Hi, I Found a 2006 fuji tour bike( world i believe is the model) on line for $750 just curious if any one has feed back on the windsor offered in bike direct for $700 new. The fuji has carbon front forks,listed as having around 1200 miles on it and goes for $ 1500new back in the day. I read good reviews on the fuji . The windsor looks like a ok bike and is new. I have a fuji tri bike and like that. i offered $700 because I would be driving about 50 miles to pick it up. He said take it or leave it That made me consider other options.. I am planing a cross country ride (east -west) 2012. New to the touring sceene. I want to slow things down a bit,you know smell the roses or gas fumes..The other possibilty is for $250 more i could get into the SLHT. I really did not want to spend that much. What I read here is that is a awesome touring bike.. Any suggestions would be great thanks. Mike

I own a Windsor Tourist, and I very much enjoy it. I've put a small amount of money into the bike, changing things to my personal taste (even if I'd bought a LHT, I would have still made changes). I like the bike and would buy it again if I was to do it all over again. Buy the Fuji, buy the Windsor or buy the LHT.....all will be great bikes!

The Windsor Tourist is a good bike --- essentially the Fuji Touring with another set of decals. Just as an FYI, if it is your size, there is an online retailier that has 2009 Jamis Aurora models for under $700 shipped.
https://www.bicyclebananasstore.com/2...a09_aurora.htm

As far as i know, the Fuji Touring never had a carbon fork and I wouldn't especially recommend one for touring. Carbon forks are typically made with road bikes in mind not touring bikes. So either the bike isn't a Fuji Touring or someone replaced the fork with a carbon one. If the fork was replaced I'd have to wonder if the bike was crashed. I'd almost certainly pass on a used Fuji Touring with a carbon fork.

Maybe the bike is a different model. The name Fuji World does sound familiar, but I'd still suspect that if it has a carbon fork it probably was not designed for loaded touring.

As far as the Windsor Touring goes... It is $599 delivered, the $699 one is the Motebecane Gran Turismo. I like my Windsor Touring just fine, three of us did the Trans America together on them and some other fairly major tours. The Gran Turismo is supposedly an updated version, but I personally much prefer the STI shifting on the Windsor vs the bar ends on the Gran Turismo.

It would have been better IMO if that had just offered a Windsor with upgraded wheels and lower gearing.

That said both are nice bikes for the price if they are equipped that way you want them. If, like me, you strongly prefer brifters the Windsor is nice. Otherwise maybe the Gran Turismo might be a better choice.

Of course there are lots of other good choices on the market if neither of those suit you.

I'd go with the Windsor. Long as it's sized right for you, not likely to go wrong. Besides, who wants a carbon fork on a touring bike? Unless, of course, you have no intentions of ever adding a front rack. Be pretty unusual for a long trip, unless you're a minimalist, or gonna go credit card.

No matter what you buy, there'll probably be some additional expenses customizing the bike to your preferences.

That's the World.

It did have a carbon fork, which isn't great if you're planning on loading it up. IIRC the fork had lowrider mounts anyway. The nicest thing about it was that it was a Reynolds 853 frame—very nice. I've owned a Touring (clone of the Windsor) and would opt for a used World if it were my nickel.

Ok Thanks all looks like the windsor for me, The Fuli is called a fuji world, appears discontinued in 2006. How many find bar end shifters are better? i have shifters on my brake on my tri bike I really don't care for it. Thanks for the input

Re: carbon fork, I just bought a Fuji touring bike that has a carbon fork (2008) and, looking at the Fuji site many of them do.

So how do you mount a front rack on a carbon fork, or don't you? Is there a way to do a low rider rack even?

The Fuji World that I linked above, which they produced for a handful of years, had a carbon fork that had threaded inserts for a lowrider rack. That's the only way you do it, I think.

even if the front couldn't hold a ton of weight, that seems like a nice ride.

Personally I insist on brifters and would go with down tube shifters before bar end shifters. I like my Windsor fine. That said, if you don't care for brifters I wouldn't buy the Windsor. I'd suggest that if you like bar end shifters the Motebecane Gran Turismo would make more sense.

The jamis loks good also nice components, looking into that.

Fuji world tour comes with rack fenders renyolds 830 and it does have carbon forks,,