Camino Al is built for those moments when the road turns into trail and the bridleway drops off into single track. Spritely and comfortable on the tarmac with enough in reserve to explore off-road trails, it transforms your riding experience and turns dead ends into possibilities.
Capable, tough and quick aluminium adventure bike for exploring the world.
At a glance
- Capable, durable, and quick aluminium adventure gravel bike
- Frame: Sonder Camino Alloy Frame
- Fork: Sonder Camino Al Carbon bladed fork
- Drivetrain: SRAM Rival1 / 1 x 11 / 11-42
- Brakes: SRAM Rival1 hydraulic disc brakes
- Wheelset: Sonder Nova 700c / Shimano
- 12 mm front and rear bolt through axles
- Tyres: WTB Resolute / Comp / 700c / 42c / 42
- 700 x 50mm or 650b x 2.1 tyre clearance
- Rack/guard mounts on the fork and rear.
Infused with DNA from cyclocross, gravel, and adventure race bikes, the Camino’s relaxed geometry was designed for long day comfort, with a longer wheelbase, slacker head angle and lengthened headtube for a more natural riding position.
A low bottom bracket and short chainstays make it agile through the corners whilst the slackened head angle inspires confidence when descending. The aluminium frame is tough enough to take a knock or two, so you can lose yourself in the journey and push the technical envelope of your travel or even your commute.
Effortlessly adaptable, the Camino is as proficient on your local trail as it is on the open road, with tyre clearance up to 700c x 50mm or 650b x 2.1" for that added traction and comfort on bumpier terrain.
Responsive and exhilarating even when loaded up with luggage; rack, bottle cage and mudguard mounts give you the option to pack up and pedal off on a self-supported ride whenever the feeling takes you. Triple cage mount on the top of the downtube allows for 2 different mounting positions for the bottle cage for extra bag clearance or to fit a Lug-Kage.
SRAM Rival1
Using tried and tested technology, the lighter SRAM Rival1 groupset offers smooth shifting, a useable range of gears, powerful disc brakes and secure chain retention. X-Sync tooth profile provides a more secure engagement between the chain and chainring, whilst the X-Horizon rear derailleur with Roller Bearing Clutch keeps the chain taught to avoid chain flap over bumpy terrain. Firm, powerful and well-modulated hydraulic disc brakes are reliable across the terrains and conditions. The 1 x 11 gearing, with a whopping 11 – 42t cassette, offers a gear range that is wide enough to cope with any terrain, opening up the alpine passes to mere mortals with enough at the top end to cruise up on the flat.| Chainring | Sprocket | Ratio | Wheel Diameter (inches) | Gear Inches |
| 40 | 11 | 3.64 | 28.2 | 102.5 |
| 40 | 42 | 0.95 | 28.2 | 26.9 |
Expedition geometry
Fast and responsive even when loaded up. With a lightweight aluminium frame, carbon forks, long wheel base and an extended head tube, the geometry promotes an upright riding position for all-day riding comfort.
Cable routing
External cable routing facilitates maintenance when you haven’t got access to a full workshop; cables are fully housed to keep your machinery running smoothly in all conditions.
Tyre clearance
Big tyre clearance for tackling mixed terrains: up to 650b x 2.1” or 700c x 50 mm
Powerful and firm braking
Well-modulated seatstay mounted hydraulic disk brakes will help to bring you to a halt and reduce the risk of wheel lock when that elk appears out of nowhere.
Carbon fork
Lightweight, strong and responsive with an alloy steerer; kitted out with mudguard mounts which accommodate racks for lightweight loads
Rack mounts
The triple cage bottle mount on top of the downtube allows for 2 different mounting positions. Opt for the modern ultra-light bikepacking luggage or load up with panniers on the rear rack mounts.
