# Windsor clockwork from bikesdirect. Help with bike advice



## Sunburn74 (Jun 10, 2009)

Hi. I'm interested in buying a roadbike for between 300 and 400 dollars. After quite a bit of research, I think I have it narrowed down to the windsor clockwork being sold on bikesdirect. 

I'm going to be honest though: I'm not very knowledgeable in terms of bikes. This will be my first roadbike and I imagine myself to be someone thats very easy to please. My last bike was a mountain bike I bought from academy for 80 dollars and I feel like I got a good year out of it. The bike I'm currently riding is another mountain bike (by giant) my roomate doesn't use since he got his roadbike fully repaired. He says its lousy compared to his roadbike but even that bike I like. 

My commute is basically 10-13 minutes each way in fairly nice weather on what I now learn to be a terrible mountain bike. I'm interested in a bike that will last me at least two years and zips when you pedal it. Reviews for the clockwork generally have been good, and the complaints are things I think I wouldn't even pick up; there have also been issues with Bike directs customer service, but I could care less if the bike works. But I'm curious if there are better options out there I should consider before making the purchase.

So in short
300-400
10-13 minutes each way on the road or pavement
lasts 2 years
is comfortable

And if this is the wrong forum or section, would a mod kindly move it? Thanks


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## bikesdirect (Sep 9, 2006)

Sunburn74 said:


> Hi. I'm interested in buying a roadbike for between 300 and 400 dollars. After quite a bit of research, I think I have it narrowed down to the windsor clockwork being sold on bikesdirect.
> 
> I'm going to be honest though: I'm not very knowledgeable in terms of bikes. This will be my first roadbike and I imagine myself to be someone thats very easy to please. My last bike was a mountain bike I bought from academy for 80 dollars and I feel like I got a good year out of it. The bike I'm currently riding is another mountain bike (by giant) my roomate doesn't use since he got his roadbike fully repaired. He says its lousy compared to his roadbike but even that bike I like.
> 
> ...


Hi
I am on forums often
and I hope others answer your questions also

But i would like to clear one thing up - this bike could easily last 10 years or more

However, I hope you know this is a single speed bike
rides great and 10 to 15 miles at a time on this bike is easy; but it is a single speed

If you want a 'budget' multi-speed road
look at the Dawes Lightning 1000 - great deal in a 24-speed road bike

thanks
mike


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## Sunburn74 (Jun 10, 2009)

I'm not too concerned about the single speed. My co worker actually recommends them and my commute is flat the entire way. The only concern is the stock speed might be too easy as I have very powerful legs (ex basketball player). I am however taking a peek at the dawes like you said. I really prefer single speed though simply because on my last bike the derailer was the first thing togo and I just dont want to have to deal with that again.

Again I'm mostly worried about not being able to get at least 2 years out of the bike (with reasonable care from the bike shop across the street) and worried about the size. I'm 6'2, and from my research the 61cm should fit me, but I actually planned on calling in and asking someone there. Maybe you can assist? I'm also working through the online fit calculator linked by another poster here.

Edit:wow, there are some really strong opinions both ways concerning buying from these guys. I'm still parsing through thread after thread, but I have to say, I'm really gonna have to think it over. The things that seems to be of the general consensus are:
1) the motobecane messenger is a great bike (I'm starting to look in that direction)
2) bikesdirect handles the singlespeed stuff pretty well (less stuff to mess up)
3) if you can assemble the bike AND have a bike shop around to back you up, things should be ok

I don't have high expectations other than wanting 2 years out of the darn thing, but man I really just want to know if I my 300-400 USD could be better spent. Still gonna parse through threads and see what they say...

Edit2: yeah wow, just finished parsing through every thread that even mentioned bike's direct. Overall, I still think I'm going to go with them. However, even though I think I can follow the steps they show for assembly, quite frankly there's been enough warning that its best to take have the bikebarn across the street assemble it. Since that is true, it seems the clockwork is my only choice. I was basically looking at the clockwork, the messenger, and the kilo tt. The kilo looks great but I can't ride fixed wheel (i've heard stories about people flying over the handlebars because they had to stand up to stop the bike in an emergency situation, impaling certain precious body parts in the process. No thanks). When you factor the cost of the brakes and the cost of having the bikebarn inspect and put it together, then it starts to approach the price of the lowest end bike sold at the around town and then it seems impractical. (BTW, I have to pay tax since I live in texas on top of everything.. sigh...) 

As for the messenger, it seemed to have garnered the best reviews across the board of any bikesdirect bike discusssed here. I actually really like it, but its a bit more expensive than the clockwork and again I pay tax AND will have to get the bike store to assemble and inpect it. That 30 dollar difference is really killing me.... ahh... I'm gonna sleep on it, but I'm hoping someone will spill two cents because I plan on makng a move before the end of the week.


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## Sunburn74 (Jun 10, 2009)

So I made my decision and went with the messenger in orange. Well the rest is up to bikesdirect...


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## stevepaul6 (May 9, 2008)

I suggest that you spend the extra $300. At your local bike shop and get a proper fit. So that you can avoid being told that when your bike arrives damaged go buy some touch up paint or deal with difficulty of shipping it back at your expense. Just like I was told.


