Home > Bike Types > Commuter

Review: Bombtrack Munroe AL & Cargo show two distinct views on the all-purpose city bike

2021 Bombtrack Munroe Cargo bike, all-purpose alloy freight bicycle urban gravel city cycle truck, complete
15 Comments
Support us! Bikerumor may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn More

The two newest bikes from Bombtrack for 2021 share a name and similar urban utility vehicle intent, but the aluminum Munroe AL & Munroe Cargo couldn’t be much further apart. Developed to fill the more utilitarian gap in their city bike range, one is a simple geared runabout that will go anywhere, and the other a reasonably priced mixed-wheelsize cycle truck for extra hauling. Yet utility aside, both are still are both quite fun to ride over a mix of road surfaces, and with modern gravel & bikepacking inspiration are still quite versatile bikes.

2021 Bombtrack Munroe AL all-purpose alloy gravel city bike

Let’s jump back from that reverse mullet cargo bike and start with the more normal looking Munroe AL. This bike is a little bit of everything that Bombtrack does best… mixing gravel, touring, and trail riding into one simple package. The call it an urban bike, but it could just as easily be described as a flat bar gravel bike, or a modern fully rigid 90’s mountain bike reborn.

AL urban bike – Tech details & pricing

2021 Bombtrack Munroe AL all-purpose alloy gravel city bike, front end

The multi-purpose Munroe AL is meant to be a simple commuter, with capabilities to go further. It gets a lightweight triple-butted 6061 alloy frame & matching 6061 unicrown fork, and builds in that versatility with 3-pack cage mount on the downtube, standard seattube cage mount, 3-pack anything cage mounts on the fork, rear rack mounts, plus full front & rear fender mounts.

2021 Bombtrack Munroe AL all-purpose alloy gravel city bike, driveside chainstay 2021 Bombtrack Munroe AL all-purpose alloy gravel city bike, non-driveside chain stay

It sticks with simple standards like a 68mm BSA threaded bottom bracket, 27.2mm seatpost, straight 1 1/8″ steerer, fully external cable routing, QR axles, but also gets flat mount brake tabs & internal fork dynamo routing.

2021 Bombtrack Munroe AL all-purpose alloy gravel city bike, tire clearance details

It’s designed around 650b gravel tires for the perfect balance of grip & comfort, with room for up to a 650x50mm tire or 38mm on larger diameter 700c wheels.

2021 Bombtrack Munroe AL all-purpose alloy gravel city bike, complete

Bombtrack builds the $1200 / 1000€ Munroe AL up with a 1x 8-speed MicroShift drivetrain (34T x 11-34), Shimano M200 hydraulic disc brakes, and house brand finishing kit topped off with WTB ST i21 tubeless rims & fast rolling Kenda Kwick tires for city life. A 500€ frameset is also available in limited quantities in some markets.

The bike comes in three frame sizes with 70.5° head angles, 440mm chainstays, generally a shorter & more upright riding fit, positioning the bike between Bombtrack’s fast gravel & more adventure touring bikes.

Bombtrack Munroe AL – Riding Impressions

2021 Bombtrack Munroe AL all-purpose alloy gravel city bike, forest road ride

We test rode the flatbar urban gravel Munroe AL with 47mm WTB Sendero knobbies, which really highlighted how much fun a simple bike can be. At 10.65kg (23.5lb) without pedals, it’s meant to be durable over being a lightweight.

2021 Bombtrack Munroe AL all-purpose alloy gravel city bike, 10.65kg actual weight

That said, evoking 90’s rigid mountain biking vibes, the Munroe AL is a reminder of how much fun trail riding on a quick handling by can be. And that even with these skinny 1.85″ tires, modern 27.5″ wheels just roll better than old 26″ mountain bikes used to.

2021 Bombtrack Munroe AL all-purpose alloy gravel city bike, riding

The Munroe AL isn’t going to make you get rid of your enduro bike. But if you are looking for a bike to zip around town, maybe mount a rear rack or some bikepacking bags for running errands & picking up groceries, this is a bike that will encourage you to take some shortcuts through the forest on the way, and maybe hunt out some gravel backroad on the way home.

2021 Bombtrack Munroe Cargo all-purpose alloy city bike

Back to Bombtrack’s new mixed-wheel freight bike monster, the Munroe Cargo leans a different direction in the hunt for utility. As a modern reworking of a cycle truck, Bombtrack updates the rear end with a bigger 27.5″/650b mountain bike rear wheel, while the front sticks with a 20″ wheel, yet with massive tire clearance. Along the same lines as the Munroe AL, this Munroe Cargo is built to do they daily hauling, but still fit bigger tires to head off-road to play in some dirt & gravel too.

Cargo urban bike – Tech details & pricing

2021 Bombtrack Munroe Cargo bike, all-purpose alloy freight bicycle urban gravel city cycle truck, rack (not) turning

Standout features of the Munroe Cargo bike include those mixed-size wheels – room for up to a 27.5×2.2″ tire out back and huge 20×2.5″ tire up front. The idea of course is to allow room for the low-slung, heavy duty front rack which bolts onto the side of the 30cm/foot long headtube, keeping the weight of up to a 30kg/66lb load low to maintain controllable handling without the need for an extra-long wheelbase.

2021 Bombtrack Munroe Cargo bike, all-purpose alloy freight bicycle urban gravel city cycle truck, beer crate

Is it a coincidence that a crate of German beer fits perfectly on this rack? Yeah, no… that’s by design from Bombtrack’s Cologne, Germany HQ.

