Charge News

Duster Ti complete - for sale!

Here we have a one off, very special, never ridden, medium sized, Duster Ti complete bike for sale. The price is £2.5K, if you're interested please email jim@chargebikes.com 

Featuring the Duster Ti frame, built from Tange Ultimate seamless butted 3AL x 2.5V titanum tubing.

Full spec includes; Fox F-100 RL fork, Mavic Crossride Disc wheel-set, Shimano XT cranks, derailluers, brakes, chain, cassette and pedals, Easton EA70 bar, stem and seat post, FSA Orbit X headset, WTB Exiwolf 1.95 tyres, Hope seat clamp and finally Charge Sponge grips and the classic Spoon Ti saddle.

  

This weekend.

Sam rode his Skewer at La Marmotte in France and I rode my Duster at the Merida Marathon in Wales.. Reports to follow soon, meanwhile check this out, it was on Top Gear at the weekend.

MBUK - Doddy's Duster

MBUK's Doddy has been testing the Duster Ti frame for a good few months now. In the latest issue (August 09, out now) you can see just how he's getting on with it.

English Marathon Champs - Sam hits the podium

Well done Sam! At this years English marathon XC championships, Charge team rider Sam Humphrey managed 8 laps of the Crow Hill course in the New Forest in an astounding 5 hours, 13 minutes and 35 seconds earning him 3rd place in the Senior 100km competition.

We'll have more from Sam soon but in the mean time chck out the full results on the recently re-vamped British Cycling website HERE

Mission Morroco - Completed!

Toby and Jess have completed their journey from Devon to Morroco and just have the journey to Marrakesh left to do on the bikes. Here's a few pics from the pair who have been raising money for charity along the way. Go to www.chargebikes.com/missionmorocco for more info on their trip and how to donate!

  

Skewer - Gets some race testing

Charge test rider Jon Watson was in action on the Skewer last night in the Otley town centre races. Jon's progress was disrupted by a crash just ahead of him, otherwise, I'm sure he'd have won.

Have a look at the pic's below of Jon smashing the opposition.

 

DirtFest Cachao

Every year our Portugese distributor (First Time lda) puts together a huge dirt contest called DirtFest Cachão (Mirandela,Portugal). This year's contest took place on the 14th of June and attracted some big name riders from the UK dirt scene as well as loads of Spanish and Portugese riders, all hoping to take home some of the 2000 Europrize money. Blake Samson and Mike Smith to name just a couple. 

DirtFest was sponsored by: Charge Bikes, El Gallo Components, Vividus Multimedia, Municipio de Mirandela, CCR Cachão.

Check out more pictures here: http://fotos.vividus.pt/categories.php?cat_id=32

The results:

Pro Category:
1º Blake Samson (UK)
2º Ray Samson (UK)
3º Mike Smith (UK)
4º Mendonça Serna (ESP)

Beginner Category:
1º Paulo Queirós (PT)
2º Yuri Lourenço (PT)
3º Nuno Silvestre (PT)
4º Kevin Lourenço (PT)

Video coming soon!!!

  

Cog magazine - Juliet Elliott interview

Check out this little interview from team rider Juliet Elliott in the latest Cog magazine. They manage to mistake her name for that of famous actress/singer Juliet Lewis but we won't hold it against them, good comparison i feel...

 

Go to http://www.cogmag.com/ for more.

Mountain Mayhem

Charge graphic designer James Hoppe was the sole attendant from us at this years Mountain Mayhem 24 hour race.

It was his first ever solo 24 hour race and he managed a good 12 laps, reaching his target.  

Well done James!

 

Charge love Vans... shoes that is.

Vans have always been the best shoes to ride, skate and strut in... So when Vans started to flow us some of their great shoes we were all pretty happy... these are my favourite so far: "Sk8 Hi Vert Pro - Hosoi Pack" 

Dirty Cunny gets high

The latest issue of Dirt magazine (#89 July 09 out now) features Charge team rider Richard Cunnynghame on pages 22 and 23 with some fine photo's taken by Grant Robinson. Check the height he gets up to on that massive rock.

There's also his regular column "Hand in Glove" on page 60, which as far as i can tell, this month is all about drawing excitement from everyday life and how cyclists are bound together in their collaborative search of their daily fix.... you'd best just read it... 

 

Go to www.dirtmag.com for more

Oakley retro inspired Radars

Oakley have recently released a new lens (and frame) shape to their great Radar range of riding glasses. This new "Radar XL Blade" model is inspired their classic Blade model from yesteryear. Both old and new are shown below, not sure which one I prefer!

