<<
Charge
Be the first to write a review

Charge Bikes Plug 3 Bike 2016

Item #: BI206C12
This item is discontinued and no longer available.
Choose Color
365 Day Returns

Charge Bikes Plug 3 Bike 2016

All About the Experience.

Deep in the leafy hills of Somerset, England you will find Charge: a group of bike engineers and designers that infuse their bikes with passion and curiosity. Charge goes against the grain, streamlining their bicycle designs to suit function. Each product in their lineup is a thoughtful piece of innovation that breeds joy and elevates the cycling experience.

The Charge Plug is a simple bike with a lot of nice features that make it great. Charge went for light and strong 6061-aluminum when designing the Plug frame, making it ideal for heavy use in potentially bad weather. Whether you decide to bikepack around or commute to your local coffee shop, the rack and fender mounts will come in handy for the extra baggage. Big tires, disc brakes and a solid Tiagra build kit really bring this bike together and offer a ton of functionality for the price.

Don't worry about the hills. Shimano Tiagra compact crank freely spins the wide-range 11-32 Shimano cassette. When it comes time to slow down, Promax cable-actuated disc brakes clamp down the speed of the bike. The bike is equipped with a no-nonsense Alex Draw 1.9p alloy wheelset that is bulletproof and tubeless ready. The extra wide 42c Maxxis Roamer tires have a custom skinwall for a unique look, but are fast-rolling, durable tires that are equally suited for paved or dirt roads.

Keep your mind churning with new adventures. The Plug is game.

Features

  • 6061-series butted aluminum with custom dropouts
  • Rack and fender mounts
  • Clearance for big 42c Tires
  • Shimano Tiagra 4700 10-speed drivetrain
  • Tubeless-Ready Alex Draw 1.9P wheelset
SPECIFICATIONS
Frame 6061 series butted aluminium with rack and fender mounts
Fork Tapered Carbon straight blade. Post-mount disc, QR with fender mounts
Headset FSA No.16 integrated
Shifters Shimano Tiagra ST-4700, 10-speed
Front Derailleur Shimano Tiagra FD-4700
Rear Derailleur Shimano Tiagra RD-4700
Crankset Shimano Tiagra, 50x 34t, 10-speed
Bottom Bracket Shimano Hollowtech II
Pedals Wellgo alloy trekking
Chain KMC X-10
Cassette Shimano HG-500, 11-32t
Brakes Promax DSK-300 Mechanical disc, 160mm rotors
Wheelset Tubeless-Ready Alex DRAW 1.9P rims laced to Charge disc loose-ball hubs, 700c
Tires 700x42c custom skinwall Maxxis Roamer
Handlebar Charge compact lite, 12° flare
Stem 31.8mm Charge Lite
Bar Tape Charge U-bend
Seatpost Charge, single bolt
Seatclamp Charge, bolt type
Saddle Charge Spoon
Intended Use Gravel, Touring, Recreational
Weight 23.24 lbs / 10.54 kg, Medium

Note: Components are subject to change without notice.


GEOMETRY (mm/inches)
Size (cm) Small Medium Large Extra Large
A: Seat Tube Length 500 540 570 600
B: Effective Top Tube 555 565 575 585
C: Stack 566 576 585 595 
D: Reach 361 373 384 396
E: BB Height n/a n/a n/a n/a
F: BB Drop/Rise 69 69 69 69
G: Head Tube Length 140 150 160 170
H: Head Tube Angle 71.5° 71.5° 71.5° 71.5°
I: Seat Tube Angle 73° 73° 73° 73°
J: Standover Height n/a n/a n/a n/a
K: Chainstay Length 435 435 435 435
L: Wheelbase 1025 1035 1045 1056
Powered by TurnTo
4.8 / 5.0
4 Reviews
5 Stars
4 Stars
3 Stars
2 Stars
1 Stars
3
1
0
0
0
Incredible Value Ride
I've just been riding this bike for a little over two weeks as my daily commuter; I put on about 30 miles per week, sometimes in the rain. So far so good.

After switching from an older Cannondale with 25c tires and Ksyrium Elite wheelset, I have to say this thing feels a lot more solid on the road. There was a day or two adjustment getting used to putting a little more effort in to accelerate, but I'm totally over it now, and the extra rolling momentum is great for windy days and the wider tires help out with the potholes. I look forward to putting on some fenders and making this my year round commuter, and occasional longer ride weekend bike.

