Condor Bikes.

Dandelionclock30

Do people think they are overpriced or worth the extra?
From what I've seen they seem to charge hundreds of pounds more than other companies selling comparable bikes. How come they are so expensive is it because they are a trendy label?

jonny_trousers

Dandelionclock30 wrote:

Do people think they are overpriced or worth the extra?
From what I've seen they seem to charge hundreds of pounds more than other companies selling comparable bikes. How come they are so expensive is it because they are a trendy label?

I think there is a trendy thing, possibly to do with the Rapha connection. I also think they've been quite clever to cultivate a kind of British/Italian exclusivity, even though I don't know how special that actually is.

I've owned a couple if Condors in the past, and I've coveted others, but I have come around to agreeing with you: they're good bikes, but are priced higher than they perhaps deserve.

ugo.santalucia

Second hand Condor sell well, second hand Planet X don't... it's a bit like buying a Mini... yes, it is overpriced, but it is a nice car and it retains its value better than a Dacia Sandero or a Fiat Punto

drlodge

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

I think there is a trendy thing, possibly to do with the Rapha connection. I also think they've been quite clever to cultivate a kind of British/Italian exclusivity, even though I don't know how special that actually is.

I've owned a couple if Condors in the past, and I've coveted others, but I have come around to agreeing with you: they're good bikes, but are priced higher than they perhaps deserve.

I'd go along with that. I have an old Condor, built back in the days when they were hand built, in the UK. I do like some of their paint jobs but I would never buy from then again. Next bike will probably be a WyndyMilla (Surrey based, Italian built)

rank_amateur

Hmm, and there's me travelling from Brum to the shop, either tomorrow or on Saturday, with a view to starting the ball rolling on getting an Acciaio frame in a custom colour.....
To be honest, I'm still going to go - it looks brilliant and I've no doubt it will be as much bike as I could ever do justice to.
I'll be interested to see how this thread goes though.
Cheers.

Dandelionclock30

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Second hand Condor sell well, second hand Planet X don't... it's a bit like buying a Mini... yes, it is overpriced, but it is a nice car and it retains its value better than a Dacia Sandero or a Fiat Punto

I suppose everyone is different regarding selling/keeping bikes. When I get a bike I like to think I'm going to have it for a long time like 10 years or so. I dont think about the resale value.

iPete

Genuine question, who sells comparable bikes?

menthel

The service is superb. I have an Italia and whilst being one of their more basic models it really is a well built bike. The after sales is also brilliant. I took it in to be refitted after riding for nearly a year and spent 1 1/2 hours with them to get my position sorted. This included shims for my shoes (I was charged £3 for the shims used rather than the whole packet) and my stem was swapped free of charge, despite being nearly a year old. For this service I was charged absolutely nothing. I then took in my commuting bike (not a condor) and had this fitted to the same position as the Italia. No new bits needed but still 45 minutes of time with one of their staff. This, again, cost nothing.

It all depends on what you value really, but for me I will buy another Condor quite happily knowing that I have their expertise available to me when required. And the bikes are bloody gorgeous. And some models can be custom painted for between £100-300 extra.

mikenetic

Some people will really appreciate the end to end package, other people may be more comfortable with shopping around and building a comparable bike for substantially less. Personally, I think the more you know about bikes, the less you're likely to use them. That's not because Condor are bad, far from it, but because of the way their brand is positioned.

Let's just say that their pricing reflects a perceived "premium" experience, and leave it at that.

mikenetic

iPete wrote:

Genuine question, who sells comparable bikes?

Which particular bikes in the Condor range are you referring to? There probably isn't one that matches them bike for bike, but plenty who cover areas of their offer.

