July 2010

Last night Rapha unveiled the latest incarnation of their cycling apparel and performance roadwear. Condor is the exclusive stockist in London of the Rapha range and we got to take a look at the eighty new products dedicated to winter riding.

Available in store from the 1st of September, there will be 23 new products, a range for deep winter riding, including leg warmers and oversocks. City riding range has been expanded and there are three key items for women that sit in the training and racing category.

We've picked out some of our own product highlights that we'll look forward to welcoming into the Condor store through the cooler months.

Belinda and Claire - "It has to be the women's classic softshell jacket. Its a top selling peice."
Claire wore the men's jacket throughout her cyclo cross season and on training rides in Belgium but had to combine it with the winter collar to stop the chilling air getting down the neck. The new women's verions has all the same features and style but have been refitted and cut.
Classic softshell - £240, black

Ben - "Oversocks!"
Stylish, white and really just for keeping your shoes looking gleaming through the muckiest of weather.
"I also like the refresh of the long sleeve jerseys, cream, teal and black colourways they are a staple for the autumn and spring wardrobe."
Oversocks - £25, black, white
Long sleeve jersey - £130, deep, deep blue, grey

The City Riding range caught the eye of clothing buyers Tom and Karl. The range introduces flashes of high viz pink to the garments. Its subtle detail but great for the rider who needs to be seen.
"The Breton Sweater has a traditional style and is very soft"
Breton sweater - £130, Navy,
Long Sleeve Merino Polo - £90, navy, black
Merino Jersey - £95, deep red, black

Most of the Racing and Training range will be available in store in September while the City Riding Range will join the Gray's Inn Road store in October.

Monty Young, the founder of Condor Cycles, London, celebrated his eightieth birthday earlier this month. 1948 was a very different landscape with a city still partly in ruins with bomb sites around every street corner. To save on petrol imports all non essential 'pleasure motoring' had been forbidden.

That summer the Australians were in England for the first post-war Ashes series. At the end of July, however, all other sports were eclipsed by the London Olympic Games, which took place during scorching summer weather. At the Herne Hill stadium, four cycling gold medals would be awarded, and all English hopes were on Reg Harris, the reigning world amateur sprint champion. Reg went on to win several more world championships, but in 1948 he had to settle for a silver medal, beaten by eighteen-year old Italian, Mario Ghella.

Just a few months before the Games took place, an east London teenager had left his job as a cabinet-maker and had tentatively entered the bike trade, little knowing that he was embarking on a fifty-year career which would place him at the centre of British cycling.

Condor grew fast in the early years and these were exciting days in the Condor shop, developing a range of top-class lightweight frames and seeing them race at weekends. Frames were priced from £15 to £20, and if there was £50 in the till at closing it was reckoned to be a good day. Other bikes besides their own were sold - lightweight from Hobbs of Barbican and Holdsworth, and roadsters from Hercules. As well as the frames themselves, it was Condor wheels which rapidly became famous for their build quality.

Monty convinced The Council for Industrial Design to test and examine his wheels in the late 1950s. The Council published an impressive report that a hand-built Condor wheel weighing less than two pounds had sustained an axle load of 1200lbs before distorting.

Monty was conscious that he was doing more than running a shop; he was building a specialist business in a crowded field, which demanded ideas and commitment that would spread the Condor name among serious cyclists. He became directly involved in racing. From the mid fifties onwards he was out most weekends with the Condor van helping at road races around London.

Many of the riders at these races became his customers and it was from this pool of riders that the Condor racing team would be formed in 1959.

From the Condor Mackleson team to sponsoring a young Bradley Wiggins; Phil Liggett to neutral service at the Milk Race; National Champions in the sixties and new millenium; Olympics road races, Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton and World Champions on Condor now and then.

But to summarise - happy birthday Monty.

Thursday, 22nd July saw the first closed road sanctioned Urban Hill Climb. The weather came out to play in the early afternoon, turning the roads from dry and predictably grippy to wet and slippy. It wasn't just power and fitness that was required with an oily trail and wet leaves on the climb riders needed to choose their tyre pressure, racing line and position on the bike very wisely.

The winning time was 1 minute 32 and the shock of the night was under 16 youth rider Germaine Burton landing a super fast time of 1 minute 34 and taking 2nd place.
The staff at Condor came out to watch with four taking part. Click read more to see them in action and read their thoughts.

