Road Cycling - Windsor vs. Cannondale

I'm a bike novice and need help deciding between these two bikes! Any thoughts? Number 1 is slightly used, #2 is new.

Thanks in advance for your help,
John

1. Cannondale 2001 R600 Road Bike. Components include: Shimano 105, Coda seat and crank, Slice Prodigy carbon blades, Cane Creek headset, Mavic CXP21 rims and CAAD4 frame.

2. 2004 WINDSOR FENS -- Specs include KINESIS is 7005 double-butted ALUMINUM frame, a KINESIS carbon fork mounted with aheadset system; Shimano 105 rear der with Shimano 105 frt der and Shimano 105 27-speed combination brake/shift levers, Tektro dual pivot brake calipers, Cyclone CFM-335 52/42/30T aluminum crank, RITCHEY hand-built Zero OCR wheelset with DS PRO rims, RITCHEY aluminum seatpost, RITCHEY aluminum aheadset stem, RITCHEY aluminum ERGO position handlebars, VP Clipless SPD aluminum pedals, MICHELIN tires, etc

I'm not a big fan of AL frames for road bikes,but the C'dales are some of the best rides around. Good luck with your purchase.

Regards.

I don't know much about the Windsors, but the Cannondale has a lifetime warranty on the frame. I personally have never heard of them not honoring it.

I don't know much about the Windsors, but the Cannondale has a lifetime warranty on the frame. I personally have never heard of them not honoring it.

I think that is for the original owner only.

Cannondale...folks who put down aluminum as frame material don't have all the facts...

I ride aluminum...put 20,000 miles on a Cannondale frame in three years without anything remotely close to trouble, including two fairly big crashes. Very comfortable. The CAAD7 frame is stiffer and lighter than titanium. You have a shot at repairing aluminum...carbon you do not. I can flex the bottom bracket of ti and carbon bikes more than I can flex the bottom bracket of a Cannondale. Makes for more effective cornering, especially coupled with a carbon fork.

The CAAD4 is a good frame. And you have good components on that bike.

To get the guarantee, you have to be the original owner.

Buy the one you like better when you ride it. Likely one fits you better than the other. If neither fits.......you will need to look elsewhere. I am not crazy about the wheels on either bike. If you get the Windsor, ask the dealer how much it would be to put better wheels on. I like Ultegra/Mavic Open Pros.

As a novice get the one that fits you the best. Then ride and learn what you do and don't like about the bike and riding it. When it comes time for your next bike you will have a better idea. C'dales are high quality and I don't know the Windsor name. My guess is that it is made in China, like most mid-level and below bikes. Doesn't make it a bad bike, but doesn't make it good, either. But go for fit first and comfort first.

Having said the above, I prefer steel bikes. They are almost always the most comfortable to ride (I've probably started an arguement with this statement). And you generally get more bike for your money with steel. I just bought a 1989 Trek lugged steel bike with full Ultegra gear for $83 on eBay. And it is a terrific bike. Unless you are in top shape and don't need to lose any weight, the one or two pound weight difference in a steel bike will make no difference. But the comfort and reliability will.

i don't know anything about windsor bikes, but it seems to me that, all things, including fit, being equal, your choice comes down to a cannondale with a widely acclaimed frame [though i'm not a huge cannondale frame] and good, mid-level componentry, and a generic aluminum frame [kinesis is a contract ,manufacturer of pretty generic, though not bad alu frames] with some pretty good components and some no-name brand stuff [tektro? cyclone?].

I was reading my C'dale owner's manual and this is what it says about the warranty:


FRAME: Cannondale CAAD3, Super V Active, and Super V Raven frames are warrantied by Cannondale Corporation, 16 Trowbride Drive, Bethel, CT 06801, against manufacturing defects in materials and/or workmanship for a period of five years from the original date of purchase. Cannondale CAAD4 frames are warrantied against manufacturing defects in materials for a period of two years from the date of original purchase. Cannondale Super V DH-Active frames are warrantied against manufacturing defects in materials and or workmanship for a period of of one year from the date of original retail purchase. All other Cannondale frames are warrantied against manufacturing defects in materials and/or workmanship for the lifetime of the original owner

I think the CAAD2 is Cannondale's best frame,but I'm kinda biased,since I own one :lol: Realistically, all their frames are pretty much bullet proof and they make a consistant product that looks seamless.

The Windsor is a pieced together bike from Taiwan and it may not have much resale value,if you ever decide to sell it.

Regards.

as far as i know, the windsor only sells on ebay through one company. the company has good marks on ebay, but i must say a lot of their marketing claims sound pretty suspect (like eddy merckx winning on a windsor ...).

i would go cannondale.

Ouch,
if Windsor is simply a front for a tiny company selling on Ebay; I need to change what I said. There is no telling if they will even exist if at some point you run into a problem; and that assumes they are reputable.

there are at least no other windsor dealers in the us - i read up on the us company that sells em, and it's pretty much an internet startup that is doing well. anyone from the uk (where windsor claims to be based) ever see one at a lbs?

I knew a guy back in the late 70's or early 80's who bought a new Windsor, it was a great bike, as good or better than what any of us were riding at the time. It was full Campy, sew ups etc. We were all drooling.

