Messages

1

Gear Talk / Re: Homemade honey stinger gels in action

« on: May 29, 2010, 10:34:03 am »

Fascinating.

Would it be possible to mix the honey concoction with a little bit of rolled oat as a "buffer" (for lack of a better name)? Perhaps wrap them tightly with gelatin paper in little "cubettes." Then pop one in your mouth, swill down a slug of water and pedal on.
The oats might extend the burst of energy?

2

Gear Talk / Re: Is rain gear needed on the Sunshine coast of British Columbia?

« on: May 29, 2010, 10:22:57 am »

Calling that particular area of BC the Sunshine Coast should alert you in the first place. Canadian wishful thinking at its best.  It pisses down there at least 300 days of the year.  Just as it does generally speaking in the entire area of the Pacific North West - Canadian or otherwise.  Rain defines the place.  I once lived in Vancouver so I feel qualified to speak on this issue.  It was one of the reasons I left.  But you may luck out.  Just be prepared and/or check my own post on the question of what to wear in the rain.  As little as possible perhaps, although going nude might be pushing the boundaries of Canadian open-mindeness. 

This is what I was thinking.

Success is 90% preparation and 10% perspiration.

3

Gear Talk / Re: Windsor Tourist

« on: May 29, 2010, 10:19:06 am »

As long as you are going to post in both threads on this subject, I might as well too.

I've seen very mixed reports about Bikesdirect products.  Some customers are quite pleased and others terribly disappointed.  Partly it depends on how good a bike mechanic the customer is.  

Good mechanics expect to go over the bike in detail correcting the assembly flaws and shortcuts and aren't surprised by what they find and have to fix so they are satisfied with their purchase.  

Inexpert owners can run into a lot of problems they have to pay someone else to correct and will be very disappointed.

BTW, I wonder what the OP wound up buying. It's been 4 years so he should have done something by now.  It would be nice to have feedback on his experience.
  

Well said. As you suggest, the onus is on the owner.

Recently mentioned in the other post is reputation. That is what mostly sets apart equipment within the price point.
"Bike snobs" aside, if you wish to get rolling and cost is not your primary concern, than the "name brand" side of the industry has you covered. You can trust the leading brands and cycle happy, secure in your choices. Thumbs up. 

Too, if, you are not a mechanic and don't know a socket-head cap screw from an Allen screw,*
then there are very good reasons to stick to big names and the LBS for all your needs. Thumbs up, again

This really is a Golden Age for cycling and we are very lucky to have so many CHOICES available. Indeed, we all can become better informed consumers because of it.
So, to your point, if you DO choose to stray from the name brands and the security of the LBS, then the onus is on you to know what you are doing. That must also be made clear.


I wonder, too, what was the outcome of the OP's efforts. Maybe resurrecting this old thread might bring him or her to the surface and we can find out.


* These are one and the same.

4

Gear Talk / Re: Windsor Tourist? Is this a good bike?

« on: May 29, 2010, 09:56:12 am »

Your assumption is that they make a bunch of standard products, all with the same materials and quality controls, and then a bike company comes along and says, "We want 10,000 of that model there," so they slap their name on it and a bike goes out the door that's identical to one going out with another name and a higher price on it.  That's not what's happening!

Each of the three major frame manufacturers in Taiwan is able to make whatever the customer company asks for.  They may have a high-end carbon frame being made on one line, and next to it, under the same roof, they're making garbage.

 

Exactly. The point, of course, is that it IS all very standardized, almost cookie-cutter. In the case of the Windsor Tourist, the suggestion is that they ARE the same bike as the higher priced Fuji's. The ad hype and the glossy magazine covers don't tell that side of the story. What the savvy buyer needs to understand is the concepts of price point vs. features and doing due diligence so as to find out.

As a prominent man in the industry who has traveled to and visited all these factories said, just because the manufacturer has shown that they can make a good bike doesn't mean every bike they make is good.  A bike company may come along and ask for a frame and negotiate a price too low to make it right, and the manufacturer obliges and gives them the garbage they asked for with the idea that the people who buy this off brand won't know the difference-- at least not until it's too late.

But further, the distributor that sells Windsor has had a ton of other problems besides the frames themselves, ranging from easily chipped paint to things assembled improperly to false advertising and the worst customer service in the industry.  I would never send a friend to them.  I know there are some people who are happy with the product; but this company has had a disproportionate number of very angry customers.

The one thing a big-name company has is reputation. It has something to protect in that reputation and makes the extra effort to get it right. Inspections, specifications and more inspections are par for the course for them. Ditto good service and warranty backing, to include distribution and parts availability. That is what really sets them apart - and what subsequently drives the cost up.

