[Closed] Carbon road bikes - low end ones - anything to recommend?

It's very difficult to buy a 'bad' bike these days, lower priced carbon frames are not as light or as 'gorgeous' as the top end stuff, but are otherwise fine.

Planet X seem very good, a friend has one.
Boardmans also good.
No direct experience of Ribble.

I'm doing lots of miles on a 14 year old Trek OCLV, and it's as good as anything else including my best bike.

I'd recommend a second hand one. I got a great deal on a Broadman team carbon. So many buy new bikes only to then go off the idea of road cycling. Prices well under £1k.

Get a nice alloy one instead with nicer kit and a better frame.Crap carbon is trumped by nice alloy at circa 1k.
[url= http://road.cc/content/review/79975-giant-tcr-sl-2-2013 ]here[/url]

You can get a Giant Defy 3 Composite for just over £900 on [url= http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b0s6p4918/GIANT-DEFY-3-COMPOSITE-3-2013 ]Paul's Cycles.[/url]

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...and if you buy one, I'll do my very best to help you to fit it to yourself. 😉

No, seriously, I promise I will.

Thanks very much for the helpful replies. It's not for me and I can't offer much in the way of advice except that I thought Planet X with Ultegra was very good value.

Also they all seem to have alloy seat posts and double chainset too.

I do have a problem with second-hand carbon although I've done that myself.

He wants carbon. Blame his mother. 😉

Lol at crikey. 😆

See above post!

If you're dead set on carbon then Planet X seem hard to beat on value. For £999 you can get what appears to be a pretty good frame and Ultegra (though i'm sure its not the full group set) - so not 'low end' and a decent spec. A mate of mine has had a Planet X for a while now and he's had no problems with it and for the last couple of years it's been his winter bike, so they are plenty robust enough.

I rented one this year whilst on holiday for a ride and it certainly rode very well, nice and stiff and fast. Having said that if you're budget is to the lower end, then i've got a Cannondale CAAD8 Alloy frame/carbon fork bike, and though a low groupset the frame feels every bit as good as the Planet X. Its roughly the same weight, and rides very well too. So if you're budget is at the entry level, you might be better off with a higher spec Alloy bike rather than a lower spec carbon bike.

whoever it is for, they could get a lovely well looked after retro steel beauty for half that price,....and they look a lot better than these carbon drones

I've had my £999 Planet X for years and have commuted on it, LEJOGed it, taken it to the Alps and only ever changed the chain on it. It's a great blend of performance and weight without being too expensive to ride every day

I thought roadies didn't use carbon in the Winter?

The trouble is, although not for manufacturers obviously, is that road riding imo seems to have become a tad aspirational.

I've had an alloy road bike and now have carbon, there's a huge difference in comfort particularly with the state of the roads. But, yes, agree that steel would be good also.

Giant Defy composite or Avail (ladies version) would be my first choice. Boardman Fi second.

A mates got a Ribble r872 its fantastic for the money. Doesn't look cheap at all and rides realy well.

is that road riding imo seems to have become a tad aspirational.

There is nothing aspirational about chubby IT managers in lycra.

I thought roadies didn't use carbon in the Winter?

No reason why not apart from cost and hand-me-down-ness. Winter bikes would be cheep and/or old summer bikes, so would tend to be whatever wa sin fashion 5 years ago, steel, alu or carbon. It makes far more sense than metal as it doesn't corrode, my 'dale is looking a bit shabby where the salt's gotten under the paint.

More good info, thanks.

There is nothing aspirational about chubby IT managers in lycra.

S'okay, ma boy's skinny. 😀

See here, end of thread

http://www.dolan-bikes.com/

Check out Dolan bikes. They've got a pretty carbon/Campag bike under £1000. They've even got a carbon winter(ish) bike with mudguards I'm mightily tempted with as my next all season trainer.

Also they all seem to have alloy seat posts and double chainset too.

you are suggesting this is good or a bad thing? Theres no need for a triple on a road bike, and loads of decent bikes have alloy posts.

That Dolan definitely looks interesting - internal cable routing is pretty impressive at that price point. What's Campag like compared to Ultegra?

Why carbon?

I'd get aluminium over cheap carbon any day, and I'd not buy anything I'd not test ridden, especially if it's a first road bike

Ive got a 'cheap' Dolan and rides fantastic. I've got an alloy cube, which cost me the same and rides pants in comparison.

you are suggesting this is good or a bad thing? Theres no need for a triple on a road bike, and loads of decent bikes have alloy posts.

You're right of course but a carbon post with carbon bike just looks right. 🙂

My personal opinion is that he should buy from a shop due to getting the fit right and I know my lbs would be extremely helpful with swapping stems etc. He's a newbie really.

