Advice please !!

mister y

Hi all. I'm a relative beginner to mountain biking and have been looking around for a while now to pick up a new ride. Am already doing some road and small off road work with a hybrid but it's time to step up and go the full MTB hog. I've been deliberating at length between HT and FS and have concluded that, at least for now and for the riding I'll be doing, that HT is probably the way to go. With so much choice out there (and a flexible budget) the list of possibilities is huge. In at my local Evans today who gave me some great advice and after much discussion felt that, amongst others, I should try out the Charge Duster XT.

Reviews are kicking around for pretty much all of the alternatives that I've been looking at but there seems very little out there on this bike.

I was wondering if anyone out there had any views on its suitability for a relative beginner, or indeed if anyone owns one and has anything good orr bad to say about it ???

By the way, great site, great advice and insight.

Cheers !

xstrathyx

probably not much help mate, i bought my trek about 2 months ago, and to date no review has been done on it on this forum.

no great shakes though as i am just getting into it - the bike is adequate

I am sure you will get assistance and if not PM Supersonic. He is amoderator and writes columns for a MTB magazine. He is like the oracle of MTB and i am sure he can assist you with your query

supersonic

Why thank you ;-)

The Charge Duster is a well reknowned bike, and I know a couple of riders who own one. Fairly light steel frame made from Tange Prestige which is great stuff and builds into a 'zingy' frame.

It does have fairly compact geometry, so a test is a must. You may feel you need a larger size than you'd expect.

geordiefreerider

HAIL THE MESSIAH

supersonic

I am not the messiah, just a very naughty boy!

mister y

Helpful stuff guys, thanks a lot. Will get out and test one as suggested. Supersonic, in a nutshell, the couple of riders that you mention that own them, I'm assuming they're happy with their choice ? I'm guessing that given the lack of coverage they seem to have that they aren't that popular or am I just thinking that the glass is half empty ?? And I'm still getting to understand the good, bad and ugly of componentry but would it be fair to say that this looks to be a pretty highly specced model (in its price range ) ?

supersonic

Just not a common bike, Charge are a much smaller company than the big boys like Specialized and Trek.

Looking at the spec:

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/cha ... gn=froogle

I think it is very over priced for £1700. Yeah, it is all good kit, nicely though out but £500 than I would expect, especially given that the frame retails for £350.

mister y

Thanks very much...appreciate the views.