Condor Fratello Disc Thru Axle frameset

The Condor Fratello Disc Thru-Axle frameset manages to keep hold of that traditional look and feel of a winter/fast audax/commuter/year-round mile-muncher bike while having been adapted to the demands of the modern roadie. The steel frame and carbon fork pairing give an exceptional ride quality and you get some impressive tyre clearances with mudguards. It's an absolute looker too.

The Fratello has been in Condor's catalogue for over a decade with rim brakes, and while that model is still available – as is the post-mount disc option – this latest thru-axle version brings everything bang up to date.

> Buy this online here

While many of the big manufacturers are equipping their gravel and adventure bikes with mounts to take mudguards and a rack, to create a 'jack-of-all-trades', if you don't really stray away from the tarmac or race then the Fratello is really all the bike you are going to need.

Ride

At its heart is a custom drawn Columbus Spirit triple-butted steel frame and the ride quality is excellent. You can pump your tyres up hard, have a firm saddle, a stiff, narrow handlebar, and whatever you want to throw in its way, the quality of the steel tubing will override it.

The frame is actually on the firm side, but the way it just seems to absorb the majority of road buzz without any feeling of harshness whatsoever means it is a very pleasant place to be.

Condor's designers seem to have nailed any compromises should you want to do a load of different styles of riding, too. It's stiff enough and fun if you want to get out for a spirited blast of an hour or so, but should you want to stay out much longer you get that comfort without the bike ever feeling soft or like you are sacrificing performance.

The geometry means the Fratello is no slouch either. The Condor has very similar measurements to an endurance style bike, with a stack to reach ratio of just under 1.55, which means your overall position isn't too aggressive. But the front end does have a 73.5-degree head angle paired to a fork offset of 45mm, which is sportier than most bikes of its ilk. This makes the Fratello fun in the bends; it's a sweet-handling machine.

It's probably still the way now, but back in the mid-noughties when I was racing, it was best to have your winter/training/commuting bike set up pretty much to the same position of your race bike. That way, when you climbed on your race machine everything felt totally normal, just a lot lighter.

That is exactly what the Condor allows you to do. It rides like a race bike, but it's a bit heavier, and can take full mudguards with 32mm tyres.

The added weight actually gives the Condor a very confident feel on the road – it doesn't skip about on broken tarmac and you can really chuck it down a technical descent. There is loads of feedback coming through from the tyres, and you can really let the bike go into the corners.

Our test model came fitted with a set of Mavic Ksyrium wheels but I swapped them out for some Hunt 48 Limitless Aeros and slammed the stem for a couple of rides. That shed some weight and got me into a much lower position at the front, and to say it completely transformed the bike would be an understatement.

I was riding this thing like a loon, racing hard into bends and using as much of the road as possible before powering out the other side. The steering is on the fun side of neutral, which means it has the speed there to get you into and back out of trouble quickly without ever really becoming a handful.

This easy-to-live-with handling makes it well mannered when you aren't trying to smash every KOM going, and long-distance rides are a pleasure.

The steering also means it's easy to control in poor weather. I ventured out a few times in the wet, once in the first rain we'd had in weeks, which had made the roads greasy and pretty treacherous. The Fratello was sliding about a bit in the bends but it never felt nervous or twitchy, which is exactly what you want if you are going to be pressing this bike into winter trainer, year-round commuter service.

The only slight downside to the weight is that it blunts the acceleration a touch and takes the edge off climbing. With the Hunt wheels fitted, the Fratello came in at around 9.3kg including pedals, so it's not exactly a heavyweight, and while it can be noticeable on really steep climbs it is still a responsive machine when the road starts to head skyward.

Frame and fork

As I mentioned earlier, the Fratello uses Columbus Spirit tubing which has been custom drawn to Condor's spec. Some are triple-butted, which means the tube walls have three different thicknesses along their length. This is a way of altering the ride feel by promoting flex in the middle of the tube for comfort while having more material at either end where strength is needed at the welding area.

