Charge Juicer - Warning

[Albert]

I have just had a worrying and potentially very dangerous failure while riding my 18 month old Charge Juicer.
With almost no warning the rear mudguard sheered across most of its width. All was quiet and then a sudden loud rattle which prompted me to stop immediately. I shudder to think what could have happened on my favourite 40+mph descent.

Wiggle/Charge's attitude:
1 - I rode with the mudguard loose. No! I Loctite all my fixings.
2 - I must have leant the bike against something, which, apparently, constitutes not using it for its intended purpose. Err! Don't we all, when we leave our bikes against railings etc. feeble!

An offer of a cost price replacement from Wiggle, but no offer of an alternative free replacement that isn't dangerous. They now have one less customer.

I wrote directly to Charge about the safety aspect of all this and didn't even get a reply. Impressive customer support I'm sure you'll all agree!

 

[dellzeqq]

http://fnrttc.blogspot.co.uk/p/its-most-definitely-about-bike.html

See those mudguards, that rack, those panniers? Have them off. Mudguards are intent on working loose and rubbing against your wheel. If they’re not doing that they’re rattling. And if they’re not doing that they’re just slowing you down just by being there. If the roads are wet and the person behind complains about the spray, then they have the option of dropping off a few metres. Wear that stripe up the back of your showerproof top with pride.

 

[fossyant]

SKS guards only on my bike They don't just fail.

 

[fossyant]

PS this has a epic post award

 

[User6179]

SKS guards only on my bike They don't just fail.

Raceblades failed on my m8s bike n put him straight over the handlebars , was there not a recall on SKS guards not that long ago , personally would only use crud catcher on the front .

 

[fossyant]

Raceblades failed on my m8s bike n put him straight over the handlebars , was there not a recall on SKS guards not that long ago , personally would only use crud catcher on the front .

Proper SKS Chromoplastics, not the clippy rubbish.

 

[Davidc]

SKS guards only on my bike They don't just fail.

I've never had any mudguard fail, but I've only been using them for 50+ years and an awful lot of miles.

SKS are a good bet, well made and tough, and I use them too.

If Albert's mudguard failed at the fixing bracket I'd have certain suspicions, otherwise I'm surprised it could happen.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Doesn't the juicer come with a pair of cracking steel mudguards?

 

[VamP]

Doesn't the juicer come with a pair of cracking steel mudguards?

That does in fact appear to be the crux of the complaint.

 

[Albert]

There is no fixing bracket as such Davidc. There is a hole through which a bolt attaches the guard to the brake bridge and this is the area where the failure occurred. This fixing was loose on day one - a common problem, as is the mudguard actually breaking, as it happens. I sorted it out with Loctite and checked it every couple of weeks thereafter, most recently after riding an Audax a week prior to the failure as the bike does seem to have a general issue with bolts loosening and I'm a careful kind of person.
In my view the mudguard, which is very light, is simply too flimsy with only one strut at the rear, where the SKS guards have two.
New SKS mudguards have been ordered (not from Wiggle ) and will be fitted in the next few days.
The rest of the bike is, however, rather lovely and it rides beautifully. My post is intended to give Charge owners a "heads up" about what appears to be a general and potentially very dangerous problem.

 

[Albert]

Update:
Wiggle have changed their mind and are now sending me a replacement Charge mudguard for nothing. This is very good and earns them a good few points from me.
However, I remain unconvinced that these guards are of sufficient quality to stand the test of time. I will give them another go while keeping a very close eye on them, looking for any hint of failure. The SKS guards will be on standby