[Closed] Charge bikes are back!

Where’s my ****ing Cleaver Klunker Charge?

I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't that..! What a shame.

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funkmasterp
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Where’s my **** Cleaver Klunker Charge

I gave up waiting and bought a Transition Klunker instead

Charge Bikes.

It was sort of inevitable, no?

Damn, not what I expected either.

thankfully i still have my duster in kawasaki green (2010 model)

they did make some good bikes.

Trampling on the grave of my Blender... 😥

Does seem weird. I suppose that's where the money is in the future but they really did have a loyal fanbase, great bikes and they were (as far as I could see) one of the first to play around with additive manufacturing.

Seems a real shame that they dropped all of their great analogue bikes and came to this. Why not have it alongside?

... stroking lovingly my well used 2014 Plug 3 whilst having quiet sob...

Cheers!
I.

Why not have it alongside?

Maybe once they've got themselves on a sound financial footing they will expand back (?)

Love my old SS Duster circa 2005 I think! Bought from someone on here in Somerset.

Was an early Charge adopter, still have a team issue short sleeve jersey they gave me for publishing a bike-packing blog on this forum 😀

My Charge Plug singlespeed in Satin Rhodamine (erm... pink) may well be my only 'bike for life' as it's so unique (colour, but also clearances, fittings for v-brakes etc). If the frame ever dies I'll just need to get a frame builder to build me a direct replacement (possibly in bright green instead, my son will be of just the right age to get bullied at school if the other kids see his dad riding past on a pink bike every day...).

They're certainly getting their money's worth out of that logo!

My Blender was a fun bike.

I've also got a 2014 Plug 3 which I'm still happy with. I changed the wheels earlier this year and upgraded the brakes a few years back but it's been a great bike.

I bought a Duster from eBay based on how much I liked the Plug, which was great to ride on singletrack and bridleways.

I'm not in the market for an e bike but wish them luck in reviving the brand.

Maybe once they’ve got themselves on a sound financial footing they will expand back

They're owned by the same company as Cannondale, GT,Schwinn etc I guess someone saw a niche for electric commuters and had the charge brand sat doing nothing. Nick Larsen is still involved somewhere, he's a VP.

Dissapointed it's not a singlespeed gravel bike with rack mounts but I guess they'll probably sell more of these!

Love my 2015ish Charge Plug, it is so versatile and is one of the bikes that I don't ever imagine I will sell.

Put over 10k miles on commuting with tougher tyres, rack and full mud guards.

Done plenty of long distance multi day touring rides with bike packing bags attached, including London - Paris and south Coast up to Yorkshire.

Even done the South Downs way on it and lots of 'gravel' rides with different wheels and tyres.

It is also my supermarket bike.

What a shame. My old Blender was an amazing bike, I wish they'd make a newer version.

For a bit of balance, wanted a keep fit road bike and so bought a Charge Mixer. One ride and I couldn’t wait to get off it. Looked fast but felt like a brick towing an anchor. I therefore hesitantly filed Charge under ‘style over function’, before having a close call with a Juicer but didn’t press the button as my suspicions were now in place. Having hefted an old Duster I know they weren’t all brickish so will still salute the MTB division. Eventually ended up with an old 531 tourer, which to be fair is just great and cost mere tuppence and thriftybob.

I guess someone saw a niche for electric commuters and had the charge brand sat doing nothing.

Yeah, exactly. Do these bikes share anything with the original brand other than the logo?

I feel like this development has devalued the brand a bit, but they look like sensible yet not completely dull commuter options.

I absolutely loved my Blender it was my only bike for at least 2 years. I did everything on it. Trail centres, uplift days, dirt jumps. It was an absolute pig for just pedalling around though.

Someone in my street has a Blender now and it's bloody awful! It's so tiny and such a weird shape I'd hate to send it down a DH track. I can't believe it's the same bike.

My old Blender was an amazing bike, I wish they’d make a newer version

I'd rather buy a Bfe, or a Slackline, or a Morf, or a Moxie etc, etc....

I've had four Charge bikes, three Plugs and a Cooker, the last Plug of which was destroyed when I was t-boned by a van. I loved them all so was excited when I saw a bit of social media output from the brand over the last few weeks. I'm a bit disappointed to be honest.

I felt the same after my plug ended it's life in the side of a vauxhall corsa.

I guess someone saw a niche for electric commuters and had the charge brand sat doing nothing.

Or more likely they were bought with that purpose entirely in mind.

Make some money then fire/redeply staff and assets to other business areas, go dark for a while, let people forget and then "relaunch" as an entirely new brand that shares nothing but a name. Classic Vulture Capitalist asset stripping.

Isn’t the name owned by the same company as Cannondale?

Yes, same owners.

Charge was mostly about getting more people onto bikes… so this new range sort of makes sense.

Can't get them in the UK.

I think anyone who's looking to make money in bikes right now, probably wants to capitalise on the recent uptake and the need for more green commuting.

Given the name it's kinda perfect. If they then move into making the stuff we knew and loved (I still have my Plug 3 2014), then great.

If they don't, there are other brands doing cool stuff now who we can support.

What is additive manufacturing?

@squirrelking

AFAIK Charge have been part of the Dorel empire for ages. The staff seemed to consist of Nick and another bloke who did the bikes. Nick then became more involved with Fabric and design across all their brands which coincided with people stopping buying Charge bikes.

I don't think there was any long term conspiracy to acquire the name for eBikes.

The Blender was a brilliant bike but agree, a pig to pedal.

If it was updated now, with a steeper seat angle and that I'm sure it would be perfect.

At the time though there wasn't so many steel schralpmobiles about. There is now though so it'd have to do something better.