Name - Julian C., Stock Fulfilment
Bike ridden - Condor Leggero with 7900 Dura-Ace
Gearing on the steep section - 52-25t
Time - 1 min 59 secs
Three words about the event - adrenalin, accelaratin', crowd explodin'
Comments - Longest half mile of my life.

Name - Ben S., Designer
Bike ridden - Condor Leggero with 7900 Dura-Ace and carbon deep sections
Gearing on the steep section - 39-17t
Time - 1 min 57 secs
Three words about the event - slippery, steep, slow
Comments - A shallow gradient allows you to start you ride with gusto -even rolling away in the big ring! Within about 1min you reach a false flat where most riders made a cheeky down-shift into the little ring before attacking/grovelling up the second, much steeper section of the course. Gear selection was critical here as it had rained at the start and the road was greasy and slippery which robbed many competitors of their speed/momentum as they started to wheel-spin. I tried (will limited success) to keep as much as possible in the tank, so as to make my effort on the steeper part but in the end it was everything I could do just top get to the top.
The finish was the other side of a speed bump at the top and I actually thought I wasn't going to get over this little hump!

Name - Sammy S., Bike Fitter
Bike ridden - Condor Tempo
Gearing on steep section - I rode it fixed, 44x20 which on my 165mm cranks and 23c tyres is a 57" gear. I like to spin!
Time - 2 min 11 secs
Three words about the event - wet, wheelspin, wicked
Comments - Great event. I had an early start time and it was really wet. I think I went a bit fast off the line, span up to the right hander where it gets a lot steeper, felt burnt out and then I knew it was going to be a drag! The crowd was incredible, my lungs were burning but as they cheered me on, my legs found more energy and created 120psi of wheel spin! I managed to get slightly out of the saddle for the last heave over the line for a deserved San Miguel!

Name - Claire B, Brand Manager and winner of women's category
Bike ridden - Look 555 with 7800 Dura-Ace
Gearing on steep section - 39-23t
Time - 2 min 8 secs
Three words about the event - short, sharp, pain
Comments - It took me about 10 minutes to get my breathing back to normal. That was crazy. All I could hear was a volume of noise as I went up the steep section.

There are more great pictures on Big Steev and Andy Waterman's Flickr.
The event was run and organised by Rollapaluza and Simon Warren. For more info and a report about the nights event visit http://www.urbanhillclimb.com/.

To find out more about the Swaines Lane climb and other tough ascents around the UK pick up a copy of Simon Warren's 100 Greatest Hill Climbs, available from Condor Cycles for £8.99.

Rapha Condor club member Charlie Pearch completed the Etape at the weekend. He pens his thoughts ahead of today's tortuous Tourmalet.

Photo © Roberto Bettini

"So today is the day, the cannons are loaded, the anger in the young gun Schleck is primed, and the Gods appear to be on his side, for the heavens opened overnight and as I sit in the shadow of the Pyrenees I look south, coffee and croissant in hand looking at a grey, cold wet day. Surely this will give Alberto the shivers and suit the youngster from the north better? Who knows."

Who is the better climber we ask? Ten seconds for Schleck at Avoriaz, ten for Contador at Mende. Contador - in my irrelevant opinion - committed an act as ungentlemanly as can be. Even in the uncouth world of soccer both teams stop for an injured player and the ball is thrown back to the opposition, so whilst Contador gained 39 seconds to wear yellow, surely he lost all popular support, and now that support will sit on the edge of its seat to will the 25 year old up the most mythical of Pyrenean mountains, to vanquish the Spaniard with two years on him.

Today its all about history: 100th anniversary of the Pyrennees, the spirits of Frederico Bahamontes, Richard Virenque, Jean Robic, Lucian van Impe, Julio Jimenez, Ottavio Botteccia, and let's not forget our very own Robert Millar who crested 9 Pyrenean Cols ahead of the rest will resound in the swirling mist today. There will be talk of Merckx of course for on 15th July 1969 on the Tourmalet he invented "Merckxisme", and started an era of crushing all opposition. But I prefer to think of a man of the Tour. To me the French grimpeur, Jean-Pierre Danguillaume, is to the Tourmalet as Eros Poli is to Mt. Ventoux. For he in 1974 won two Etapes that went over the Tourmalet that year and indeed he is the only person - before today - to have won on the summit of the Tourmalet (from the Bareges side).

