Condor MTB????

tatra

Dirt Disciple
Greetings;
I purchased this frameset in 1988, from a shop in Germany while there with the Forces. It was used, taken as a trade, however never built up. There is a Condor head badge, it's lugged and brazed Tange Prestige, but I've always suspected it isn't a Condor. I don't believe Condor ever made MTB's or used Tange tubes. I used it for years as a work bike in Germany, and later here in the Colonies. Since I recently retired to Florida, I'm now using it to cruise the local forest and back roads. Can any of you Retro MTB Guru's tell me if it is in fact a Condor. Thanks
Regards
Carl in Ocala
 

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Condor did offer an MTB in their range - called the Cadenza. I'm only familiar with the early-mid nineties model, and I haven't seen one in years, but it was fillet brazed with a sleeved seat-tube junction. The ones I've seen used a "Condor" engraved bottom bracket shell. The only one I've seen with a rigid fork had a broad, cast crown, rather than a unicrown.

Executive summary: Condor did make an MTB. I don't know enough about them to know whether or not yours is one.
 
I'll add that I've just spotted a "Condor Countryman" in this list of "Production Mountainbikes" from 1985:

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/files/ ... k2_213.jpg

maverick2_213.jpg


Possible that Condor were still using up stock of older head badges in the mid '80s?

Have you contacted Condor themselves? It's a family-run business, and there'll still be staff there who were in the shop 25 years ago.
 
Cleaning up an old hard drive, I just came across some scans of a 1994 Condor catalogue. It's obviously too late to be relevant to your bike, but I thought I'd upload them in case someone was searching for Condor mtb's and ended up here.

It looks as though they'd basically build what you asked them to, using a variety of tubes and construction options. The bike in the first set of pictures is clearly lugged, while the frame on the second page is fillet brazed. The first looks to have a Condor unicrown fork, while the scond has what looks like a Kona P2.
 

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one-eyed_jim":19uh42ft said:
Incidentally, Condor had moved further up Grays Inn Road to number 144 by the time I got to know them. It seems the shop at number 90 was shut by 1980, which makes it seem unlikely your headbadge is original to the frame:

http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/de ... ondor.html
Don't mind me.

This interesting Condor road bike:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/markgell/4 ... 287172539/

comes with a "90 Grays Inn Road" head badge:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/markgell/4 ... 287172539/

and a "144 Grays Inn Road" seat-tube decal:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/markgell/4 ... 287172539/

So presumably Condor were using up old head badges after the move to 144.
 
Thanks for the info Jim, I found it interesting at least.

Given the OP hasn't been seen since I doubt we'll be getting any more info on a potentially interesting frame.....
 

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Greetings
I'm still here, alive, and ride my Condor or whatever it is often. It's quite light so am assuming a Prestige build. As indicated in my earlier post, there were three similar build new Condor? frames in the tiny German LBS where I purchased it. I now suspect you guy's are correct and they were in fact Taiwan built frames with Condor head badges and peel-off decals, as I recall the decals didn't last long. Thanks for the Condor information.
Cheers
Carl in Ocala
 

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