Second hand Condor Fratello tiagra 2007 for £450 - should i get this bike?

[audaxbuyer]

Hi there everyone,

This is my first post on here so here goes. I am looking to get my first Audax bike. I commute everyday…not far about 5 miles through London traffic but also have plans to do a few tours over the coming months…nothing massive just a couple of weeks on the road in Scotland and then another couple in France some months after that. I need something that I can carry all my stuff on but also strip down and pace through London.

My budget is around 500-600 and I have found a second hand Condor Fratello tiagra 2007 for £450 and it’s in my size. Do you think this is a good price and do you think it’s the right one for my needs?

I am also looking at a Tifosi Ck7, the surosa line of audax bikes or maybe a second hand Thorn but not sure I could stretch that far.

I will be looking at the Condor in a couple of days so any advice…things to look out for would be very much appreciated.

Thanks

 

[vernon]

Hi there everyone,

This is my first post on here so here goes. I am looking to get my first Audax bike. I commute everyday…not far about 5 miles through London traffic but also have plans to do a few tours over the coming months…nothing massive just a couple of weeks on the road in Scotland and then another couple in France some months after that. I need something that I can carry all my stuff on but also strip down and pace through London.

My budget is around 500-600 and I have found a second hand Condor Fratello tiagra 2007 for £450 and it’s in my size. Do you think this is a good price and do you think it’s the right one for my needs?

I am also looking at a Tifosi Ck7, the surosa line of audax bikes or maybe a second hand Thorn but not sure I could stretch that far.

I will be looking at the Condor in a couple of days so any advice…things to look out for would be very much appreciated.

Thanks

Look at the price of a new Fratello frame, £499 and make your own judgement about pricing by looking at how much you'd have to spend to complete it.

Look at the gearing - lots of folk do Audaxes on double chain rings but if you are intending to tour I suggest that you get a triple chain ring and larger rear cassette. - this will add to the expense of your Fratello purchase.

 

[Scoosh]

I have recently bought a Fratello and, while it's a great bike, it is not designed for heavy touring. Like all audax-type bikes, it is great for light 'credit card' touring, with rear panniers and a rack/saddle bag but not for fully loading up with 2 weeks/months worth of tent, sleeping bag, pots, pans, stove etc etc.

But you probably already know this .....

I like my Fratello

HTH

 

[simon_brooke]

Look at the price of a new Fratello frame, £499 and make your own judgement about pricing by looking at how much you'd have to spend to complete it.

Look at the gearing - lots of folk do Audaxes on double chain rings but if you are intending to tour I suggest that you get a triple chain ring and larger rear cassette. - this will add to the expense of your Fratello purchase.

A compact double chainset and a bigger cassette are a good combination. I run a compact (50/34) on a 13-29 cassette (Campag) and this is good for pretty much any hill. A medium cage derailleur is recommended but you can get away with a short cage.

FWIW at that price if it's in reasonable condition the Fratello looks a reasonable buy - a proper Audax bike is never going to come cheap.