My New Windsor Cliff 29er Pro
 

A couple months ago I purchased a Windsor Knight road bike from bikesdirect, which was my first purchase of a bike online. I was pleasantly surprised and satisfied with that purchase and with the quality of the bike, so I started looking for a new mountain bike from them as well. My existing mountain bike was an old steel frame Gary Fisher hardtail that still worked, but was getting close to needing some serious work.

With a budget of $600-700, I chose the Cliff 29er Pro which offered a lot of bang for 700 bucks.
- Tora 318 Solo Air Fork (aka Tora Race 29er)
- SRAM X-7 Front and Rear Deraillers and Shifters
- Avid Juicy Five hydraulic disc brakes (160mm)
- WTB Speed Disc rims with Continental Mountain King 29x2.2" tires

It's my first 29er, and I'm diggin it. The air fork and hydraulic brakes are wonderful and smooth. The X-7's are very quick and precise, and I like the thumb/thumb shifters. Took a little getting used to, but now I prefer it over the Shimano rapid-fire style I used to have. Anyways, here's some pics...

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tM63e4Rno2Y/S8...0/IMG_3550.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tM63e4Rno2Y/S8...0/IMG_3555.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tM63e4Rno2Y/S8...0/IMG_3573.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tM63e4Rno2Y/S8...0/IMG_3560.JPG

Be ready for people to call you a shill... except that no one actually posts in this forum.

I've got the same bike, although it's a lot more dirty at the moment. I'm relatively happy with it, but I can't stand the pedals that came with it. Even with the tension cranked up, I accidentally clip out all the time. I'm going back to Shimano pedals. The tires leave something to be desired in terms of traction when climbing, too, but I'll wait until they wear out before replacing them. I need the miles and experience, anyway.

nice! Moto's get no respect from the haters, who cares? anyway, I have the Phantom 29 and love it - except for the Dart 3, it's time for it go. Hoping BD comes out w/ a full suspension 29er soon...

2heads, what's the frame size?

Yeah, I had the same experience with those pedals on my first ride. However, I didn't crank the tension up all the way so I'll try that. My old pedals were pretty loose on purpose...I like being able to clip out fast in those panicked oh $hit moments! So how long have you had your bike, and do you still like it?

My frame is a 17", and honestly it's a bit small for me. These Cliffs run a bit bigger, and I probably could have used a 15.5" frame. Doesn't matter once I'm on the bike, but straddling it is knocking nuts a bit. I'll probably be upgrading to a Sette Razzo 29er frame this winter, and pick up a 16" frame. Pretty nice looking frame, and lots of people on MTBR have built up bikes around it. Not bad for $200!
http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/188...tail-Frame.htm

I'm not too worried about unclipping as I've never really had a problem with Shimano SPD's in the past. I do accidentally unclip just about once per ride with the Xpedo's, and it always seems to happen at an inopportune time. Upping the tension helped, but it's still annoying.

I got the bike last fall and I still am happy with the purchase so far. It's my first 29er, and I still have a lot to learn about riding, so I can't really pass too much judgement in comparison to other bikes. It meets my needs, at least.

Nice ride! I have bought from BD in the past and I find that they sell alot of bike for the money. May have bought this last time from them but I scored a Felt Q720 new old stock (2009) model from my lbs for $749 so I could not resist.

How you like the 29'ers over a 26'er?

I don't know if I can honestly compare the two bikes. My old bike was a 1998 Gary Fisher Aquila (steel frame, Indy S forks :(, V-brakes). It got the job done but the fork was really just a deplorable piece of hardware which I should have replaced years ago. This bike is more stable, faster in every way, smoother braking/shifting/suspension, and is about the same weight (+/- 30#). I sure do fly up the climbs compared to the old bike, and I can hit the downhills harder without worrying about bottoming out the fork or getting a pinch flat. The ride is VERY plush for a hardtail, and I'm running the rear tire at 45psi. No complaints yet!

That Felt looks like a nice ride, and just about the same level of components as the Cliff but with a nicer frame. How does the Dart2 fork ride?

Just an update:

Still rocking the Cliff 29er and loving every minute. Holds a line wonderfully, navigates well on tight sections, and does well even on rocky sections and drops where a full suspension ride would be nice. I'm still amazed at the ease at which I can climb on this thing, and I'm not sure why it's so much better. I definitely like the bars above the saddle more, which makes standing up and hammering up hills a lot more comfortable (like a stairmaster). The 29er wheels definitely take a bit more effort to get rolling, but once you get past 5mph they are more stable and maintain more momentum. The Tora Solo Air fork on this bike is fantastic, and perhaps my favorite thing about the Cliff. It handles big bumps, small drops, and choppy terrain at speed very well. It doesn't pogo around, but keeps your tire on the ground and adds a good solid feeling of control.

So, after many many miles and a few crashes on the bike I give a hearty two thumbs up. :thumb::thumb:

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tM63e4Rno2Y/S9...0/STH70989.JPG

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tM63e4Rno2Y/S8...0/STH70940.JPG

Coastal Range across the valley to the West:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tM63e4Rno2Y/S9...0/STH70999.JPG