We’ve been monitoring developments at Charge Bikes for a while, as befits their status as Bike Manufacturer Geographically Closest To BM Global HQ. We very much liked Charge’s Duster Ti hardtail, and the chromoly variant (same geometry, but steel) ought to be nearly as good for a lot less money.

The wait is nearly over, as final production samples have now arrived at Charge. Unlike most smaller brands, Charge doesn’t just do frames – it’s got a full range of Actual Complete Bikes, and they’re even available in real bike shops. This, then, is the Charge Duster XC complete bike.

Pretty smart, huh? It’s amazing what clean lines and smart graphics can do… The frame is built from classic lightweight Tange Prestige steel and kitted out with a 100mm travel RockShox Recon 351 air fork. Transmission is a mix of SRAM X-7 and X-9, brakes are Avid Juicy 5s, cranks are from Truvativ and you get Kenda Nevegal tyres and a pair of Crank Bros Candy C pedals. All that lot can be yours for £1,199.99, which certainly compares very favourably with the sort of money you’d end up spending to spec up a bare frame.

Full test soon, with any luck. Charge has got all sorts of other bikes covering XC, 4X, dirt jump and riding to the pub – check ’em out at www.chargebikes.com.