Style over Speed

Check out this Polish advert for a bottled water company.

Juliet's favourite cycle route makes it into the Guardian

Check out Juliet's favourite cycle route, just so happens to be her ride to work in the morning! Ideal. 

Visit guardian.co.uk HERE to view her route.  

Sprung 2 - like a fine wine.

Can't quite believe Alex Rankin (who does Charge videos) and Milan Spasic shot this 11 years ago, (when I was working for UK bike company Pashley). We were there with our BMX team: Toby Forte, Kye Forte and the late, great Ross Hill, doing a night time jump demo. I can't quite remember why Wonder Woman turned up... but soon after that clip things got a little out of hand - as they often did at the Malverns. Those were the days - when mountain biking was cool. ha. 

Sprung2 - Malverns - 1998 from alex rankin films on Vimeo.

The Sun's out

Toby and Jess are 7 days into their epic mission from Devon to Morocco and the Sun has finally come out. Check out their progress on their blog  HERE  

Alex Rankin - Josh Coppins MX edit

Not strictly bicycles but two wheeled fun nonetheless. Filmed by Alex Rankin this is an edit from the 2009 MX1 race at Mallory Park featuring Josh Coppins.

Beware though, some happy lad's got his knackers out in the opening sequence so if you're eating breakfast or don't fancy seeing that bit then fast forward it about 13 seconds.

'One More Year' online Extra 2009 UK GP from alex rankin films on Vimeo.

Biorama

Biorama magazine is a lifestyle magazine available in Germany and Austria, they've got this great shot of our Plug Freestyler in their latest issue. Check out the mag here http://www.biorama.at/ 

Bicycle Buyer - who needs a fixie?

Issue 5 of The Bicycle Buyer magazine will tell you. Available now it features a Plug Freestyler and asks the question "exactly who needs a fixie?" So if your not sure if that's what you really need, check out the article and get informed!

 

Cunny at Fort William World Cup

- with a camera strapped to his chest.

New Team Jersey's - out now!

The Charge teams cycle clothing sponsor dhb are offering you the chance to get your hands on Charge's new 2009 team race jerseys, usually only available to team members, a limited run of short sleeve XC tops will be available in late July. Go to wiggle.co.uk HERE and pre order your jersey now to avoid disapointment.  

 

A strange day.

I arose at 2am this morning to take a couple of 2010 bikes to a photoshoot for a new mag. This was not your ordinary bike photoshoot though, there was a make up artist, hair dresser, models, photographer (obviously) and assistant, and a few more including bleary eyed me. We were at the beach location by 5am and finished by 7am. All I can say is that it was an experience.... and a slightly bizarre one at that. I look forward to seeing the results. Check out the photos that I took with my point and shoot.  Bikes are not visible because they are not for release until end of August. (And despite the location the new bikes are not Charge beach cruisers!)

Mission Morroco

UK BMX legend Toby Forte and riding partner Jess Jackman are taking on a different kind of bike riding challenge in June. They’ll be cycling up to 100 miles a day on Charge Mixers from Devon to Morroco in aid of two great charities and blogging their adventure along the way.

SOS Childrens Villages (a charity who aid orphans across the world) and the Stephen Murray Fund (a charity set up to support professional BMX rider Stephen Murray on his road to recovery after a severe spinal injury left him paralyzed from the neck down) will both benefit from Toby and Jess’s huge effort to raise funds and awareness.

Check out their progress and donate to their chosen charities on their Mission Morroco website here  http://www.chargebikes.com/missionmorocco/

 

Juliet Elliott - A stop-frame film

The latest podcast is up and online now. Download it on iTunes, watch it HERE on Vimeo or check out the video pages of this website to view it.

This is our second podcast filmed by Georgi Banks-Davies and features team rider Juliet Elliott on the streets of London. Using a stop-frame technique this film is made up of over 3000 seperate frames.

Skewer - Cafe Racing

British road cycling legend, the hardest working rep in the bicycle trade and now Charge Bikes test pilot Jon Watson has a blog. Cafe Racing is a big group of Jon's mates who go out for saturday rides competeing against each other, for fun and for pride. 

Jon's just picked up a Skewer prototype to test for us and on his first outing he beat all of his mates!

Check it out HERE at caferacing.com  

KNOGuMENTARY - 'Wrongtown in the world of love'

Check out this neat little video series, just released by our friends at Knog.

Bootleg Philly Crew Vid - Tom on his new Scissor

Check out some of the latest Booltleg Sessions video and a sneak peak of the new Charge Scissor frame and fork with Tom La Marche. 

