Condor provide bikes and frames from the usual bike brands and also design their own bikes, the Bellissima being Condor's female specific road frame. Instead of being able to buy an off the peg bike in a variety of sizes and specc'd with kit at certain price points, Condor offer the discerning rider a custom spec option for their new steed. Prices for the Bellissima start at £749.99 with the Xenon groupset and rise to £1299.99 built up with a Shimano Ultegra groupset.

As the level of components rises so does the finishing kit, so you get a well balanced bike without any corner cutting on quality or performance. Not only is the spec a custom choice, so is the fit, Condor offer customers a custom fit session so you get the right frame size and stem, bar and crank sizes to suit the position you want to ride in. Their trained staff will ensure you leave the shop with your bike ready to race or ride on so no time is wasted at home fiddling with tools. We had great fun speccing out our Bellissima test bike, as you can imagine.

Frame

The Bellissima is basically the women's version of the Italia frame, it weighs the same size for size, and has the same price tag. However to suit female riders it has a shorter top tube and higher front end allowing a slightly more comfort position if required. Of course you can always fit a flat stem and have a more racy position if you prefer. Frame sizes are 46, 49, 52, 55cm.

Built from Dedacciai Force 7003 aluminium triple butted tubing the front triangle has a variety of tube shapes, the down tube and top tube are more tear drop shaped than classic round or oval, whereas the seat tube offers a more traditional shape to work easily with the seat post. The rear triangle also has a modern feel with carbon fibre seat stays and a wishbone design, called the 'Fire Tail One Design'

The carbon rear is balanced nicely with the carbon Dedacciai Black Force fork helping to eliminate road buzz at both ends of the bike for a smooth and comfortable ride. The fork is a nice touch especially for the entry level price tags where it's good to see comfort and performance have not been compromised here or indeed throughout the whole price range.

We half expected to see eyelets or fixings for mudguards but the lines of the fork and frame have been unadulterated and left clean and smooth, there is one bottle cage mount on the down tube and a second on the seat tube so long journeys are catered for in terms of hydration.

Components

As we mentioned before you can have practically any spec you like on the Bellissima, it depends on how fat your wallet is and what sort of ride you prefer. We opted for a Shimano 105, 10 speed, groupset consisting of rear mech, front mech, compact double chainset with 70mm cranks and brakes. For the brake and gear lever combo we opted for the Shimano Adjustable Reach STI Levers (Ultegra standard - so a bit of an upgrade) with the choice of spacers (4 or 6 degrees) to reduce the reach from the bar to the lever, making breaking for smaller hands much easier to control. This STI lever is specifically designed for small hands and shorter fingers than most men's hands, getting a comfortable reach to the lever is a problem many women suffer from when trying to use the drop part of road handlebars.

Our Bellissima test bike came with Deda Quattro stem and Dedi Elementi Big Piega handlebars in 40cm width just as we specified. Other contact points included a women specific Selle Royal Xsenium saddle on the Condor carbon seatpost, a good selection of components especially for the price point.

Wheels

Fulcrum Racing 7 wheels are Campagnolo's range of wheels that can be used with Campagnolo and Shimano groupsets, the Racing 7s have 24mm aero-shaped aluminium rims with machined braking surfaces and wear indicator. The hubs are oversized with sealed cylindrical bearings and the front wheel has 20 x2 mm spokes are radially laced, whilst there are 24 spokes on the rear. They are a well built and designed wheel ideal for training and entry level bikes yet look like a more expensive wheelset and offer a compliant and reliable ride. The Racing 7 wheelset is a good choice if you fancy a spot of commuting too, tough enough to withstand some abuse on uneven roads and yet not heavy or cumbersome for when you need a turn of speed.

Carbon rear stays

Ride

We specc'd our Bellissima road bike for general riding and training with the aim of trying a couple of road races too, we weren't disappointed either the ride was fun, reliable and compliant. We requested a relaxed ride position so we could get in lots of winter miles without feeling uncomfortable stretched out in a race position whilst braving the bad weather. We spent most of the time on the hoods and flats whilst happily churning out the miles but we also felt comfortable on the drops for fast descents and the occasional sprint. Talking of the time on the bars we found the braking easy to control thanks to the short reach levers and width of the bars in proportion to our shoulder widths.

We didn't have the luxury of a custom fit session with Condor although one was offered to us, but living outside the area we opted to send our measurement from a well fitted old bike to them and asked for a similar setup. The bike arrived just as we'd requested, the correct bar height and width, perfect reach as per our instructions and everything else was spot on too. Well actually we tipped the saddle nose downwards a fraction for a more woman friendly sit position, but that was all we needed to fiddle with for a great fit. We didn't need to fiddle with anything else either, the bike was set up perfectly from a mechanical point of view too, not a thing to do except ride!

Verdict Being able to choose the exact spec for your bike is an option usually only afforded by the rich. Coupled with the custom fit session that Condor offers, you can now have a bike that fits properly and get specialist advice whilst choosing the right components for you. Price: £999 Website: www.condorcycles.com Frame: Dedacciai Force 7003 aluminium triple butted Fork: Deda Black Blade Handlebar: Dedi Elementi Big Piega (40cm) Stem: Deda Quattro stem Seatpost: Condor carbon Saddle: Selle Royal Xsenium saddle Crankset: Shimano 105 (double compact) BBset: Shimano Ultegra Rear derailleur: Shimano 105 Front derailleur: Shimano 105 Brake: Shimano 105 Brake lever/shifters Shimano Adjustable Reach STI Levers Cassette Sprocket: Shimano 105 Chain: Shimano 105 Wheelset: Campagnolo Fulcrum Racing 7 Colour:custom colours available Size: 46, 49, 52, 55cm. General price options vary per individual order but can be based on groupset choice: £749.99 with Campagnolo Xenon groupset £849.99 with Campagnolo Mirage £949.99 with Campagnolo Veloce £1149.99 with Campagnolo Centaur £849.99 with Shimano Tiagra £999.99 with Shimano 105 £1299.99 with Shimano Ultegra Frameset (inc frameset) £449.99 Photo Gallery Bottom bracket detail Comfortable stem + bar set up