Condor Leggero review

Despite carrying the same name as previous models, Condor's Leggero is pretty much a new machine from the ground up for 2010. The Leggero sits third in the range, with the celebratory Diamante and titanium Moda above it, and five further models below.

It's at the top of Condor's 'regular' road tree and the bike of choice for the Rapha-Condor-Sharp Pro Continental team. An extra £100 gets you custom geometry but none of the team, interestingly enough, needed it, which says a lot for the six standard sizes Condor offers. This particular frame is the specific Di2 version, with internal cable routing for Shimano's electronic groupset, but there's a regular version, too.

Ground-up changes don't mean a thing if you don't take on board feedback, something many manufacturers pay lip service to, but not Condor - the 2010 Leggero is a monster step forward thanks to the team.

The new Dedacciai tubeset offers a much more balanced ride front to rear. When you hit a bump mid corner it feels the same through both wheels, this builds confidence and allows you to attack hard. Steering is still precise, but not quite as flighty as some bikes, which suits longer rides and still feels planted when cornering aggressively. If there's one area to criticise it's the frame's slight lack of zing, when compared to the very latest Taiwanese models.