[*BCM*] Windsor bikes from Bikes Direct

[rinonvan at gmail.com]

Thanks for the reply, Bob.

I've worked on many bikes in the past and am fairly familiar with what
to look for. I am by no means a professional mechanic, but I do know
that you will not find me shopping for transportation in a department
store.
There is still a great curiosity about this online dealer and the
Windsor bikes in particular. The specs state that these are all
chromoly with Shimano Nexus 3-speed hubs, but there is no lug work and
the fork is unicrown. I did find out that these weigh about 28lbs, not
bad, but there really is not for reviews except some blog entries and
message board speculations.
As far as details, there is a link to some very detailed images that
it seems you may have missed, and the shipping is also free.
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/images/oxford_gallery/
The site also claims these are comparable to Public, Linus and
Electra. Has anyone had experience with those brands?

Nothing against the local bike shops, but most of the new models are
quite expensive and looking for that right used frame or parts to
build up can be very time consuming and also potentially expensive as
well. I'm basically just looking for a bike for a friend who only
commutes a few miles on workdays, will take the occasional relaxed
weekend sojourn and is looking for a classic style frame like French
and Italian portuers or English 3-speeds. I won't let them ride a
"cheap" bike and I'm hoping for feedback and recommendations for a
quality, yet thrifty, find.

Again, my thanks.

-R



On Tue, Oct 4, 2011 at 6:00 PM,  <countrybob at comcast.net> wrote:
> With the model year ending, you should find competitive prices at a Local
> Bike Shop for these kinds of bikes. At the LBS you can ask to swap out
> parts, trick your ride and usually get a tune up after the break in
> period. There are many shortcuts a manufacture like this can take because
> all you see is a low-res .jpg and not the quality of the parts and
> especially the soundness of the wheel build. If you have a limit of $250 to
> spend, I have seen a decent commuter models by Mongoose  and Schwinn at
> department stores but beware of the build quality and extra weight. Nothing
> wrong with doing the build yourself but it's slightly risky (and an added
> expense) shipping a bike. I volunteered as a mechanic many times this summer
> at the BCU free tune up tent and I can't explain in enough words how poor
> department store bikes are and how remarkably the old steel
> chromoly, non-suspension mountain bikes from the nineties have held up over
> time.
>
>
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: rinonvan at gmail.com
> To: "Boston Critical Mass" <list at bostoncriticalmass.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 4, 2011 4:42:23 PM
> Subject: [*BCM*] Windsor bikes from Bikes Direct
>
> Not exactly sure what is off topic here as we don't have much activity
> on this list, so here it goes.
>
> Has anyone ever had any experience with this company?
> The site is very basic with no physical location mentioned.
> http://www.bikesdirect.com
>
> I'm particularly interested in the Windsor Essex and Oxford models.
> The prices seem a little too good to be true and feedback seems varied.
>
> I'm not affiliated with the dealer or the manufacturer, just hoping
> for some first hand experience before purchasing.
> Thanks.
>
> -R
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