  

VIMBY - Philly Bootleg Crew

Set 2 Rise - Aftermath

A bank holiday weekend of sunshine greeted the adventurous racers who turned out for the Charge Bikes Set 2 rise 12 hour enduro at the weekend. Almost double the amount of riders over last year helped to give the event an almost festival like atmosphere.

Pic courtesy of Chris Mcardle

You can check out the results now to see where you and your mates finished (and who got the fastest times!) The battle between the Mulebar and Army cycling teams kept us all entertained as each lap they came in seconds apart. Congratulations to our very own team rider Sam Humphrey who won the solo event and to our mixed team of Nick, Abi, Cunny and Ted who finished a very credible 3rd. Check out the rest of the results here www.timelaps.co.uk

Thanks to all the sponsors for their contributions towards the great prizes which were gratefully recieved by the most deserving riders for both their top performances and social attitudes. 

Join the discussion on the Singletrack website HERE and tell us exactly what you thought of the event. Keep checking the website too as soon we'll have a full photographic feature for you to enjoy. 

  

Cycling Weekly - Plug

Check out this great review of the Charge Plug in the latest Cycling Weekly magazine. Tested against two significantly more expensive contemporarys the Plug comes out on top!

 

Set 2 Rise - More prizes and sneak preview

Crank Brothers have kindly sent us a shed load of egg beater pedals, their fantastic multi tools and plenty of t-shirts to add to the ever growing prize fund for the Charge Bikes Set 2 Rise 12 hour enduro this weekend.

Incidentaly for anyone worried about any effects of the recent rain on the amazing course, fear not, we've been down to the race track and can report that despite the rains the track is dusty and dry. New sections of the track mean even more tight and exciting singletrack racing.

 

www.spambiking.co.uk

Set 2 Rise - Massive prizes!

There's still time to enter this weekend's main event. The Charge Bikes Set 2 Rise 12 hour enduro. Just check out the hugeprize fund of which you could share in but only if you enter! Sign up here

DirtFest Cachão

Our Portuguese distributor First Time lda, together with the city hall of Mirandela and C.C.R. Cachão are organizing (for the second year running) a Dirt Jump contest in the village of Cachão. It's called DirtFest Cachão and it's on the 14th of June.

A great chance to go and ride some new trails, take in some sun and cool down with a swim in the local river, just jump on a plane and get there. The Contest will have a huge prize fund of 2000 Euro's. The organization will provide a place to sleep (bring your sleeping bag) and food! Even the entries are free!

 

Road.cc - Grinder exclusive

Road.cc have a great sneak peak of the 2010 Plug Grinder in an exclusive paint job. Check it out HERE  

Road.cc - Spoon Ti review

Road.cc rate the Spoon saddle with a fantastic 9/10 score! Check out what they had to say about our classic multi purpose perch HERE  

Plug - Freewheeling Down Under

Check out this Plug review from Aussie mag Freewheel, great for the streets of London or it seems Melbourne too!

  http://www.freewheel.com.au/

Juliet - WAH and New London magazines

Juliet's been very busy and has got herself into a couple of publications. A great interview in the web based WAH magazine which really gives you a good insight into what Juliet's all about.   Read that interview HERE

The other is a magazine for French people about London. Read what Juliet has to say about it  below.

  

I did an interview for 'New London' Magazine, a mag for Frenchies visiting London. It's a pretty cool little city guide published by the people at Eurostar, so presumably they give it away on the train on the way over. I'm not sure where you can download it from but I'll have a look.

Anyway, they also have interviews with Londoners and that's why I am in there. Shame about the foot fail on the pic; not sure how that one slipped through the net! I don't remember referring to my frame as ultra lightweight either.. haha

  

I did an interview for 'New London' Magazine, a mag for Frenchies visiting London. It's a pretty cool little city guide published by the people at Eurostar, so presumably they give it away on the train on the way over. I'm not sure where you can download it from but I'll have a look.

Anyway, they also have interviews with Londoners and that's why I am in there. Shame about the foot fail on the pic; not sure how that one slipped through the net! I don't remember referring to my frame as ultra lightweight either.. haha

Set 2 Rise - still places available!

Get on over to the SPAM biking website and sign yourself up for some great racing on one of the best courses in the country. Fast and fun singletrack riding in a fun and competitive atmosphere. Check out the feature on the projects pages of our website about last years event for a full flavour of what you'll get.

Sign up HERE

View last years event HERE

Mission Morroco

Friends of Charge Bikes, Toby Forte and Jess Jackman, are on a mission to raise some money for two great charities. They'll be riding Charge Mixers and Spoon saddles all the way from Devon to Morroco! Check out exactly what they'll be up to below.

