bikecommuter13

I am not very good telling the components. Which bike has better components?:

Fuji Bikes | LIFESTYLE | CROSS TERRAIN | TOURING

Save Up to 60% Off Touring Bikes | Commuting | Commuter Bikes | Windsor Bikes - Tourist

Maelochs

Looks like the Windsor has the better drive train but not by a lot ... but only because I hate bar-end shifters ... and the Fuji probably has better wheels. I'd probably trust Fuji more as a manufacturer, but at this price point I doubt there is a lot of difference between the two framesets.

The Fuji has slightly lower gearing on its Deore (MTB) crankset. Deore is sturdy and solid (both use a Deore rear mech, I see.) I'd say a lot depends on whether you plan to pull a lot of heavy loads up high hills, in which case the Fuji wins out by a small margin. Oh, and the Fuji has cantilever brakes, which should give greater stopping power. No way to tell but i'd suggest they both weigh about 29 lbs.

I notice the Fuji has a Deore hub which likely means 135-mm dropout spacing, which means you can always put stronger hubs in back where you need it. The Windsor has 130-mm rear dropout spacing, which means it is set up for road wheels and probably not as much tire.

So ... do you plan to ride mostly on the road, mostly with what sized load, and over what kind of hills?

On the whole I'd say the Fuji might get the slight edge for actual loaded touring, I guess ....

By the way if you follow my advice and find I was wrong, I accept no responsibility. I know nothing and my only talent is creating short works of fiction. Buy at your own risk.

I had an old Bridgestone which was a lot like the Fuji in frame and spec and I LOVED it ... I love all my bikes but this was probably the one I loved most. So as you can see ... I am a very sick man.

fietsbob

You can always change components once its Yours ..

veganbikes

I love they compare their cheap frame to a handbuilt in the US frame like Co-Motion or Rivendell (at least some of their stuff is made here)

The Fuji touring makes more sense for touring in its gearing and some component choices and you can order it your fuji dealer rather than bikes direct.

bikecommuter13

Thanks for the detailed answer. I plan to use the bike mainly for commuting. And I carry anywhere between 20 lbs to 50 lbs everyday. I might even set up child seats and carry two kids, but not sure on this yet.

I currently have fuji sportif and I don't think it can handle my load. It sounds like the fuji touring bike is a better bet...

wahoonc

I am assuming you will be purchasing the Fuji from an LBS? Versus purchasing the Windsor from Bikes Direct? Service after the Sale! Fuji FTW.

Nothing wrong with the Windsor if you plan to do all your own work on it. I do like the fact the Fuji has the 135mm rear spacing though.

Aaron

Tim_Iowa

One thing the Fuji has going for it: the TRP RRL brake levers. I use these with bar-end shifters on two bikes. The levers have excellent ergonomics (like new Campy) and look great.

I would also take the Microshift bar-ends of the Fuji over the Sora STIs on the Windsor, but that's my preference. The bar-ends would provide for problem-free shifting for almost forever, whereas the Sora STIs would probably feel gummy and clunky after 5 years.

Tundra_Man 

This BD bike seems to match up to the Fuji a bit closer, and is on sale cheaper than the Windsor:
Motobecane Gran Turismo

If you can size yourself and do your own wrenching, than BD can be a good route. If you're not comfortable with either than that in itself would sway me to the Fuji.

1983

BD uses many of Fuji's frames for their resurrected brand names, I wouldn't trust them as a manufacturer any more over BD necessarily.

Tim_Iowa

I think I understand what you're saying; BD bikes and LBS-brand bikes are almost identical, and in some cases may even be the same bike.
FYI, Fuji isn't the only manufacturer with frames that are shared with BD models; for example, Kinesis makes frames for almost everyone.

The big difference is in service: the LBS assembles and tunes the bike correctly, stands behind your purchase, and usually offers some sort of after-purchase checkup.

With a BD bike, you are the service department, and you'd have to ship anything in order to make a warranty claim.

You pay extra (usually ~$200-300, all other things being equal) for the LBS bike, but you're getting quite a bit for that money. It's up to the purchaser to decide whether that service charge is worth it.

For many of us that are decent bike mechanics, assembling and tuning a BD bike isn't daunting (I've assembled/tuned a couple for friends). But, it may seem too difficult for the OP and many others.

1983

Or you can take the BD/BI bike to an lbs for a build 'n' tune.

Tim_Iowa

Absolutely! Most shops will welcome the business. But, you'll pay them $100-200, and still be without a warranty or follow-on service that you'd get by buying a bike from the LBS.

So, it's about a wash, all else being equal. You get what you pay for with the LBS; it's up to you to decide how much work/risk you want to absorb and save money, or how much to offload on the LBS.

Of course, all else is rarely equal. BD offers so many models that they may have something that your LBS can't or won't carry.

I build/tune my friends' BD bikes for beer. My friend Dave gave me a case of good stuff and 2lbs of farm-raised bacon. Deal!

ramzilla

All these bikes are mass produced in Taiwan at this point in time. Some are made in China. I still trust the Fuji name for whatever it's worth. Fuji still produces good value bikes.

bikecommuter13

My experience with LBS is mixed. They will put the bike on the stand and do the adjustment and tuning and that's it. Often times, the issues happen when you actually ride the bike and put load onto to the bike. The bike is so different when it's actually being used. For example, on the stand, the gear shifts to the smallest cog without any problem. But when I am actually on the bike with 30 lbs of stuff on the rack, it's impossible to shift to the smallest cog.

