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The Charge Bikes range includes high-end steel and Ti hard-tail frames and complete bikes.
Charge uses Japanese Sanko and Reynolds 853 tubed steel frames. The Ti range is made from titanium sourced from Tange in Japan. Charge also has a small line-up of hardware including cranks, saddles and forks, with more to follow, said Larsen.
"Coming up with some good bikes and marketing them is the relatively simple thing, it is the supply and distribution that I was concerned about," said Larsen.
"This is why I am so happy that Hot Wheels International have opted to distribute the bikes in the UK. The guys at Hot Wheels have a real passion for bikes and are really excited about the production samples that I showed them and let them ride."
Russell Merry of Hot Wheels said: "Charge has so much potential, and complements our existing brand portfolio. It may also help us reach new customers."
Larsen will continue to sell t-shirts via the Charge Bikes website, all bikes, frames and hardware will be IBD-only via Hot Wheels.
The pic above shows some of the dirt bowls from Larsen’s ‘Radstock Recreation Ground’, a semi-secret jump area.
"That is only a quarter of the area I am developing," said Larsen. "It is now three-quarters complete. There will be a big Charge Bikes day there next spring for a press launch.
"The whole point of this project was to build a place for mountain bike riders that was built for mountain bikes, not BMX. We took our inspiration from various things that have been built in the past and present, in old 70s skate parks and motocross racetracks, at great dirt jumps and fun four cross tracks. Professional bike track builder Rick Forte was called in to build the dirt bowls, which needed an expertÂ’s touch as we knew drainage was always going to be a problem. Also the the earth moving required to make the bowls was phenomenal, so they needed to be right first time, Rick and his team did a great job. The bowls section you can see in the images is only a small part of the project, – just wait until you see the rest."
Hot Wheels. Tel: 01202 732288.
