Sonder Signal
Playful, agile, adventure. The perfect big mountain hardtail. A 140mm titanium 29er built for speed on fast flowy singletrack and attacking the big mountains.
Sonder Signal
Signal is the big mountain hardtail for fast, flowing singletrack and venturing further into the mountains. Take on techier climbs, let loose when the trail gets rowdy and turn those chunky all-day epics into the rides you spend the rest of the week thinking about.
Playful, creative, and the confidence to let loose.
The new Signal takes that playful character and gives you more confidence when things get rough. A slacker head angle and longer wheelbase, paired with the 140mm fork, make it more stable and planted at speed. A low bottom bracket keeps you feeling like you're in the bike, not perched on top of it. Point it down a rocky Lakes descent and you've got the composure to let the bike run. Get back on the pedals and it still feels agile and responsive when the trail twists or points uphill.
It's a bike that invites a bit of creativity. Pick the interesting line, pop off the trailside feature, link together bits of singletrack and see where that faint line disappearing over the hill goes. Big 29in wheels keep things rolling over rocks and roots, with clearance for 2.2 to 2.5in tyres and plenty of room for winter mud.
"Signal has always been an agile and playful bike. The new Signal really steps it up a notch. Longer wheelbase, lower bottom bracket and an extra 10mm of travel give you extra stability that lets you handle big mountain descents with even more speed and confidence. It feels super stable, super planted. Bring on the mountains."
Neil, Sonder bike designer
Same again tomorrow?
Big mountain rides don't have to start and finish in the same place, or end when the sun drops below the horizon. Signal is equally at home heading beyond where you'd take a gravel bike, loaded lightly for an overnight escape into the hills. It's a hardtail for rides where covering ground is only half the point.
Built exclusively from 3Al 2.5V titanium, the Signal frame is light, durable and made for a lifetime of big days out. Titanium helps soften trail buzz while retaining the lively, engaging feel that makes a hardtail so much fun to ride. The new frame brings that together with refined details including 3D-printed dropouts, UDH compatibility and a stronger ZS headtube interface.
Watch Signal in action
Further reading
- Development of the Sonder Signal: Design Story & Features
- Day Trip up the 'Big Hill' - The Signal Ti on Snowdon
- How to Hike-a-Bike: Essential Techniques for Steep Terrain
- Choosing the Best Bike for Bikepacking
- Essential Bike Maintenance and Repair Skills for Bikepacking and Cycle Touring
- How to True a Bike Wheel
- Tackle the 24-Hour Strathpuffer: Essential Guide for Bike
- All you need to know about fitting dynamo hubs to your bike
- How a pencil beats the cycle industry: Guide for Bike
- How to Adjust a Rear Derailleur: Bike Maintenance Guide
- How to Adjust a Front Derailleur: Complete Bike Repair Guide
- How to deal with a broken rear derailleur whilst out riding
- Fix a Snapped Rear Gear Cable: Roadside Bike Repair Guide
- Fix a Torn Bike Tyre on the Trail: Emergency Repair Guide
- How to Replace an Inner Tube: Quick Bike Repair Guide
- How to deal with a snapped chain whilst out riding
Aggressive trail geometry
Neil designed the Signal to suit his aggressive wheels-off-the-ground riding style. He wanted a bike that felt fast and stable over rough ground and gave you the confidence to be playful and creative knowing it could handle it - less twitchy, more planted. A low bottom bracket makes it corner like its on rails, with a spacious reach that gives you room to move around on the bike.
Signal is designed around a 140mm travel fork, with 64.5/76.5 head and seat angles that give you the confidence to bomb the descents without sacrificing climbing ability when you reach the other side of the valley.
Roll faster, with endless grip
Designed around a 29" wheel to maximise rolling speed over rock gardens, roots and uneven mountain terrain, with bucketloads of clearance for 2.5” tyres and plenty of space to avoid getting clogged up in winter mud.
Clean lines and internal routing
An inline seat stay and top tube for all sizes gives Signal a super clean look. Fully guided, internally routed cables keep things tidy and quiet and there's routing for a dropper seatpost too.
3D printed dropouts and a Universal Derailleur Hanger
Signal's dropouts are 3D printed, not cast, so material only goes where the load actually needs it. That means full strength without the extra weight of a standard casting. Paired with a 148mm boost thru axle and UDH mech hanger, it's a clean, minimal finish with nothing wasted.
Fast becoming the industry standard, UDH hangers are widely available so you can get rolling again sooner after any mid-ride mishaps! The UDH frame fitting also gives you the option of running SRAM's latest groupsets with direct-mount derailleurs.
Updated headtube design with ZS headset
We've redesigned the headtube to use a zero stack (ZS) headset giving extra strength around the bearings. This redesign also creates more surface area for the downtube and top tube welds meaning an even more bombproof joint to handle year after year of aggressive trail riding.
Mountain journal
Grab a brew, kick back and relax with in-depth features, tales of derring-do and Go Nice Place Do Good Things.
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...
Day Trip up the 'Big Hill' - The Signal Ti on Snowdon
The forecast was stellar for Wednesday, but being that it was midweek I couldn’t find anyone to play with. Not...
How to Hike-a-Bike: A Lake District Guide
Why on earth would you want to carry a bike, up a mountain, on your shoulders? This is a common...
Tackle the 24-Hour Strathpuffer
Strathpuffer is a 24-hour mountain bike race in the small Scottish town of Strathpeffer. Over 1000 riders race in teams...
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...
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,...