I am a 63 year old experienced recreational cyclist who sometimes does sportifs. After my fixie bike broke, I needed a bike that I could ride through the winter and which was less aggressive than my 15yr old Time carbon race bike. I plan to still be riding the new bike through my 70s.
So I wanted something with relaxed geometry, modern, reliable and a bit ‘timeless’. Condor guided me towards the steel-framed Fratello disc. I matched this with a Chorus groupset (my race bike is also Campag) plus hand built alloy wheels with mudguards to cope with the rough country lanes where I live.
I did a bike fit in the shop as part of the ordering process. I was glad I did this and felt I was listened to and well advised on the set-up.
To ride, the Fratello is clearly not as lively or light as my race bike, but it zings along really comfortably and handles with a ‘solid’ quality. The groupset feels very familiar and just works. The wheels have 32mm tyres which are wider and cope noticeably better with road conditions than the 25mm I am limited to on the Time. One learning was not to try summer race tyres for winter, thorn-infested local road conditions. Obviously.
I’m really happy with the bike, it is a pleasure to ride. Many thanks to Condor. Oh, and I think it looks great.