I think that if he were to order online then he's going to need a bike-fit somewhere.

Stems are relatively cheap and bike fits are very expensive. I think it is pretty low risk buying a bike unseen - maybe unless your an odd size. In anycase it takes a while and a good few rides before you really get a feel for a bike, so sitting on it in a shop and taking it for a spin up the road is not going to really help you. Especially if you're a newbie as you don't really know what a good fitting bike feels like. I think you'll be fine finding a bike on an internet deal and going for it.

He's very tall so that does concern me in regard to fit. I'm really no use with this, if it was for a mountain bike then I could help with the fit.

Agree about a spin up the road, it's not particularly helpful.

I had a planet x sl quite a long time ago and I like it, it was pretty light and rode pretty well. Nice and comfy compared to other carbon frames and alloy frames Ive used.

Probably can't go wrong with a Giant or a Cannondale though.

As for fit, it'll no doubt change over time, just buy some cheap stems in different lengths so you can play about. Think Ive got over 200 quids worth of stems kicking about just from chopping and changing my fit and bike. Started with a 110 on the PX, the stem on my current bike is 140, had various sizes in between

How tall is he?

Lots of useful fitting advice kicking about on the ineterweb

Don't get sucked in by CARBON CARBON CARBON.
Under £1000 I wouldn't (and didn't) even look at it. A decent alloy frame now has a lot of development behind it and doesn't attract the "trendy carbon" price.

I recently bought a £1500 carbon road bike for Mrs PP and an £1150 alloy me for me. Both are e same size, both Treks.
Some facts:
Mine is lighter
Mine has better spec and a really nice set of wheels
Mine has aero tubing and internal cable routing, the carbon one doesn't
Mine was cheaper

In a blind test ride you seriously wouldn't feel the slightest difference between the two either.... Well, mine might feel a bit sharper due to the lighter wheels I suppose 🙂

Good to hear from another happy Planet X customer. 🙂

Sensible idea re stems, worth bearing in mind. He's 6'4" but all arms and legs.

Trouble is, I've made a mistake with road bike sizing myself and was riding one that was too small.

I reckon crikey is the go-to man for sizing and fitting. 😀 Apparently it's dead simple. 😳

Come on Pete! Light wheels do make a difference to any bike. 😀

Meant to have said the other option is getting a reasonable frame and upgrading when funds allow.

Trouble is, I've made a mistake with road bike sizing myself and was riding one that was too small

How tall are you? 5'4" - 5"' ish?
I'd put,you in maybe a 52 ifs so, 50 if you're a bit shorter.
What size did you have?

😀 Yeh, Crikey knows his KOPs from his elbow....

Yeh, 6'4" thats nearly 2" taller than me, I found the XL PX a touch large to be honest. My brother is a similar height, possibly taller and he gets on alrite with an XL Giant TCR with a 125mm stem

Come on Pete! Light wheels do make a difference to any bike.

Exactly! That's why I wanted the alloy one!
Is running tubeless on them too, better wheels are tubeless compatible, too, see? 🙂

Probably get a better deal/more chance of getting a deal on a massive bike aswell.

Blimey, you're running tubeless. 😯 Never thought I'd see the day. 😆

First was a 49, now riding a 52 which is spot on.

Probably get a better deal/more chance of getting a deal on a massive bike aswell.

You reckon? I wondered whether they might be in short supply. Just don't know.

Blimey, you're running tubeless. Never thought I'd see the day.

I work in a Trek dealership. I get Bontrager tubeless kits nice and cheap. It's rude not to!

First was a 49, now riding a 52 which is spot on.

You reckon? I wondered whether they might be in short supply. Just don't know.

You'd be correct. Manufacturers have less BIG bikes in stock. A lot less.

OK thanks for that Pete. Any bike shops in Guildford? We're going there for the Tour of Britain so could divert.

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

Thanks Pete, you've been really helpful. 🙂

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

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 🙂

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

What happened?

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

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).

What happened?

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/i-want-my-seatpost-to-fit-better-to-prolong-the-life-of

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.

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.

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 😯

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

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)

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.

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.

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

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

Updates later.

No sauce.

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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.

they are designed by that chap above me^^

I'm surprised Tommy Lee Jones has the time tbh....

I'm waiting for a sausage & bacon barm. [u]No sauce[/u].

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.

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.

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:
[img] [/img]

So my bike has ended up in Scotland???

Hartlepool, by the look of it.

You fancy a ride next weekend?
No sauce.

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 :/

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

Hope you're better soon matey.

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.

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.

i can clip along at 23mph without trying

You are Bradley Wiggins and I claim my £5.

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.

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)