Emma Pooley sheds light on her journey from World Champion and Olympian to dirtbag bikepacker on a Signal Ti. Some climbs are beyond ico...
May 19, 2022

Cycling Life Review the Sonder Frontier

Giving several centimeters of squish, their suspension-like characteristics help the Frontier float over rough terrain. With big handlebars, an...
August 04, 2019

Why choose a mid-travel 29er?

When we head out to the trails, we often take the Cortex. So the question is, with all this choice, why choose a mid-travel 29er? The combination o...
April 27, 2024

Sonder EVOL SX wins Singletrack 2020 Awards

The fact that the Singletrack Awards are voted for by its readers - super keen riders, just like us - makes winning this award even more special. ...
January 06, 2021

BikeRadar reviews Colibri Ti Force 22

An excellent-value, comfortable all-rounder that will last for years. The focus is very much on value and versatility, and that shines throu...
August 03, 2020

Cycling UK reviews Colibri Al Tiagra

The Colibri is nice to ride, principally because it’s a sub-10kg bike that doesn’t tip you forward onto a low handlebar vibrated by carpel-tunnel-...
February 03, 2022

Shaggy and the Iditarod

After several false starts I find myself heading up the M6 in search of cold weather, hills and snow. Normally when I’m in search of such condition...
February 12, 2009

The Beast

As I descended from the Widdop Reservoir on what should be a trail, although it seemed more like a river, my feet were swimming inside my waterproo...
April 17, 2019
Sonder Transmitter First Ride Review Outdoors Magazine

Sonder Transmitter First Ride Review Outdoors Magazine

If you're looking at buying a Transmitter as a first mountain bike late this year, our simple advice is: just do it. Great bike that'll look after ...
October 04, 2015

Singletrack Review the Sonder Signal Ti

You know that rock garden that you’ll happily hop into on your full bounce bike? Well, the Sonder will do it too, only you’ll probably lift the...
July 19, 2019

Neil Cottam Reviews the Sonder Signal Ti

It is possibly the best all-round trail hardtail that I've ever ridden, I wanted to be out riding on it all the time - that is the mark of a go...
March 03, 2018

Project Evol - how one of our Sonder rider built his dream bike

Written by Neil Cottam I think it must be something like 18 months, maybe more, since Neil Sutton (Sonder's Head of Design) first mentioned the ...
November 05, 2020

Off Road.cc Review Sonder Transmitter NX Eagle

The Transmitter is a playful, all-mountain rig with some hooligan tendencies. It suits all manners of riding from trail centres to more natural...
June 15, 2019

Sonder Santiago steel touring bike reviewed by Road.cc

Stu Kerton has reviewed our Santiago Rival22 Hydraulic steel tourer for Road.cc and praises it for its smooth, comfortable ride on and off-road. De...
April 09, 2019

2 new Sonder bikes

Nearly 1 year ago we were wheeling 3 bikes into the Excel arena for the London Bike show and the 'official' launch of our Sonder bikes. Well fast f...
January 24, 2017

Advntr: Close Up with the Sonder Santiago

ADVNTR.cc's Nigel Leech recently dropped into Alpkit HQ to take a close look at the Sonder Santiago steel touring bike. With its competitive price ...
March 05, 2019

Active Traveller Review the Sonder Frontier

This cracking value and rock solid machine from Sonder is just crying out to be loaded up and taken to the horizon. Read the full review here.
August 16, 2018

Singletrack Test Out the Love Mud Distortion Pedals

At 170g each, and measuring a smidge under 14mm at their thickest part, the Distortions have the low weight and profile of much pricier pedals. Rea...
July 09, 2018

Off-road.cc Review the lightweight Gravitas waterproof jacket

as perfectly suited for being stowed for emergencies or used frequently as a minimalist jacket for fast moving days. Read the review
February 08, 2018

Sonder Transmitter Carbon Review

Blisteringly fast, sweetly detailed, radically dialled . a proper aggro attack bike that loves to shove its big front tyre into trouble and then bo...
November 22, 2017

