Condor good news story

[pernasLongas]

I've got to hand it to Condor, a week ago while commuting on my Fratello I heard a sudden, nasty cracking sound under me, got off to inspect the bike only to find a very bad crack in the frame at the top joint of the seat post tube (see attached). I knew immediately it's a write-off and probably the seat post is holding it all together. I walked the rest of the way.

This is a bike that does about 100K/week but the longest trips it has ever made is a couple of london-brighton jaunts so nothing heavy. Anyway, fearing the worst (the bike is just over 2.5yrs old and I wasn't sure about warranty) I phoned Condor who advised me to bring straight in which is what I did. I'd done some home work and found this great post on Cycle Chat -somebody else with what looks like the same problem on a Fratello of similar age who also got a good result-
https://www.cyclechat.net/

Long story short -they took one good look at the crack, said it was one of the worst they'd seen but they'd need to get their head engineer to inspect properly. He was on holiday so in the meantime they offered me a hire bike for free, apologised several times and said they'd be in touch when the their head guy is back from holiday.

Sure enough, a week later -just as they promised, I got a call from the same shop assistant saying they'd replace under warranty. Got a choice of frame colours (I went for off-white, not plum!) and the rebuild will be done in 7-10 days; no need to wait for a frame to be built, they have plenty in stock.

All in all, couldn't have asked for better service so far -and the hire bike is keeping me on the road in the meantime. Happy Days

 

[Noodley]

I have heard many good stories about Condor

 

[yello]

Indeed, it is good to read of any manufacturer honouring their warranties etc.

Am I being unreasonable to ask (genuine question btw, I am NOT suggesting anything untoward) whether anyone thinks there might be a problem with the build? Either the Fratello specifically or Condor frames generally?

I realise one is to be realistic, and problems can occur with any manufacturer - and it is the 'putting right' that counts - but at what point does it become a cause for concern?

 

[Smokin Joe]

Indeed, it is good to read of any manufacturer honouring their warranties etc.

Am I being unreasonable to ask (genuine question btw, I am NOT suggesting anything untoward) whether anyone thinks there might be a problem with the build? Either the Fratello specifically or Condor frames generally?

I realise one is to be realistic, and problems can occur with any manufacturer - and it is the 'putting right' that counts - but at what point does it become a cause for concern?

I believe the problem was with that particular frame and has been addressed.

Condor have been around a long time and you wouldn't last too long in central London with the sky high operating costs that entails unless you are getting it right.

 

[pernasLongas]

More good news, Condor have finished the rebuild ahead of schedule so bike is ready to collect 3-6 days earlier than planned.

On the subject of whether there's a problem with the build -Condor did allude to there being a mix up with frame-part sizes around that time ie. mixed up in the same box. I got the impression they'd sorted that out a while back. Given the fact that they now seem to have a lot more frames in stock than they used to and the general make over of the shop & website -I wouldn't be surprised if their manufacturing processes have been overhauled as well.

Other than this problem I've found the bike to be superb quality and a great ride.