Royal Blue aluminum frame, yellow effects, Shimano WH-R500 wheelset, Shimano Ultegra 10 speed rear derailleur, Shimano 105 Front Derailleur and STI brifters, triple FSA Gossamer MegaEXO crankset, Ritchey Comp handle bar, stem, and seat post, 18.5-19.5 lbs
Strengths: Great components. Rides nicely. Fairly stiff. Price (you probably wont find 10 sp 105 components for under $1000 in a bike shop.)
Weaknesses: Wheels are heavy but I replaced them. The Saddle is not very comfortable so it should be replaced as well. Triple up front makes you look dorky but its there if you absolutely need it.
Bottom Line:
I have had the 2009 Windsor Fens now for about a month now and so far it has been great. The 105 components are excellent and the bike rides nicely. I put my Neuvation M28s on it with Conti tires. Most bikes you find at this pricepoint will have the Alex rims DA22 wheelset, which is pretty heavy. The good thing is these wheels take a beating, so I will put them on my commuter. The tires are also kinda sluggish but they make for a good back up set. I also replaced the saddle with my nashbar glide saddle. I do most of my bike maintenance so it was easy for me to set up. I was ready to roll in about 45 minutes after getting the derailleurs adjusted.
The Fens is a great bike for entry level road racer or someone wanting to do group rides. I would buy from bikes direct again.
Weaknesses: Heavy tires and saddle for competition
Bottom Line:
I assembled this bike after mail order from the vendor. I've put about 1000 miles on it, no complaints. For more of an edge, I've replaced the saddle and tires with lighter, higher performance components, namely Continental Grand Prix 4000 tires and Selle Italia SLR Gelflow saddle, replacing the stock Michelin Dynamics and Velo Saddle. The wheelset is a little heavier (1800g total) than I'd hoped, but I can afford to replace them later if need be.
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 Read More »
So I got my brand spanking new Windsor Fens put together and was doing the kitchen once-over and ran across an interesting issue. The bike would simply not shift the front deraille Read More »
Hi, I'm in the market for a bike to replace a 25 year old aluminum Cannondale road bike. I don't race and never will but do enjoy 15-50 mile rides. After much reading on these foru Read More »
Hi all, first post. I haven't introduced myself because I couldn't find any ViewFinder forum.
So. I'm here looking for a road bike for my new commute. I think I have narrowed it Read More »
Ive been lurking for a few weeks and i recently started posting and finally yesterday, i got my Windsor Fens in a 52cm (5'8.5" with 29.5" insteam).
Pics first, story later! :)
Read More »
