my new 2011 charge duster mid :-D

[racefaceec90]

it literally just turned up at melksham cycle centre,just before i arrived (hence still in it's box) i just couldn't resist having a quick peek though/take a couple of pics

i just cannot put into words how exciting it is to get a shiny new bike (as in my case is not very often the picture just doesn't do justice to the paint job though.it is awesome.a real luminous green (reminds me a lot of the old diamondback axis bikes/alpinestars) i cannot put into words how excited i am to pick her up tomorrow (have been wanting to go back to steel ht for a while) will upload more pick/first ride report tomorrow. i'm so excited i could explode (but i won't!

 

[martymcfly]

Need a full picture! Now!

They really are nice looking bikes these.

 

[Reluctant]

That's a proper retro looking new bike too - lovely skinny tubes and a fab day-glo green; i love it! Be interested to hear how it rides and some better pics when it's built too. Have fun!

 

[Neil G]

Nice looking bikes although quite expensive!

They have base the geometry of the new dusters on the Ti model which s good as they're slightly longer....I had an old Duster and always found it a tad on the sort side.

Be good to see some pics of it built up, hope it's going to get a good thrashing in Erlestoke woods and up on the Plain

 

[racefaceec90]

thanks everyone my apologies for copy/pasting this from singletrack,but is a lot quicker well have just got back from my first ride on the new steed i should have said in my original post that i p'x/ed my 10 anthem x2 bike for the new one (i know that people will say that i am crazy for doing so,but the fact was that i just wanted to go back to a more simpler bike tbh.also the servicing costs for the charge will be significantly less than the anthem costs (was looking at £250 for a full service for the x2 .well am i regretting my decision.the simple answer is NO! as soon as i saw the finished bike in the shop,i was blown away.it looked stunning with it's skinny prestige steel tubes/in retro fluro green awesome and it just got better from there i basically rode from the cycle shop in melksham to spye park,then to calne,and cherhill monument (where i took some of the pics).the bike felt fantastic to ride (had a much less stretched out riding position compared to anthem for one thing).also the new (to me 2 x 10 gearing) felt great once i got my head around it. everything on the bike feels and looks quality in my eyes (am loving the freehub sounding like really annoyed rattlesnakes when coasting/also in ano green) the tyres are another thing that i love as well 26 x 1.8 charge splashbacks.feel really grippy/roll fast.just everything feels great about the bike to me (not that i'm biased the only thing is that i will have to relearn how to ride a ht,as obviously the ride offroad is a lot harsher than the x2 (but am not complaning/that is obviously to be expected after switching from a plush full sus bike) it still feels compliant in the rough.anyhoo i've droned on for far too long.here are some pics (unfortunately my internet credit is nearly used up (so only a few pics) i did take a few more and did a short video as well (will upload a week saturday,when credit gets renewed) sorry for the droning on but you might be able to tell that i am quite happy with the new bike

 

[superstu]

Great looking bike, love the look of these. Great to hear excited you are about it too. Some bigger tyres would help the off road comfort but sounds like you're happy with the fast rolling skinny

 

[racefaceec90]

thanks superstu will think about getting bigger tyres for the comfort thing/more grip.the splashbacks are really nice tyres (the feel very grippy,roll quite fast on tarmac also (just my lack of fitness being the downside would also like to add that if i do not reply to anyone am not meaning to be rude (it's just that my internet credit really is nearly used up until a week saturday) thanks again everybody

 

[coomber]

Yep, that is lovely. I like that a lot.

The new bike excitement you just cant match

 

[martymcfly]

That just looks so 'right' if you know what I mean.

It's the kind of bike all manufacturers should be making.

Agree with getting bigger tires thing too, though the skinwalls do suit it!

 

[Neil G]

Nice bike, much more interesting than any Giant. Looks quite old school and sort of reminds me of the early spatter Konas, I think that's what Nick (Charge) was aiming for with these.

Good pics, I was up there riding Yesterday and it was great..views were spectacular!