Originally Posted by
himespau
Sounds like the Charge Plug is good to go with just a rack, fenders, and maybe tires (and maybe calipers/rotors down the road?). Tricross sounds like it needs all that (minus the brakes) plus a new SA rear wheel and shifter. Charge would probably be cheaper to keep unless you really want to try out Sturmey Archer (though that setup on the Tricross would probably be cheaper to maintain/lower maintenance down the road from what I've heard about SA hubs - rear wheel would be heavier, but that probably won't be a concern for a commuter/JRA bike) or you decide you need the new brakes right away.
Plug has decent tires to the point where id swap them over to the tricross if I kept it. I think the bike is in better condition overall as well. I'll ride both for a bit Friday/sat and see how they feel. I'm slightly concerned the plug is a hair too big.
And yeah, I'd definitely do brakes for the bike if that's the one I decide to keep.
The flat top tube for the spec will probably be handy when carrying it but that's a small part of use. Part of me thinks that it would be a cool project. I am definitely a bit concerned that the rear hub gearing is going to be a hard transition from having a derailleur in terms of shifting mechanics.
Honestly, if the brifters on the plug break, I'm not above replacing them with a bar end shifter and going 1X in front. Throw an MTB RD on there for a pie plate cassette.