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## Sunburn74 (Jun 10, 2009)

meh its too late now. I ordered already. I measured myself and used a fit calculator to pick the appropriate bike. and its only a 10 minute commute at a time, meaning there won't really be enough time spent on the bike to get all worn out and beat up... i mean you have to understand, i was rolling on some pretty horrible bikes just before this order was placed.

to be honest, my standards are low. the bike just has to work and not break down in 2 years. i went single speed ot keep the weight and complexity down and to reduce the amount of upkeep. and i don't plan on assembling it myself.

if the bike is damaged.... well i hope its not damaged upon delivery. we'll see though, we'll see... but i really can't afford 700 on a new bike and my bike needs aren't as demanding as others.i picked what i believe to be the best bike for what i can afford and hopefully it'll turn out ok


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## bikesdirect (Sep 9, 2006)

Sunburn74 said:


> meh its too late now. I ordered already. I measured myself and used a fit calculator to pick the appropriate bike. and its only a 10 minute commute at a time, meaning there won't really be enough time spent on the bike to get all worn out and beat up... i mean you have to understand, i was rolling on some pretty horrible bikes just before this order was placed.
> 
> to be honest, my standards are low. the bike just has to work and not break down in 2 years. i went single speed ot keep the weight and complexity down and to reduce the amount of upkeep. and i don't plan on assembling it myself.
> 
> if the bike is damaged.... well i hope its not damaged upon delivery. we'll see though, we'll see... but i really can't afford 700 on a new bike and my bike needs aren't as demanding as others.i picked what i believe to be the best bike for what i can afford and hopefully it'll turn out ok



Thanks for your order

About 1 in 200 bikes we sell are damaged by UPS. This is really unavoidable.
but if some one gets a damaged bike, we fit it, replace it, or get it back and refund the money. UPS pays for this - not the customer.

If you have any issue at all, just PM me here

Have Fun
Be Safe

Mike


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## Sunburn74 (Jun 10, 2009)

So whats the average turn around time on returns? If its not coming out of your pocket, I don't see why a bike return and replacement should take anything more than a week and a half, since even if the person is wrong about if the bike was actually damaged, its not coming out of your pocket anyway...


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## bikesdirect (Sep 9, 2006)

Sunburn74 said:


> So whats the average turn around time on returns? If its not coming out of your pocket, I don't see why a bike return and replacement should take anything more than a week and a half, since even if the person is wrong about if the bike was actually damaged, its not coming out of your pocket anyway...



depends on where you are at
we ship returns to Dallas

can be 1 to 7 days depending on your location

by the way, you should not need someone to setup a single speed
very easy to do and will save you a bit of money if you do it your self

about 20 times easier than building any toy I buy for my kids that says 'some assembly required'

mike


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## Sunburn74 (Jun 10, 2009)

The bike arrived last week monday. I didn't open the box but took it to a bike store my roomate recommended. The charged me 60 bucks, but it comes with a 1 yr service warranty for anything outside of tires. I finally got to see the bike yesterday and I must say its quite gorgeous. I went with the motobecane messenger in orange and its just a nice looking bike. Pics coming tomorrow if I can remember.

I'm 6'2, I went with the 61 cm bike and the seats a little uncomfy. Also there is no quick release on the seat meaning if you want to adjust it on the fly, you need to carry that little allen wrench around. Also I don't like the foot straps, but I'm learnig to use them. Outside of that those are my major gripes after the first commute into work. I'll write a review in about a month.


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## sonex305 (Jun 17, 2007)

Here's something you can take to the bank; The majority of the people that will tell you Bikesdirect stinks are those people that have not purchased a thing from them. I have owned 6 bikes from Bikesdirect and all have been super. Mike at BD is great to work with and I recommend them highly. Don't listen to the haters, they are the same ones that will pass you on the road and not wave or say hi unless you are riding some name brand bike that you had to pay twice as much for simply because a certain name is on the downtube. 

Enjoy the new ride. I really love that orange they use.


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## bourmb (Jan 25, 2009)

Sunburn74 said:


> The bike arrived last week monday. I didn't open the box but took it to a bike store my roomate recommended. The charged me 60 bucks, but it comes with a 1 yr service warranty for anything outside of tires. I finally got to see the bike yesterday and I must say its quite gorgeous. I went with the motobecane messenger in orange and its just a nice looking bike. Pics coming tomorrow if I can remember.
> 
> I'm 6'2, I went with the 61 cm bike and the seats a little uncomfy. Also there is no quick release on the seat meaning if you want to adjust it on the fly, you need to carry that little allen wrench around. Also I don't like the foot straps, but I'm learnig to use them. Outside of that those are my major gripes after the first commute into work. I'll write a review in about a month.


How does the 61 fit you on standover? I am 6'6", but my legs are what I would consider nothing out of the normal as my dress pants are a 34.5" inseam. Most of my height comes in my torso. I really don't know if a 64cm would be too much from a standover perspective. I really wish I still had my old Fuji around so I could measure the standover height!


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## Sunburn74 (Jun 10, 2009)

The 61 standover is fine. I feel 64 would have been too much and I actually got to try a 64 inch frame on another bike and it just seemed a bit much. The length of the frame (ie top tube) is a little shorter than what I'd like, but I compensated by adjusting the seat. Overall if I could do it again, I'd probably stick with the 61 over the 64


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