Condor on Tour

The sun is shining and the weather is sweet; perfect for a weekend meandering through the lanes of the British Isles on your bike. Or you could take a road trip to mainland Europe and explore the many cycle friendly pathways of the France, Germany and Amsterdam.

At Condor we've got two bikes that should capture your adventurous imagination this summer.

The Fratello- our super bike. We call it super because it can do anything. Equip it for touring or a summer audax, and with mudguards for winter training or an autumn sportive. It's fast and light for commuting on, too.

"You really can walk out with something that will outlive an army of Duracell bunnies"
Awarded 9/10 by Cycling Weekly Magazine (Dec 2010)

Create your perfect Fratello using our bike builder

The Heritage- the bold big brother. Boasting the same lightweight front triangle as the Fratello but a meaty steel fork and rear stays, the Heritage is designed to go long. It has been around the world many times with our customers and doesn't want to stop. Front and rear pannier compatibility means you can carry all your worldly possessions without flinching.

"Handles beautifully and provides an incredibly comfortable yet stable ride" -- Bicycle Buyer Magazine

Condor's Heritage is a good example of a drop bar all-rounder which is more than capable of handling touring, commuting and rambling duties, all with a head-turing dash of style" -- Cycling Active Magazine

Create your perfect Heritage using our bike builder

Tricks of the trade

Cycling Weekly magazine's Simon Smythe is not adverse to the odd touring expedition, and if you need at refresh on what to take touring here's a few pointers from the man himself.

1. Pack very light clothes and if possible double up and wear clothes that are acceptable in the pub as well as on the bike. Last year my top item was the Rapha Breton sweater made of merino wool, which I wore for three days' cycling and out in the evening every night too (I don't think it smelled too bad by the end). I draw the line at wearing cycling shoes in the pub in the evenings but found some extremely lightweight Superdry pumps going cheap at TK Maxx.

2. Use SPD pedals. Racing cleats (Look, Time, SPD-SL) are hopeless for touring when you need to get off and walk around.

3. If you can fit your stuff into a saddlebag like the Carradice Nelson Longflap, rather than fitting two capacious panners, it will give you, a great excuse to buy a Brooks saddle with bag loops to hang it from, but will also force you to travel light. You don't have to fit an rack with one of these, and they also look wonderfully old school!

4. Make sure you have low enough gears - when you're carrying luggage (even if you're travelling light) you have to spin up hills rather than stomp up them. So 34x25 is a minimum if you're going anywhere with a gradient. Last year two of my companions had ‘big' rings with 45 teeth!

5. Carrying a tent spoils it. Then your bike is too heavy to be any fun at all. Stay in a chintzy B&B and get a proper night's sleep (and a full English next morning).