# Windsor Fens first impression



## jmcvetta (Nov 26, 2010)

After quite a bit of research, I recently bought a 60cm Windsor Fens. It arrived Monday, and now that I have had it a few days I wanted to share my experience.

Shipping time was pretty reasonable, about a week. Bike arrived undamaged, and was easy to unpack. Assembly was easy, took maybe 30min. I had to buy some pedals, since the included pair require cycling shoes. Pedals were also easy to install. Wheels made it through shipping reasonably true, but could use a professional truing to be perfect. I did some very minor derailleur adjustment, and it shifts fine. 

My first concern was size. I am just a little over 6', with relatively long legs and short torso. So I had debated between 58cm and 60cm. Initially, the 60cm seemed to require too much reach to comfortably grip the handlebars. After flipping the stem it feels better, but still a bit long. LBS sized me to a Marin with a similar effective top tube length, but a shorter stem. So swapping in a shorter stem might help, but I haven't tried it yet. Still not sure if I got the right size.

The bike rides great. It feels light and responsive, and the carbon fork and seat stay do a good job of absorbing impact on rough downtown streets. The ergo drop bars, with their interesting bend, take a little getting used to but feel pretty nice. Shifting is great, and the gear range seems entirely adequate for (hilly, high-traffic) downtown SF. Haven't had a chance to try the really high gears at all yet. 

There is one downside, and unfortunately it's bigger than I expected. I won't pull any punches: the Fens is kind of ugly. The silver paint looks cheap, not a very deep or lustrous shade, but it could be okay. The font in which "Windsor" and "Fens" are written, however, is huge and _hideous_. It just really does not look nice, at all. 

It's ugly enough that I am giving serious thought to exchanging the Fens for a Motobecane Vent Noir. That bike looks great, and I suspect with its geometry the 58cm would be a good fit. But it has inferior drivetrain parts at the same price, and I would have to pay shipping both ways, so I'm not real happy with that option either.


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## Guest (Nov 27, 2010)

I done the BD route twice now. A Sprint abbout 4 yrs ago and a Le Champ CF this spring. I also done 60cm frames too. I am not a bike junky but like riding alot so I tinkered myself with a fit that suits me. I want to be more upright so the stems were gone and I bought 80 by 20 deg stems. I also have foot problems so no fancy shoe/pedals. use standard, cheap bike pedals. I have to, no other way. Nice bike. Keep posting.


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## Reddez (May 21, 2010)

Took me a while to get used to the look as well from my old pos which was a slick blue color. I love my Fens though! The neutral colors grow on you and the better components are what sold me on it as well. I had the opportunity to compare it next to the Motobecanes and Dawes in the same price range and I do not regret my decision. I have since put over 500 miles on it and I must say it far exceeded what I expected. Still running great and I am happy I chose the Fens over anything else.

If looks mean that much to you, customize it a little bit more and change up the bar tape color. Just some food for thought.

Edit: This photo is new from the store. I have since put two silver water bottle cages on, as well as my computer and new lights/reflectors. I also took the reflectors off the wheels cause its tacky. Its pretty fly.


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## covenant (May 21, 2002)

jmcvetta said:


> I wish the Windsor bikes would take the same care about colors and logos as the Motobecanes seem to.


That's funny...


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## jmcvetta (Nov 26, 2010)

After owning & riding the Fens for a couple weeks, I've gotten to really like it. It's faster and smoother riding than any previous bike I have owned, as one would expect given that it has much nicer components. After some more adjustment -- adding two little spacer rings (included w/ bike) to the headset, and swapping out the 110mm 6degree stem for a 120mm 8 degree stem - the fit seems pretty comfortable. I feel much more confident now that 60cm was the right frame size. Also, I can really feel the difference the carbon fork and seat stay make when riding down rough roads. They do a good job of dampening vibration, tho you still feel larger chuckholes. 

One of the benefits of buying from the internet, is that I was able to get a full size repair stand and some tools, and still save several hundred over the comparable bike in the store. The repair seems like a pretty good investment. I was able to get the derailleurs nicely adjusted, something I do not think I could have done without a stand. I found the tutorial video at biketutor.com a useful guide. 

As Reddez says, the color scheme has grown on me. The thing that still really annoys me, is that the "WINDSOR" logo is italic, and the "FENS" logo is not - it just doesn't look right. I wish the Windsor bikes would take the same care about colors and logos as the Motobecanes seem to. Or better, go with zero or really minimal logos, like just a Windsor crest on the headtube - I know I would pay a little extra for an advertising-free bike.


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## jmcvetta (Nov 26, 2010)

covenant said:


> That's funny...


Probably you think the Motobecane color schemes are not very good compared to $YOUR_FAV_BRAND. That's not really the point. 

It is sufficient that the factory paint job look "okay", which in my opinion the Motobecanes typically do. The Windsor paint schemes, in general and not just for the Fens, look "not so great". There are very few mass production bikes that really look "good". Personally I think Felt has some of the nicest paint jobs I've seen on a major brand. But they still don't really look _good_, because they are covered in advertising.


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## covenant (May 21, 2002)

jmcvetta said:


> Probably you think the Motobecane color schemes are not very good compared to $YOUR_FAV_BRAND. That's not really the point.


My point is the styling (decals and color combos) of both "brands" originated from the same person: Mike from Bikesdirect.
Windsor and Motobecane are not separate entities.


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## jmcvetta (Nov 26, 2010)

Right - but they definitely have separate branding. Part of that branding seems to be slicker looks for Motobecane, but slightly better parts for Windsor at the same pricepoint. It would rock to see those two combined.

[Ugh.. quick reply button does not respect thread position.]


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## kachun (Dec 19, 2010)

How do you compare the Tiagra and 105 groupset? I am torn between a 2010 Motobecane Vent Noir and the 2011 Windsor Fens which is $50 dollars more.

With my really basic knowledge with road bikes, I can see the only differences the two bikes have are looks and the groupset. How does the two groupset differ other than price? Is spending $50 more to get the Fens going to be more worthwhile than the Vent Noir?

Thanks


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## Reddez (May 21, 2010)

Well the Vent Noir has better wheels but I think that 105 is a serious step up from Tiagra in terms of shifting capabilities. I had the same dilemma. I went with the Fens over the Vent Noir and am very happy with my decision to do so.


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## jswilson64 (May 20, 2008)

Is that a 2010 Fens? How does the geometry match up with what they have on the web site? I'm considering getting a 56cm 2011 Fens, but I've been reading here that the geometry doesn't quite match up with the tables on their web site.


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## Reddez (May 21, 2010)

As far as the geometry fit. I am 5'9" with a 31.5" inseem. Almost every fit calculator as well as bike shop recommended a 54cm frame. I went ahead and bough the 54cm Fens. After messing with it for a long time I found the reach just to be a tad to much. This is because on the 2010 frame the top tube is a tad longer then on a traditional 54cm bike. I swapped the 100mm stem for one that was 90mm and that did the trick and my ride is much more enjoyable as I don't tire as easy from reaching just a tad to much. 

But that was just a personal fix. I bought the bike at a LBS which sells BD bikes. They were very helpful in figuring it out and swapped the stem for me.

To sum it up, the top tube is just a tad longer then expected. So you may want to be careful when it comes to sizing.


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