On June 6th Toby Forte and Jess Jackman will be setting off from Devon, UK on an epic cycling adventure to Morocco, North Africa. They will be navigating their way and carrying all their equipment, whilst covering an average of 75 miles per day. The aim of the challenge is to raise funds and awareness for two very worthy causes... STEPHEN MURRAY FUND... In 2007, professional BMXer Stephen Murray suffered a catastrophic fall attempting a double back flip at the Dew Action Sports Tour, Baltimore. He suffered severe spinal injuries and is now paralyzed below the neck, however, continued support from family and friends have encouraged his positive attitude and it is essential we continue to support his cause. To make a secure online donation please follow this click HERE Please quote 'MISSION MOROCCO' with every donation. SOS CHILDREN'S VILLAGES... SOS Children's Villages are a charity who aid orphans across the world by providing them with a place to live, medical facilities, and an education. These are all things we take for granted at home, but will make a world of difference to these children. On arrival in Morocco, we will be visiting one of the orphanages in Dar Bouazza to see firsthand the difference our fundraising can make. To make a donation please visit http://www.justgiving.com/missionmorocco2009 These are both amazing causes, and we have set ourselves a savage challenge, so please give generously. All donations go directly to the charities. We can make a difference! Thank you!

Fixed mag Issue 3 - Out soon

The 3rd issue of the great (and free!) Fixed mag will be out very soon. The guys are holding a free party and video premiere to celebrate. Check out the flyer below for more info.

 

Wiggling for six hours

Team rider Sam has been preparing for the Charge Bikes Set 2 Rise by racing in the Wiggle Six hour enduro race. He came home with 2nd place! Check out his race report below.

Well thats the first race of the year over.....tell us more i hear you cry, after a shakey build up this winter including poor motivation and a bad back i am pleased....no ..well chuffed to say i managed 2nd place in the wiggle six hour enduro. Its amazing to think that after six hours there was only four or five mins seperating 2nd 3rd and 4th place, it was a hard fought race.....especially for me as i punctured twice, the guys i was riding with thought i was having a laugh cos i kept overtaking them only to re appear a lap or so later overtaking them again ! i reckon with pit stops and flats i must have passed them four times during the race, its been a long time since i have felt so in control at a race.....my back was good and my pace judgment seemed spot on....long may it continue. Couple of schoolboy errors.......never pack two left hand gloves, and never ever ride for six hours with no sudocreme in ya shorts....i am now walking like john wayne and fell compelled not to wear pants as the rubbing on my ......area ,is very distracting to say the least, still there are always a few mistakes at the first race !. So the next event will be set 2 rise, i should have a new bike and all new kit for that one, good news as my toe is now poking out of my shoe! , i will try to remember my food strategy from last year as that seemed to work well for me and i think that after a long spell holding out against progress i will swap over to stans no tubes, i reckon i would have had no puntures at the last race if i was running that set up, best dig deep this month.....my bloody bmw car needs loads of dosh spent on it, just as my bmw motorbike is up for a service.....followed by both needing to be taxed! ......this may dictate my food strategy......i hear tripe is quite cheap, so i will now place a beach ball between my knees so my boll**** dont rub and hobble down to the kettle, i need a coffee.....do the washing and clean my bike, roll on the 12 hour race.......

Well thats the first race of the year over.....tell us more i hear you cry, after a shakey build up this winter including poor motivation and a bad back i am pleased....no ..well chuffed to say i managed 2nd place in the wiggle six hour enduro. Its amazing to think that after six hours there was only four or five mins seperating 2nd 3rd and 4th place, it was a hard fought race.....especially for me as i punctured twice, the guys i was riding with thought i was having a laugh cos i kept overtaking them only to re appear a lap or so later overtaking them again ! i reckon with pit stops and flats i must have passed them four times during the race, its been a long time since i have felt so in control at a race.....my back was good and my pace judgment seemed spot on....long may it continue. Couple of schoolboy errors.......never pack two left hand gloves, and never ever ride for six hours with no sudocreme in ya shorts....i am now walking like john wayne and fell compelled not to wear pants as the rubbing on my ......area ,is very distracting to say the least, still there are always a few mistakes at the first race !. So the next event will be set 2 rise, i should have a new bike and all new kit for that one, good news as my toe is now poking out of my shoe! , i will try to remember my food strategy from last year as that seemed to work well for me and i think that after a long spell holding out against progress i will swap over to stans no tubes, i reckon i would have had no puntures at the last race if i was running that set up, best dig deep this month.....my bloody bmw car needs loads of dosh spent on it, just as my bmw motorbike is up for a service.....followed by both needing to be taxed! ......this may dictate my food strategy......i hear tripe is quite cheap, so i will now place a beach ball between my knees so my boll**** dont rub and hobble down to the kettle, i need a coffee.....do the washing and clean my bike, roll on the 12 hour race.......

