cost check on willow components?
I just ordered a windsor willow for my girlfriend. The bike that I bought cost 465, shipping included. I did quite a bit of research on the willow before I bought it. As far as I can tell, I'm getting a bike that would cost about 700 in a lbs for 465. I even went so far as to look up most of the components online to determine how much they would cost individually. This is what I came up with for comparable quality or identical parts:
$60 cromoly fork
100 kinesis frame
140 sora shifters
40 crankset
15 sora front derailleur
25 sora rear derailleur
25 sora cassette freewheel
12 chain
90 wheels
25 tires
15 brakes
15 saddle
10 seat post
15 hubs
total: $590 (w/o lbs markup)
+100 lbs markup (local bike store)
690 + 8% tax = $745
Even if I'm off by 150, I've still saved about 140 dollars. Any thoughts?
posting to a really old Willow Message
Sandra-
My originial posted message was from October 2004--3 years ago. I was surprised to see someone posting to the old message, and bumping it up, but it did bring back some great early bike shopping memories. At the time BikesDirect sure did have the size that I was looking for which was a 44.
~~AG~~
Are the stickers covered with clear coat?
Are the stickers on this bike covered with clear coat? I'm wondering abour removing them.
D
Windsor Willow - Great Bike
Hey I have a Windsor Willow for the same reasons as the other post. i saw it online and it looked like a legit bike for a fraction of the cost of the major brands. I went ahead and ordered it to begin cycling and i have had it now for a couple years. It is a great bike. I do want to eventually upgrade but for now it is great. I am in a riding group and everyone else has the more expensive bikes - but me and my willow are always near the front of the pack.
I changed the seat just because I didnt like the look of it, and I put on different pedals for my shoes but other than that, I have had NO problems at all with it. Very reliable and apparently pretty well made. It was a risk but it has paid off for me. I have done a few triathalons with it as well and although it feels a little like showing up to play a college basketball game with walmart tennis shoes on, Im not exactly in contention for the win, so until that time or I find a thousand + dollars in my pocket, it does a great job.
My LBS asked me questions about where I got it and all, and did not laugh at me, so i thought that was a good sign too!