Dandelionclock30

As one example I was thinking about the Italia and how expensive it was for an aluminum frame and carbon forks at £499. Obviously you are then going to have to get the rest of the kit seperatley and a basic build would be around a grand to about 1200.
Whats that Frame and forks got that justifies that price? Cannondale are supposed to have about the best aluimium frames out there and you can definatley get a nice aluminum framed carbon forked whole bike for way less than a grand.
I'm not knocking the product as I've never ridden one and they look nice but I just think they are very expensive and that you can get something as nice, elcewhere at a more reasonable price.

bmxboy10

Not looked at the CF offerings but I think their steel bikes are fairly priced compared to other off the peg frames.

ugo.santalucia

They don't look overly expensive to me... to be honest... you can buy cheaper from the Discount mega store and from the man in China, but otherwise not...

bmxboy10

The SA is about £300 cheaper than an enigma elite and I think the SA is a nicer bike both visually and from a design perspective. The only comparable product really is something from genesis but I would rather pay 10% more and have a condor and the condor experience that everyone talks about. Where the bikes get expensive is if you go down the custom route but even then they are still comparable with frame builder prices IMO.

menthel

Dandelionclock30 wrote:

As one example I was thinking about the Italia and how expensive it was for an aluminum frame and carbon forks at £499. Obviously you are then going to have to get the rest of the kit seperatley and a basic build would be around a grand to about 1200.
Whats that Frame and forks got that justifies that price? Cannondale are supposed to have about the best aluimium frames out there and you can definatley get a nice aluminum framed carbon forked whole bike for way less than a grand.
I'm not knocking the product as I've never ridden one and they look nice but I just think they are very expensive and that you can get something as nice, elcewhere at a more reasonable price.

The Italia is a nice frame. For alloy it is very comfy, well built and can do a bit of everything. It's light enough to be fast and fun but will take a rack and mudguards for winter/audax/light touring. It is a more comfy bike than my 00. Don't forget that frame quality and ride is not necessarily only a function of what it is made from.

I am planning my next bike and I think it may be a baracchi. I will, however, try out some other bikes first- I may take a trip to pearsons.

e17blade

I haven't got a Condor bike, but I work round the corner from the shop in Clerkenwell, and for a while recently they had an absolutely stunning blue Acciaio Stainless in the window.

Every single day I used to stop at the window for a minute and stare longingly at it. Sigh. And walk on.

I'm not sure whether it would be worth the money or not - compared to other bikes - but I don't think you would ever regret owning something like that.

This may or may not be helpful to you Danelionclock30, but there you go.

bmxboy10

isn't that a £3k frameset? Now that is dear when you can get a custom 953 for £1800 :shock:

menthel

solboy10 wrote:

isn't that a £3k frameset? Now that is dear when you can get a custom 953 for £1800 :shock:

It's £2800 for Columbus xcr, custom fit and geometry, custom paint, forks and Chris king headset. Once all the extra bits are included then it's still probably a couple of hundred more expensive but still not directly comparable to the 953 frames out there. It all depends on what you want and what you value! How much is a colnago frame of any sort?

overgeared

I used to buy Condor frames - way I saw it they were more or less equal on price to the premium offerings from the more ubiquitous (boring) manufacturers favoured by people new to cycling such as Trek, Giant etc - but had some pedigree and British heritage. what really matters in cycling through? performance. if that's important to you then why would you buy a standard frameset over and aero one? you wouldn't. do Condor make aero frames? no. which is why I no longer buy them.

bmxboy10

menthel wrote:

solboy10 wrote:

isn't that a £3k frameset? Now that is dear when you can get a custom 953 for £1800 :shock:

It's £2800 for Columbus xcr, custom fit and geometry, custom paint, forks and Chris king headset. Once all the extra bits are included then it's still probably a couple of hundred more expensive but still not directly comparable to the 953 frames out there. It all depends on what you want and what you value! How much is a colnago frame of any sort?

All of which can be had from Rourke for a grand less hence my point. Xcr is no better or worse than 953.

jamie4759

Hello. I have the Legerro and it is a class act. Far nicer than the boring offerings from some High Street brands. The bike is very elegant and handmade in Italy. I also have a steel fixed gear bike which is very good. Perfect for winter rides and commuting. Condor Bikes seem very well made and it is a class shop with a great reputation as a Campagnolo servicing shop. My carbon bike is very nice to ride. I agree with Paolo that the bikes do not seem overpriced to me. As for Wyndymilla, it may be that they are made by the same people that make Condors. Not sure though. Any views? As for Rourke, I had a Rourke once and the sizing was too big (IMHO). Nicely made though.

marcusjb

Great service, great people, great bikes.

Just ordered another frameset from them, they are no more expensive than other decent framesets out there.