Introductions - Bikesdirect.com

This is probably not a new subject/topic, but here it is. I am buying a new bike very soon and have been searching shops and online for some good deals. Bikesdirect.com has basically had the best deals on a new bike I have found and so I am asking if purchasing a Windsor bike on this site would be a good idea or a bad one. I do have my reservations about such an obscure website, and I know that really what it is is a high-end generic bike with a Windsor decal on it, but I have also read some archived forums about it and I haven't found one bad review from people who have gotten their bikes (including Windsor bikes) off the site. They did note that it would be a good idea to give the bike a thorough check upon purchase to make sure things are installed properly, but that the work was more than worth the discount they got. In particular, the Windsor Knight is selling for $899 (said to retail at $1700) and is equipped with Shimano Ultegra parts, a Ritchey Bar, XRP Pro wheels, etc. If this is the case, the component parts would retail for more than I'd pay for the whole bike. Anybody had experience with this site or purchased anything off of it? If so any opinions?

A lot of satisfied Bikesdirect customers here. Also a lot of people who don't like the way Bikesdirect operates, but don't really have anything bad to say about the bikes. The owner of BD is a member here, too.

I would say that you will be satisfied with any bike you purchase from BD, as long as someone competent puts the bike together.

Welcome to BF, and feel free to PM me with any questions :) !

East Hill
Forum Moderator

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t162/dminorwa/pinkstar.jpg

Obviously you haven't searched BikeForums for info on bikesdirect.com. There are several threads where people tell their tales of woe. Hope you have better luck than some others.

BTW: Welcome to BF.

Thanks guys. I think that I have made up my mind, and thanks for the warm welcome. This site has a ridiculous amount of info on it. If anyone went on here with any sort of regularity and payed any sort of attention to the goings on they would become an expert bike person in like no time.

So, what did you decide to do?

East Hill

Motobecane and the other brands sold primarily online (by bikesdirect) are good value for your $$. You can see that nearly all those who have bought from BD are satisfied with their decision. But there are some who would never buy online and justify their position through various arguements or putting down bikesdirect (and its clones).

If you know your frame size, a little about components, and can wrench competently then BD should be a viable option. If not then going to your lbs is probably a smarter choice. Just depends on who takes the bike out of the box, assembles it, and fits it to the rider. Many frames are made in the same factories around the world. Just painted and badged as brand x. Beyond that they don't have seperate sales of Shimano or wheels, ie one quality of products for lbs and a lesser quality for online sales stores.

I purchased my Moto IF in 06 and now 6,000 miles later it is still great. New tires, brake pads, and minor adjustments since then. From BD you will get the bike in the box you select for a decent price and quick enough. They are no frills, no customization, and minimal customer support. But after receiving your bike in 1 hour you can be riding and happy with your purchase. They just don't have the bling factor.

Well, I won't have $$ for a bike for a couple of weeks, but I'm pretty confident that I'll get it. If I really hate the frame (which I'm sure it will be perfectly fine) then I'll just get another one from somewhere else and put the parts from this bike on it. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

Works for me :) .

East Hill

Try looking at Randell Scott. They have a great price on a well equipped bike from Tomasso. More dollars but maybe you'll like this frame better.
http://www.rscycle.com/s.nl/it.A/id.21489/.f?sc=7&category=18702