Sonder gets playful with the new affordable Falco hardtail

Touted as a trail-friendly hardtail, Sonder's Falco is designed to level up with the rider as they progress in skill and fitness. The 29er hardtail is built around 120mm of suspension travel and a 66-degree head angle – the latter of which is considered the Goldilocks zone in Sonder's hardtail portfolio, allowing new riders to feel comfortable and confident on the trail. Here's everything we know.
- How to set up your mountain bike suspension
- Are flat pedals worth it?
- Can you use a road bike helmet for MTB and gravel riding?
The Falco has been engineered to deliver what Sonder calls 'trail-ready' manners – this means a more upright riding position, neutral geometry, 29-inch wheels and a well-considered specification sheet. As such, the Falco blurs the lines between cross-country and Enduro employing a 6060 alloy frame construction, a UDH hanger, boost spacing, internal cable routing and threaded bottom bracket.
Sonder has made the Falco available in four sizes: small, medium, large and XL. In terms of geometry, it uses a 66-degree head and 75-degree seat tube angle on all sizes, and a 440mm reach and 430mm chainstays on a medium frame (these numbers will grow if you size up, but not by a significant amount). Tyre clearance is rated at a maximum width of 2.4in, which is bang-on trend with contemporary mountain bike standards. The frame also has clearance for a maximum chainring size of 36-teeth.
As for pricing, Sonder has done a superb job catering to the entry-level market and making the bike more affordable. The cheapest option is the Sonder Falco frameset, which will set you back £399. There are four full builds available, kitted in groupsets from SRAM and Shimano. If you prefer SRAM build kits to complete for your new Falco, the SX Eagle is £999 with an Eagle 70 costing £1,449 and Eagle 90 at £1,699. A Sonder Falco Deore build is £1,149.
The Falco is available in two distinct colourways; ultramarine (pictured here) and burnt orange – and bikes are available for order from today.