The Falco is Sonder’s answer to the UK hardtail trail scene. It makes mountain biking accessible with a no-nonsense, up-to-date and well-built frame. With 120mm of travel, it can be set up to munch miles or to tackle entry-level trails. The Eagle 70 spec is great value for money, but if you’re looking to head to even more serious tracks, a fork upgrade wouldn’t go amiss.
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Sonder Falco – Technical Details
Capable of being built into a more lightweight cross-country style ride or set up with chunky tyres for tougher trail duties, the Sonder Falco features 120mm of travel upfront, accommodating up to 29 x 2.4 in tyres. With that, it’s a short travel hardtail aimed at trail bike duties.
Built around a 6061-T6 aluminium frame, it is bang up to date with boost axle spacing (148mm), a UDH (Universal Derailleur Hanger) and internal frame routing, which includes provision for an internally routed dropper post. A threaded bottom bracket (BSA) is always a good sign for some trouble-free maintenance, and there is plenty of room for a water bottle. It’s great to see chain slap protection has been taken seriously with an impressive cushioned solution to keep things quiet out on the trail.
Geometry is clearly aimed at trail riding, but careful consideration has been made to ensure it’s a lively ride without being twitchy or unpredictable. A 66-degree head angle gives enough stability at speed without being lethargic, and this is teamed up with reach numbers that are a little on the shorter side (465mm on the large) to give a stable and controlled descending position. The chainstays measure 430mm on the small and medium, whilst the large and XL get 440mm – short enough to be lively whilst giving stability. A 75-degree seat angle provides a comfortable seat position with plenty of traction, but may be slightly rearward for steep climbing.
The Falco is available in four sizes, S – XL, which cover riders from 158cm (5’2”) up to 187cm+ (6’2”+) and two colours, orange or blue.
Sonder Falcro Eagle 70 – Componentry
The Falcro is available in four spec levels, starting with the entry-level SX Eagle option, coming in at £999. A Deore spec level comes in at £1,149. The Eagle 70 and Eagle 90 see a fork upgrade and are priced at £1,449 and £1,649 respectively.
The Eagle 70 comes equipped with a Rockshox Recon Silver RL fork with 120mm of squish. SRAM takes care of the whole groupset with direct-mount rear derailleur, flat-top chain, cassette, cranks and brakes. The 10-52T cassette gives plenty of range, and paired with a 32T chain ring, most climbs should be achievable. The SRAM DB4 brakes are at the budget end of the scale, but perfectly functional four-piston brakes.
Sonder’s own finishing kit has been applied, taking care of the seat, bars, stem, seat post and wheels. The 780mm wide bar shows the descending intentions for the Falco. Finishing off the build are a pair of Schwalbe Nobby Nic tyres in 2.4” width with the Speedgrip compound and Superground casing.
Sonder allows you to customise your bike through the purchasing process with several upgrade options available. Handlebars and stem lengths are configurable along with the seat and a range of accessories such as lights, bottle cages and pedals. The wheelset can be upgraded to higher-quality Sonder hoops, and you can ask for a tubeless set-up too if you want.
One highly recommended upgrade is a dropper post, which doesn’t come as standard on the Eagle 70. For £120 you’ll be able to choose an X-Fusion Manic dropper in 125, 150 or 170mm lengths.
Sonder Falco – Performance
Setting up the Falco was a breeze, a quick look at the fork leg to find the recommended pressure got me up and rolling, whilst a couple of sharp stops on the brakes got the pads bedded in nicely. One of the joys of hard tails is the minimal faff.
Coming from trail and enduro bikes, my first impressions of the Falco were a little off. The front end felt low compared to what I’ve been used to, which will be down to the shorter travel fork, and with the reach being on the shorter side, it took a couple runs to get comfortable.
Once I found my feet, the Falco is a great laugh. Being on the smaller side makes it a nimble machine, which is super handy for darting around the trail looking for the smoothest lines. Flowing single track, high-speed berms, small drops and sneaky mid-trail hops are all well within the capabilities of the Falco, promoting a confidence-inspiring ride. At speed, the head angle and 440mm chain stays keep things stable enough to not feel twitchy whilst remaining agile and engaging to ride.
Kudos to the 45mm stem and 780mm bars, which are smartly spec’d to balance the stability with direct steering input. The chain slap protection does a great job of quieting down the ride, which keeps the rider’s focus on what’s ahead and makes the Falco feel like a more expensive bike than it is.
The rear end is stiff enough to transfer power efficiently, whilst still having enough flex to smooth out some of the trail vibrations. Using a full 29in wheel setup, it’s an impressively capable ride on the rougher trails, but the fork does let the party down, becoming overwhelmed by successive hits such as braking bumps.
The brakes have enough power for flowing trails, but would benefit from an upgrade if you want to charge down steep trails regularly.
When it comes to climbing, the seat position is relaxed, it’s a little rearward, which gives great traction but does make it harder to get weight forward on steeper climbs. Pushing the seat forward on its rails helps a little in this regard. The relaxed position does help with all-day jaunts, where it’s a comfortable place to be if you want to go out and get lost around a trail centre for the day.
Sonder Falco – Verdict
The Sonder Falco Eagle 70 comes in at £1449, although I’d argue a dropper seat post is a must, which brings the price to £1569. At this price, it’s a capable trail centre and singletrack-flowing machine which promotes a confidence-inspiring ride.
If you’re looking for something more capable, the Merida Big Trail 600 could be an option. 29-inch wheels and 140mm of travel, it certainly leans more towards descending, and the more aggressive geometry concurs. It’s more expensive at £2000, and the headset cable routing will be a pain to deal with when it comes to maintenance, but it scored well in our test. Merida’s entry-level Big.Trail 300 will set you back £1,100, and it comes equipped with a dropper post.
The Sonder Falco proves to be a great hardtail offering capable of mile munching and more rowdy trail action. The spec is best suited to flowing singletrack and trail centre laps, however, with a more competent fork, it would have no issues being let loose on chunkier terrain. The lack of a dropper post as part of the standard spec is a shame, but it can be easily added by Sonder for a little extra.
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About the bike
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Confident, precise, and lively without being twitchy. A capable trail bike for those who take their fun seriously – equipped with trail ready components for performance where it matters.
Frame & Fork
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Rider Height
5ft 2in – 5ft 7in
(158-173cm)
5ft 6in – 5ft 10in
(170-177cm)
5ft 9in – 6ft 2in
(175-187cm)
6ft 2in +
(187cm +)
ST – Seat tube 400 425 445 465
ETT – Estimated top tube 588 610 638 670
HT – Head tube 100 110 120 130
HA – Head angle 66 66 66 66
AC – Axle to crown 505 505 505 505
SA – Seat angle 75 75 75 75
CS – Chainstay 430 430 440 440
BB – BB drop 75 75 75 75
WB – Wheelbase 1090 1114 1152 1186
RE – Reach 420 440 465 495
SK – Stack 628 637 646 655
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Riding
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Suspension
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Summary
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Overall performance:
Product likes:
Comfortable pedaller
Factory spec customisation
Product dislikes:
Fork is very basic
Seated position is a little rearward for steep climbs
