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Hi there. Riding Charge Plug Single Speed for nearly 2 years and liking it a lot. My BB I fitted after the existing one went has also started to go after about 3000 miles. It's a 68 x 103 square taper on a Sugino Crankset. There seems to be a few around. The one I have now that is just going is a Genetic Karyotype. I do rather punish the bike, its not flat where I live but 3000 miles seems a bit low and hoping to find something more durable. Any recommendations? (I can see you can get FSA, Sunrace, Tange, First Components, Stronglight, and IRD [QB55] replacements).

Thanks for the feedback. Everything I can see about these indicates they are a good option. And I just found a really good price for them now after a bit of searching, £85, pretty good eh. All from searching for Aero Rage with a space not Aerorage without a space and suddenly up popped a cracking deal. I have no idea what weight difference will be but 900 odd grams for the black one of these sounds pretty good and I imagine will be an improvement on the stock wheels I have on my second hand Charge Plug. They have done 5k of all weathers in undulating roads in North Yorkshire but now the bearings are going again after spending £40 on that just under a year ago it feels like I'd be throwing good money after bad with them. See how the new ones go.

Could anyone recommend online available rear wheel to ride on road single speed 700c wheel ideally reasonably lightweight and able to take 28mm tyres. What do people think of the Halo Aerorage? Are there better options? Not finding much out there pre-built, which is what I want as will be budgetary constraints to having the wheel built. thanks

Hi I have charge plug single speed with the wheels they came with. Excuse my poor terminology, but on the non-drive side the axle nut (not the final outer nut) is loose and needs a tightening, not sure if this would be referred to as the cone or lockring. Tried spanners I have up to 17mm none of which fit. From my googling it seems like this might be 18 or 19mm, is there a standard, or someone out there who has this bike and knows, trying to establish which spanner i need to purchase. Many thanks.

Hi, if you change the freewheel you will need the right tool, plus I found I was only able to get the old one off by putting the tool on, flipping the nut (the built in washer means you can't get the thread to grip, tighten the nut a little to hold it all in place and put the tool and wheel into a vice on a workbench, then turn the wheel to crack it to start undoing it, hope that makes sense. I also got a bit of oil worked into the freewheel in the ports on the reverse before fitting it.

I still have the same chainring/chainset on. that said I do like some you can get that look cool, but would want to be sure I don't change the chainline on the bike so not touching it at this stage.

I also did not mention I changed the bottom bracket which also started to go after I had been using it for a while. After a bit of research I settled on the Genetic Karyotype JIS bottom bracket. Found a good seller of them on ebay, around £30-35. just need to make sure you get the right size, 68x103 for this bike. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genetic-Karyotype-JIS-bottom-bracket/112754983789?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=414403045242&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

this is a good crank extractor for this, I had an old crappy one and bought this its very good, just make sure you have the threads seated nicely:
Park Tool Cotterless Crank Puller
and would need the bottom bracket tool as well.

one last point, although the schwalbe 28mm tyres do seem pretty bomb proof I do always carry a 15mm Spanner just in case I needed to take the rear wheel off if I got a puncture. I do get the occasional sarcastic remark when I was riding with others (when it was allowed anyway!), about my spanner in me back pocket :-)

I am about a year in and have the same one. The dark blue with the brown saddle and bullhorn bars. I have put a lot of undulating Yorkshire miles on it. I like it a lot and for lots of rides don't miss gears. Here are a list of thoughts and learning from it.

1. No bosses for mudguards. So went for the SKS Raceblade Long. But you need to file the part that attaches to the axle as they are designed for quick release axle thickness. These work well except for the little bit of mudguard on the front which over time kept flying off so I don't have it on now. Clearance for 28mm tyres still with them on.
   
2. Tyres schwalbe marathon plus are brilliant. 28mm and bomb proof but surprisingly quite a quick tyre.
   
3. Freewheel halo clickster really good just keep it oiled. Lie bike on its side and seep some oil in the crack as it were.
   
4. Chains. No idea if this is simply the lumpy terrain I ride but i seem to need a new one at around 1000 miles. Strange after my geared bike where a chain can do 4000 miles. Tried various KMC chains and all last the same so now just getting the B1 wide as it is cheap and lasts the same as any others twice the price. I left one chain a little too long and in the winter grime it munched the teeth on my freewheel and turned them into ninja stars even though I clean and relube regularly. So I will probably change chains more routinely from now on as the B1 us only about 6 quid.
   
5. Also have found it hard to keep the chain from going too loose as the wheel is edged forward by pressure on the pedals. So now I am using tensioners combined with halo nuts which hold things just a bit firmer and can keep the chain at the right tension.
   I have piled the miles on it in the last year. Upwards on 5000 miles. Most days a typical ride where I live at lunchtime us 16 miles and 1400 ft of elevation. I can't get over stretches of over 16% without bailing unless they are short. No trips into the Dales on it. I have done 140 miles in a day on the flat in a group ride and kept an 18mph average so it rolls well on its day. Enjoy it.
   

