BikesDirect? Caveat Emptor...
 

As a bike shop guy, you expect me to rag on BikesDirect. I'll be the first to admit, though, that some of their bikes are actually a really good deal. This one, however, is not.

http://bicycletrader.us/images/windsor1.jpg

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...ington1_IX.htm

The bike in question is the "Windsor Wellington 1.0"; an entry-level road bike. It sells on BD for $300. A GMC Denali "road bike" from Wally World sells for around $200. You're better off with the Wally World bike.
Here's why...

One of my jobs for today was a tune-up on a Windsor. I got the bike, put it in the stand, and started checking it over, since I'd never seen that model before. It's made by Kinesis, as are most/all of the aluminum BD bikes that I've seen (as well as Raleighs and others.) So, I figured at least the frame was okay. Wrong answer.

Next I look over the frame itself. Huge welds, of course. At the bottom bracket, however, they are only PARTIAL, huge welds. Yes, there are big gaps in the welds, the beads stop and start, and it just generally looks like something I wouldn't want to ride more than 20 miles.... one mile ride x 20. Next I notice that at the headtube junction, there's welding rod sticking out of the paint. Well done. The pics are kinda crappy, but you can sorta see what I'm talking about.

http://bicycletrader.us/images/windsor4.jpg

http://bicycletrader.us/images/windsor2.jpg

So, I start looking at the components. Stem shifters? Really? And notice the Pro, over-the-bars cable routing!

http://bicycletrader.us/images/windsor5.jpg

So, I start the tune up. It being a BD bike, I decide that I'd better check the bottom bracket. Bad choice. It will never, ever, ever be removed from the frame.

On to the wheel truing.... Can you say "Completely de-tensioned"? Yes, you can. Both wheels had to, essentially, be rebuilt. I could squeeze pairs of spokes and they would almost touch. Is this really a bargain at $300? Considering the fact that the $45 tune up turned into a $90 overhaul (disassemble and rebuild), that brings the total to $390. For $399, you can buy the low-end Fuji Newest 4.0 (with Downtube shifters...also old-school, but at least Retro) from a dealer, get a free tune up or two, and have a guy near you who will fix it if it breaks.

My suggestion... if you MUST buy from BD, at least get the Motobecane Vent Noir for $699. It's a helluva bike for that price. Avoid the Windsor Wellington like the plague.

I like stem shifters...

Then again I'm a retrogrouch.

Good advice though... forewarned is forearmed.

In defense of the cable routing, doesn't the buyer have to put the handlebars on the bike? I know I did for my BD bike.

I bought a department store bike as a beater and when the bottom bracket took a dump two months later, I found that they had installed it in reverse. That thing was STUCK and it was never coming out. That's what you get with cheap stuff.

Maybe the child workers were just having a bad day at the Windsor bike frame sweat shop in Thailand?

Can't expect much for $300.

helped a friend figure out wth was wrong with his denali when he brought it home from wally world- fork had been installed backwards and front tire would hit the frame, so you could only go left or mostly straight. That'd be a tough one to beat.

Well, I'm just totally shocked.

On the other hand, the Mountain Bike Action review of the Motobecane Fly Ti hard tail (the model that I purchased) characterized the quality of the Taiwan sourced 3.2/2.5 Ti frame as 'stunning'.

That description is 100% accurate.

I got the Vent Noir. They really just skimped out on the saddle, but what stock saddle is good? Since you mentioned those welds I rushed to check that I didn't get a raw deal. I hope it lasts as my first road bike.

Back in the retro days, good bikes had the shifters on the downtube. Only the cheapo bikes had stem shifters. The cheapo stem shifters always had rubber tips so they didn't impale you in a crash.

The stem shifters on my first Schwinn were steel. And not the rounded-off, sissy versions, either. I went over the handlebars at least once that I remember on that bike, and my junk remained unharmed by the shifters.

BikesDirect advertises that bike as having a "list price" of $699. And it implies it is on "sale," by saying "save 50%."

So what's to keep a newb from thinking they should be expecting a $699 bike? It says right on their website that the "list" for this bike is $699.

Do people really expect that much from a 700$ bike either, though?

yes

Thanks for the heads up. BTW, you can expect a LOT from a $700 bike, like quality.

Not a direct defense, but the Kona ***** Tonk sells for much more than this and has downtube shifters (though I believe they are Dura Ace)

Was it the NASCAR model? :D

Yes, but it's MEANT to be retro; which is cool.

could you rotate the bars around once so the cables would be correct?

i'm not a BD fanboy, but :

those welds dont look too bad,

the cable routing was probably the owners fault during assembly

i would rather have stem shifters than really crappy brifters (which would be necessary at a 300 price point)

I did.

You'd have to see it in person...the pics didn't really show it.

Picture a tube joining the bb shell, and you could see the cut end of the seat tube, a gap, and then the bb shell.

I bought a $700 Windsor Fens two years ago for the family motor pool. Ours has Shimano wheels and an Ultegra RD, but otherwise looks much the same as the still $700:
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/fens_IX.htm

It has lumpy welds and needed a fair bit of tuning and tightening out of the box, but is noticeably lighter than our classic bikes, and rides well. My curb-hopping son that weighs 230 has been riding it at college and so far it has been very reliable.

:thumb:

I wouldn't expect much from a $300 bike. I'm surprised the owner would pay to get the bike tuned. You buy online you should be prepared to do your own wrenching.

A bike like this I would just beat up and ride the hell out of it for a year, log like 10,000 miles on it, and turn around and sell it for $150. I'd also do my own maintenance on it as well.