My Condor road and track bikes were ordered in summer '75 and shipped to me in early '76. The roadie has impeccable lugwork and a "V" in the serial # which I've been told means it was made by Vic Edwards, a highly regarded journeyman framebuilder. The track frame is of inferior workmanship which tells me someone else made/finished it.
Recently an American framebuilder who apprenticed w/Condor in the early 80's told me that Condor director Monty Young was not much of a framebuilder (although he was an expert wheelbuilder), but Monty's son, Grant (who's still with Condor) was a promising builder. But Edwards who was still there in the early 80's was the paramount (no pun intended) builder at Condor during that time frame.
Unfortunately I can't verify if Vic indeed built my road frame as Grant has told me Condor has not maintained records as far back as the 70's. However the very high level of workmanship and finish/filing suggests that whoever made it was no apprentice and was into doing quality work at least on that particular day.
Larry Hakim
Oxford, MS
>From: Louis Schulman <louiss@gate.net>
>Reply-To: Louis Schulman <louiss@gate.net>
>To: CYCLESTORE@aol.com, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
>Subject: [CR]Re: Condor
>Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2004 10:49:06 -0500 (GMT-05:00)
>
>I visited the shop in 1990 and had a frame made to order. I was told that
>the frame was made "in the suburbs" because they could not conduct
>industrial activities, particularly painting, in the city. Exactly who
>made it is a question.
>
>The frame was very nicely made. However, it was made from Reynolds 653,
>and I broke a chainstay after about two years. It has been sitting ever
>since. Still looks nice.
>
>Louis Schulman
>Tampa, Florida
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: CYCLESTORE@aol.com
>Sent: Dec 10, 2004 10:25 AM
>To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
>Subject: [CR]Re: Classicrendezvous Digest, Condor
>
>
>In a message dated 12/10/04 12:56:13 AM,
>classicrendezvous-request@bikelist.org writes:
>
><< << Condor is still in business at their same location at 90 Greys Inn
>Rd,
>
> London. I saw one of their new bikes this past November at Ironman
>Florida.
>
> It was very nicely done. >>
>
>
>I heard that they no longer make their own frames but "farm them out." Can
>
>anyone confirm or refute this?
>
>
>Dale Brown
>
>Greensboro, North Carolina >>
>
>Dale,
>
>Hilary Stone might know and may touched on this in the past. I heard they
>never made frames. A sort of inside joke was the owner holding a torch in
>a
>photo tour of the shop for the first time (so to speak). I think they do
>frame
>repairs at the shop. I was there in 2000 I think and they had some lovely
>used
>Condor's downstairs for sale with ornate chrome headlugs.
>
> I was over in 1987 visiting their old shop a few blocks from their
>present
>location. They had Campagnolo component boxes stacked to the ceiling
>behind
>every counter. They were a distributor of Campagnolo then as I recall. It
>had
>walked from my B&B through a driving rain and as I was leaving a fellow
>that
>was maybe in his 70's wheeled up on hat looked like a 1950's Raleigh
>sports. He
>had a cloth cap; waxed cotton rain coast and an unpainted frame over his
>shoulder that had apparently just been brazed. Looked like a delivery to
>me but
>maybe he needed some fittings. His hands had seen work with multiple blue
>fingernails, callouses and permanent dirt on his skin. This chap could of
>course
>been an employee. Subcontracted or not; I have never seen a bad looking
>Condor.
>
>Yours in Cycling,
>
>
>Gilbert Anderson
>
>
>North Road Bicycle Company
>
>519 W. North St.
>
>Raleigh, NC 27603
>
>USA
>
>Toll Free Ph: 800-321-5511
>Local Ph: 919-828-8999
>
>E-mail: cyclestore@aol.com