Viewing 33 posts - 41 through 73 (of 73 total)
  • Carbon road bikes – low end ones – anything to recommend?
  • PeterPoddy
    Free Member

    There’s the Giant concept store…… 😕
    We’re in Staines. We don’t have big stocks of bikes but I think we have a 60cm on the shelf to try for size.

    Actually, I’ll email you

    cinnamon_girl
    Full Member

    Thanks Pete, you’ve been really helpful. 🙂

    pjm84
    Free Member

    Same height as me but I’ve short legs in comparison. Hope he has more joy with carbon frames then I’ve had.

    muddydwarf
    Free Member

    To tip the balance, ive recently bought a MEKK Potenza SL 5.0 from Edinburgh bicycle coop.
    £1399 down to £1099, full carbon frame and fork, 105 groupset apart from the brakes.
    replaced the brake calipers with 105 versions, replaced the saddle & seatpost with a carbon post and T rail saddle from CRC for £50.
    Bike rides lovely, don’t know much about road bikes but when i can clip along at 23mph without trying it makes me happy 🙂

    cinnamon_girl
    Full Member

    Hope he has more joy with carbon frames then I’ve had.

    What happened?

    IanW
    Free Member

    Road bikes should be bought with the heart not a spec sheet.. You need to look at it and want to ride it.

    igm
    Full Member

    The Planet X sizing guide is pretty good and if you go there they’ll do a basic “sling a leg over it on a turbo” sizing for not (ask nicely).
    By mail order, ring first and ask about swapping stems; they’ve been very nice about that with me.

    That said when I got my first road bike I got a medium Planet X, which was great until my back settled into a road position over a few months.
    I sold it on and got a large – one of the current Ultegra ones (brake callipers and chainset are not Ultegra – R565 instead which seems to be just below 105. The crank arms are not hollow and may get changed, but the brakes are fine).

    Note that th OnOne / PX sizing seems pretty consistent – if you’re a large on one bike, you’re a large on all (my experience over 4 or 5 different frames from them).

    5thElefant
    Free Member

    Road bikes should be bought with the heart not a spec sheet.. You need to look at it and want to ride it.

    You’d end up with a mountain bike if you did that.

    fizzicist
    Free Member

    Just ditched my alloy/carbon GT roadie after three years and 6500miles.

    Replaced it with a Ribble Grand Fondo with full Campag groupset for a grand.

    The Ribble is leagues ahead in terms of comfort, weight, acceleration, handling. Much much nicer bike. Would definitely recommend the Ribble. I’m told it’s made in the same factory as some of the De Rosa frames. The Planet X is essentially and old Trek frame.

    crashtestmonkey
    Free Member

    Judging frame size by seat tube is misleading. I’m 5’10 and ride a 52cm frame. It’s a Lapierre, has a virtual TT of 550mm making it longer than my previous 54cm Orbea, or the 55cm Bianchi I borrowed.

    Verentis in Wiggle are apparently re-badged Ridleys and there’s a few cheap, 105 for less than a grand going up to Dura Ace at 1500 😯

    aidanoggy
    Free Member

    I’ve got a Ribble Gran Fondo, and while good value for money its definitely not “low end”! made in Italy by dedacciai the quality and ride are superb. I’ve got decent light deep rim wheels on and its bloody quick too. Would totally recomend

    Review here

    http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/road/product/review-ribble-gran-fondo-210-39756

    RoganJosh
    Free Member

    Caad8 or a caad10. Carbon frames in that price point are carbon because they’re carbon, not carbon because of the performance benefits. I’ve had a few carbon bikes, best bike I’ve ever owned or ridden has been an alloy cannondale caad10 (albeit with a nice build)

    brant
    Free Member

    made in Italy by dedacciai

    made in the same factory as some of the De Rosa frames

    The Planet X is essentially and old Trek frame.

    hehe… keep them coming.

    Jamie
    Free Member

    I heard Planet-X frames are made in a factory built on an ancient Indian burial ground.

    Also, they are part owned by the NSA and every time you ride one, it steals your thoughts.