Worth it? My Halo Clickster has been good but seems to struggle now after continued punishment from Yorkshire grit and grime. i.e. pawl slippage even after keeping things oiled nicely. 3500 miles on the Clickster this year. November has been particularly hacky weather on the road which would challenge any freewheel I am sure. But seeing as the Royal Ed 108 click has 3 extra pawls I am presuming this significantly helps with slippage and lack of engagement. Thanks

Hi all, been on single speed for a lot of my riding since Feb this year and love it, Charge Plug. Not running it fixed, but single speed, changed freehub to halo clickster, running really nicely.
Chain question. Do the same rules apply to checking chain wear in terms of using a regular chain checker. I have replaced chains on this bike fairly quickly so far when they have got to 100% wear which has been at about 1300 miles (KMC 710, and 510 respectively), now on a KMC K1. Even as new the chain is on the 0.75 wear marker so wondering if the 100% marker is as applicable on single speed chains? the 12" measurement i read is 24 links, pretty sure when i did this measurement its 23 links on the K1 so not so sure a chain measurer is that relevant. Does anyone who rides single speed have a rule of thumbe on mileage, i would have hoped to get a good 5ooo miles not the 1300

thanks what is the right oil to use?

Morgan blue. Think it's also called city and touring oil.

Not so good after it's so new

Hi excuse my poor terminology here quite new to single speed. Have had halo clickster on for a number of weeks. Done at least 1000 miles of riding. Yesterday the freewheel did not engage or lock on and cranking the cranks just spun. After hand turning the wheel and back pedalling cranks it engaged after a minute or so. Then midway through a ride it happened again. Again pedalled back and forth and it engaged again so could pedal forward. I have kept the halo lined with decent oil. Any ideas?

Hi I have been almost exclusively riding the single speed at the moment and have already done 1400 miles on the Z510. It's already showing as 100% stretched on my chain measurer. I don't have it too tight. It seems a bit soon to be worn that much, but also wondering if this is as relevant on a single speed. I don't want to wear the freewheel and chainset teeth down. I have bought a z710 to try also but am wondering how long I can get away with the z510 being on. I was kind of hoping to get more miles from a chain on a single speed than on a geared bike and based on this wear am getting much less.

this is to replace a faulty lever that appears to be beyond economic repair.
from what you are saying do you think my bars narrow a little bit and i probably already have 22.2 levers on? I had assumed they were the same width as to where the stem is clamped to which is 25.4mm. This is a charge plug.
https://www.evanscycles.com/charge-slice-bar-EV155184
thats the bars above, which look like maybe they do narrow slightly. In which case you are probably right that I would need 22.2mm which as you say are readily available. 1.5mm narrower on each side is imperceptable to me without reading glasses!

being new to this and these being the bars that came with my SS from new I am afraid I have no idea what you are alluding to

Hi can anyone recommend flat bar brakes for 25.4mm diameter bars? I can only see Dia-Compe Dirty Harry online.

obviously I don't know the severity of your Grandmas condition but would it help if you printed up prominent signs and put them on doors to inform her of what she needs to do?

Cornettos would be essential

so long as i get the Ewok :-)

what exactly is a continuous cough? my daughter is off school and strictly applying the letter of NHS guidelines it should now be 7 days, I would put her at on the border of what you would call a continuous cough, plus she has other non-covid19 symptoms, just seems like a cold, and am aware of others who had similar a week ago. i see no option but for her to be off 7 days at this point, fortunately she is old enough to be home alone and loves cross-stitch (making an Ewok today!) and brooklyn 99 on netflix!

whats the good swiss stop ones? the blue ones? I have the brake shoe they would fit I presume (shimano compatible) off another old bike so hopefully i only need to buy blocks

thats a beauty, my size, just bought plug SS though so...must...resist...

Maybe this is very specific thread but would be interested to share experiences.

Let me start with some questions:

How fast have you taken a descent so far and have you experienced any wobble from the forks at speed? I have probably not gone over 32 miles per hour so far as I am still getting used to the feel of it.

Has anyone employed a solution of where to put a bottle for longer rides? So far I have used the back pocket.

Any recommendations for better brake blocks than the ones standard with the Tektro Calipers these have. Wearing out fast in winter.

So far after a few weeks and 600 miles I am really liking the Plug for all riding except proper hilly Dales country where 42x16 is not low enough. I have replaced the Dicta Freewheel with a Halo Clickster and the chain is now the KMC z510. The revelation to me is a rolling countryside ride of 50-60 miles is absolutely fine on it and not a slow average speed at all. At £150 the least I have ever spent on a bike (for me anyway) but getting so much pleasure from it.

thanks i probably need customer services to sort me out now as i seem to have started a subscription :-)

i just tried to join this but voucher would not work buying 1 bag so tried the subscription instead and no option to put a code in and now am a subscriber , oops. I have sent a message to customer services. but if anyone knows if the code is expired could you let me know.