Active Traveller Review the Colibri

If you are in the market for a comfortable, light and capable road bike, specced to head for some big days out, this is your boy- and as with all A...
April 04, 2018

Camino Al in Top 10 Adventure Bikes of 2018/2019

The comfortable position is perfect for gravel excursions or riding long distances loaded with luggage. See the full list here.
January 14, 2019

Hope Tech Review Sonder Broken Road

Whether you’re going on a multi-day adventure and need something super lightweight and reliable or maybe you just fancy a fun hardtail for getting ...
December 01, 2016

Why the MTB world is embracing 650b+ wheelsets

650b+ is still quite new, a lot of people still look at it in the same way they did 29ers when they arrived on the scene, instantly dismissing it a...
February 07, 2016

The Development Behind the Sonder Signal

As if the Camino, Transmitter and Colibri aren't enough of a statement of intent, Sonder Product Manager Neil Sutton has delivered the most incredible bike with the Signal. 

August 06, 2020

The Perfect Audax Bike is a Sonder Colibri

Sonder rider Grace Lambert-Smith tells us why she loves her Sonder Colibri. Ever since I started long-distance cycling, I’ve been in awe of the ...
April 07, 2021

Bombproof 700c wheelset for pushing boundaries

We're thrilled with the recent review of our Alpha Aero wheelset from Road.cc and excited to share why we think our wheels could be a fantastic cho...
April 19, 2022

Sonder Santiago on Tour!

It's our classic touring bike, made using 100% recycled Reynolds 631 steel. It's not a bike for breaking records, but for seeing the world. When we...
August 18, 2022

The West Kernow Way: sometimes the adventure finds you

After returning home from a gruelling but epic bikepacking adventure, the 800-mile off-road Great North Trail, I heard a sound I had not missed. Th...
May 05, 2022

Colibri Titanium Road Bike impresses for its perfect mix of comfort and sport!

Matt Buckley's road test of the Sonder Colibri Ti Chorus for Cyclist magazine highlighted this bike's impressive features and versatility. Combined...
October 17, 2023

Prima dreamer; the awakening of a road race bike

Hours of trial, error and riding. Sketches strewn across the desk, the relentless pursuit to find that elusive perfection. Such is the lot drawn by...
January 05, 2024

All-time favourite hardtail, and it's a Sonder. Can you guess which one?

After an in-depth 12-month evaluation, Sean White of MBR magazine has bestowed high praise on the Sonder Signal Steel hardtail mountain bike, ranki...
February 02, 2024

Sonder Broken Road Steel - The Ultimate Adventure Bike

The Broken Road Steel has been introduced as a chromoly version of our esteemed titanium adventure bike. Reviewed by Lucas Winzenburg for Bikepacki...
February 12, 2024

Broken Road ST: A Steel Steed for Bikepacking Bliss

Reviewed by Graham Cottingham, the Broken Road ST emerges as an affordable alternative to its titanium predecessor, tailored for bikepacking enthus...
February 10, 2024

Camino gravel bike is one of the best bikes for bikepacking

Camino is lightweight, fits wide tyres, has multiple mounting points and is one of the best bikes for bikepacking.. In this group test published ...
April 23, 2024

Sonder Sedona GRX1 Review A Titanium Gravel Bike for the Races

The Sedona GRX1 is a titanium gravel bike that aims to deliver high performance for smoother riding and adventure. In this review on offroad.cc Mat...
April 18, 2024

Colibri is the perfect lightweight winter trainer

The challenge set to Dan Joyce was to find the perfect winter road training bike. It had to be equipped with modern features to serve as a winter t...
April 08, 2024

Sonder Santiago Grand Tourer underscores the timeless value of steel in cycle touring

In this wonderfully detailed review, Simon Withers explores the distinct qualities of two modern steel tourers: our own Sonder Santiago and the Sur...
April 10, 2024

Leave a comment

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published

=