In summary, it's not the lightest bike, it's not the fastest, it's not the prettiest. But in terms of balancing weight, speed, comfort and cost, this is an incredible buy. The decals and welds are bad enough that I can't give it a 5 star review, but I would give 4.5 if that were an option.

Quick note: I pulled the 42c tires off right away. DC roads aren't great, but they're not cobbled together from massive boulders. 32c tires have been just fine.
March 8, 2017
Purchased
 1 year ago
Location:
Washington DC
Great commuting/gravel/light touring bike!
Bought this at the $699 price - it's a steal. The Tiagra group shifts wonderfully, think 105/Ultegra smooth just 10 speed.

I've outfitted mine with SKS P50 Chromoplastic fenders, Blackburn Outpost front rack, and Ibera PakRak rear rack and bags. The outpost is the front rack of choice, since this doesn't have front mid fork eyelets.

I do my weekend shopping on this bike, and have some multi-day trips planned in the near future. The 42mm tires hold a lot of weight, and ride like a cloud. The bike is not overly slow, they roll quite well.

I only have 2 gripes with using it as a touring bike: would be far better with a triple crank (I plan to change it out), and lack of fork eyelets/kickstand mount. Trek touring bikes come with a mount for kickstands at the rear, which works well. I added a greenfield kickstand, but it's far from ideal due to the disc brakes. Works though.
April 12, 2017
Location:
Maryland
loving the charge bike
I was considering upgrading my bike to full tiagra for around 500 but i saw this bike 50% off with full tiagra and bought it. it's an amazing bike for commuting, the 42 wheels are sweet, plus the color combination make it stand out! sure it's not a light bike but it's not a racing bike any ways.
best bang for the buck at this price!
and the shipping from Jenson was super fast.
March 31, 2017
Purchased
 1 year ago
Location:
victoria bc canada
Good bike for the money...
I've only been riding this for the past couple of days, but thus far I've been pretty impressed. I live in a rural area and the 42mm tires are perfect for riding on the gravel or for touring with panniers. Considering the sturdy build, the bike is reasonably light.

I only wish they had a front pannier mount on the front fork so I could easy attach front bags.
March 16, 2017
Purchased
 1 year ago
Location:
Ogilvie, MN

Q & A

Powered by TurnTo
Start typing your question and we'll check if it was already asked and answered. Learn More
Browse 4 questions Browse 4 questions and 10 answers
How about 6'2"....185lbs....large or extra large?
Jon L on Feb 24, 2017
BEST ANSWER: Charge's website lists either L or XL for someone that's 6'2". Again, it would depend on your proportions. They list inside leg measurement of 32-33" for L and 34"+ for the XL.

If you prefer a more laid-back riding position, you may prefer the XL. But I would size based off top tube, stack and reach based on your current bike.
If I ride a 54cm bike, would size would I ride or could you give me the effective top tube for both medium and large?
Steve D on Feb 15, 2017
BEST ANSWER: Having ridden this bike, I normally ride a 54 and you could be on a Small or Medium depending on how much handlebar drop you like.
Is this considered a gravel bike?
William S on Apr 2, 2017
BEST ANSWER: Yes, it's quick on both gravel trails and road. Really you can use it everywhere: commuting, light touring, trails, pulling kids in a trailer. It's not a racing bike, it has more of an upright ride that's comfortable for long rides.
Hi I'm about 5'10, would a large be too big for me?
kevin n on Apr 11, 2017
BEST ANSWER: I'm about 5'9, and the medium is perfect but could get away with the large.

Jenson USA ships worldwide, including APO/FPO addresses. For a quote, simply add the items you are interested in to your shopping cart and look for the "Shipping Options" box. You don't have to login or create an account to see shipping charges.

Some manufacturers restrict where we can ship their products. If this item has shipping restrictions, they are listed below. If you'd like to buy an item that we cannot ship to your preferred address, we can accept your foreign credit card and ship to a USA address for you.

Get free 1-day California shipping with your $50 purchase today, on most orders. Please note this offer is only available to physical shipping addresses in California(no PO Boxes), and oversize charges still apply on some heavy/large items