My very first road bike and a steel one at that. A charge juicer for commuting and the odd Sunday pootle round the lanes. Not the lightest thing out there but then again neither am I but for 550 English pounds I think I could of done a lot worse. There is something about the "old school" lines I like. After years on MTB's and MTB's with slicks on thing feels like a hot knife through butter. 😀
YES they are spd's.
NO It's not my garden.
And NO I have not told the girl friend yet. 😯
With mud guards for the winter...
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Without mud guards for the other 6 days of the year...
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Very nice, how is the "old" style geometry to ride, did you compare it to any more modern compact ones?
That frame too big?
Very nice, how is the "old" style geometry to ride, did you compare it to any more modern compact ones?
Yep. My friend has a specialized carbon all singing all dancing carbon jobby and it just feels different. Not massively different but it certainly looks different. If anything It feels slightly less "buisiness" like if that makes any sense.
and a triple...
(i approve)
for future photo's: the chain should be on the largest chainring, and the crank nearest the camera should be at 4 or 5 o'clock.
it's the law.
Blimey, that's the first bike I've ever seen that looks better with mudguards.
Looks nice without them too, but something about the 'old school lines' just seem to lend itself to 'guards.
Nice bike, you'll enjoy it. And if you're anything like me, you'll probably ride it a lot more than you think you're going to.
Agreed, something inherently cool about steel road bikes. I've shunned replacing my aluminium Cannondale with the reasoning I don't need a faster bike so when it does go to the great bike rack in the sky it's replacement will be 953 🙂
Yep. My friend has a specialized carbon all singing all dancing carbon jobby and it just feels different. Not massively different but it certainly looks different. If anything It feels slightly less "buisiness" like if that makes any sense.
Cool, sort of makes sense - so it's a bit more of a relaxed feel and not quite so "head down arse up make your lungs burn" that you get on a compact geo? Be interested to hear how you get on with it long term as I will probably be in the market for something similar in a few months time 🙂
that's the first bike I've ever seen that looks better with mudguards.
Odly I thought the same, I reckon it's to do with the size, bigger frame so the optical ilusion of larger diamerter wheels created by the guards ballances it out.
Ohh, and when I'm in charge road bike top tubes will all be slopeing, the other way, none of this city boy on an afternoons jaunt in the Cotswolds, 'compact geometry', if your going to stop that often you should have got a hybrid.
Nice.
I'd imagine that the market for steel road bikes is pretty small in these days of fancy materials and "me too" follow the pros type desires...
Resurrected my old steel roadie last year adn was immediately impressed by the fluidity but liveliness of the ride
Cool, sort of makes sense - so it's a bit more of a relaxed feel and not quite so "head down arse up make your lungs burn" that you get on a compact geo?
It is somewhere between a full balls out road bike and a tourer. Well that's the initial feeling I get anyway. It rides very similar to a 80's Raleigh, which IMO is not a bad thing.
Very nice.
for future photo's: the chain should be on the largest chainring, and the crank nearest the camera should be at 4 or 5 o'clock.
I always go by having the crank in line with either the chain stays or the seat tube.
I've got one as well 🙂
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Did my Fred Whitton training on it this spring, it was a good reliable mile muncher. Never found the high top tube an issue even though I'm used to compact MTB frames.
Sorry about the chain in the middle ring by the way [slaps wrist]
My old one - old school geometry, but still arse up, head down 😛
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ETA - comparing geometries with the Charge above - front triangle is very different proportions!!! Top tube and head tubein particular
It is somewhere between a full balls out road bike and a tourer. Well that's the initial feeling I get anyway. It rides very similar to a 80's Raleigh, which IMO is not a bad thing.
Sounds ideal, how tall are you/what inside leg and what size did you go for?
Am I really planning a new bike at least a few months in advance? 😆
That is a nice push iron
Sounds ideal, how tall are you/what inside leg and what size did you go for?
5' 8" in my shoes.
30" inside the bike is a medium. Not too sure what that is in road bike world but I think it equated to 52-53cm.
Here's mine 🙂
I've had the frame half my life (21 years), but current wheels and transmission is 2006 (but still nice and "classic" looking)
Personally I'm not a fan of the currently-fashionable compact frames - they make it look like you're riding a bike too small for you, but now they're the norm and my frame is weird.
[url= http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6146/5954446774_5c025e49c2.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/52886372@N03/5954446774/ ]MercianRenovatedSmall[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/52886372@N03/ ]Rob Northcott[/url], on Flickr
Makes me feel like riding mine to work tomorrow 😀
I've got one as well, only got two faults with it.
1. The brake blocks are shite, which makes stopping interesting.
2. The mudguard bolts should have thread lock on them, as they rattle lose very very easily (I lost 2 bolts in 3 days)
Other than that seems OK to me. Leaves me ****ing knackered on my 18 mile commute in though, as I haven't got the knack of spinning on it yet, and I always end up pushing till my legs burn.
How do you find it climbing? I have one steepish hill on my way home and I can't seem to find the best position for climbing, when I stand up, I run out of steam, and the front wheel feels squirrelly and sat down I feel like I am to far off the back.
The brake blocks are shite, which makes stopping interesting
Yes! I replaced them pronto.
How do you find it climbing?
Mine goes uphill well enough given the weight, but I did swap for an inline post and a wider handlebar - found the stock 40cm bar was too narrow for really hauling on it out of the saddle. Could be where your "squirrelly" feeling is coming from.
Rode it over all the Lakes passes including Hardknott, as well as my local training hills down here in Somerset, some of which are almost as steep...
1. The brake blocks are shite, which makes stopping interesting.
Just been for a spin and I can confirm that the blocks are bobbins.
Neil. if you have just got it take the rear wheel off and take out the two bolts holding on the mudguards and put some threadlock on them!
This will save the top bolt rattling out and jamming the back wheel solid, and the one by the front mech dropping out and leaving people you overtake in fear of your bike falling to bits in front of them.
Rode it over all the Lakes passes including Hardknott, as well as my local training hills down here in Somerset, some of which are almost as steep...
Just me being weak then 🙁 I might change the bars to see if it helps, however as it just my commuter I reckon I will just ride it until either it, or I die 🙂
Just bought one of the fastrax branded salsa primero frames of ebay. Fully compact but ticks my bike must be slightly odd box. over £1000 for the frame origionally now selling for a fraction more than the cheap carbon jobbies.
here is one in salsa colours (mine is white with fastrax graphics)
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am loving steel (have just got a lovely charge duster 😳 sorry i'll get my coat 😉