Forum menu
Thinking of getting a commuter possibly on bike2work maybe finance.
My employer has just moved from Edinburgh Bike Coop to Evans who have the Charge Zester 2013 and it looks like it fits the bill.
Are they any good? Really want something that looks nice (not too gate like as I'm 6'4"), ride well, have hydraulic disc brakes and descent kit for the cost.
Not sure if the XL will be big enough looking at the recommended sizing on Evans' site as it says upto 191cm and I'm 194cm.
I'm leaning towards doing it on finance with not knowing what the final payment will be on C2W and I would prefer to own it outright after 2 years without being penalised by the taxman.
Saw one in Evans, London Bridge last week, looked good in the flesh, all the mounts you could want, loads of clearance and good spec.
They didnt seem overly long though with a large being about right for me @180cm.
Incredibly wide bars for that type of bike though and the reviews dont look that great but IMO there usually guff.
On the last point btw I have now had three bikes on cyclesheme and yet to pay a final payment.
oops
Any decent shop will cut the bars down for you.
I think first off a trip into Evans in Edinburgh might be the best port of call, they might even have the correct size in store.
The width of the bars wouldn't bother me as I'm a serial parts changer so will probably upgrade tham fairly quickly.
I have the Scourer, which is lower spec-ed but has the same F&F. Have a look at the geometry, which I think is compact, more like road than mtb.
I my view, you will be disappointed with it as a mtb as it is essentially a road bike sized frame with mbt components, and so just doesn't work – feels too much sit up and beg. I bought the bike with knowledge of the compact geometry, and changed the bars for drops to turn it into a cheap cx bike, which I now love.
Is there an offer for the Scourer? If I recall it seemed to be more bang for your buck when I bought the previous, 2012 model in Nov last year (£290 after snagging a huge discount offer from Wiggle).
I am in Edinburgh if you want a look.
Cheers jamiap,
I'm not sure drop bars are for me, basically I want similar geometry as a mountain bike, low rise or flat bars, wheels with 32mmish tyres and disc breaks.
My commute is over 13 miles each way and I want something faster than plugging along with my full susser but not a full road bike.