If it's not broken, don't fix it – Sonder releases a steel version of its Broken Road bikepacking bike

Sonder Broken Road ST with bikepacking bags.

Sonder has released a new affordable steel version of its popular bikepacking MTB. The Broken Road ST trades titanium for steel to create a more affordable hardtail mountain bike for adventures and bikepacking.

The Broken Road ST uses 4130 chromoly steel but Sonder hasn't messed with the formula that made the Broken Road Ti one of its most popular mountain bikes.

As you would expect from a bikepacking bike, the Broken Road ST has loads of mounting points for bags and accessories. There are two bottle cage mounts inside the triangle, one under the downtube, and accessory mounts under and on top of the top tube. There are also pannier mounts if you want to run a rear rack. Cable routing is internal and includes dropper post routing to keep cables and hoses tucked out of the way of frame bag straps.

The steel frame makes it a reliable option for bikepackers and long-distance riders (Image credit: Sonder)

The frame is designed around 29er wheels with clearance for 2.6in tires, although there is also enough space to fit a 27.5x3in tire if you like more bump-absorbing volume. There are also Boost-spaced sliding dropouts which not only give some customization for the chainstay length, but also give the option of running the bike single speed if you want to, or in the case of a serious mechanical in the middle of nowhere, need to.

Geometry isn't going to compete with the most radical trail hardtails these days, but it should balance all-day comfort and fun on the descents. The 67-degree head angle, 60mm bottom bracket drop, and 440mm chainstays should give it a playful nature on the trails, while the 455mm reach (large) and 73-degree seat angle puts you in a comfortable position to tick over big off-road miles.

Sonder Broken Road ST is equipped to go for adventures (Image credit: Sonder)

Sonder offers loads of different build specs for the Broken Road ST, all of which can be further customized at the point of purchase. Customers can choose specific stem and handlebar widths or different MTB forks and even spec it with a rigid Sonder carbon fork, plus add accessories from the Sonder range. 

The base bikes can be equipped with all the best MTB drivetrains, with either SRAM SX Eagle ($1,949 / £1,499), Shimano Deore ($2,099 / £1,599), SRAM NX Eagle ($2,249 / £1,699), Shimano SLX ($2,249 / £1,699), SRAM GX Eagle ($2,999 / £2,299), Shimano XT ($2,999 / £2,299), and SRAM GX Eagle AXS ($3,649 / £2,799).

Bikes are available now directly from Alpkit.com.