I found this link: http://www.classicrendezvous.com./Italy/Mex_classic.htm

I believe this company went belly-up long ago, so any re-use of the name is suspect.

I knew a guy back in the late 70's or early 80's who bought a new Windsor, it was a great bike, as good or better than what any of us were riding at the time. It was full Campy, sew ups etc. We were all drooling.

I found this link: http://www.classicrendezvous.com./Italy/Mex_classic.htm

I believe this company went belly-up long ago, so any re-use of the name is suspect.

It seems a lot of the old bikes like Motobecane, Mercier and Windsor are popping up from the Far East,but have little in common with the legendary performance of the originals. No telling what name will be revived next.

Regards.

They must have changed their policy. According to Cannondales site, all frames carry a lifetime warranty except the 2004 Freerides:

Click me! (http://www.cannondale.com/policies/bike_warr_policy.html)

Mike


I was reading my C'dale owner's manual and this is what it says about the warranty:



I think the CAAD2 is Cannondale's best frame,but I'm kinda biased,since I own one :lol: Realistically, all their frames are pretty much bullet proof and they make a consistant product that looks seamless.

The Windsor is a pieced together bike from Taiwan and it may not have much resale value,if you ever decide to sell it.

Regards.

i have the '03 r600 and love it, i had to ditch the cannondale cranks for ultegra though.

Windsor brand is owned by bikesdirect. Same folks that make the new motobecanes.

I have a Windsor Bristol. Sora components. descent bike, great ride. even with the 150psi 700x20c tires that I have on it, I don't find the ride harsh at all.

I replaced the pedals and seat immediately (SPD, Brooks B-17) along with the tires so I can't say much for or against those parts.

Frame is covered for life through Bikesdirect (well through BikesDirect DBA Windsor America I guess), I think it is 5 years on components. If the frame is damaged in a wreck you get a good discout (like 75% off if I remember right) for a new frame.. if it was a defect failure then it is automatically covered.

The Eddy Merckx claim is misleading. That was Windsor when they were a completely different company, made in Mexico.

All in all, it is a very nice bike however.

From what I could find it sounded somewhat shady. The website they referred to had no contact info... I decided on a used 2001 Klein upgraded to Ultegra components for ~100 more. I think the Windsor from Bikesdirect went for ~7-800 bucks.

I'm not sure why anybody would want to compare a quality bike like a Cannondale against some mail-order bike of unknown quality like this.

I'm not sure why anybody would want to compare a quality bike like a Cannondale against some mail-order bike of unknown quality like this.

Simple, the Windsor is actually a quality bike without the extra expense of a high dollar brand name. The warrantees are comparable (Lifetime frame warrantee for both).

My Windsor Bristol cost me about $400. The only complaint I have aginst it is that the rim strips they used were lousy. (And Like I said, I replaced the saddle, tires, and peddles so I wouldn't know if there were any problems with them). Terrific ride, zero flex, at or below 20 lbs [claimed spec is 19.4 lbs, but I believe that is probably a 46 cm or there abouts frame size].

The closest descent bike to this price that I would have been able to find was a Trek 1000 for around $100 more. Same Sora components, aluminum fork rather than carbon, slightly heavier. [Though the 1000 DOES have rack/fender eyelets which would have been a plus]

The Windsor line seems to be exactly the same as Motobecane. From what I have been able to find, they are the same frames (Both are names owned by BikesDirect). Reviews and information can be found on motobecane... only complaint most people seem to have had was the ~!@#$%^&*(ing rim strips.

Now, the LIST price according to the not-so-informative Windsor website is a little over $1000 for the Bristol... at that price, there would have been no question - I'd be riding a Trek right now!!! The high end of the line (Ultegra group set 17.9 lbs according to the site) has a list price of $1,895... I can't immagine anyone spending that much on a mail order bike!!!

There have been several comments derogatory to windsor bicycles. I have owned several cannodales. When i bought my first the were a very small company that very few people had heard of. They offered exactly one ,that's 1 model. I was glad I bought it. It was the stiffest frame I had ever stomped on. In the 10,000 miles or so that I have ridden since I have taken a new interest in steel. Having numbness for up to 3 days after a double was getting old fast and my doc said that I could cause permanent damage.

I first saw a windsor last year at a bike shop in San Francisco. There are high end bike shops around the country that carry them. What I did notice is they only carry the high end frames. With campy compnents these go for $2,000 plus. These independently owned stores swear that the windsor is one of the finest riding frames made, especially the steel frames.

There are a large number of frames made by small manufacturers. I don't know that that should be a factor. Someone made a comment of windsor being made of unknown quality. Shimana 105, campy chorus, Ritchie wheels these all seem to be pretty well known to me. What new cannondale can you buy for $700 with shimano 105 components?

Bike companies large and small go into bankrupcy all the time. The new ownership does not always make bikes the same way. It would appear that motebecane and windsor probably have their frames manufactured in the far east. (Like trek and a large number of other manufacturers)

i have the '03 r600 and love it, i had to ditch the cannondale cranks for ultegra though.

Good decision. Never had good results from any Cannondale or Coda crankset.

between the weight and poor shifting quality i couldnt wait to rid the bike of them. it shifts wonderfully now, next is to remove all the tiagra crap (front derailler and rear cog)