Charge Cooker 0 Review
Modern bikes are incredibly complicated, sophisticated machines with Carbon layups, electronic gearing and high tech suspension all making them lighter, faster and more capable than ever. The Charge Cooker 0 I have been riding over the last year deliberately flies in the face of all that in the pursuit of one simple aim - to be as much fun as a bike can be. Pure, simple pleasure on wheels.
In doing so, Charge have put together a very sturdy and well built Steel frame and fork with a geometry that inspires confidence on the trail without being so slack it loses that old skool XC feeling.
Paired with super grippy 27+ wheels the Cooker is actually a good trail bike full stop, even if the rigid fork does mean a little more concentration is required. I have had great fun riding it around local Red graded trails and even the Afan epic W2 trail.
On this model gears have also been sacrificed, which is actually one of my favourite features. The single speed set up of a 18T rear and 34T Rotor chainring is on the tall end for South Wales hills. But it makes you strong to push it, it is super reliable and resilient to bad weather.
This is the bike I not only ride trails with, but ride to work, take the kids out on, nip to the shops with and everything else. Not once have I had to worry about sand in the derraileurs, or a worn cassette! Stopping is provided by Tektro hydraulic discs, which again whilst not the flashiest have performed well with no maintenance for the whole year. Which is just as well, because the Cooker is not light. Not even slightly.
As a racer, I am lucky to have a series of high end bikes waiting for me when I kit up for a ride. The Charge is without question the slowest and heaviest and requires more effort and skill to ride to the same lap time.
But its beauty is that it can do the school run, nip round some proper single track, take a shortcut along the beach and get you to work on time all without feeling like a compromise and provides you with bona fide smiles as it does it. And isn't fun the whole point of riding bikes anyway?
