PlanetX owners: How much does new wheels transform your experience/bike?

I’m struggling with my Planet X Pro carbon- it just feels wooden/doesn’t feel great. I will readily admit the bike I had before was steel so had abit of character but I also remember test riding a Defy and loving it.

Before I start spending serious money buying a different bike- could it be simply try different wheels?

I’m current running 2x25c tyres on FSA Team 30 wheels. The change wouldn’t be carbon wheels or seriously light either. It’d be 250gms lighter and more than likely Ultegra or similar wheels.

Thoughts?

What tyres?

Continental Ultra Sports

well its definitely easier to replace the wheels than swap the tyres!

I went from 23c GrandPrix’s to these. Do you think its as simple as tyres?

Yeah, heavy and rubbish. But it’s all in your head anyway and won’t make a blind bit of difference. 😉

Half decent wheels wont be better/feel better?

I’ve been through this and to be honest I haven’t really felt the differnce between sets of wheels. I changed from some PX model B wheels which were minimal spokes, stiff and light to Ultegra hubs on Open Pro’s 36h and didn’t feel much if any difference. Maybe a bit of a smoother ride on the Open Pro/Ultegra wheels but I might have been imagining it to be honest.
Changing tyres can make a bigger difference. I’ve tried a few and I keep going back to Vittoria Rubino Pro’s which seems to be grippy, light, supple and puncture resistant all at the same time.

The biggest difference I have ever felt is changing framesets. I loved my Specialized Secteur but then I changed to a Tricross and it felt awful, dead feeling. Hard to describe really but I think I know what you mean! I swapped to a kinesis Racelight and that’s better but not as good as the Specialized Secteur.

Then, one day, I got a 1990’s Trek steel road bike for a friend and after I restored it for him I had a ride on it. Oh wow, it was so nice. More flexible yes, heavier yes, but such a joy to ride. I hated giving it to him!

So the upshot is…… I’m buying a Genesis steel road bike (TDF) soon. It doesn’t matter what things weigh or what spec the gears are IMHO. People are brainwashed into carbon carbon carbon, lighter wheels, faster faster faster! BUT let’s not kid ourselves, we aren’t fast even compared to a lowly Cat 3 road racer so saving a few grams here and there or buying fancier stuff doesn’t really make much difference to most people, even though they might tell themselves it does (with help from the media/shops/friends!).

Oh, and additionally, get a bike that’ll fit proper mudguards. Makes riding so much nicer round where we live!!

Quite glad i didn’t bother buying the pro carbon and went for the RT-58 Alloy and saved myself £400 for kit

The bike however felt ‘like a road bike’ rigid, stiff and bloody fast compared to riding full sus machines for years!

I’d still be interested if wheels transform your ride though…

I’ve been looking at a Campagnolo Zonda Wheelset which would hopefully make a difference??

oh an as far as tyres are concerned, I’ve used Conti Gator skins since day one and never had any trouble for over 2000 miles

You could probably let a bit of air out. But you’ll still find something to be fickle about.

You could probably let a bit of air out.

I’ve settled on 90psi.

Not enough. Put more in, makes the roads come alive.

Sorry that you’re not loving the Pro Carbon.
Went to Rotherham store in Feb to try one – really wanted to like it but it did nothing for me.
Bought a Cube Agree instead – makes the road ‘come alive’ 😉

Hope new wheels do the trick.

My SL Pro Carbon came with PX model c wheels, and i certainly wouldn’t call the ride wooden, it zips along compared to any other bike i’ve ridden (not loads admittedly) but the wheels did flex and rub on the brake blocks with out of the saddle efforts, i’m 14 stone so not skinny roadie material, and i swapped out the wheels for some Fulcrum Racing 5’s, and whilst no lighter they are most definitely stiffer and so the ride is a bit more rewarding.

Saving a couple of hundred grams on wheels will probably make the bike feel a bit faster but i don’t know if it will cure your perception of woodeness.

it just feels wooden/doesn’t feel great

This is what people say when they don’t really know what they mean or they want to justify spending some cash.

What does wooden/not great actually mean? How do you expect it to feel?

It doesn’t matter what things weigh or what spec the gears are IMHO. People are brainwashed into carbon carbon carbon, lighter wheels, faster faster faster! BUT let’s not kid ourselves, we aren’t fast even compared to a lowly Cat 3 road racer so saving a few grams here and there or buying fancier stuff doesn’t really make much difference to most people, even though they might tell themselves it does (with help from the media/shops/friends!).

