New Planet X Whippet (Rigid content)

@flaviosan

sorry bit late, its gone up in price now https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000739201605.html

@wzzzz:

thank you very much, better late than never 🙂

F

I have been watching the price of the Whippet and it has dropped £200 overnight to £999 (+£100 for the Rockshox 35 Gold RL Debonair fork). I used to MTB as a 20 something but I’ve moved over to the dark side (i.e. road) in recent years. However, my eldest daughter is 8 and is keen to try out some simple trails e.g. the easier stuff at Cannock Chase. So I have my eye on Isla Bike for her Christmas present (if stock becomes available….) and I was intending to get a hardtail or perhaps even a rigid, such as the whippet. Clearly the bike isn’t going to be ridden hard but equally I’m not keen on buying a cheap, heavy bike. So a Vitus has been on the shortlist and the Whippet has also been under consideration. Essentially I’m looking at a budget of £700 – £1,000. The Voodoo Bzango carbon appears to have been withdrawn from the Halfords website in recent days (which I’d otherwise been tempted by).

However, I’m so out of date with the tech – mullet bikes were 69ers from what I remember when I had a Singular. I’ve been reading up on Boost but I have no idea how good each model of Rockshox are (my last pair were some SIDs about 15 years ago!).

In short, is the Whippet at a good price or is it worth holding out for a further potential price drop (or indeed buy a heavier Vitus when back in stock)?

I got one of the £999 Scandals last week with the 35 forks and have put about 40 miles on it so far and I’m really impressed with the 35 forks, they seem sensitive to the smaller stuff and stiff, possibly a bit heavy.

I’ve SX on a Bossnut and I’d only buy another SX equipped bike knowing that at some point you’ll be replacing the mech and shifter, seeing a lot of them fail so budget to stick something better on before long.

I somehow missed that Scandal deal – a little slow on the uptake! My experience of SRAM is limited to the Rival drivetrain on my Boardman CX (my commuter) which is a few years old. I’ll bear that info in mind – thanks!

What is the riding position like, are you stretched out low in like a racing position like the original Whippet or is it a more upright trail riding position?

I’m tempted by one of these too. Looking for something that will be fun on fairly tame local trails and still comfortable for longer rides, not an XC race bike.

Seems a bit short and steep compared to a lot of modern bikes but maybe that’s not a bad thing with a rigid fork?

Thread bump – how are people getting on with these? Thinking about getting one to replace my carbon rigid-forked Parkwood now that I’ve decided I like rigid 29ers.

My thoughts about it rigid and SS are on page one. In 1×10 (still rigid) it was a great bike. Very much like an evolution of early 90s mountain bikes, at least in my head anyway.

It goes and stops like it’s a featherweight racing bike yet the rigid forks and fat ish tyres smoothed out the terrain very well.

Mine now has 120mm Rebas on it, although it hasn’t been ridden since I put them on months ago 🙁

Enjoying mine. Set up rigid. Currently single speed with 2.35 Maxxis Forekasters. Mostly ridden on the road recently due to so much mud and water everywhere.

Before winter it had a 1×12 setup with a 2.35 rekon race on the rear and 2.6 ikon on the front. It made me realise just how much of a difference a light bike makes if you want to go fast.

 Thinking about getting one

Have a look at their ebay store. There’s a few “not perfect” frames at quite a few £££s less than the main website.

£459 vs £799 for the Whippet.

£269 vs £699 for the Scandal. etc etc

Linky

I bought one of their ‘not perfect’ frames off ebay, for £450.

All good. Minor paint chip to seatstay. Frame built up okay. Some Chinese frames are poorly finished and you run into issues with bearings not quite fitting and maxles/dropouts not quite working etc. but this one was okay.

I have had my Whippet since October. It’s been brilliant. Like others have said it’s very light for the price and it fees like a quick bike.

Get one. It’s great fun.

So, the OH has gone and ordered one for my birthday 😁 Her words were “Well, it looks good, they’ve got it in stock, and it’s 4 years since the last bike I bought you so you need another new one. Also you’ve never had a carbon bike, so..”

Just pondering tyre choices – spec says 2.35 max in the frame, and it comes with 2.35 – but how much room is there? Given that it comes with 30mm internal rims I wouldn’t want to go much narrower on them for fear of squaring the tyre off.

Mine came with 2.35 Panaracer Fire XC which were more like 2.1. Ive now got a 2.35 Rekon Race on the back with a 29mm rim, and a 2.6 Ikon on the front.

I had Onza 29 x 2.4″ on Ibis 38mm wide rims for a ride or two. Didn’t notice anything untoward

Is the thought process here and experience that a 19.5 /large for a 6ft rider?

Love the single speed build earlier in the thread looks great.

What tyres are people running?

I’m a bit of a Maxxis fan boi but my normal combo of Assegai/DHF is likely overkill!

Got one on pre-order for local pootling, due mid April when hopefully the trails will be drying out

Is the thought process here and experience that a 19.5 /large for a 6ft rider?

