Gravel / Gravé / Gnarmac / Groad / ATB

Yeah they're remarkably similar. Camino has bottle cage bosses under the downtube, looks like straight steerer rather than tapered (although I don't know), and I'm pretty sure the London Road doesn't take a front rack. Camino is about 300g lighter too. London Road takes 31.6mm seatpost whereas Camino takes 27.2mm. And the PX is half the price of the Camino at the moment.

Also I think the new Camino paintjobs are immeasurably improved over the old ones:

Probably can't go wrong with either of these or the Arkose to be honest

I’m just biased. The picture is an older arkose too. They have thru axle forks now. Fork is full carbon, not alloy steerer

Arkose 3 has an aluminium steerer according to the Evans website. Yeah, through-axle is nice...

Do you know what the difference between the Arkose 4 and LTD is? Also what are the bosses up at the front underside of the downtube for?

The Sonder seems to have some kind of chainstay yoke.

You're right. Photo from the titanium one but I assume it's very similar.

I’ve never actually seen a Camino with front rack, I wonder if it’s a typo on their page as those bosses do look like mudguard bosses. I’ll be running through hathersage next week so might pop in and ask them

Heh...that looks pretty industrial :)

Alpit are a pretty right on company who donate to many outdoor school organisations .
https://www.alpkit.com/foundation

Yeah we have some of their spendy sleeping bags. Tested them out in 'fucking freezing' conditions at the bottom of the grand canyon.

The Rival build of that Camino frame looks alreet.

I'm pretty sure it does take one as they mention it several times

Aluminium frame and carbon fork with rack / guard mounts

Camino Al delivers the same geometry of our titanium Camino constructed from 6061 grade aluminium with a carbon fork with full pannier rack and mudguard mounts.

Carbon fork: Lightweight, strong and responsive with an alloy steerer; fully kitted out with pannier and mudguard mounts.

But definitely let us know what they say!

Edit: the reason I personally am so bothered about front racks is that I want the bike to work as a do-anything bike; conventional touring, bikepacking, gravel rides, road rides. Front rack or lowriders would be really handy for that.

Why everyone wants to put a rack in carbon fork? There's a reason why touring bikes are steel

Likes

looks like straight steerer rather than tapered

No it's a 1 1/8" to 1 1/2" steerer and it takes an external/zerostack headset like a Chris King i7. That (the external headset) would be the selling point for me over the London Road or Arkose.

@Netakure

There's a reason why touring bikes are steel

These are all aluminium and loads of dedicated touring bikes are aluminium.

It's going to be a road bike first and foremost, gravel bike second, touring bike distant third. As long as it can take the weight of my touring gear for one week out of the year why would I not want carbon?

And anyway, it's a £300 frame, it's not like I'm going to keep it for 20 years.

pretty sure the Sonder and London road have the same fork

Can I follow this build somewhere...?

Just made a CP thread! You can find it here:
https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/314734/

@jaap: Should have said "metal"

@frankenbike: The point is, all these forks are designed to hold mudguards, and that's it. You can use a rack in the rear, or bikepacking bags but why lowriders in a carbon fork?

Also skeptic about putting racks on carbon forks.. But give it a go and see what happens

I'd just like to have the option of a front rack, that's all. I'm taking them at their word that the fork can handle it. It's not the end of the world if I can't use a front rack.

The sonder does look "better" and more updated with the yoke thing!

i have to say that i messed up one bosse while installing the rear rack on the london road... was it my fault with crossthreading the bolt....maybe (probably) but i dont recall putting much force while doing it, so it could be the threading was already sub-par....

sounds like aluminium threads ;)

Thanks for all the reply's, camino looks nice but would like something a little bit more light weight. Frame and fork around 2,2.kg. I already have a nice reynolds 853 bike that i use now for gravel, touring and commuting, i like bit its a little bit heavy for me.

But the plan now is sell my current steel bike to build a proper touring bike with a surly troll frame and also build a pretty lightweight gravel/rando bike.

Isen or Kinesis Tripster 2?

What would the hive mind chose?