    RustySpanner
    Full Member

    Someone’s just ridden past on a PX.
    It looked nice.

    I’m waiting for a sausage & bacon barm. No sauce.

    Updates later.

    Jamie
    Free Member

    No sauce.

    dantsw13
    Full Member

    I have a planet X RT-57 I bought last xmas. Its the SRAM Rival (mainly) for £999. At thet point, it was full customisable (stem, bar width, crank length, saddle etc) although that option doesnt seem available now.

    Planet X frames are NOT old frames from someone else, they are designed by that chap above me^^. Mine looks good, handles well, and is very, very light. The only change I made was swapping the Tektro pads for KoolStop ones.

    TheDoctor
    Free Member

    they are designed by that chap above me^^

    I’m surprised Tommy Lee Jones has the time tbh….

    dantsw13
    Full Member

    :mrgreen:

    scaredypants
    Full Member

    I’m waiting for a sausage & bacon barm. No sauce.

    blimey, it’s not just thoughts they steal – Rusty’s lost his soul

    muddydwarf
    Free Member

    I looked at the Planet X bikes when buying, they are nice bikes at a very competitive price point.
    Unfortunately their sizing range means even the small is too big for me.
    That’s why I’m on a 44cm MEKK, and I’ve had to reduce the stem length on that.

    RustySpanner
    Full Member

    It was very nice.
    It was a take away barm.

    You just don’t know what you’ll end up with, saucewise, on a TAB.
    And I’m not a gambling man.

    lemonysam
    Free Member

    That’s why I’m on a 44cm MEKK, and I’ve had to reduce the stem length on that.

    I think i’ve seen someone on your bike:

    muddydwarf
    Free Member

    So my bike has ended up in Scotland???

    RustySpanner
    Full Member

    Hartlepool, by the look of it.

    You fancy a ride next weekend?
    No sauce.

    muddydwarf
    Free Member

    Currently sat here with a sore foot and not able to ride, so not sure if it will be ok by then – its been 3 months now and not getting better. Think an x-ray might be a good idea :/

    RustySpanner
    Full Member

    No worries.
    Drop us a line if you’re fixed.

    Hope you’re better soon matey.

    mooman
    Free Member

    I bought a Ribble R872 frame & fork to tide me over till 2014 Canyons get released.
    The problem now is that because I’m loving the R872 so much I just struggling to justify spending out on a Canyon.
    Mine weighs in at 16.7lb with a mix of SRAM Force, ultegra and other leftovers from the spares box.

    wobbliscott
    Free Member

    About this comfort thing, is it really true or not? Is it noticeable to the extent that you would specifically target a ‘low end’ carbon bike vs. a higher end Alloy bike? OK, i’ve only got one ride on the carbon Planet X bike I rented on holiday, but I certainly didn’t think that it was more comfortable than my C’dale CAAD8 – it had the edge on performance (but it also had better wheels and top spec SRAM Red groupset). You still felt every blemish and texture of the road surface as I do on my CAAD8. Maybe on a more expensive bike you might feel something, especially a ‘Roubaix’ bike, but is it really going to be that noticeable? In terms of comfort I would have thought the overriding thing would be the bike geometry e.g. a full out race bike geometry vs. a bike with geometry designed for the ‘Sportive’ rider.

    cynic-al
    Free Member

    i can clip along at 23mph without trying

    You are Bradley Wiggins and I claim my £5.

    muddydwarf
    Free Member

    Well, ive no experience of like-for-like but my ‘budget’ MEKK frame and fork certainly smooth the road out markedly over my aluminium Boardman flat barred road bike, but that could be down to the better wheels on the MEKK over the Boardman.
    All i can say is ive noticed the difference.

    muddydwarf
    Free Member

    Al – i can when sat behind my mate anyway!:)
    To be honest, id never really believed the hype about drafting etc. so the ride out on Thursday night was a revelation to me as to how fast you can go when someone else is doing the work!
    OK, the road had a lot to do with it (Littleborough to Hebden Bridge av. 20.9mph)

Viewing 33 posts - 41 through 73 (of 73 total)

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