This looks like a pretty good deal for £1000.

Planet X Pro Carbon

Is there a catch?

don’t think there is one, and the RT58 alloy, looks arguably even better VFM

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXRT58ALUTIA/planet-x-rt-58-alloy-shimano-tiagra-road-bike

No catch.

The frame is a few years old now if that bothers you and it doesn’t come with a sticker saying ‘Pinarello’ or some other boutique brand…it may be an open mould design meaning Planet-X don’t have exclusive rights on the frame and it can be rebadged as anything…. Brant may correct me on that.

They get good reviews.

I have a Pro Carbon, albeit one I built up myself. Downsides = very flexy front end and not a looker by any means

That said its very light, and you’d struggle to get the groupset on its own for under £550 at the mo.

I’d say the wheels are where it lets you down a bit.
But you can ride them until the spokes start snapping and then get some decent ones.

The “catch” (if thats the right word) is that its not full ultegra, the brakes and chainset are from the Shimano “A.N.Other” range but thats not to say they are not going to do the job. Its good value for money though and you wont get much better value for money elsewhere. There are carbon bikes around with full tiagra for roughly the same money but Ultegra shifters and mechs really are silky smooth.

I’ve got one of these from 2009 which is a Dura Ace/Ultegra mix. Similar price at the time.

Catches:

1) Won’t be current Ultegra, it’ll be last year’s at least
2) Far from a full Ultegra group, the only Ultegra bits are the mechs, shifters, cassette and chain
3) Finishing kit is on the cheap side but perfectly serviceable.
4) Cranks are an odd length. Default is usually 175mm, these are 172.5mm. Probably easier to get a bulk buy.
5) No pedals, but that’s not unusual.
6) Planet-X wheels are average at best. And a bit flexy if you’re on the larger side, I’m 14 stone.

For the money, it’s a great bike, I love riding mine. But it is built to a price.

4) Cranks are an odd length. Default is usually 175mm, these are 172.5mm. Probably easier to get a bulk buy.

Err, that’s the normal size on ‘normal’ sized road bikes. Cheap chain sets don’t tend to come in 172.5, so they’ll often have 175s.

I got one of these in November to replace an older top-end road bike. I don’t race any more, so wanted something a little more comfy but still good for a blast.

The pro-carbon achieves that, and is a bargain at that price. Reasonably light, pretty stiff and quick, handles well (on slippy cattle grids as I discovered), and is a lot easier on my back than the old bike with a shorter TT and higher front end.

Parts are all tried and tested with 10 speed ultegra, and 105-level brakes and chainset. Good to have a proper ultegra chain and cassette which save some weight.

Wheels seem OK, nothing special but standard Shimano stuff.

PX finishing kit is all quite adequate. And it comes in a lovely shade of blue 😀

Untitled by T*inbred, on Flickr

All-in I’m very pleased with what I got for a grand. Only real alternative I considered was the RT-57 105 for the same price, but I was shying away from anything too racey (done enough of that!)

Looking at one of these myself,dont think you can buy better for the money 🙂

Was about to plum for a RT57 myself. What else should I be looking at for this kind of money?? I can’t find anything else that comes close?

It’s alright, but like the others have said it only has some Ultegra parts. The wheels are cheap, the R501’s are £71. Basic finishing kit.

My son has one and I think you will struggle to buy anything else that even comes close for the money.

RT58 alloy

Didn’t know they did an alloy version. Anyone know if they’ll ever have any more stock of the aluminium Pro Road?

Didn’t know they did an alloy version. Anyone know if they’ll ever have any more stock of the aluminium Pro Road?

The RT58 Alloy frame has replaced our Team Alu frame. We think this geometry works really well, has more sizes, and rides great.

It’s alright, but like the others have said it only has some Ultegra parts. The wheels are cheap, the R501’s are £71. Basic finishing kit.

You can update to RS80 C24’s for £150.

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXSLPULT2/planet-x-pro-carbon-shimano-ultegra-road-bike#customise

4) Cranks are an odd length. Default is usually 175mm, these are 172.5mm. Probably easier to get a bulk buy.

Bar width, stem length, crank length, cassette size, bar tape colour, saddle colour are all no-cost customisable options.

