Bianchi San Jose
or
Charge Plug

No, I haven't ridden either of them. There is a Bianchi dealer not far away although I haven't stopped in yet.

Does anyone have any experience with Charge? I do not believe there is a dealer in the area although I really like the look of the Plug.

Charge. Way better looks and better cranks.

sugino xd's over rd's is a wash, not gonna notice a difference. looks are minimal here, i think the plug looks nice but that shouldnt be what decides it.

geo's really insanely slack on the plug, a tiny bit steeper on the sj but still slack as well.

what are you using it for? if theres no charge dealer i'd go for the bianchi for the fact you can try it out, get fitted, and test ride it.

Casual riding / Fitness

Love the look of the Charge Plug.

Leader 722.

Just kidding. My vote is for Charge Plug.

It looks to me like the Charge Plug will only work for someone who's at least 5'-6" tall. The XS size has a 544mm seat tube. https://www.chargebikes.com/products/...tail.php?id=18

I'm 6' so judging by their fit chart I am looking at a large

the san jose is a way more versatile bike in terms of what you can do with it. That, and the fact that you can take a test ride and get fitted make it a no brainer in my eyes. Out of curiosity, what made you choose these two bikes?

I vote Bianchi for reasons stated above. Test ride, fit, etc.

Price and Looks are the only two things I have to go on right now - hence this thread. :-)

if its just looks and price that are motivating you there are bikes lower in price and better in looks than your two choices .

I am open for suggestions, if you have some it would be great to find out what they are.

Thanks,
Jeff

Wait just a sec here...are you daring to make an alternate suggestion?

=O NEVER.

For under 750 of the SJ.

-wabi classic (my favorite of the bunch)
-schwinn madison
-redline 925
-surly steamroller
-salsa casserole

off the top of my head

Casserolls aren't being made as a complete single speed anymore. They've been sold out of sizes for 6' tall people for many months. Likely isn't a dealer anywhere in the country with one in stock anymore. Last I checked QBP still had a few in like 43 or 45cm sizes. But Casserolls are complete geared bikes or framesets with matching front rack for 2011. Canti brakes now too. And in a really nice blue.

A side note: 925s come with riser bars now instead of bullhorns. We're glad for that at the shop I work at because the frame geometry of the 925 with bullhorns (and stock stem) made fitting people very difficult, and we were swapping stems and bars out on most. New 925 makes more sense. It's a cool bike.

San Jose, if you plan on commuting frequently.

Bianchi San Jose.

Cool SS CX bike and bomb-proof. Its a light cro-moly ride!

This is one of the rare times being small has been an advantage for me. I picked up a 47cm 2010 Salsa Casseroll on closeout for only $449. It's a much nicer and more refined bike than my Kilo WT, which initially cost about the same, but ended up costing a lot more due to so many changes compared to virtually none with the Casseroll.

BTW, the Casseroll did not come in a 43cm size; the smallest size was 45cm. Did you perhaps mean 53cm and 55cm, which were both available?

No, I meant 45 and 47. The two smallest sizes. Couldn't remember if it was 45 and 47 or 43 and 45 off the top of my head.

Thanks for the info, I'll check them out and do a little more research.

Wabi Classic looks promising - although there are too many options (crank arm length and chain ring size) I have no idea what they should be unfortunately.

I have to say they certainly look like they would answer any question I had though . . .

Those are pretty different bikes. If you want big tires/fenders/ability to ride off road the San Jose is the clear choice. Otherwise IDK.

- frame size - this is obvious. give us some dimensions (height, inseam)
- color, obvious
- saddle, just do no change unless you want a brown one or something
- stem size, you may need to play around with this to get a fit, like a shorter stem on a bigger size or a longer stem with a smaller size if you are in the middle
- handlebar, width (if you have wide shoulders/ narrow or bullhorns)
- crankarm, depending on hills. 165 flatland but you may want to go 170 for more leverage if you are in a hilly area
- chainring and cog will determine your ratio. pick one for the area that suits you best
- freewheel, obvious

I just ordered the Wabi Lightning from Richard Snook and he will answer any question you have. Someone suggested the Wabi bikes from here, and I stopped looking. Take sometime and look through his website and you will learn a lot. The Classic is the best one out there for the price and especially if you order it online, however, I would order by calling him. He's a great guy!

I can't wait. My orange Lightning will be here on Tuesday!

Good luck.

im a fan of the lightweightness of the lightning, yesss.