CONDOR FRATELLO DISC
£2499.99 British steel for home-grown weather
Condor’s shop has served London for 70 years, embracing plenty of changes: aluminium, carbon, gear expansion… The constant is steel frames. It’s why Condor’s growth from ‘local’ shop into a global brand is based not only on carbon, but also a wide range of steel from simple tubes to swanky stainless.
The popular Fratello is at the upper middle of the range with high-grade Columbus Spirit tubing (all Condor frames are UK designed and Italian made) (1). The tubes are custom-shaped to Condor’s design input and triple-butted (butted means a constant outside diameter but changeable internally where it’s thicker at the ends and thinner towards the centre; triple butted means three wall thicknesses in the length). This saves weight, adds a bit of ‘life’ yet keeps strength where it’s needed.
This latest Fratello brings the classic up-todate with minimal flat-mount discs, 12mm thru-axle compatibility (2), internal routing for the rear brake and Di2, plus removable mounts
range so has a 588mm stack and 381mm reach paired with steep 73.5-degree head/seat angles. The ride position is back-friendly yet the handling is quick. It’s just so well balanced.
The drivetrain uses a pro-compact 52/36 chainset and hill-friendly 11-32 cassette, giving you top end for pushing the pace and a low end to grind up ascents. Campagnolo’s shifting is great. Compared to Shimano or SRAM, it has a much more positive (and vocal) click to the shift button; the positive sweep of the lever moving up a single cog or multi-shifting has a lovely tactile appeal.
The TRP Spyres work well, though they don’t match the progressive feel you get from SRAM hydraulics (as on the Kinesis) or Shimano Ultegra discs (Ribble). They do feel close to the rim brakes on the Tifosi in the dry, but the Spyres work better in adverse conditions.
Campagnolo Zonda wheels are a cut above average mid-range disc wheels. The 1675g weight is good for the price and they roll superbly on ultra-smooth hubs. The Continental GT tyres are produced in the Far East rather than in Germany like the high-end offerings, but the rubber recipe is similar and they perform brilliantly – supple, compliant, fast yet steadfast on wet roads.
SKS’s Bluemels ’guards are constructed with a thin aluminium core reinforcing a full plastic fender. Here, it’s the longboard version with a protective tip on the front and rigid rubberised flaps front and back. They work well. Similar to the Flinger F25 Deluxe on the Tifosi, they’re designed to pop open under load and prevent ejection over the bar thanks to safety fittings that bracket-bolt to the frame. It’s a neat idea but some bolts loosened during testing so I’d recommend a little thread-lock.
The Selle Italia Flite saddle is superb and the prominent texturing on the cover means plenty of grip when wet. The bar has Deda’s RHM (rapid hand movement) drop. The semishallow drop works well with Campagnolo, though I’d like a wider bar than the 42cm (outside to outside) one. I prefer a 44cm bar – a change Condor will make when asked.
Overall, the Fratello looks superb and rides beautifully. The downside is that value for money isn’t great. At £2500, I’d expect hydraulic brakes.
On the road, the Fratello’s a joy; its svelte tubes and slender fork provide a lively feel that flows nicely over rougher surfaces