Charge Bikes

Red Bull Hill Chasers 2012

I headed up to Bristol on the weekend to compete in the Red Bull Hill Chasers event. Its a head to head sprint up Park Street which ran for the first time last year.

I was one of only a couple of people competing on a fixed gear and I think my Scissor made things a little difficult but it was a real laugh anyway. I grinned my whole way up the course.

When I was waiting to race, standing there in my denim jacket and leopard print jeans, one of the jock’s dads asked me whose bike I was holding and who was going to be riding it. When I told him it was mine he was very pleased that his lycra clad son was racing me and also asked me where my ‘race gear’ was…. I’m not sure that lycra would have really helped in a twenty second uphill sprint.

Pics above by Dave Noakes

I also really like this one taken by Jasper Tandy.

Big thanks to Redg from No Gears Bristol for showing us around on the day and of course a massive thanks to Charge and Red Bull for inviting me along.

Red Bull Hill Chasers 2012

Following the huge success from last years event, Charge Bikes teamed up with Red Bull to put on another spectacular spectator friendly, up hill bike race.

The centre of Bristol came to a standstill, as 32 riders on a variety of bikes raced up Park Street in an attempt to become this year’s Red Bull Hill Chasers champion.

A straight knockout format with two riders racing against each other saw fixies, BMX-ers, mountain bikers and road racers battle it out in an attempt to settle the fierce debate of which bike discipline is best uphill, up the full length of Park Street, in front of a 6,000 strong crowd.

Riders were paired randomly giving aspiring riders the chance to compete head to head against the 16 invited elite. The enthusiasts were made up of the fastest 16 riders from a qualifier, open to anyone, held on the morning of the event.

Last years winner and Charge Team rider Chris Metcalfe was pitted against Cannondale Liquigas Pro rider Ted King. Our heart sank as he was one of the favorites of the day. Thankfully Chris’s experience if these event proved priceless as he took the win,

Multi World Champion and Red Bull Athlete, Michal Prokop set the fastest time of the day on his 4X mountain bike, but sadly this was against Charge rider Jon Watson, Michal ironically was forced to retire from the Quarter Final with a broken chain. He said: “This was a unique race for me. Where else can you compete against so many different bikes?! Even though my chain broke I still had an awesome time taking on the enthusiasts!”

The semi final saw an elite vs enthusiast showdown in both races as Ben Simmons took on Gareth Montgomerie whilst John Whittington fought Cobble Wobble winner, Lewis Lacey. The enthusiasts prevailed as the final showdown saw Ben Simmons against John Whittington (23 from Redland, Bristol) both on road bikes.

In the end, there could be only one to take the crown from last year’s Champion, Charge Bikes’ Chris Metcalfe. And it was cycling enthusiast qualifier Ben Simmons who beat the elite riders with a blistering time.

After getting his breath back Simmons said he was,”shocked and surprised” at his win, especially as he’d travelled to Devon earlier that day to take part in another cycling event! “I’ve never taken part in anything as short and punchy as this before in such a great location. It’s so exciting. It’s a tough race and I never thought I’d win.

The top three riders who claimed the podium spots and rode home on their specially made prize Charge bikes were:

1st. Ben Simmons
2nd. John Whittington
3rd. Gareth Montgomerie

Qualifying

Early morning qualifying,

Mega bars

There where all sorts of different bikes and set ups on the day,

Bikes at the ready

Race Bikes Ready,

20 seconds gets you here!

Rob Reed

The finish line was in sight,

Fighting to the line

Charge rider, Rob Reed knocking out Dave Henderson from GT,

Prokop

Jough Watson

Chris Metcalfe

Prokop pipping Jon Watson to the line,

Chris Metcalfe

Chris Metcalfe defending his title,

Winners!

Well done guys, we will see you next time!

Charge Cooker (29′er) video with Kye Forte

Alex Rankin went down to the woods and filmed Red Bull Athlete Kye Forte. We thought we’d give Kye a 29′er to play on and he loved it. Put the kettle on, make a brew and then press the play button.

Here’s the main spec for those interested:

• Medium Steel Cooker mid Frame
• RockShox Reba RLT 29″ 1 1/8″(QR, for now)
• Crank Bros Cobalt 2 29″
• Charge Ti Spoon
• Charge Griddle grips
• Charge Chopstick
• Truvative Holzfeller 55mm stem
• Truvative T30 15mm riser bar, 700mm
• Bontrager 29.3 TLR tyres with tubes
• Sram XO mech, 11-36 cassette and 10spd shifter
• Truvative Holzfeller cranks with 32t ring
• MRP 1X chain guide
• Avid Elixir 7 brakes with 160mm rotors F+R, 180 for DH

Red Bull Hill Chasers prize Plugs are in!

So here they are back from the painters, spruced up and ready for the taking. All you have to do is qualify, fend off 29 other elite hill sprinting superstars and one of these beauties is yours. Simple! To enter make sure you check out Red Bull’s event page for all the details. If you don’t fancy the challenge be sure to head to Bristol this weekend and cheer on those who do. It’s sure to be a spectacle that you won’t want to miss!

Charge Duster 11 review

For those that haven’t been able to look through last months WhatMTB, Bikeradar have now put the Duster 11 review up online.

Follow the link for the full review…..

Stop press… 2012 Charge bikes are here!

The 2012 Charge range of bicycles is now in the United Kingdom.
Bikes will start to make their way out to dealers at the end of this week so keep your eyes peeled at you nearest shop.
Included in the delivery is the test winning Cooker Hi 29er, the ‘Commuter/Cross’ Filter bikes and the all new Plug Prestige.

Check out the bikes page for details.

29er framesets now in stock!

Just arrived, 2012 Cooker frames in Cro-Mo & Titanium guises.
Test winning steel costs a bargain £349.99 and luxury Ti is £1599.99 at your nearest Charge dealer.

Check here for more details: http://chargebikes.com/frames/

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Contents will be a mix of what we have been up to, what the team have been up to, product highlights and reviews along with a load more stuff.
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AC

Cooker Hi wins MBR 29′r test

Hot off the press is the latest issue of MBR (December 11) and with is comes the £1000 29′r mtb test.
Competition were US big brands Specialized and Cannondale all hitting the £999.99 mark very nicely but we come out on top with 9/10 score and some gleaming comments

“We love: The retro styling and attention to detail”

“We hate: What’s there to hate on a 29er that rides this well?”

Click here to read the review… in shops January.

Ash

Sunday by the Thames

I went out on my bike today and I did some stuff. I tried my first rail on my fixed gear and gave my shin a good whack…

And wore my new Velodeath t shirt. Thanks for the gifts, guys!