BIKE TEST
DISC ROAD BIKE
Dimensions in millimetres and degrees
660 570 73.5˚
795 50
420
620 72.5˚
56
54
540
690
172.5 281 1032
142 622 34
Tech Spec
SONDER COLIBRI AL TIAGRA
Biketest
Sonder Colibri Al Tiagra A £1k road bike with a Tiagra drivetrain, a full carbon fork, and practical features many rivals lack. Dan Joyce tested it
C
Other options
olibri is a pass in tube, which demands (and the Ecuadorean gets) a shorter stem; and Andes. It’s more fork offset. There’s no gravelly in parts – like toe-overlap with my size 8s, this endurance road bike even with a mudguard. named after it, which has a The Colibri’s wheels flared drop bar, extra frame are tubeless compatible, fittings, wider (32mm) tyres although the WTB tyres Above: Lots of road bikes have with tread on the shoulders, aren’t. No matter: I’d soon flat-mount discs and thruand bigger clearances replace them. There are fast axles. Fewer have rack and around those tyres. road tyres available in 32mm (concealed) mudguard mounts Sonder’s marketing now, such as Continental’s suggests it might be used GP5000 S TR and Schwalbe’s for adventure racing. I’d say club riding, Pro One TLE. Longer term, it would be audaxes, sportives, fast commuting, and tempting to upgrade the wheels as well. maybe light touring or bikepacking. The They’re not bad but, at £140 and 1,960g aluminium frame and full-carbon fork (stripped down) for the pair, they balance will take tyres up 36mm – or 32mm with the budget better than the scales. mudguards, for which there are mounts. This mid-pandemic test bike had a The head and seat tube angles are couple of non-stock parts: a 105 front mech typical of a road bike yet it’s no wannabe in place of Tiagra; and unbranded flatracer. The head tube is taller. The bike is mount disc brakes rather than Tektro C550. longer: longer chainstays; a longer top It’s nice to see even Tiagra on a £1,000
60
SPA CYCLES STEEL AUDAX £1,125
CUBE NUROAD £999
Steel audax bike with carbon fork & 105 double or triple gears. Fits 28mm tyres with mudguards. Weight: ~10.2kg.
Gravel bike with clearances for 40mm tyres & guards, full carbon fork, 2×8 Claris drivetrain, and Tektro C510 discs. Weight: 10.8kg.
spacycles.co.uk
cube.eu
cycle
FE B R UARY / MARCH 2022
Price: £999 (frameset £399) Sizes: S-XL Weight: 9.89kg/ 21.76lb (L, no pedals) Frame & fork: Butted 6061 aluminium frame with 68mm BSA BB, 142×12mm dropouts, and fittings for rear rack, mudguard, 3 bottles. Carbon fork with tapered steerer, 100×12mm dropouts & mudguard fittings. Wheels: 32-66 WTB Expanse tyres, Sonder Nova I19 Aero Wheels (19mm internal width rims; 24×1 (f) and 28×2 (r) bladed SS spokes; Sonder Nova hubs). Transmission: Shimano Tiagra
4700 chainset with 172.5mm cranks and 50-34t chainrings, Shimano BB52 bottom bracket, Shimano Tiagra HG500 10-speed 1132 cassette. Shimano Tiagra 4700 shifters, 105 front mech, Tiagra 4700 GS rear. 20 ratios, 29-124in. Braking: Tiagra levers, unbranded flat mount callipers, 160mm 6-bolt rotors. Steering & seating: 31.8×400/460mm Sonder Spitfire bar, 85mm Sonder Storc stem, FSA Orbit C-40-ACB headset. Sonder Zone saddle, 27.2×400mm Sonder seatpost. alpkit.com
disc-brake bike these days, although I’d want something lower than 34/32 if I were climbing an Andean pass with luggage, or even a Welsh one. The brakes were adequate – once I’d fitted thin washers under the rear calliper so I could freely align it. Its mounts weren’t faced perfectly. 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-inducing skinny tyres. It could take you far, in comfort, on most roads. Just check the sizing. At 5ft 10in, the L was a better fit for me than the M.
Verdict
A versatile and good value disc road bike. Its taller head tube, longer frame, and wider tyres let you enjoy rather than endure the miles. Some might take it bikepacking. I’d tweak the spec, swapping out the handlebar and tyres, and use it as a four-season club-ride bike.