That’s my height and what I’ve got coming 👍 Was on a Large Parkwood which fitted great and the geo looks similar.

What tyres are people running?

I’m a bit of a Maxxis fan boi but my normal combo of Assegai/DHF is likely overkill!

2.35 Rekon Race on the back and 2.6 Ikon on the front.

I’m 5′ 11″ and a bit, and the SS pic of my bike earlier is a large set up for me.

Tend to ride large frames in the main, although mid 90s frames were almost always medium as the large felt like a gate.

To those who have the black – is it a matte or gloss finish?

To those who have the black – is it a matte or gloss finish?

Matt finish. Matches the Selcof forks.

@twonks @idiotdogbrain cheers for the size feedback.
I think I will get a large, I am 183cm. Should be ok as a ‘fast bike’ to fly around the local woods on.

Mine arrived the other day – very pleased with it. Bone stock, straight out of the box it weighs 11.47kg without pedals, or 25.29lbs in old money. Will be swapping the tyres for lighter ones, and the SX Eagle kit for GX 11sp before it turns a wheel.

Managed to get mine a touch below 10kg with a parts swap. Wheels/tyres were heavy (swapped to e1900 spline wheelset, so still not the lightest), and the stock bars/ seat post were too. Stuck XT 11 speed on it with an ethirteen 9-46 cassette.
By the time I sold the swapped out parts and bought upgrades, I think I ended up about the same in terms of spend but got a super light rocket ship!

I’d be really interested to see a full spec for that, as dropping 2kg off the total weight is pretty impressive.. 🤔

I’d be really interested to see a full spec for that, as dropping 2kg off the total weight is pretty impressive.. 🤔

Renthal fatbar lite
Syntace liteforce 70mm stem
Cane creek 40 headset
Deathgrips
E1900 spline 25mm internal wheelset
Schwalbe Racing ralph 29×2.2″ front and rear
Slx brakes
Xt m8000 shifter and mech
Ethirteen TRS 9-46 cassette
SRAM gx 30 170mm 11spd crankset
One up 32t switch oval ring
Hope 30mm bottom bracket
Shimano m540 pedals
FSA sl-k carbon post
Bike yoke squeezy sestpost collar
Volt cromoly 135 seat
Lifeline carbon bottle cage

I think that’s it.
The wheel and tyre combo alone made a massive difference. That would be the first place I’d look to lose weight on the bike.

Any women using them? Interested on what the small size is like with 29er wheels as a ladies mtb. Unlikely it will ever see anything more technical than Swinley.

Be able to let you know in two weeks when my OH gets hers.. 😁

@onecheshirecat – good spec there 👍 thanks!

Anyone purchased a small? Wife is 5ft 1 Nd inside leg 27 inches. Interested in the stand over.

Standover on my large is about 760mm, measured vertically in line with the saddle tip. Scaling down I can’t see the small being much less than 680mm but I’ll measure it when it arrives.

Small standover:
Vertically in line with tip of saddle – 680mm
Halfway between tip of saddle and stem – 780mm

Weights (£550 calibrated force gauge, so pretty damn accurate 😉):

Small, stock except for Nukeproof composite pedals, Zee cage, Schwalbe Racing Ray/Ralph 2.35 skinwall tyres, Specialized Format SL ti rail saddle – 11.34kg

Large, stock except for Nukeproof composite pedals, alloy cage, Schwalbe Racing Ray/Ralph 2.35 skinwall tyres, Fabric Scoop Radius saddle, Level TL brakes, GX 11 speed shifter/derailleur, NX 11-42T cassette – 11.11kg

@idiotdogbrain

Is that with rigid fork or suspension forks?

Thanks

That’s with the Selcof carbon rigid forks.

OH at 5’5.5″ loves her small, it’s a perfect fit and doesn’t look ridiculously out of proportion either.

Have any Whippet owners fitted a bigger chainring that’s the stock 32? I’m thinking of one as an alternative to a gravelly / road bike and wonder if it would take a 34 (or larger).

For a carbon frame and rigid carbon forked bike 11KG is very heavy. Must have some lead weights in it or ridiculously heavy wheels or something.

For a carbon frame and rigid carbon forked bike 11KG is very heavy. Must have some lead weights in it or ridiculously heavy wheels or something.

The stock wheels on mine were heavy at about 2.3kg. The cassette too (NX).

Have any Whippet owners fitted a bigger chainring that’s the stock 32? I’m thinking of one as an alternative to a gravelly / road bike and wonder if it would take a 34 (or larger).

I put a 34 on. Might be able to get a 36 on there but would be very close. If you’r running the stock 11 – 50 cassette and want a higher gear, you’r probably better off changing the freehub to fit a 10 – 50 cassette. Much lighter too.

Thanks mjsmke, looking at it further I could go for a road cassette too. Already having a set of spare wheels that have an XD driver the only issue would be finding a shop with a cassette in stock!