morecrayons

Hey everyone,

I'm relatively new to the world of fixies but have been always been an avid cyclist. I've been riding the bike below for the past few months but feel like I need something a bit more resilient.

After heaps of research I'm trying to decide between the 2010 GT Gutterball and 2009 Charge Plug Freestyler. These are the best bikes I've found available at a reasonable price. (Both bikes are selling for the same price)

Does anyone have an opinion as to which would be a better buy? Thanks for any help.


(sorry for the phone photo quality)

luno-pdx

what are you planning to do on the bike? match sprints? velodrome racing? commuting? barspinzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz? long distance rides? climbing? barspinzzz?

xB_Nutt

Resilience is the property of a material to absorb energy when it is deformed elastically and then, upon unloading to have this energy recovered. ...

Doubt the Gutterball or Plug is going to be as resilient as that sweet lugged steel. Do you mean more robust?

morecrayons

sorry, wrong choice of word..

I am looking for a more robust bike, I will be using the bike for commuting and day-tripping and I guess climbing (as I live in a pretty hilly city). I won't be doing any tricks but I want a solid, quality bike that is not going to require a huge amount of day to day maintenance.

So I guess my question is which of the two bikes has the higher quality components. And does the steel frame make for a stronger/longer life bike?

shubonker

You should try them out at your LBS, that is the only way you'll really know. Our opinions are all subjective to our particular tastes.

As far as the two bikes are concerned, the GT has better components and its more expensive. Not sure if the triple triangle is there for aesthetics or if it actually provides a significantly different ride.

bryyando

what are you currently riding?

morecrayons

I can't think of the name of the frame, and am at work so I can't check it..
I know it's an Australian made frame and was apparently just lying around the local bike store so was built up. I have it as a long term loaner from a friend and it's about time I purchased my own.. Hence trying to make an informed decision.

I'm surprised to hear the GT has the better components, I thought it would be the Charge all the way..

beeftech

Personally, I'd get the Charge.
But only because the new GT's are ugly as sin.

Exit.

+1 Charge.

cc700

whichever is aluminum is the one i'd get.

i LOVE my aluminum scattante.

tFUnK

the charge is going to be heavier i think. i would get the gt. the triple triangle design looks effin' cool and it also makes the rear end stiffer. i don't know about commuting with it though, the paint seems pretty easily scratched so it might be a problem locking up everyday. i am the type of person who would get a dedicated commuter bike and a dedicated fast bike; the bike you have now seems to fit the commuter role fine, and i think the gt will be faster than the charge.

riot2003

..yet.

I'm a steel man, myself.

Scrodzilla

The frame you've got looks pretty nice. Wanna sell it?

morecrayons

Thanks everyone for the opinions, I tried the GT out yesterday and am gonna try the Charge out today.

Hey Scrodzilla, wish I could sell the current frame but it'll have to go back to it's owner when I get my new ride..

The frame is a Clamont from Sydney

Scrodzilla

I'd go with the Charge as well. I love those bikes!