Ridgeback Vs Charge

garfy117
garfy117 Posts: 8
edited August 2014 in Road buying advice
Hi, I've used the search and can't find much on this...I'm about to pull the trigger on an alfine commuter, and it's looking like the Ridgeback 04, Charge Grater 3, or Ridgeback Journey. Can't seem to find many reviews or opinions on these. At the moment I'm veering towards the flight 04 as it's the prettiest (I can get them for similar prices).

ridgeback is here:
http://www.ridgeback.co.uk/bike/flight-04#details
charge here:
http://www.chargebikes.com/bicycle-collection/grater-3
any views?

thanks!

Comments

  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    or this....

    http://www.ukbikesdepot.com/m117b185s86 ... tAod8g4AlQ
    left the forum March 2023
  • arthur_scrimshaw
    arthur_scrimshaw Posts: 2,596
    The paintwork on the Charge looks the same as I've got on my Juicer Hi and it's lovely. That said I'd go with the Genesis ugo linked to.
  • garfy117
    garfy117 Posts: 8
    Thanks...the Genesis does look really nice, but it's a bit more than I'm looking to spend (£650-ish)...
  • garfy117
    garfy117 Posts: 8
    So...just a quick update in case anyone's wrestling with the same decision in future. I've now been able to try out both bikes properly, and the short answer is that there's no bad choice here! They're both fun, brilliant bikes. I thoroughly enjoyed my time on both, and they're quite similar in many ways. The Charge feels more laidback - it's a relaxed, fun ride that's totally stressfree, and I enjoyed bimbling about on it. I'd say the Flight is a little sharper, more focussed, and (arguably) requires a little more concentration while riding. To me it felt a little more dynamic, but could possibly get mentally tiring after a while (my longest ride on it so far has been a couple of hours, and I found that fine).

    I ended up going for the flight, for a combination of reasons. The asthetics appealed to me more, and I quite liked the "roadie" look and geometry - probably because I've spent so long on a mountain bike and this seemed more of a step towards something different than the charge would have been. I also got a pretty good deal on last years model (cosmetic changes only from this years I believe).


    Having used the Flight for a bit, I'm pretty happy with my choice - it's taken a set of mudguards and rack with no problem, been faultlessly reliable in all conditions, and handles the flats, hills, and traffic of my commute brilliantly. The one criticism I'd level is that with the rack and panniers I have (Toppeak disk and Vaude rolltops), the weight sits behind the back axle (possible due to the fairly short chainstays). This means that when they're heavily loaded the bike can become a little skittish. It's never been a problem for me, but perhaps something to be aware of if you routinely use heavy panniers and prefer a neutral or laidback feel.

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