We build each bike for each customer. No stock builds modified, with upgrades on cranks and wheels, tyres, saddle, and seatpost.

Do the wheel upgrade on the alloy and nice tyres and you would have a properly good bike

Brant wrote:

Bar width, stem length, crank length, cassette size, bar tape colour, saddle colour are all no-cost customisable options.

Ah, apologies, I just scanned the current spec list. When I bought mine it was a fixed spec and I had to put it together myself 🙂

Have a look at the RT-57 Ultegra build. It’s £1,199, but its FULL Ultegra – cranks, brakes and all! The RT-57 is a much stiffer bike than the pro carbon.

Anyone else read Planet ‘X’ as Planet kiss?

I do- You WILL now 😆

Er, no!

Dantsw +1, that’s just weird.

Well a x after something normally means kiss

Hora x

Good to have a proper ultegra chain and cassette which save some weight.

ultegra cassette is only a few grams lighter than the 5700/105, down to the difference in having alloy rather than steel lockring. I’d rather have a £150 chainset that matched the headline groupset and them scrimp on a £30 consumable.

Planet kiss

I enjoy mine, more compliant than the Felt I had previously and it came with Ultegra Chainset which was a bonus.

Partner’s daughter has been doing Triathlons and training on one for 3 years – loves it to bits, finds it comfy, weighs nowt.

Never had an issue with it.

Planet kiss

the ‘X’ in 4X, the jumpy cycling discipline, is said “cross” so I will therefore call this company Planet Cross

If it was just ‘last years groupset’ I’d not be put off, but it’s 10s rather than 11s which at some point in the future is going to make it harder to sell. It’s not £200 better for having 2 more gears, but it would bug me and reviews seem to think 6800 is a return to form after mediochre shifting on the last generation. So on ballance I’d buy something with a full ‘new’ ultegra goupset. And I like stiff/racey bikes.

Really struggling not to buy a RT-57 at the moment*, but currently banned from riding in 2014 by the Dr’s as crashing again would be a very bad idea so it’d just be wasted on my turbo 🙁

*and a fatty from the opposite end of the spectrum

*and a fatty from the opposite end of the spectrum

Good choice!

Untitled by T*inbred, on Flickr

Any thoughts on the relative merits of the SRAM version?

Mine’s great.

SRAM rival. I like the “positive” feel of SRAM. I also like the silky smoothness of Shimano. They both work well. I do like the double tap of SRAM though.

Had it nearly 3 years, not changed anything on it (except new tyres), nothing has worn or broken. It’s had plenty of use in the Peak District and triathlons.

All this is good as I’m seriously considering the RT57 for my next road bike

I’ve not been the biggest fan of Planet X lately with their incompetent customer services wasting my time and money when ordering online.
However I did go their showroom over Christmas/New Year and bought an XLS cyclocross bike. I’m usually very picky with the assembly and I believe this is the best built bike I’ve seen with only the usual minor adjustments for fitting to my body so can only praise their mechanics on a job well done.

Any thoughts on the relative merits of the SRAM version?

SRAM/Shimano/Campagnolo is purely down to personal preferance. Some people like the hoods of one over the other (shimano 6700 are quite bulky, Di2 and 6800 less so, SRAM and campag are also pretty compact, especialy campag). Some people can’t get on with or don’t like some shifters, Shimano have a flappy brake lever for downshifts and a little paddle for upshifts, campag use a similar paddle but for downshifts and a little button on the hood for upshifts, SRAM use one lever, tap it to upshift, push it to downshift.

Any preferance you have will overide any value for money considerations, unless you’re a weight weenie, in which case SRAM Red is significantly lighter mostly on account of the double tap internals being a simpler design than the Campag or Shimano solutions..

worth trying different controls before you buy. I borrowed a road bike after a 20+year absence and it had mid-range, meticulously-maintained-by-a-fanboi Campag. I absolutely HATED it; clunky, agricultural, front mech needed constant trimming, it felt worse than worn-out badly adjusted alivio and nearly put me off road bikes. Eventually bought a bike with 105 which was a joy by comparison.

Others will love Campag, or Sram, my point is the differences thisisnotaspoon describes are significant enough to affect your riding experience.

Good points. Will go fondle…