Windsor Bicycles

Denemator

Well your wife is opposite to mine she prefers the more upright flat bars, particularly for braking. She still rides fast though.

spasticteapot

I'm a bit too lazy and a bit too clueless to get anything meaningful from the 106 posts so far, so I'd like to ask: Should I get a Windsor Dover? Is it a good value? Are the wheels durable, and capable of dealing with the occasional pothole or curb?

Denemator

Seems like a decent bike, I have had good experiences with bikesdirect.com so wouldn't worry there. (I assume that is where you found it advertised) It seems well enough equiped for an entry level bike, and should last ok. How much if I may ask?

Alpenrose

Yes. You get a lot for your money. I think I paid about $335. I haven’t checked the bikesdirect.com specs on the bike lately to know if it’s still got exactly the same gear on it.
I bought mine from Bikesdirect.com over 2-1/2 years ago and have about 4,000 miles on it. The first year it was my #1 bike, including races. Since then it’s been relegated to the stationary trainer, but I am back with it this summer commuting to work daily, with a 500 ft. climb coming home in the afternoon. Don’t tell the guys in my club, but I use the small ring.
The DA-22’s are OK. They are as durable as any other skinny road wheel. I have a truing stand and keep all my wheels tuned up myself. The original Michelin is still on the front wheel, but the rear tire has long since been used up on the stationary trainer. I would recommend Tuffy liners for these and just about any other skinny road tires, or go to Armadillos.
The bike is the 62cm size, I’m 6’2”. I changed out the original equipment stem for a much shorter one. The handlebars have way too much drop, so I don’t get down into the drops as much I would otherwise. So far I haven’t seen fit to change the handlebars.
I have used a couple of other wheel sets with it, depending on the situation. I bought a lightweight set (ALX330, put on Michelin pro2 race tires) for racing and a utility set (Alex 4000??) just because they were cheap.
As an experiment, I changed out the 172.5 mm triple crank for a 180mm double. I learned: There isn’t that much difference in feel, but the Shimano Sora chain rings and crank work superbly compared to the generic. I’m back to the original equipment now. I had a shop change it back, replace the chain and cables, and haven’t touched the drive train in at least a year. I have since switched my other bike to a Dura-Ace 180mm crank and I love it, but that’s a topic for another day.
I was so impressed with the Windsor/Shimano/Bikesdirect combination that I bought a Windsor Kennett with full Ultegra gear, and I now have about 8,000 miles on it, including about 60 races.
With Bikesdirect, you have to put the bike together, which is pretty easy. Mount pedals, handlebars, seat, tweak the brakes, pump up the tires, ...

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spasticteapot

Okay, great. I'll go for the generic Windsor Dover model, or maybe the carbon fiber fork one if it's not too much more.

Also, has anyone heard of the Windsor Wellington? It's only $200, but for anything this cheap, I'm more than a little suspicious.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-ALUMINUM-RO...1QQcmdZViewItem

Alpenrose

The price difference between the Wellington and the Dover looks to be:

Steel fork vs. _____(?)

7 speed double (=”14-speed”) vs. 8 speed triple (=”24-speed”)

Stem shifters vs. integrated brake/shifters

Wheels (?)

“2200” rear derailer vs. Sora

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spasticteapot

Oh. Okay. Sora it is, then.

I wonder if I can get it in black or orange. Also, I presume these wheels are durable enough that they can take a few bumps?

sunnut

hey.
im brand new to the windsor family of bikes (Bristol) and have gotten great info about the bike. Thanxs everyone! I was wondering what type of shoes these types of bikes use. as far as clicking in. Cheers!

rambler4799

Hi.

I'm not very smart about bicycles, but, I was given a Windsor Touring Elite ll, and can name a few of the parts on it. Can anyone help me figure out what I have? Things I know for sure are, It was assymbled in mexico...it's a ten speed...27"...Suntour cyclone derailer...(as are all shifting parts)...it has phil hubs on rigida rims, (not punched out)....it has Sugino cranks with the number 52 on the big gear...it has a Avocet touring ll seat.....the gooseneck has a 3ttt on it....the handlebars are etched with scroll work and the word,"custom", on them....the brake handles have been drilled out, to make them lighter, i suppose..and it's silver w/dark blue stripes...(2) on the bar under the seat. The front forks taperdown and they have italy bearings top and bottom. I can lift the entire bike with one finger, and it seems to weigh no more than 20 pounds. Is this a good one? Anybody willing to put a ballpark estimate of worth on it? I know nothing bout this sort of bike. Thanks...rambler4799

Camilo

Windsor made bikes back in the 70s and 80s (and before?) that were of a differnt lineage and quality than current bikes. Since yours has Suntour components, my guess is that it is of that vintage. Windsor made some "good" bikes and some "excellent" ones back then. I had a "good" one that I bought in 1976 or thereabouts, and it was stolen a couple of years later, never to be seen again. This is a photo of my exact model (different size though): http://www.bikeforums.net/attachmen...16&d=1168218723

See if this helps you figure out what you have: http://www.classicrendezvous.com/Mexico/Mexico.htm

http://oldroads.com/arch/LTW2004_7_275_23_32_AM.html

rambler4799

Thanks camillo. I went to the sites you suggested, and, WOW!, I learned alot! It seems as though I have a , Acer-Mex produced Windsor Vintage Lightweight, Windsor touring elite ll. Acer-Mex produced aprox. 500,000 of the Windsor family line in the mid 70's, and depending on the year, components varied. Mine happens to have the Sugino/suntour/dia-compe mix. It's an entry to mid range bike with above average components for the time. It's all aluminum (including the rims), and was favorably priced compared to competition. I still have'nt found any exact info for my bike, but I do know that a serial number of 7667 out of 500,000, makes mine one of the first built! Thanks again....I will keep searching for info.....

rem984

Sorry for ressurecting an ancient thread, but from what I can tell, the general consensus is that the higher-end Windsor bikes are worth it, but what about the lower-end models? Im looking to start into road biking, and im on a very tight budget, so some of these bikes look like a good deal for me. Specifically, im looking at the Windsor Wellington 3.0 - http://www.bikesdirect.com/products...wellington3.htm - Does anyone have any gripes/critiques on that particular model, or any instruction as to whether I should look into something else? My local store reccomended a raleigh, but I cant afford the lowest priced one at $520. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Alpenrose

This goes for all Bikesdirect.com bikes: They are the best deal around.
I have bought three, a $345 three-year-old Windsor Dover that I commute on daily, a $1045 two-year-old Windsor Kennet that I just rode 65 miles today (I have at least 10,000 miles on it), and a $995 brand new Motobecane Nemesis which I have hardly even had outside yet, but I've already spent quite a few hours on my trainer with. I will be using the Nemesis for time trialing.
I don't want to hurt the feelings of my local bike shop, where I still spend lots of money, but anything there is at least twice as expensive as Bikesdirect.

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oldbobcat

You have a typical midrange sports tourer, possibly 1975-85 vintage. Decent bike, nothing special. Actual weight is more likely in the 24-27 lb. range, depending on the size. Most likely made in Taiwan, bikes like this were the bread and butter of bicycle companies worldwide until mountain bikes became popular. My wife had one like it, probably not as nice. We gave it to our pastor when he left for a campus ministry.

Best advice I can give is ride, maintain, and enjoy.