What's the deal with www.bikesdirect.com ?

[Tracy]

I see what looks like a GREAT deal on something called a Windsor Falkirk.

For $995 I can't find anything NEAR that anywhere else for the kind of parts they're putting on it.

Is this legit? Who ARE these folks? And why do they not have a phone number? What the heck is a
Windsor? Anybody have anything good to say? Bad to say? I need input because I'm a LOT reluctant to
give these people $1000 without knowing something about them.

 

[Kurgan Gringion]

"tracy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I see what looks like a GREAT deal on something called a Windsor Falkirk.
>
> For $995 I can't find anything NEAR that anywhere else for the kind of parts they're
> putting on it.
>
> Is this legit? Who ARE these folks? And why do they not have a phone number? What the heck is a
> Windsor? Anybody have anything good to say? Bad to say? I need input because I'm a LOT reluctant
> to give these people $1000 without knowing something about them.

Buy a Bianchi instead.

 

[Anonymous]

I have purchased a few bikes from them and got exactly what I expected. The bikes shipped when they
said that they would and arrived in good condition. When they arrived they were not even close to
being ready to ride. In addition to putting the normal parts on the bike like the handlebars,
wheels, pedals, and seat there are many "tune-up" issues. The wheels need to be trued, the
derailleurs need to be adjusted, the cranks needed to be tightened, and shifting needed to be fine
tuned. If you can't do it yourself, then you should budget $75 - $150 to the price of the bike for a
bike shop to do the assembly.

"tracy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I see what looks like a GREAT deal on something called a Windsor Falkirk.
>
> For $995 I can't find anything NEAR that anywhere else for the kind of parts they're
> putting on it.
>
> Is this legit? Who ARE these folks? And why do they not have a phone number? What the heck is a
> Windsor? Anybody have anything good to say? Bad to say? I need input because I'm a LOT reluctant
> to give these people $1000 without knowing something about them.

 

[Bruce Johnston]

"Kurgan Gringioni" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "tracy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > I see what looks like a GREAT deal on something called a Windsor Falkirk.
> >
> > For $995 I can't find anything NEAR that anywhere else for the kind of parts they're putting
> > on it.
> >
> > Is this legit? Who ARE these folks? And why do they not have a phone number? What the heck is a
> > Windsor? Anybody have anything good to say? Bad to say? I need input because I'm a LOT reluctant
> > to give these people $1000 without knowing something about them.
>
>
>
>
> Buy a Bianchi instead.

How about a Huffy?

 

[Tom Schulenburg]

"Bruce Johnston" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>
> "Kurgan Gringioni" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> >
> > "tracy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]...
> > > I see what looks like a GREAT deal on something called a Windsor Falkirk.
> > >
> > > For $995 I can't find anything NEAR that anywhere else for the kind of parts they're putting
> > > on it.
> > >
> > > Is this legit? Who ARE these folks? And why do they not have a phone number? What the heck is
> > > a Windsor? Anybody have anything good to say? Bad to say? I need input because I'm a LOT
> > > reluctant to give these people $1000 without knowing something about them.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Buy a Bianchi instead.
>
> How about a Huffy?
>
>

I thought Bianchi was Italian for Huffy.

-T

 

[John Smith]

Bike shops just *LOVE* it when you bring these kind of bikes in to be assembled.

RWM wrote:

> I have purchased a few bikes from them and got exactly what I expected. The bikes shipped when
> they said that they would and arrived in good condition. When they arrived they were not even
> close to being ready to ride. In addition to putting the normal parts on the bike like the
> handlebars, wheels, pedals, and seat there are many "tune-up" issues. The wheels need to be trued,
> the derailleurs need to be adjusted, the cranks needed to be tightened, and shifting needed to be
> fine tuned. If you can't do it yourself, then you should budget $75 - $150 to the price of the
> bike for a bike shop to do the assembly.
>
>
> "tracy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>>I see what looks like a GREAT deal on something called a Windsor Falkirk.
>>
>>For $995 I can't find anything NEAR that anywhere else for the kind of parts they're
>>putting on it.
>>
>>Is this legit? Who ARE these folks? And why do they not have a phone number? What the heck is a
>>Windsor? Anybody have anything good to say? Bad to say? I need input because I'm a LOT reluctant
>>to give these people $1000 without knowing something about them.
>

 

[Anonymous]

"John Smith" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Bike shops just *LOVE* it when you bring these kind of bikes in to be assembled.
>

Funny, I have never done it myself but I did call three local shops before I ordered and all three
assured me that it would not be a problem. The shop that I am closest to said that they don't make a
lot of money on new bikes but love selling accessories. You might want to find a different shop.

 

[Boyd Speerschne]

"Tom Schulenburg" <[email protected]> wrote in news:UtCnb.316
[email protected]:

<snip>

> I thought Bianchi was Italian for Huffy.
>
> -T

Nah... Huffy's have better warranties

- B

 

[kwerner]

Bikesdirect is legit, but don't expect much customer service and figure you may have to call them after a few days to make sure your order processing is moving along on schedule.

Bikesdirect sells some brands that are widely distributed, but they focus on Motobecane, Mercier, and, now (it seems), Windsor. It has been reported that the Motobecane brand is now owned by the same person who owns Bikesdirect, and he also owns a chain of bike shops in the Southwest. Motobecane has a thin dealer network in the U.S.

I am guessing that Mercier and Windsor are also owned by the owner of Bikesdirect. I have not been able to find any Mercier dealer in the U.S. other than bikesdirect.

I bought a Mercier Corvus from Bikesdirect and I'm very pleased with the bike. Good quality (frame made in Taiwan, which is no bad thing), excellent value for the money, and the bike arrived in good shape. The assembly was easy, the wheels were round and true. Some minor adjustment on the front derailleur was needed, and the nuts holding the straps to the pedals needed tightening. The saddle was painful, but original equipment saddles often are.

I would certainly order from bikesdirect again, but with the understanding that if you need to invoke your warranty, it will probably involve shipping your bike back to bikesdirect.

I'm sorry I can't comment directly on the Windsor line being sold by Bikesdrect.