So as you all sit transfixed to your TVs later I pen this as a little aide memoire for you all. Enjoy....
From Argeles-Agozt to Luz-Saint Sauveur the road will look flat on your TV. Let me assure you that it is not, but here the riders will fly up to 710m at the 155.4km mark, they will eat, take on liquid and think of nothing else but the next 18 kms.
At Luz-Saint Sauveur, the cafes will empty and crowds 5 deep will shout at the leaders as they whiz through the town. The road is straight and out of Luz is a mere 4%.

18.6 kms (750m) - 7%
17.6 kms (800m) - 6%
16.6 kms (880m) - 9%
15.6 kms (940m) - 7% Here the riders will experience a sharp right and left hairpin
14.6 kms (1009m) - 8% - another haipin
13.6 kms (1070m) - 9%
Fast approaching Bareges, this is a nasty climb into and through the town. It is a good place to attack, the crowds will be especially thick here
12.6 kms (1150m) - 9%
We are now on a hairpin coming into the center of Bareges, A pharmacy will appear on the right, the doctors office where I got stitched up is opposite, the road will be straight up out of Bareges
11.6 kms (1250m) - 7%
10.6 kms (1310m) - 5%
9.6 kms (1390m) - 8%

Here the road takes a right hand turn, leaving Super Bareges behind them the riders will head towards the Passage sur le Pont de La Gaubie. At 1450m (8.6kms) the gradiant remains constant at 7.5% and over their left shoulder the riders will see the road arcing up the hill above them. At the Passage they will make a 180 degree left hand turn and at 1560m (7.6kms) the road will ramp up to 8.5%. Before making a sharp right at 1630m (6.6kms.)

The next 2 kms are straight and at 8.5%. They will be at 1800m. Here the road will turn left and then right, and here the road will flatten out where the tempation will be to rest the legs but there will be no rest, a lower gear will be sought and at 3.6kms to go the road ramps back again to 8%. A left hand turn before a sharp 180 degree right hairpin with 1.6kms to go. It's a steep 9%, all hell will be breaking loose and as Jean-Piere Danguillaume said "Je comptais metre par metre". The last 600 meters are truly cruel, a sharp left hand turn into an 11% ramp up to the summit. Crowds behind the barriers will scream, and all they will see is the road, the excretia of the sheep on grey tarmac and feel the pain of searing lungs. The line will be at 2115m. Hell for most, heaven for one."

There is an exclusive, never-before-seen pair of wheels lurking within our special Le Tour celebration window.

They are the new Mavic R-SYS SLR.

As a demanding racer you require a sturdy light, low inertia, stiff but not harsh wheel tyre system. The R-SYS SLR wheel tyre system has been designed in that way - to offer an unbeatable level of lightweight and responsiveness.

The wheel includes Mavic's new Exalith technology. This all black treatment is 100% exclusive to Mavic. It does not wear so the rim can be machined more for an even lighter wheelset. It does not wear off, and breaking performance in wet and dry is improved. The only difference is that you run ‘black' carbon brake pads.

The new wheelset will be available in December and can be seen in the Condor window until the end of July.

Clincher wheelset: £1,330
Tubular wheelset: £1,350

Our month long celebration of Le Tour 2010 is coming to an end. We have one final screening at cafe/workshop Look Mum No Hands.

Join us to watch the final sprint and the winner of the yellow jersey, green, polka dot and white jerseys crowned.

We'll again be giving out prizes in a free prize draw. All you have to do is fill your name into an entry form (available from Condor Cycles or Look Mum) and pop it in our entry bucket. Throughout the stage we'll randomly pull names and announce the winners.

Date - Sunday 25th July
From - 2pm
Where - Look Mum No Hands, 49 Old Street, London, EC1V 9HX

For more about our Tour de France special window display, limited edition celebration Tour bikes, and exclusive Mavic wheels click here.

Check out images and a write up from our first screening here.

What a stage. Lance probably knew we were hosting a screening at Look Mum No Hands and decided to give the packed out cafe/bar something to ooh and aarrhh about.

The eventful stage began with a crash involving world champion Cadel and Jerome Pineau but the second crash at 50km sent Lance sliding along the tarmac after clipping his pedal on a roundabout. "Oooooh," came the noise from the crowd with several in the audience wincing.

Before long the pantomime cries were ringing out around the cafe as the this year's main characters appeared on the big screen.

'Booos' as Lance made it back to the bunch and cheers as he slipped back off. Cheering when Bradley was seen out at the front then words of encouragement as he began to be distanced.

