Hub Geared Bike - Charge Tap?

Hey all. I'm looking for a hub geared bike.
Money is tight enough and a Charge Tap seems to fit the bill. I like the skinny tubes and ride position of that style of bike, even though I'll probably change that with different handlebars etc... over time. + I like the idea of a steel framed bike for hitting potholes and up and down curbs.

Only thing is, I haven't had much luck finding reviews of the bike, or even discussions on here. Has anyone here had any experience of the Tap? Charge bikes wouldn't be very common over here (Dublin).

Any feedback appreciated.

Just a couple of things bluefoam.

If money is tight, then our definition of tight is certainly very different. Because here in London, the 2010 Charge Tap is £919.oo(approx), and the 2009 version was around £800.oo(approx).

It may seem beyond obvious, but have you properly considered a single-speed or fixed-gear bike? Its probably where most answers would be got from this forum.....unsurprisingly.

Also, if money was tight, then what about a pre-owned Sturmey-Archer 3spd set up? There are many choices available. The Fichtel & Sachs 3spd was even more famous (as a design), and still desirable if can be found second hand. Though the Shimano Alfine is supposedly better than the Nexus it replaces, not everyone agrees with that. A bit of Googling will help you with other people's general opinions. If you're a purist, then maybe a European manufacturer would be your choice. Certainly the best of the best is the Rolhoff, which easily adds a full £1,000.oo to any bike build that most would consider. But for general quality, its true, you can hardly go wrong with Shimano.

My suggestion - buy second hand, and alter to your taste. Or, buy a new Sturmey-Archer (sorry, I'm biased) 3spd hub, and add that to a road-racer, audax, touring bike of your choice. SACHS also make hubs gears that you could choose from, not just the fixed-free Torpedo.

GA2G I think you are mixing the Tap and the Mixer up - the tap is Nexus equipped and only 599, the Mixer is the more expensive Alfine equiped model.

The tap is a good bike, good price, next to no maintenance, and well built.

The Nexus system is a big improvement over older 3 speed hubs.

Ahhhhh.

Corrected. Cheers for that.

I don't ride bikes with multiple gears, so my knowledge is sometimes limited. ;)

*Memo to self.....must find a forum to reflect my tastes in cycling*

The newer 3 speed Sturmey SRF3 is itself a vast improvement on the old AW3.

Hey all, thanks for the feedback. I went for the Tap in the end. Am delighted with my purchase.the weight isn't a problem. I reckon it was good value too at €660 , which matches Wiggle + they threw in an krypto evo mini, a first service (which I can do myself, but its a bonus all the same) and they changed the saddle for me. A year ago they would have added a paddy tax just for the sake of it, so this recession has its advantages. Cycle surgery wanted €850 for the same bike.

*Memo to self.....must find a forum to reflect my tastes in cycling*

Sorry for adding gears to the site, but there seems to be a fair bit of discussion about geared hubs on here. I'll come back for some proper discussion when I get to building a ss. ;)

BTW I realise there's plenty of charge bikes over there, but they are a rarity here.

I've had a charge tap for 12 months now.
It's an awesome looking, really well made, low maintenance bike with a 8 speed hub gear.
I'm going to be looking to sell it soon, as it just doesn't get enough use to merrit keeping it.
I've upgraded the tyres with some bontranger puncture resistant ones.
The frame (small in grey) has a few scratches, but definitely no dints.
Its been serviced regularly at BC.
Any suggestions as to what I could get for it if I stick it on gumtree? It was £600 new.
Maybe someone on here is interested. It would be a perfect girlfriend bike.
Looks good/user friendly.
http://www.chargebikes.com/products/bikes/detail.php?id=27

50 quid

Joe Smith - wash your mouth out. Thats not going to give me funds to buy anything nice and red.

i want that. step away from the hill special.

I hear the price on the Hill Special has gone up to 500 smackers...

Joe, tell Joe he has far too many bikes already - one he doesn't even get out of storage. Greed is a sin. Just saying like.
Back to me trying to generate some funds.

The Nexus system is a big improvement over older 3 speed hubs.

With respect, that is wrong.

The Nexus is OK, but on average they disintegrate after a couple of years of regular use. Compare this to the Sturmey AW on one of my bikes that was built in 1951 and still works perfectly. They routinely do 30,000 miles with nothing but a few drops of gear oil per month.

Also, mechanical efficiency. The Sturmey AW is epicyclic. It's a much simpler design than hubs with more gears, so the mechanical losses are fewer.

Really, if you can live with three gears, three gears is best.

I wasnt refering to the engineering, rather the ratios provided. The Sturmey is an engineering masterpiece

Bluefoam are you still interested for the Charge Tap?