Countless hours on the trails make this the ultimate test of performance as well as reliability
SEAN’S SONDER SIGNAL ST GX
£2,899 • 29in • alpkit.com
MONTH 9: Sean discovers that the real beauty of a longterm test bike is that it gives you the opportunity to dig down into the component choices
THE RIDER
SEAN WHITE
Position Freelance writer/tester
Mostly rides Forest of Dean, Mid Wales
Height 6ft 2in Weight 87kg
THE BIKE
Handmade 4130 steel frame with sizespecific chainstays and up-to-date trail geometry
Cane Creek Helm air fork upgrade comes with 130mm travel – the sweet spot for a 29er trail hardtail?
Full SRAM GX Eagle drivetrain with a super-wide 10-52t cassette
Hope Fortus wheelset, an upgrade over Sonder’s housebrand hoops and a solid choice for 12 months of heavy use
Not long after the arrival of the Signal ST, I was joined for a ride by Neil Sutton, Sonder’s bike designer and product manager. We hit my local trails at the Forest of Dean and chatted about the brand’s history, the design and testing process and also my initial thoughts on the bike. Naturally I had plenty of questions to run through – mostly covering small design details – and the Signal’s brakes were up there on the list. The stock SRAM G2 R four-piston brakes, although unremarkable visually, are fit for purpose on a 130mm hardtail and have a lever profile that hits the spot for me too. I did have initial concerns though – not so much with the older international standard (IS) caliper mounts on the frame, which seem to be a common sight on steel hardtail frames, but more with the rotor sizes that Sonder has chosen.
WHY IT’S HERE It blends classic steel tubing with modern geometry
I weigh around 90kg when kitted-out for a ride, so when I first spotted the 160mm rear rotor I immediately thought I would be swapping it out to match the 180mm up front. This assumption was reinforced after a year on my previous longtermer – aburly Nukeproof Scout 290 hardtail – which ran a 203/180mm combo teamed up with a solid set of Shimano SLX brakes. In an age of framesize-specific components, whether that’s handlebar widths or dropper post stroke, I really felt that this size XL Signal should be kitted out with larger and more purposeful rotors.
I picked up on this detail with Neil on our ride, questioning the reasoning behind the spec and he felt that on a hardtail, especially with four-piston calipers, this stock brake package should be up to the job for most trail riding here in the UK. So I left that spare 180mm rotor and adapter in the workshop and cracked on, thinking I’d only make the switch if necessary.
And you know what? Those SRAM G2 brakes have been faultless. Sure, I’ve been mostly riding
