Condor Super Acciaio - Anyone taken one for a spin?

[ultimobici]

Custom drawn dedacciai. Not sure exactly

[fifarafa]

dedacciai 18mcdv6?

[fifarafa]

Does anyone know if it is already available 2014 model? What's the price?

[iamalex]

Just read this:
http://bianchista.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/super-acciaio-mark-ii.html
And this:
http://www.the5thfloor.co.uk/2013/09/25/condor-cycles-super-acciaio/

For 2014 the frame will be 200g lighter the forks lose 50g.
£1300

[boolinwall]

200 grams lighter. But gone are the Dedacciai tubes. It might be lighter, but how much of that Dedacciai stiffness has been lost. I'll give Columbus full credit for making some gorgeous lightweight, super strong tubesets. But Dedacciai gets props for making some super stiff, albeit somewhat heavy, tubesets. I'm basing this on the assumption of course that it's Spirit tubing they've switched too. Either way. It looks like yet another winner. Honestly though, if 200 grams matters that much, why are you riding steel in the first place?lol
Like I said,, looks really good. I like the simplicity.

[fifarafa]

http://condorcycles.com/feature-stories/
http://www.condorcycles.com/latest-blog/

but all this information is only marketing;)
Why Columbus?
Why old Spirit and not new HSS?That's question.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =1&theater

[iamalex]

And even more marketing (and pictures)...

http://www.condorcycles.com/latest-blog/tom-southam-and-the-pvcc-machine.html

[ichobi]

It looks really good though, this might just be the steel frame I am waiting for.
Just curious to those who have ridden the previous version, do you miss the feeling you get from carbon frame? I don't want to keep two bikes, and this Condor is probably the one I want to keep. I'm not racing.

[boolinwall]

I have 4 carbon bikes and one Duell steel bike. My carbon bikes never get ridden. I was pretty worried that I'd regret switching to steel and miss carbon too much. Not the case. That having been said. I don't spin. I'm a gear masher. So steel makes sense for me. If I had a super smooth high RPM cadence, carbon would make more sense. In my opinion, it's worth the extra grams to get a bike that transfers that power better. Plus, steel is sooo much smoother over rough roads.

[RichTheRoadie]

I'm a gear masher. So steel makes sense for me. If I had a super smooth high RPM cadence, carbon would make more sense.

Genuinely curious - how did you arrive at this conclusion?

[RichTheRoadie]

It looks really good though, this might just be the steel frame I am waiting for.
Just curious to those who have ridden the previous version, do you miss the feeling you get from carbon frame? I don't want to keep two bikes, and this Condor is probably the one I want to keep. I'm not racing.

IMHO, steel and carbon - weight aside, and depending on the style of frame - actually feel quite similar.

On a performance steel bike like the Super Acciaio they're two materials that will offer very direct power transfer whilst also smoothing small bump vibration. Less aggressive steel bikes may feel less 'zippy' than some stiffer carbon bikes, but I doubt you'd feel that in the case of this bike.

[boolinwall]

Well,, Having ridden lots of frames with both materials. I find the biggest benefit of steel is it's lack of BB deflection compared to carbon (not all carbon fibre mind you) at the beginning of the power stroke. Just what I've observed in my own riding.

[RichTheRoadie]

I personally think that's dependent on the frame choice rather than a material-wide generalisation. I've ridden steel frames that have plenty of BB deflection, carbon bikes that have none, and vice-versa! I'm more of a masher too, FWIW.

Not arguing - as I said, I was genuinely curious. We each have our own experiences.

[boolinwall]

I'll agree.
My main concern in going to Columbus spirit from dedacciai for the condor is that I've found spirit to deflect more (older spirit tube shapes mind you). It's lighter, but deflects more. It's getting harder and harder to find a good dedacciai steel frame. It's worth noting mind you, that my Duell has a 35mm seat tube and square chainstays. Columbus or dedacciai, that's going to make for a stiff pedalling platform. So it could be more a case of shaping instead of alloys. I'm curious as to how, say, a Storck Absolutist compares in terms of stiffness.
The thing I find interesting is that each year a new frame comes out that's X-% lighter, X-% stiffer and X-% smoother. So theoretically, these bikes should be faster. If this is true. Why don't pro's average race speeds increase? They've been the same for ages. Hell, I think the record for Roubaix was set in the 60's. No doubt, my carbon bikes win on the scales and are an immense improvement over the aluminum frames they replaced at the top of the food chain. But I still feel a well built steel frame can compete any day. It's nice to see a few people agreeing with me.
That having been said. I'm not rushing out and selling my carbon bikes off. Hell,, they won't rust during winter rides. That in itself is worth having one for.

[ichobi]

I guess when they say the minimum amount of bike you should have is 1 steel and 1 carbon (n) = N+1 is true