February 2010

Love Velo providing luxury cycling escapes for fans of cycling who want to get out of th city and off the beaten track. The aim of each escape is to mix luxury with a passion for cycling with 'apres cycling'. You will be treated to amazing riding, a luxury villa, a dedicated chef to cook great food and a masseuse.

Condor Cycles is a brand partner of Love Velo and if it's relaxing comfort and an unforgettable experience you require, we think your in good hands.
For more information visit http://www.lovevelo.co.uk/

As Rapha usher in the fabulous Spring Summer 2010 (elements have already begun to filter onto the shelves at Condor Cycles), it is time to bid farewell to the winter range.

Rapha 2009 Stowayway -"Windproof, water resistant and extremely breathable, this three-season cycling jacket is ideal for riding in changeable conditions." RRP £165 reduced to £148.50

Rapha Bomber Jacket - "The Bomber Jacket combines urban style with innovative performance features. Constructed from a variety of technical fabrics, it is versatile enough for both commuting and longer rides." RRP £210 reduced to £189

Rapha Winter Jersey - "designed to keep you cycling through the worst of the winter. Made from a heavy duty insulating Sportwool, it is the ideal mid- or outer layer for cold bike journeys." RRP £140 reduced to £126

Shimano made just 50 special edition carbon chainsets available to the UK market of which, Condor has 10.

Priced at £699.99,it is fair to say they aren't on the cheap side but here's our low down on why they are so special.

When Shimano do something they don't do it by halves! Just like their carbon chainset and they weren't quick to follow suit of Sram and Campagnolo. Instead opting to do do it their way, test, test and test again. You know when they launch a product it will have been ridden at the highest level for a good while. A sign they were getting close was that they gave their cranks to a few higher profile teams for use and abuse by select well known riders, Michael Boogerd had been spotted racing using this new chainset.

When Shimano comes out with a new part, it's aim is to have a product that is better than the component it replaces. It must perform at the highest level under the highest stresses and strains and still come back for more, day in day out. The new carbon chainset looks much the same as the aluminium chainset, almost as though they just wrapped a layer of carbon over the top, this is not so. Shimano's Dura Ace FC-7800C is built around an aluminum core. The spider, start of crankarm, and pedal thread area all have aluminum inside, as does the left arm's pedal thread and axle clamping area. In testing Shimano found this maximised the strength to weight ratio and also helped maintain the rigidity they demand while still decreasing weight. The right hand crank is bonded to a steel billet spindle, the steel spindle has been found to be lighter and stiffer than aluminium options.

The hollow spindle fitted into the driveside of the Hollowtech II crankarm rotates in the new external Hollowtech II cups, with little or no flex or loss of power. Weight for the complete chainset and bottom bracket is a svelte 709g, the chainset on its own comes in at 609g. Even with this weight loss the end result is a chainset that is a full 10% stiffer than the aluminium version, which was already well known for its exeptional stiffness. The left crank arm features the same installation technology as current Shimano XTR to save some weight and to make installation even easier.

The anodized black chainrings are CNC-machined and are unique to this crank. The rings receive a lot of sculpting and machining away of any unnecassary metal, this reduces weight and asthetically enhances the lines of the cranks themselves

New products arrived in-store this week and celebrate the transition from bleak Winter to the start of Spring. Hurrah!

The latest ranges in store include the eagerly-anticipated Rapha SS 2010 range, new ranges from Mavic, Lezyne and new Chamois Butt'r cream.

Rapha Spring/Summer 2010

The new range from Rapha is seeping into store. The full range of 2010 Country Jerseys and Stowaway Jackets are on the shelves, plus the new Rapha Gilet featuring a mesh panel on the back for improved cooling.

Lezyne

Lezyne USA specialise in producing quality hand pumps, multi tools, tyre repair kits, and hydration packs. Although new on the scene, their mission statement is to create accessories that are exquisitely designed, intelligently-engineered, and functionally complete.
The latest product to arrive on the shopfloor is the Lezyne Alloy Floor Drive (£54.99 and the Classic Floor Drive (£44.99).

The Alloy Floor Drive is available in a range of colours including blue, red and gold. Each pump features a CNC machined aluminium barrel, foot and steel piston, with a varnished wood handle to finish it off.

Brompton
As one of London's premium Brompton dealers, Condor are proud to offer the complete range of models in store. For those requiring a Brompton tailored to specific needs or a specific colour choice, a custom Brompton can be ordered through Condor Cycles.

New stock of Bromptons is now in store, available for test, folded neatly in the bicycle showroom

Chamois Butt'r

For more on the world of Chamois Butt'r, visit their blog.

There are more products to come this Spring - we'll keep you updated!

Funnily enough 'Hell' was also supported by Condor Cycles - we attended the tough sportive offering free mechanical assistance and free Mule Bar energy food.

Just installed a new window display at Condor Cycles. The window features the new Globe Roll 2 at £599.99 (pictured) and the Globe Live 1 at £449.99

The idea behind the new Globe series from Specialized is that the range has been developed to have a unique ability to become an extension of people’s lifestyles and personal tastes, rather than simply a piece of sporting equipment. The bikes are inspired by and designed for urban cyclists, commuters, city dwellers, the progressively minded and the eco-conscious.

The Globe Roll 2 features Reynolds 520 Cr-Mo frame with custom-cast track dropouts and brake drilling, a Globe custom-lugged Cr-Mo fork with integrated drop outs, and a 1" threadless headset with sealed loose ball bearings. The handlebars are white with an integrated combo 1" steer at 450mm wide.

The full Globe 2010 bike range is in stock now at Condor Cycles.

Pictured is the calm before the storm! Hoards are expected to descent upon the doors of Condor for the Rapha Sample Sale later this evening.

The sale will commence at 5pm Friday 12th Feb til 7:30pm, kicking off again at 10am on Saturday...

Buh-Bump electrode cream has arrived in store and Condor Cycles has sample sachets available at the till area for our customers to try.

It all comes down to getting the best reception possible. Reception is key to heart rate training. Nothing is more frustrating to a HRM user than watching their heart rate appear one second and disappear the next. And that is where Buh-Bump comes in...

Buh-Bump is a heart rate monitor cream which is highly conductive and designed specifically for use with heart rate monitors. It is formulated to produce a superior connection between the skin and the electrodes on the heart rate strap

It's great for those cooler days when the body doesn't sweat as much and connectivity can be lost. It also saves you splashing cold water on the body and sending a few shivers down your spine.

For sportive and local road racers - it's great for cold early starts that lack a source of water. No more spitting on the strap!

We went out to Malaga at the beginning of the week to join the twelve man squad on their pre season training camp. Our aim was to grab some shots of the new team bike and get feedback from the riders.

Gerard Brown captured the images and you can read more about the team in Malaga over on the Rapha Condor Sharp blog