2021 Bombtrack Munroe Cargo bike, all-purpose alloy freight bicycle urban gravel city cycle truck, rear end details

The Munroe Cargo frame & fork are welded from hydroformed 6061 aluminum, with a double top tube and 12mm thru-axles to manage the heavier loads this bike expects. With that big removable front rack, it doesn’t need quite as many braze-ons, but still gets a downtube bottle mount and tabs for full-coverage fenders front & rear.

It also features a 68mm threaded BB, 27.2mm seatpost, straight 1 1/8″ steerer, fully external cable routing, and split center stand to keep a heavy bike safely parked as you load & unload.

2021 Bombtrack Munroe Cargo bike, all-purpose alloy freight bicycle urban gravel city cycle truck, complete angled

Bombtrack builds the single-size $1500 / 1300€ Munroe Cargo up with a 2×9-speed MicroShift drivetrain with hill-crawling 36/22T x 11-36 gearing, Shimano M200 hydraulic disc brakes, and house brand 24mm internal double wall rims laced up with 36 spokes for heavier loads. Again Bombtrack spec’s durable semi-slick 2.2″ Kenda Kwick rear & 2.3″ Kenda Kranium tires, but knobbies open up your hauls to looser terrain, too. Plus,

Again a surprisingly affordable 530€ frameset may be available if you can get your hands on one.

Bombtrack Munroe Cargo – Riding Impressions

2021 Bombtrack Munroe Cargo bike, all-purpose alloy freight bicycle urban gravel city cycle truck, riding

We test rode the reverse mullet urban gravel Munroe Cargo bike on much less challenging terrain, but did play around with the difference in handling with a loaded or unloaded front rack. At 14.63kg (32.2lb) empty with pedals, you’ll be happy about that low gearing when it’s time to haul a full load up the hills. Sit and spin for the win…

2021 Bombtrack Munroe Cargo bike, all-purpose alloy freight bicycle urban gravel city cycle truck, 14.63kg actual weight

It is a surprisingly spry ride. I won’t get into the actual geometry, because I really don’t have any idea what I’m talking about when it comes to cargo bike geo. But unloaded, it was fun to zip around on loose gravel. And a friend took it for some inappropriately technical and long gravel & trail riding, only complaining after of his empty beer crate making a ton of noise rattling as he bounced along (and of the fact that it was empty.)

2021 Bombtrack Munroe Cargo bike, all-purpose alloy freight bicycle urban gravel city cycle truck, riding

The Munroe Cargo is definitely a stiff ride. Built (overbuilt?) to manage heavy hauling, you’d definitely want to keep pressure in these wide tires as low as possible when you aren’t carrying much. Then pump back up when you are going to load up.

Loaded, it is only slightly harder to steer, and never felt like it was going to flop over out of control. But the biggest difficulty I had was mental, getting over the idea that when you turn the bars, the rack and load keeps pointing forward. And with the tiny front wheel, the turning radius is sharp, so I had to relearn a bit, especially at slow speeds.

2021 Bombtrack Munroe Cargo bike, all-purpose alloy freight bicycle urban gravel city cycle truck, riding turning

That said, the bike is super maneuverable. And while I couldn’t really justify a full cargo bike because I don’t have space for it where I live & work in the city, I think I could manage to make room for a Munroe Cargo… and definitely would swap in some mountain bike knobbies to get it nice & muddy like an idiot over the weekend.

Bombtrack.com

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

15 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Miclaroc
Miclaroc
3 years ago

What is the design point of adding that middle “top” tube bar? Adds weight I can’t see the purpose but I know nothing about this type of bike

Eric
Eric
3 years ago

Torsional rigidity I’d imagine. The longer the headtube, the more the bike will twist and feel like a noodle.

Mark
Mark
3 years ago

Why is that handlebar so low, you don’t need be aero when carrying beers do you?

David
David
1 year ago
Reply to  Cory Benson

Swapped out the stock bar for a Jones H-Bar 710mm with 2.5″ riser and IT’S PERFECT 🙂

Marcellus | Bombtrack
3 years ago
Reply to  Mark

@Mark The production bike will come with a 50 mm longer steerer, so there quiet some space to set the handlebar up higher. Setting up the bar a bit higher will also leave more room for cargo.

Woody
Woody
3 years ago

Cool bike, shame about the x1 frame size (med) that doesn’t look like it’ll fit anyone over 5’10”? (despite what Bombtrack might list)

Marcellus | Bombtrack
3 years ago
Reply to  Woody

@Woody It is always a struggle to hit the minimum order quantities, as we aren’t a very big company. If we sell enough Munroe Cargos we will definitely add another size for next year…

jason d west
jason d west
3 years ago

Now that’s a mullet bike!

Juan
Juan
3 years ago

It’s weird. I like it.

The cargo bike, that is. Not the overwhelmingly average hybrid.

Marcellus | Bombtrack
3 years ago

@miclaroc @Eric
Cory is right, we did this to help support the extended headtube. Also I like the way it looks.

Kåre Lindberg
Kåre Lindberg
3 years ago

Ive been looking to buy at the munroe al. The purpose would be fun and bumpy rides i the forrest but also the 10km commute to work. Im 176cm apx 5ft9 and got recomended, by a friends who rides CX, to buy a size small. Cause its better to size down if you are kind of inbetween sizes.
Does anybody have recomendations for me.. small or medium?

Marco
Marco
9 months ago
Reply to  Kåre Lindberg

At 175cm I ride the M size. I changed for a shorter stem because I prefer a more direct steering feel.
I tried the S size. It was too small/low.

roadstain
3 years ago

No helmet faux pas….OMG….” you could…..have…….DIED……..” (but, thankfully didnt)

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.