genisis equlibrium vs condor fratello

bgroovers

I am looking to get a do it all steel framed road bike that will be fun to ride, that can eat the miles and then also tour on with a BOB yak trailer or similar. I am buying on the cycle to work scheme and have narrowed the choice down to the genisis equlibrium & condor fratello.
The condor is more bespoke and i can order it with sram rival or 105 and upgrade the wheels and choose the finishing kit (although id keep it cheap as already spending too much...)
The Genisis is off the shelf but gets great reviews and indeed looks very wheel made and finshed.
genisis equlibrium is £999 with 105 the condor fratello about £1300-1400.
Any ideas or comment or other bikes suggested?

Also looking for a similar bike for my wife but can be lower spec gears to save money sora/tiagra... But again id prefer a steel frame but kind find one at this price bracket only Aliminium.

tenor

i can't speak for the Genesis, but recently bought a Fratello and found the whole buying experience really good. To begin with, Condor have a fitting jig and spend time with you to get all the contact points in exactly the right relationship. Then you can choose from a wide range of kit to get the bike you want. I opted to included some parts that I already had and this was no problem for Condor. They could not have been more helpful.

CTank

The Genesis looks like an excellent value package for £999, it would certainly be on my list.

However, and if you can afford it, there is a lot to be said for spec'ing your bike from scratch, particularly if you have preferred kit you like to use. I have a 2010 Tempo (fixed gear version of Fratello) and knew what tyres and saddle I wanted. I was able to include these in the purchase price, reducing duplication of items.

I didn't find the fitting especially useful, and I've just swapped the bars for a bigger set I already had. Also, the disadvantage of designing your own bike is the inevitable budget creep. My Tempo came in at nearly £1200!

You may decide you 'need' the Condor (perfectly understandable). But the Genesis is probably slightly better value, IMO.

TheStone

Can't speak for the Genesis, but I got a Fratello frame and built it up with an old groupset
and some second hand wheels.

Can highly recommend. Using it mostly for commuting/training, but planning a few longer
tours this year.

Medders

@ OP - made any progress with this choice?

I am agonising over exactly the same decision atm.

have tested (briefly) the genesis and it was lovely. But heart says condor for cache of the brand and ability to max/match components (I have my own wheels and saddle and want carbon seat post) which the off-the-peg genesis wont give. But head says genesis as its £1k and the condor is going to come in at about £1.4k.

Off to condor this afternoon to ask them to help me with the decision....

csmuk1

i've got a genesis equilibrium, bought it on cycle to work scheme, and it is a lovely bike to ride, however, it's built for the price point - the wheels are a little heavy, and the paintwork is not that impressive (mine came chipped and the paint flakes easily). The frame is reasonable, and as stiff as the reviews have said. The one thing to consider is that you may not be allowed to exceed the £1000 limit for the cyclescheme.

crispyd72

Just picked up my new Equilibrium and so far it's a great bike.

But your main problem is finding one, I ordered one and they couldn't get one, so phoned all of the genesis bike shops and found one (they only had one size which was right).

Before I found the bike, I e-mailed Genesis, basically they have new bikes coming in July but unfortunately they are changing the spec. For £975 they are offering a bike with lower spec gearing and then offering a bike with better wheels and 105 for about 1200.

So you may have missed the boat, but obviously the Frame only price was pretty cheap so maybe worth considering.