| Build | Camino Al Rival1 Hydraulic |
|---|---|
| Frameset | |
| Frame: | Camino Al Frame [V3] |
| Fork: | Camino Al Forks [V3] |
| Headset: | FSA Orbit C-40-ACB Headset / 7.8mm Spacer |
| Seat Clamp: | Love Mud Gromit / 31.8mm |
| Group Set | |
| Rotors: | Avid Centreline Rotor / 160mm |
| Rear Mech: | Sram Rival Rear Derailleur / 1 / Long |
| Rear Shifter: | Sram Rival 22 Shifters / Hydraulic / Right / Flat |
| Chainset: | Sram Rival 1 Crankset GXP / 172.5mm / 40 |
| Bottom Bracket: | Sram GXP Bottom Bracket / Standard |
| Chain: | Sram PC1110 Chain / 118 Links |
| Cassette: | Sram PG1130 Cassette / 11 / 11-42 |
| Finishing Kit | |
| Stem: | Love Mud Storc 31.8mm / 80mm |
| Seatpost: | Love Mud Membar / 27.2mm / 400mm |
| Saddle: | Love Mud Abode / Black |
| Tape/Grips: | Love Mud Reels / Black |
| Handlebar: | Love Mud Bomber |
| Wheelset | |
| Wheels: | Love Mud Nova 700c Wheelset / Shimano |
| Front Tyre: | WTB Resolute / Comp / 700 / 42 |
| Rear Tyre: | WTB Resolute / Comp / 700 / 42 |
| Tubes: | WTB Inner Tube / 700 / 28-38 |
| Weight | |
| Frame: | S: 1.9kg; M: 2.0kg; L: 2.0kg; XL: 2.1kg |
| Fork (uncut): | 0.84 kg |
| Built: | S: TBC; M: 10.36kg; L: TBC; XL: TBC |
| Pedals not included with full builds | |
Sizing
Generally we recommend:- Small
- Riders between 5ft 2in and 5ft 7in
- Medium
- Riders between 5ft 6in and 5ft 10in
- Large
- Riders between 5ft 9in and 6ft 2in
- X-Large
- Riders 6ft 2in and over
| Size | Small | Medium | Large | X-Large |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST - Seat tube | 460 | 490 | 520 | 550 |
| TT - Top tube | 530 | 556 | 576 | 604 |
| HT - Head tube | 140 | 160 | 180 | 200 |
| HA - Head angle | 71 | 71 | 71 | 71 |
| SA - Seat angle | 74.5 | 74 | 74 | 73 |
| CS - Chainstay | 435 | 435 | 435 | 435 |
| BB - BB drop | 73 | 73 | 73 | 73 |
| FO - Fork offset | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| WB - Wheelbase | 1020 | 1040 | 1062 | 1070 |
| SO - Stand over | 743 | 761 | 785 | 808 |
| RE - Reach | 370 | 385 | 400 | 410 |
| SK - Stack | 568 | 587 | 605 | 624 |
| Weight: S: 1.9kg; M: 2.0kg; L: 2.0kg; XL: 2.1kg |
| 6061 Aluminium |
| Carbon fork with alloy steerer |
| Seatpost diameter: 27.2mm |
| Seat tube OD 31.8 mm |
| Headset: IS42/28.6 | IS52/40 |
| Disk brake only |
| Mud guard and pannier rack mounts 700 x 50mm or 650b x 2.1” tyre clearance 12mm bolt through axles at both ends |
An excellent option for all round adventuring
Sonder have played a blinder with the Camino, producing a fast, fun and comfortable bike with no obvious flaws. Often we test bikes that have a but… , such as a high cost, a press fit BB or feeling weighty but not here. The Camino lives up to the ideal of an Adventure bike, a compromise of road vs trail, but without ever feeling out of its depth.
Up front, it was flared drops that really had us surprised, thinking they were just a quirky, beard stroking addition; they are fundamental to the stability of handling in the rough.
The comfortable position is perfect for gravel excursions or riding long distances loaded with luggage.
If you’ve made it this far, it’s clear that I’ve very much enjoyed my time on the Camino AL. So much so, that I’m seriously considering adding one to my stable, that's how good this bike is.
Read the full review here
"Available both in aluminium and titanium, there are options for those on a budget as well as those looking for a dream build. Regardless of the chosen material, both frames feature the same design elements that make this an incredibly practical bike.
The cables are external and fully housed, making them well-sealed from any grime degrading shifting quality. They are also a lot easier to work on should you be unfortunate enough to be subject to a mid-ride mechanical.
Downtube bottle bosses, mounting points on the carbon front fork, discrete mounts for mudguards and the ability to take a pannier rack make this bike capable for carrying large loads. Keeping the steering under control and inspiring confidence on technical descents are the slack head angle together with the long wheelbase".
Read the full review here
With its flexible wheel size options and plenty of tyre clearance, there’s scope for building the Sonder Camino AL however you want it. However, as built, this Rival 1 option seems to me to be a great fit straight out the box. If you can’t fork out for this higher end build kit straight away, the ride quality is such that the frame makes a good candidate for later upgrades, and the handling is simply excellent. Unless your heart is set on steel, titanium, or carbon, I can’t think of a reason why you wouldn’t want this bike. I do want this bike, and I’m genuinely sorry to be sending it back.
A great value bike capable of much more both on and off road than the price might suggest.
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