Interestingly, I visited my LBS yesterday, mostly to yuck it up with the ladies in the store. Yes, my LBS is female owned and operated
While I was there, I looked closely at the bikes in the $500-$700 range. To be frank, I could tell little practical difference between the various bikes at that price point. Big name, no name - much the same.

I am not a prominent man in the bicycle industry. I work instead in the consumer pharmaceutical industry, which constantly struggles against generic competition. Just like the bike companies. And while there are obvious differences between the two, they have much in common.

The truth is this: anybody can make the same products we do, and many do. We happen to pride ourselves on our reputation and quality, because that is truly all we have in our favor... especially when we are asking the consumer to spend more for our products than the others.

But the specifications for our products aren't difficult to arrive at and the technology exists to meet those specs for anyone able to set up a facility. The regulations are the same for both of us, with the FDA watching us both equally. In fact, we also produce the same products as our name brands - to sell to the private label side of the market. We are just like those Asian cycle factories.
Like I said, more similarities than meets the eye.

Believe me I'm not knockin' the big name cycle folks. Its because of them that cycling is growing as it is in this country. Yeah!
Ditto the LBS, which is taking off (it doesnt hurt to have a limping economy, high gas prices and a strong
Green Movement, either ) Yeah!
There are good reasons to go with both of them, things that smack more of value than price.

However, for those people who are willing to do the diligence and learn to do a few things for themselves, cost effective alternatives exist that meet the same needs... often in much the same ways.

5

Gear Talk / Re: Windsor Tourist

« on: May 29, 2010, 12:28:43 am »

On top of everything else, its enlightening to learn that the Jamis and Windsor bikes are made in the same Asian factories. Really, they are just assembled from subcontracted parts, frames and components... all made by the same people.
So, you gotta ask: Is having a Jamis sticker on the downtube worth the extra money?

You decide.

6

Gear Talk / Re: Windsor Tourist? Is this a good bike?

« on: May 29, 2010, 12:23:24 am »

I know this is an old thread, but, hey - stuff happens.

The Windsor name originated with an early English cycle maker that was renowned during the 60's-80's (and earlier). at least a few records were held by the Windsor teams. I remember them from years ago. It seems there was a long relationship between Windsor and Cinelli and Colnago, too. At least one reference indicates that many Cinellis are Windsors - with Cinelli decals.

And just like Raleigh, Motobecane and other bikes that reached their zenith in the 70's-80's, Windsors are making a comeback. Recently, the name was re-licensed, the new company selling Asian made and assembled bicycles. Which we should recall is the VERY same thing most bicycle companies are doing (Cannondale is an exception; they're still being designed and made in PA, ASFAIK)

Most Road Bikes sold in the USA are made in Taiwan, these days, by 'factories' which you have probably never heard of. For example, IDEAL builds for Fuji, Trek, Motobecane, Windsor, Terry, and many others. Another common 'factory' is Merida; they build for the likes of Specialized, Jamis, Mercier, Felt, Bianchi, and many others. Big names in the bike biz, all made in Asia.

What is also highly interesting is that these same 'factories', in most cases, only do assembly. They buy everything on the bike from subcontractors who make the assorted parts. Then the 'factory' just applies decals, assembles, and boxes the bike.

In the case of the frame, several frame shops in Taiwan build road frames for many high end brands. Asian frame builders like Kinesis, A-Pro, and Astro build frames for brands like Fuji, Trek, Motobecane, Specialized, Felt, Bianchi, LiteSpeed and dozens of others. They ship the frames to the individual factories where they get painted, and the assembly begins.
In fact, several 'Italian' brands buy frames in Taiwan and then ship them, unpainted, to Italy. Once there, they paint and decal them and mark them 'Made in Italy' - and sell them for Italian import prices.

So lets dispense with the whole bicycle "name game" here and now. In all but a very few cases, it hardly applies nowadays.

According to the searching Ive done, the Windsor "Tourist" frames are the very same ones sold by Fuji on their tourers. So while you are buying a Windsor "Tourist," you are also (in essence) buying a Fuji Touring bike. So, if names impress you, here you go:
The "Tourist" gets you a Fuji touring bike frame, and for all practical purposes - the same running gear setup, too.

at this point, we should not fail to mention the Fuji sells for nearly $1100, while the Tourist goes for $599. You do the math.

Re-branding, that is putting various makers names on the same product, is common in the consumer market (think of DVD players, TVs, shoes and so on). So it goes with bicycles, as painful as that may be to some people.
The wise consumer can get the best value by not paying much attention to the decal on the downtub. Instead he researches, learns and and compares bicycles based on the fit, the components, the service and warranty offered and last but not least, the price (and the discount!)