The LBS might eventually fix the issues if you bring the bike in enough times, but that's so time consuming...

It seems that one should learn how to do their own adjustment at some point...

alcjphil

Look at pictures of both bikes. Look at the racks they are equipped with. The rack on the Fugi could be used for a multi month tour with no reservations. The rack on the BD bike is adequate. the racks speak to the intended use for each of these bikes

Tim_Iowa

It sounds like you need to find a better LBS. Is this the Fuji dealer?

Are you talking about the smallest cog (on the rear gear cluster, aka the cassette), or the smallest chain ring on a triple crank?
If you're talking about the former (inability to shift down to the smallest cog on the cassette), then yes, you have a tuning problem.
If you're talking about the latter (inability to shift down to the smallest chain ring), then your problem is most likely caused by technique, not by poor tuning.
Front derailleurs don't have that much "force" to their shifting, because they're pushing on a chain that is pulled tight by the crank. So, once you're in a climb, the chain is too taut for the derailleur to force it off the middle ring to the smallest. You have to learn to anticipate when you'll need that smallest chain ring, and shift before you are seriously cranking.
I still mess it up all the time and have to finish the climb in my middle ring.

Absolutely! Basic tuning and assembly are quite easy. Sheldon Brown's pages have more bike knowledge than you can digest, and Park Tool's site has tons of step by step instructions (with pictures and videos) of most bike maintenance tasks.

Also, the more you know about your bike, the better you can describe your problems to the LBS techs. Often, our dissatisfied customers are the ones who didn't clearly describe their problems to us (usually because they don't know the terms or how they're supposed to properly function.

I taught myself from online sources, then took a course on basic maintenance at my local co-op, and learned a lot by volunteering there. When the LBS was looking for assembly techs, my name got mentioned and I took a part time job.

Maelochs

This, over and over again. Anyone with the slightest inclination can find two dozen different videos on each aspect of bike mechanics from building a wheel to assembling a bike to fine-tuning indexing. Watch them until one or two seem especially clear and go at it.

No disrespect to professional mechanics, but most bike wrenching is not that complicated. It takes a lot of patience, and some delicate touches, but more than anything it takes patience.

The difference between the LBS mechanic and I for most simple stuff is he will do it right the first time and do it quickly; the same job will take me several hours (or days, if my patience runs out) and I might break a few parts. But for most stuff, I will get there eventually because—and only because—so many awesome mechanics have shared their wisdom online.

Of course, along with getting it right the LBS guy will generally know what’s wrong because he has seen so many bikes with so many problems and has learned so many tricks ... but when I have a specific problem (say, how to remove a 1983 SunTour Cyclone II front derailleur with the overlap clip) I can find the answer online—often in posts on this forum.

Anyone who wants to ride a bike ought to spend a short time watching a few minutes of video a couple of times a week. it will prevent some problems before they start, prevent a few trips to the shop for things which can be done by anyone with a will and a set of Allen wrenches, and will give you a sense of security and satisfaction.

bikecommuter13

I am talking about the smallest cog in the cassette. And the tech told me it was a technique problem. He said I was putting too much load into it. The thing is, the bike was able to shift to the smallest cog when it's on the bike stand. However, when I am on it, (I am about 165 lbs) carrying 20 to 30 lbs of cargo, shifting to the smallest cog was nearly impossible.

Then after a month or so I went there again. A different tech said the tension was too tight. So he loosened it and it became better. But while he kinda fixed the small cog shifting, he also introduced chain rubbing...

I think the tech's are nice guys. They seem to care, but only to a point. What they can see on the bike stand is very different from when I am actually on the bike.

Or maybe I just have some faulty equipment on my bike

Maelochs

Anyone who has ever messed with derailleur adjustment knows you need to take it on the road to see what really works. Sounds like these guy didn't want to take the time ... maybe they weren't getting paid anything for the tuneup while they had paying c\stomers' repair waiting and a boss telling them to hurry.

Sometimes a chain might rub if you cross-chain (largest ring to largest cog, smallest ring to smallest cog) but should never rub under any other conditions. Maybe the guy moved the limit screw to get the chain over, and pushed it too far so it hit the chainstay? Or is it hitting the front derailleur?

Anyway, if he were doing it for real, he would have ridden ti around the parking lot, run it through the gears several times, came back in and maybe played with the indexing, checked the front derailleur to see if that was the problem with the rubbing ... but if it was a free tune-up (not that you didn't deserve the same care as any other customer, but ...)

Go to YouTube and you can find three dozen videos on installing, adjusting and indexing derailleurs. Park Tools has good info too. Look at a few take some notes, and grab a small Phillips Head. Welcome to the frustration and eventual joy of home bike mechanic

Tim_Iowa

I agree with @Maelochs; the shop I work at includes a test ride as part of the maintenance check out.

I also agree that setting up derailleurs isn't too hard, but having a bike stand makes it a piece of cake.

Corben

As a bd customer myself be prepared to: true and lube wheels. Fine tune brake and shift cables.
And that's all I had to do.