Outside the Jobcentre when I went to sign on - nice! Spoke to the owner who's also there to sign on - he used to use it for his commute & hopefully will be commuting again soon...
The Charge bikes strike me as rather nicely finished paintwise and everything else - lookers - can't quite put my finger on it, but they do stand out...a friend said they're expensive for what they are or somesuch - was a while back.
The Mixer 11s also seem to be thin on the ground - especially the silver one - the one today was black.
Anybody got one? Pleased with it?
Saw A Charge Mixer 11 Today
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townbikemark
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Re: Saw A Charge Mixer 11 Today
Make yourself a strong coffee,then sit down and read this thread:- viewtopic.php?f=5&t=64432&hilit=Alphine+11
Then decide if you really want one
Then decide if you really want one
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"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
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townbikemark
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Re: Saw A Charge Mixer 11 Today
Hi reohn2
Having just finished all 32 pages of that thread, I can see what you mean...
Given the increasing number of German firms introducing bikes thus equipped and Gazelle have now added one to their lineup, I'm pretty sure that I want one but will ensure it gets serviced and that the bikeshop knows how to do it...
Having just finished all 32 pages of that thread, I can see what you mean...
Given the increasing number of German firms introducing bikes thus equipped and Gazelle have now added one to their lineup, I'm pretty sure that I want one but will ensure it gets serviced and that the bikeshop knows how to do it...
Re: Saw A Charge Mixer 11 Today
routine servicing really couldn't be easier; just drop the oil out and put fresh stuff in. The cones adjust like any other hub, and apart from keeping the shifter cable free-running and the dots lined up in 6th, that is it really.
If the hub fails within the two-year warranty then (with a UK-supplied bike) Madison sort you out.
If the hub goes faulty in another way/ outside that period then you can forget your LBS; I don't know of one that will touch one. Most would just fit a new centre; it is usually just as cheap to buy another hub if you shop around.
There are some folk (maybe a couple of dozen...?) that have delved deep into the internals and posted on t'interweb with their findings. Between here and a few other forums and websites, you will probably have captured most of them, I reckon.
cheers
If the hub fails within the two-year warranty then (with a UK-supplied bike) Madison sort you out.
If the hub goes faulty in another way/ outside that period then you can forget your LBS; I don't know of one that will touch one. Most would just fit a new centre; it is usually just as cheap to buy another hub if you shop around.
There are some folk (maybe a couple of dozen...?) that have delved deep into the internals and posted on t'interweb with their findings. Between here and a few other forums and websites, you will probably have captured most of them, I reckon.
cheers
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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townbikemark
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Re: Saw A Charge Mixer 11 Today
Brucey wrote:routine servicing really couldn't be easier
cheers
Thanks Brucey, but you WOULD say that...I struggle with refitting the back wheel after mending a puncture!
Re: Saw A Charge Mixer 11 Today
I have come to the conclusion that, if I have a chaincase fitted, that tips the balance for rear wheel punctures, so that it is quicker and easier if I fix them without removing the rear wheel.
This means patching, aerosol gloop, or perhaps if I'm in a rush on a commute in the future, a special tube that can be fitted without removing the wheel. In the latter instance the old (normal) tube can be cut out.
In theory an IGH with a cassette joint should be easier than one with (say) toggle chains. However in practice this just doesn't work out! Even my SA 5s hub (with two toggle chains to fiddle with) is easier and quicker! I think a fundamental problem with the cassette joint system is that the outer cable housing for the shifter needs to slide around as the wheel is moved and not every frame/cable routing allows this easily.
In fact I've hankered after a nice simple arrangement (with a barrel adjuster) that has a cable stop on the chainstay with N7 and N8 hubs, even though this would mean that you would need to adjust the gears every time you disturb the rear wheel. With a longer bare cable run, it would make it a lot easier to unhook the pinch bolt from the hub, I reckon.
I think this would be an improvement because there would be less chance of pushing/pulling the cable housing around and therefore unseating the cable housing. If you look at older SA equipment, you can see that most of the cable fittings are specifically designed to prevent this from happening; why modern designs ignore the lessons of the past is quite beyond me, it is almost like the people that design this stuff don't actually have to use it (in realistic conditions) or work on it.
I've noted that with a cassette joint system it is normal to have to adjust the cable on a regular basis anyway, and even if the outer housing isn't popped out when the wheel is moved, it is rare for the adjustment to be perfect after the wheel has been in and out; in reality the idea that 'the user should never have to adjust the gears' is something of a bust, and anyone that takes the wheel out should be able and willing to do this anyway.
cheers
This means patching, aerosol gloop, or perhaps if I'm in a rush on a commute in the future, a special tube that can be fitted without removing the wheel. In the latter instance the old (normal) tube can be cut out.
In theory an IGH with a cassette joint should be easier than one with (say) toggle chains. However in practice this just doesn't work out! Even my SA 5s hub (with two toggle chains to fiddle with) is easier and quicker! I think a fundamental problem with the cassette joint system is that the outer cable housing for the shifter needs to slide around as the wheel is moved and not every frame/cable routing allows this easily.
In fact I've hankered after a nice simple arrangement (with a barrel adjuster) that has a cable stop on the chainstay with N7 and N8 hubs, even though this would mean that you would need to adjust the gears every time you disturb the rear wheel. With a longer bare cable run, it would make it a lot easier to unhook the pinch bolt from the hub, I reckon.
I think this would be an improvement because there would be less chance of pushing/pulling the cable housing around and therefore unseating the cable housing. If you look at older SA equipment, you can see that most of the cable fittings are specifically designed to prevent this from happening; why modern designs ignore the lessons of the past is quite beyond me, it is almost like the people that design this stuff don't actually have to use it (in realistic conditions) or work on it.
I've noted that with a cassette joint system it is normal to have to adjust the cable on a regular basis anyway, and even if the outer housing isn't popped out when the wheel is moved, it is rare for the adjustment to be perfect after the wheel has been in and out; in reality the idea that 'the user should never have to adjust the gears' is something of a bust, and anyone that takes the wheel out should be able and willing to do this anyway.
cheers
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~