"The Sonora ES is a spectacular carbon hardtail with impressive fat tubes in bright red," writes Dutch Bike Freak magazine. The STEVENS carbon race hardtail convinced testers in a current hardtail test with an efficient, yet comfortable frame.

It offers outstanding riding characteristics. Every pedal stroke is converted into forward drive and speed. On a flat section it feels like being shot from a canon, is Bike Freak’s very colourful description. Uphill it easily drops even many lighter bikes. The bike immediately reacts to any steering movement without behaving nervously and without sacrificing comfort.

With a huge and reasonable range of gears

Contributing to the great handling was the complete Shimano XT gruppo. The Sonora ES was the only bike in the field equipped with a triple crankset, the editors said. The crank was set up to match 29in wheels with a 40-30-22 teeth combination that matched to an 11-36 cassette offered a huge, but reasonable range of gears. Also "the brakes work flawlessly, and with a 180mm disc at the front the bike has enough safety reserves," the editors said.

The DT-Swiss wheels thru-axles add lateral stiffness. The Schwalbe Rocket Ron 2.25in tires were quite dynamic and versatile. Like the brakes and grippy tires the Fox suspension fork was dialed for speed in all sorts of terrain. In addition, the finishing kit made up from Stevens‘ proprietary Scorpo and Oxygen parts, was said to be very functional and "absolutely o.k."

Conclusion: "The Sonora ES is a complete bike with outstanding ride characteristics in all sorts of terrain. Though quite heavy, it delivers a lot of fun that makes you forget about the weight."

The Sonora ES carbon 29er is available in Carbon Green and Active Red from your local STEVENS dealer in sizes 16, 18, 20 and 22in. The entry-level Sonora ist available in Active Blue.