Speaking of welds, the Fratello frames are handmade in Italy and the finish quality is absolutely stunning, really highlighted by the beautiful paint job. I'm a big fan of this Stone Blue but there are others available too, like Agate Grey and Black on Black.

Those white decals and the logos are all reflective, which is a neat little detail.

Condor has kept a traditional look to the frame by keeping a straight-through 1 1/8in head tube, whereas most bikes these days, including steel ones, tend to go tapered to not only improve stiffness but also to increase the weld area for a large diameter down tube.

Condor hasn't needed to do this as it has kept the majority of the tubes quite slender without sacrificing overall stiffness.

The bottom bracket has remained 'old school' too, with a threaded setup for external bearing cups.

When it comes to running cables and hoses around the frame, the Fratello has been future-proofed. The rear brake hose goes internally through the down tube until it reaches the bottom bracket, but the gear cables are run externally.

They are positioned underneath the down tube, directed by an alloy cable guide which is bolted into the underside of the frame. If you were to use an electronic system and didn't need it, you can just remove it and you aren't left with any redundant bosses for a nice clean look.

The carbon fork runs the brake hose internally and Condor has also thought to offer a port on the right leg for a dynamo light cable – clever thinking.

There are mounts for full length mudguards and Condor has left the seatstay and chainstay bridges in situ to allow for a standard fitment. A rear rack is also catered for.

At the front, the positioning of the disc and calliper means Condor has sat the mudguard eyelets further up the inside of the fork legs. A lot of brands do this so it's not a big deal, but it means you will have to fettle the mudguard stays a bit to get them to fit – should you fit them yourself after you've bought the bike (Condor will fit them for you if you want).

Tyre clearance is pretty impressive for this style of bike, 32mm front and rear with full guards fitted.

When it comes to weight, a painted 55cm frame tips the scales at 1,960g with the fork at 415g. Available sizes are 46cm through to 64cm.

Finishing kit

We have one of Condor's demo fleet bikes here on test, and it comes with a mechanical Shimano Ultegra R8000 groupset with hydraulic discs, Mavic Ksyrium Elite UST wheels, Deda/Condor finishing kit and a Selle Italia saddle.

Condor doesn't really do 'off the peg', so you can by the Fratello Disc as a frameset only and build it up yourself or use Condor's online bike builder to create the spec list of your dreams and/or budget.

There's a massive selection of components to choose from and you can build your frame around a Shimano Sora groupset or go to the other end of the spectrum with one of SRAM's top-end eTap systems.

Condor is also keen to get everything set up spot on for you, so a bike fitting is included with all new bike or frame purchases.

Value

The Fratello Disc Thru Axle frameset – which includes frame, fork, headset, seat clamp and headset spacers – will set you back £1,199.99; you can add a Condor Strada Carbon Seatpost for an extra £39.99.

That's competitive when you take into account the tubing used and the overall quality of the workmanship seen throughout the frameset.

> Buyer’s Guide: 23 of the best steel road bikes and frames

It's the same price as one of my favourite bikes of all time, the Fairlight Strael 2.0. It uses a mixture of 853/725/631 Reynolds steel tubing in the frame and comes with a full carbon fork. The Condor actually wins out on tyre clearance, as the Strael can take 28mm with guards and 30mm without but it's pretty close. The Strael 2.0 is a beautiful bike to ride and I'd say the Condor Fratello Disc is right up there with it.

Mason's Resolution steel frame is handmade in Italy and again I can see a lot of similarities in ride quality between it and the Condor. The Resolution is beautifully finished and shows a high level of attention to detail, although you do pay for it as a frameset costs £1,595.

Conclusion

I love the way Condor has achieved the style of what is a traditional looking all-year-round road bike while bringing it bang up to date to accept things like wider tyres and the inclusion of flat mounts and thru-axles.

More importantly, though, it has delivered a bike that is just so much fun to ride – it is truly a stunning machine at an affordable price.

Verdict

Beautifully crafted frameset that delivers an awesome ride feel along with the stunning looks