GQ Style - Ted's a model!

Check out the latest issue of the illustrious GQ Style magazine and inside you'll find our very own team rider Super Ted modeling the Plug Ti frame and some WESC kit. The articles all about how fixed gear bikes are taking over Europe and the fashions in clothing and bikes accociated with it.

 

 

Sneakers - Plug

In Germany they have a magazine called Sneakers. It's a lifestyle magazine completely dedicated to trainers/sports shoes and the culture around them. This little snippit about the gold Plug can be found in their latest issue. 

  

Check out http://www.sneakers-magazine.com/ for more info.

Bell Boy in San Francisco

On our way back from the Sea Otter Classic we had a day in San Francisco to check out the local bike shops and "scene". When we arrived at our hotel, it turned out that the bell-boy Matt at the hotel was a fixie rider and he knew Charge. Rad. Anyway he gave us some great help and tips on some great little shops for us to check out. His tip was a new (yet to be released) Bucket saddle for his bike. I think he was pretty happy!

Cheers for the help Matt!

Sea Otter Classic

I'm currently in California at the Sea Otter Classic to show our snazzy Tango XO build of a Duster Ti. Our US distributor BTI was there with a booth and a bunch of other Charge bikes. The response was great, and the event coincided with the first delivery of Charge bikes arriving at shops over the USA. For those of you that dont know the Sea Otter Classic is a long established bike event that is held at the famous Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey. There are Road, XC, Dual Slalom, Downhill and loads of other bike events for both young kids and amateurs right through to the top Pros. It is seen as the season opener event in the bike industry and it is where many new product launches take place. Check out Chipps from Singletrack's thoughts on the bike here.

 

Pics: Chris Akigg - thanks!

dhb, Knog and Bontrager cycling shoes

We are pleased announce the added endorsement of a few more great sponsors (to their existing line up). For 2009 - 2010 season the Charge Team will be equipped with dhb for technical road and cross country MTB clothing and will also be equipped with the new range of Bontrager Cycling Shoes. Australian brand Knog will be supplying the team with their new wireless computers and rear lighting, whilst fellow Aussies Niteflux will continue to support the team with their impressive range of head / front lights.

 

We have also confirmed the continuation of our longstanding sponsorship arrangements with WESC clothing, Oakley, Rockshox, X-Lite, Crank Brothers, Troy Lee Designs, NiteFlux, Mulebar, SRAM, Muc-Off, Avid, Truvativ, Met, Dekline, Hotwheels, Spank, and Tacx

 

Check out www.bontrager.com www.wiggle.co.uk and www.knog.com.au for more info on all the new products the team will be using.

 

 

Stuff

The May issue of Stuff magazine is out now, inside the Plug Ti frame has been given the prestigeous title of Stuff Icon! Check it out!

 

Top marks for the Spoon - MBR

The May issue of MBR magazine is out now, inside you'll find all the usual news, features, route guides and advice as well as some great kit reviews. This months has a saddle test inside where the Spoon scores another 10/10! Check it out now.

Epic Mule Race

Congratulations to our friends at Mulebar who have succesfully completed the famous, magical and untamed MTB race "The Cape Epic". It's a huge effort for anyone but Mulebar managed to put in no less than 7 teams for the 7 day stage race which averages around 100 kilometres each day.

All 7 teams finished the race, the highest placed team came 50th which is a mammoth effort in extreme heat amongst some of the best marathon racers in the world. Well done Mules!

Check out their blog for more info on how they got on throughout the whole 7 days here http://mulebar.blogspot.com/ 

and more about the race on the official race website here http://www.cape-epic.com/live/

   

Cooler than Berlin in the Winter

Juliet, Posy and the gang from Cooler magazine headed over to Berlin recently to check out the city in their bikes.

         

Check out the latest issue of Cooler mag now http://coolermag.com/

When Juliet met Outlier

During her recent jaunt to NYC, Juliet met up with the people at Outlier clothing, purveyours of fine tailored performance clothing for cycling in the city. 

Check out their range of clothes and a pic of Juliet here http://outlier.cc/ sporting their Empire Merino Tee shirt.