# Fens Windsor @ Bikes Direct Local



## ccd1977 (Apr 30, 2010)

I have been contemplating a roadie now for about 2 months. Looking at various bikes and motobecane being one company I am really interested in so I stopped by Cycle Spectrum which is pretty much LBS for bikes direct. I stopped in and the guy swapped out a stem for me to see if one of the bike would be more comfy. Anyway, I rode Fens Windsor with full 105's for $699. It was a little aggressive but with a larger frame and adjustable stem, it may fit but I am not sure. The bike was light and fast. I really liked it but my hands and shoulders ached. 

Does any know about the Fens Windsor? It is not a Motobecane by name but he was saying that it was basically a Fuji? Also, I noticed the hubs said, Formula on them. What do you guys know about this bike?


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## PlatyPius (Feb 1, 2009)

That's one of the ones that isn't a Fuji. It's a Kinesis (ie: probably most like a Raleigh).

Bikes Direct owns the US rights to the names Windsor, Motobecane, Mercier, Dawes, and (I think) Bottecchia. There are no such companies in the US - they are just names.

The Fens looks like a good bike. Same as the others, plan on replacing the wheels at some point. You should be able to get 6 months to a year out of them, though. Same thing with the bottom bracket as the others as well. Plan on replacement at some point.

It's a good deal for a 105 bike, though.


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## ccd1977 (Apr 30, 2010)

Sweet! Now the only thing I need to do is get sized so I know what fites me instead of trail and error replacements.


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## Tucker44 (Apr 6, 2010)

Just got a Fens and love it...the components are sweet.


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## ccd1977 (Apr 30, 2010)

did you have anything swapped out? how did you get sized?


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## girlwithglasses (Jul 12, 2010)

*Fantastic Fens*

Chiming in very late here, but I've had a Fens for a bit over a year now; it's my main form of transport and I could not be more pleased with it. I've done about 2.5k miles on it, and have had no problems with it other than having to replace the tyres, and trying to get it back off the police after I had an accident and went over the handlebars (a hidden dip in the road... grrrr). I haven't altered the stock configuration much; I use a different saddle and have swapped the pedals for Pedalites to increase my nocturnal visibility. The only shortcoming I've found is that it doesn't quite have the gears (or rather, I don't usually have the strength of mind) to get up a seriously steep hill on the way to work, but it's a hill that really requires MTB gearing, so I don't consider it a problem. I'm sure there are mods you could make if you wanted to use it for racing (e.g. using different wheels), but I find it quite adequate for overtaking most people on the road. 

Hope that helps!


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