Super Acciaio and Leggero tailored to riders' needs
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Six of the 2013 Rapha Condor JLT squad are U23 riders(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
the ever-so-subtle curve in the top tube brings elegance to the overall look of the Leggero(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
the frame’s been drilled so the wiring for the electronics emerges neatly just before the derailleur. (Image credit: Sam Dansie)
the brains and battery of the Campy EPS are bolted to an extension under the bottle cage(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Costa Express get a prime sponsorship spot on the sculpted seat tube(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
the seatstays have a cutaway again after they bridge together for the brake bolt(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Fizik have run up some saddles in the Rapha Condor JLT colours and House, has gone for a straight seatpost(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Kristian House’s workhorse is the carbon Condor Leggero. (Image credit: Sam Dansie)
The colours of the Italian flag – a homage to where the frame is handmade. (Image credit: Sam Dansie)
It might not colour co-ordinate, but what else other than a Saltire coloured FizikArione befits the Scottish National Champion? (Image credit: Sam Dansie)
McCallum, like most of the team is running mechanical Campagnolo Record 11 this year(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
The team are using Speedplay pedals this year under advice from the team’s medical sponsors because they’re the best option for young knees apparently(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
McCallum waxed lyrical about the stiffness of the front end thanks to the tapered steerer tube and Deda 35 stem and bars(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
There’s no excess steerer tube on McCallum’s bike – the beauty of having one custom made(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
There’s a brazed on Condor logo on the top tube(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
There’s a brazed on Condor logo on the top tube(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
James McCallum’s Steel Super Acciaio cuts a dash (Image credit: Sam Dansie)
Ed Clancy’s Gold from the London 2012 Team Pursuit was on show(Image credit: Sam Dansie)
The Hyperons Ultra 2s will get plenty of use in the longer and hillier races the team takes on this year. (Image credit: Sam Dansie)
The Rapha-Condor-JLT 2013 team was launched today and alongside Ed Clancy’s Olympic gold medals and the fresh-faced team of youngsters were the squad’s flagship carbon and steel bikes. Yes, just like Madison-Genesis, some of the Rapha boys will be racing on steel this year.
Senior riders Kristian House and Clancy’s Campagnolo Super Record EPS-equipped carbon Condor Leggero bikes occupied the principal displays at insurance broker JLT’s central London HQ. But under the stairs, steel-convert James McCallum’s custom built Super Acciaio garnered plenty of attention too.
The classically-styled bike the Scot will pilot in this year has evolved further from his 2012 model. The geometry has been refined for the season’s upcoming criteriums and circuit races and the rear hanger modified after some issues changing wheels last year. We’re also told it’s 200-300g lighter. A painted 55cm model currently weighs a claimed 1,600g compared to a 1,100g Leggero.
McCallum said he favoured his steel bike over the Leggero thanks to its smoother ride quality over varying road surfaces on the UK criterium scene. “We’re hardly riding on glass all the time,” he explained.
McCallum waxed lyrical about the stiffness of the front end thanks to the tapered steerer tube and deda 35 stem and bars: mccallum waxed lyrical about the stiffness of the front end thanks to the tapered steerer tube and deda 35 stem and bars
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Neil Manning, Condor’s production director, said it had taken somewhere between “ten and fifteen variants to get to” McCallum’s current Super Acciaio, with countless other trial frames back at the warehouse. The overall aim he said was the recreate the carbon Leggero in steel.
He said: “The last thing you want from the rider’s point of view is to have two bikes with different set ups. They only have to be slightly different and the rider’s going to feel it. That’s the good thing about being able to build custom frames in steel and carbon - we can custom fit all the riders.”
He added: “You see a lot of riders on monocoque frames and they can’t get them to fit – they’re using negative riser stems, or they’re taking the top cap off that just looks wrong.”
Traits the Leggero and Super Acciaio share include a tapered steerer tube for plenty of rigidity upfront and an oversized bottom bracket to aid power transmission. McCallum also compared the elegantly narrow seatstays to those on a Cervélo R3, which should aid the quest for a plusher ride.
Manning was careful about future plans for the Super Acciaio, which is a big seller for the London-based company, saying the current bike was “perfect”. He hinted further refinements could be in the pipeline however.
“At the moment we think it’s perfect, but there maybe some changes,” he said. “Some of that could come down to aesthetics – the shapes of the tubes may change slightly. I’ve got something in mind that I want."
“We work closely with all the tubing manufactures. Even if we can improve one tube it can make a difference. It’s about what’s right for that bike and who can supply what we need.”
Sam started as a trainee reporter on daily newspapers in the UK before moving to South Africa where he contributed to national cycling magazine Ride for three years. After moving back to the UK he joined Procycling as a staff writer in November 2010.