The stage was far from over as Astana ramped up the pace on the final part of the ascent. Then the attacks began, Menchov then Contador and finally Andy Schlek and each time "Chapeau" rang out following by clapping and cheering.

Throughout the stage we found homes for our prizes by pulling names from a Champagne bucket. The final prize of Mavic Zxellium shoes was up for grabs after Andy Schlek climbed to his stage victory.

We'll be back at Look Mum No Hands on Thursday 22nd July to give away more prizes from Condor, Mavic and Science in Sport. We'll be watching the highlights of what looks like it will be an epic day climbing the Tourmalet.
Join us for a beer, wine or coke and soak up the atmosphere with Condor and Mavic celebrating the Tour 2010.

It's Tour time! Three weeks of the most exciting racing on the planet. Condor have joined forces with legendary French wheel maker Mavic to celebrate Le Tour 2010.

Mavic are famous for their yellow neutral service vehicles supporting the Pro Tour riders in their time of need. The yellow logo of Mavic has become synonymous with the Tour de France, which is race adorned by the colour yellow.

Condor have worked with Mavic to created a special edition bike featuring limited edition Mavic wheels that will be used by the world's top riders at this year's Tour.
The two Condor for Mavic bikes feature within the store window display alongside a Mavic service motorbike and other Mavic memorabilia celebrating the Tour.

Visit the store throughout July to see the complete window.

Condor for Mavic - Baracchi

The special edition Baracchi frame features the famous yellow livery of the Mavic Service Des Courses vehicles. The carbon Baracchi frame is handmade in Italy, just like all Condors, with each carbon tube hand cut and hand wrapped before it was finished in the limited edition design.
The Condor Baracchi is perfect for climbers and endurance riders, with vibration absorbing carbon that smooths the road, dampening road buzz without any power loss.

Find more pictures of the celebratory window and bikes on our Flickr.
Watch and Win with Condor & Mavic
Condor and Mavic are hosting two screenings at cafe-workshop Look Mum No Hands.

Watch two of the major stages of the tour for free on their huge big screen and soak up the atmosphere of the epic race. At every advert break we'll draw names from the raffle pot and give away prizes.

To win - collect a free entry card from Condor Cycles, Gray's Inn Road, and bring it to our screenings at Look Mum No Hands.
When? Sunday 11th July from 2pm. The stage will be shown from 2pm-5pm; Thursday 22nd July from 6pm. The stage will be shown from 7pm-8pm.
Where? Look Mum No Hands, 49 Old Street, London, EC1V 9HX.

About the stages

Join Condor and Mavic to watch Stage 8 and Stage 20. But what is so special about these stages?

Stage 8 - Sunday 11th July

Station des Rousses to Morzine Avoriaz

Don't miss the last 14km. The race will be played out against beautiful scenery and we'll see who is a clear tour contender for the first time.
After warming up the riders on Saturday's stage through medium mountains, the stage takes riders into the high mountains. The stage will give us all a clear indication of who is really up for the challenge. The climb to the popular ski village of Avoriaz is 14km long but steeper than any previous day with an average gradient of 6.1%
Check out our screening of stage 8

Stage 20 - Sunday 25th July
Longjumeau > Paris Champs-Élysées
The final sprint and the winner of this year's Tour de France will be crowned.
Celebrate the Tour and watch the final day. Enjoy a BBQ at Look Mum No Hands and see the final sprint in style.

Note: Due to the Urban Hill Climb on Thurs 22nd July - the Condor/Mavic screening has changed to Sunday. There is no screening on Thurs 22nd

More about Mavic

The eighteenth issue of Rouleur (on sale, in store, £9), is a unique 168-page insight into the Tour. The milestone issue features an in-depth look at Mavic service courses and the idea behind a fully-professional neutral service course car. The words are set alongside images from our favourite photographer, Gerard Brown (who regularly snaps for Condor).

Excerpt Rouleur's - Service Courses Article:

'Totally out of the blue, Frederic shouts: "Campagnolo, rear, 11 speed!" I have no idea how he spotted it - the break is flying along, heads down - but Moreau is now noticeably slowing with a softening rear tyre and pulling off to the right of the road. The mechanic in the back grabs wheels out from the deat beside him and Frederic aims the car at the verge and onto the grass out of harm's way... The doors are open before the car has stopped. Frederic hops out and the wheel is removed'

Le Tour Links
http://www.flickr.com/condorcycles (more Condor for Mavic bike pics)
http://www.mavic.com/
http://www.lookmumnohands.com/
http://www.rouleur.cc/