Sonder El Camino Review - Gravel E Bike 

Yeah it’s great! I thought exactly the same thing :) will see if I can borrow one next time we’re in Hathersage :)

Cheers! Haha never mind. Most people didn’t know it was happening anyway. I’ll be taking it out for a short bikepacking adventure at some point so will do an update :)

Nice! Yeah that’s one downside, Sonder are doing a battery extender that’s removable and can be brought upstairs into a flat and it subsequently charges the main battery which is pretty cool :)

Yep, can help but they are bloody expensive - the Cannondale one costs in excess of GBP 400 !!@@Cycling366

Yeah they can be! I was told sub £300 for Sonder's battery so not as bad I suppose

Yes the smartshift! Looks like a great idea in fairness.

Yeah me too! Would be so cool in titanium

Great question, in honesty I couldn’t hear it whatsoever on the gravel sections or in the lower power settings. There is a slight whirr/whine from the motor on smooth roads in the highest setting but it’s really quiet!

Compromises got to be made somewhere I suppose! 2” tyre clearance easily on it

Good question! I did drain the battery down on the way back to dropping it off, it feels like a lightly loaded bikepacking bike up the hills when the motor is off, it’s not that heavy of a bike so it’s not that tough a ride without!

That's good to hear , it's one thing I really like on my Turbo Vado SL how light it is and you can pedal it all over on a dead battery 😊

Nice! Yeah it’s like any eBike here, once you go over the limit, it stops working so if you’re wanting to go fast on the downhills, the motor won’t be working, it shouldn’t cause any noticeable drag though!

Fingers crossed. I'm off for an investigate this weekend.

@@sjames1958 enjoy!

It's it's own pinned charger but the output on the extender is USB-C so means you could use it as a battery pack if you have surplus

I ride a Trek Powerfly e- bike. The more upright geometry suits my arthritis issues (plus hip replacement!) This bike has a hefty battery and I also have a spare which I carry in an Evoc E-ride rucksack. This is great for overnights and longer day trips. I’ll be interested to hear how you get on with one of your camping overnighters. (Staying indoors or at a serviced site is always easier!)

@@nickforwood sounds ideal!

Hi Richard, thanks for watching. That’s correct, let me clarify things for you. There are two sides of the coin here; Me (Tom) that has bills to pay and needs a job, and my channel (Cycling366) that is my hobby where I can say/do whatever I want. I (Tom) joined Alpkit in the summer as I wanted to move into an industry that’s closer aligned to what I do for a hobby, and I’ve always used their products, see videos from 2020 onwards. It allows me to get my hands on the products that I genuinely like before anyone else - which will hopefully allow me to approach more brands I like to get gear to review. So the job switch was also a calculated decision I took to improve and grow this channel to eventually make this my only job. Alpkit have absolutely NO say in what I say or do on this channel, I just use my employee perks to borrow the products I’m most intrigued by and do independent reviews, while I don’t have access to other big brands. In terms of the Alpkit video, they needed someone confident presenting on camera to do a bike video series so obviously I fit that bill! I can assure you I’m being 100% honest and genuine in my reviews, and they’re not in anyway sponsored or influenced by Alpkit. And on that note, let me know if there are any further bikes/products you’d be interested in seeing. All the best! Tom

Thanks for that comprehensive reply Tom - I really do hope your channel grows in the way you'd want, good luck... And yes when the steel Broken Road comes out would love a review of that.

It’s not about weight! It’s about looks! Ti frames look better in my opinion.

And durability and strength

I went to a lot of effort to make the video and your comment has come across as quite rude but I’ll not respond in an unpleasant way. As it happens I did weigh the bike, 14.6kg for the large version I had. In terms of exact weight of individual components, I can only go on what the manufacturer tells me!

I appreciate your effort making the video and reviewing the bike. But you said in the video that you hadn't weighed it properly and gave no indication of the weight other than Sonder's quote of it being around 2.5kg heavier than the standard Camino. Thanks for now telling me the weight.