Charge Plug

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  • My current bike (and my first fixed) is the freestyler
    I think that the green rims with the frame looks *a bit *shit
    But none-the-less it is sturdy and feels lovely

  • Been a while here since the plug was discussed. Any opinions on the 2008/09 plugs? Changes? Experienced riders pros and cons? I've been checking them out and am nearly sold on them for getting me around the city and for fun on the weekends.

  • Hey Kiptinui, I'm 5"11 as well and looking at the medium frame. Did you end up getting that one? How is it working out?

  • general opinion is that the stock plug is a good otp
    relatively cheap
    not very light
    will last you
    good if you fancy upgrading bits etc

  • I've had mine nearly two years and still love it.

  • Thanks. That's what my inkling has been.

  • I regret not building a bike in the first place, but I don't regret buying the Plug. I really haven't had to change much at all to get it how I want it.

  • Hey Kiptinui, I'm 5"11 as well and looking at the medium frame. Did you end up getting that one? How is it working out?

    Drew - it's fine, but be aware that the top tube is a little short. Standover clearance is about 1.5 inches on my medium, I had to raise the saddle about 4.5 inches. I could possibly have gone large, for the longer TT, seeing as I don't much care about standover.

  • i tried a medium but ended up getting a large, im 6"+ and felt the medium was a bit on the small size so id say the medium would be best, just my 2cents

  • Was wondering if anyone knows whether the Charge Plug Racer is actually Chrome plated, or just painted chrome colour?

  • I think it is chrome plated
    maybe 80% sure
    I have one where the chroming 'went wrong' so they painted ontop of it (olive green)
    so pretty sure its plated

  • How was the paint on top of the chrome? I was under the impression that painting over chrome doesn't work very well?

  • u cant go wrong with a plug, i ride like a twat and it holds up fine,its a good bike

  • I got a plug frame that has its paint stripped, it looks like its made with titanium until you try to lift it up.

  • Was wondering if anyone knows whether the Charge Plug Racer is actually Chrome plated, or just painted chrome colour?

    The bearings are all sealed as well, so it's probably a better option for the street than the freestyler, or so I've been told.

  • The plug is great, nice entry bike into single speed/fixed. Simple and solid. I bought mine last September, but they seem to have gone up in price since then [about £100 i think].

  • I agree.
    Plug is a great bike. I didnt know much about building bikes, selecting parts so I decided to go for Plug and I'm happy with it. It's a great entry model that you can try to upgrade later on.

  • Man, I seriously love to build my own bike. But it needs more time than I've got and more knowledge than I've got. So I intend to buy an OTP and build up a custom slice of heaven along the way. But that will take me time.

    I have no shame about my lack of knowledge of bike mechanics at the moment. I spent my younger years drinking, having fun, chasing girls and living my life to the full. Trawling through bike magazines and catalogues was just not on my agenda and I ampleased that I lived my life the way I did.

    I came back to cycling in recent years. And I have loved it. But bike twiddling? I'm too busy with other stuff - it just isn't on my list of priorities. But I definitely have the urge to learn.

    My main criteria are a tough bike that I don't much care about, because it will get dinged with D-locks, clonked against bike stands hurredly, and occasionally sent bouncing up the road as I leap off it while I'm still moving to go and remonstrate with the cabbie who just cut me up. (It shits them up something rotten when you do that).

    If I build a bike with too much love and care and attention to detail, I'll cry when I bend it, or scratch the lovingly polished chrome, or drop it to argue with some nob and find all they got was a flea in their ear and what I got a ruined paintjob.

    Nope, for me, a bike you get OTP is a buy-to-let whore of a machine that you have none of your soul invested in. So you don't care if it gets nicked, you don't care if it gets bent and you don't feel gutted when something goes wrong. THAT is exactly what I want for now. And from what people have said, this is a solid no fuss machine (I'll be looking for black, not the sneeze-wheels version) and put an old set of straight bars on and away I go. I fall in love with how it rides, I can replace everything on it and make it amazing, otherwise, I'll do that to "the project" and just ride this one.

    And for a final word on the weight of this bike, I'm maybe around a stone-ish overweight. So I can save most of the weight of the bike, just by riding the fucker and getting back to being properly fit. I can't see what the big deal is - all those things suit me fine, for where and who I am right now.

    Fuck knows if this bike is any good though. I'll know in a week's time when I have tried one. I may buy one, I may not. It's my money, I'll do what I fucking like with it.

  • I had a freestyler until it got nicked. I really enjoyed riding it, it felt totally bombproof which is great since I'm on the other side of 100kg.

    I would buy another one in a heartbeat, if they weren't nearly £200 more now than when I bought mine (paid £359) so that my insurance money won't cover it.

  • @Tea_Bee, you speak a lot of sense. And a very good point on the weight issue.

    I'm hopefully about to pick up a second hand Flyer because for one thing, I live in a tiny one bedroom flat and my other half would **not **be impressed if I turned it into a bike garage. One day I would like to build my dream bike with an IRO frame or something, but for the moment I just want something which is a good ride, reliable and isn't made of monkey metal like a unipack.

  • I tried to get a standard plug in small last week but the bike shop couldn't order one in as charge were waiting for the next batch, due in june / july. I don't like the green rims on the freestyler, in fact I just plain don't like the freestyle tag (freestyle is bmx!). The riser bars on the freestyler are also to narrow imo.

  • yep but it's late, I'm tired so I cant remember what they're called at the moment.

    in the flesh they look pretty cool

    how about now?

  • soma major taylors are what's closest. they're steel. don't know where you can get them from in the uk though.

    really slow respond

    Having seen them both in the flesh, the Charge bar is quite small compare to the Soma, which is pretty nice especially in the city.

  • Absolutely love those bars, they'd look great on a nice retro town bike, in fact if you took a Plug Racer, swapped the fork for a lugged threaded one, quill stem and paint it balck or cream with Brooks seat + tape you'd make quite a nice bike out of it without spending an arm and a leg! Maybe a rim swap would be in order also...

  • why don't you try other bike shop?

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Charge Plug

Posted by Avatar for nimhbus @nimhbus

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