Oh, and additionally, get a bike that’ll fit proper mudguards. Makes riding so much nicer round where we live!!

Yep. The overwhelming majority of people riding road bikes don’t race, but yet they still feel the need to buy “race” bikes. Bikes which may be fast, but aren’t comfy, durable, or able to take full guards. For almost everyone on a road bike these days, it’s either a commuter (Guards, comfort, reliability) or a few hours out in the lanes on a weekend (Guards, comfort, reliability). Then again, you’d lose bragging rights at the golf club sportive if you didn’t go full race.

Did you get the right size? 😆

we aren’t fast even compared to a lowly Cat 3 road racer

Have you raced Cat 3? 🙂

I think you’re onto a bit of a loser here. It’s a cheap carbon frame designed to be stiff with race geometry. Reckon you’re trying to turn it into something it isn’t.

Edit: … and what CF said.

Try changing the tyres before you throw proper money at the wheels. Some nice, high TPI count tyres like Veleflex Master or Vittoria Open Corsa will make a pretty reasonable difference, certainly compared to Ultra Sports.

Changing wheels on my Planet X Sl did help a bit, went from 105/Open Pro rear and Spec own-brand front to CK R45/Open Pro both ends. Definitely nicer but didn’t make as much of a difference as decent tyres did.

Veloflex Master or Vittoria Open Corsa

This is good advice, but you’ll need something tougher for winter. Vittoria Open Paves are simply amazing as a winter tyre. Incredibly supple and grip like nothing else.

Bloody hell Hora, you’re really making a meal out of road cycling. Just ride the damn thing. You’ll need to spend a lot on wheels to get anything measurable better than your current wheels.

You could probably let a bit of air out.

I’ve settled on 90psi.

He wasn’t talking about the tyres.

Going tubeless made a big difference to mine, but now got a trek madone and the comfort and feel is in another league. However if I did decide to do a few crits next year it will be on my Planet X as it feels fast and wouldn’t be as big an issue if I crash. It’s a cheap carbon frame that does the job, but is not a comfy bike at all.

ADD

Vittoria Open Paves

cheers.

Add what?

Making a meal of roading’ – I/everyone was/is like this when they start mountain biking. Imagine starting out mountain biking and buying a Lapierre Zesty- you’ve lucked in. Roadwise I didn’t do this. I went cheap frame/fork.. Same if you buy a cheaper framed/forked mountain bike etc as your first bike. It aint a bad bike- however the Defy felt so much nicer. As did a Supersix but I didn’t have supersix budget at the time..

Why didn’t you buy the Defy?

Yeah, why not, can get full guards on there too.

Just to go against the grain of the thread.

IME shimano factory wheels are much more comfortable than the cheep deap-ish OEM wheels my bike came with.

And the chinese continental tyres like the ultra sports aren’t too bad these days, I’ve got sport contacts on one of my bikes, they’re certainly more comfortable than the GP4seasons they replaced.

Just ride the damn thing.

This +1 though. Road riding in winter is misery and pain, for everything else there’s audax* bikes. I suspect 90% of your problems would be solved by a kaffenback (comfortable, less racey, no deep section rims/tubes/forks), but you’d find another 90% to complain about (weight, stiffness) and go back to an RT57, then to a CDF, then a Deffy, then a Escapade, then a Synapse, a CAAD10, a thorn Audax, etc.

*Cross, gravel, commuter, tourer, roubaix, whatever.

I’m no expert but I tried a few bikes and I like the FSA 30 wheels, seem nicer than the standard Shimano Imo.

I settled on the RT-58 Alloy as the spec was great for the money, I never feel beaten up after a ride.

This +1 though. Road riding in winter is misery and pain, for everything else there’s audax* bikes.

This +2. My winter trainer is an old Alu Trek frame with some 105/OpenPro wheels shod with 4 seasons. Does the job, and I’m not riding it for pleasure 🙂 Night and day compared to the sunny day race bike though.

Can you try and few other bikes? Swap wheels with mates for a ride or two? See if you can narrow down what it is you don’t like about yours.

What do you use the bike for? And how do you want it to feel/behave given what you use it for?

Most of us go out for 20-40 mile road rides and so long as we can get up and down hills without it feeling as if the thing is trying to kill us we are happy. If you are time trialling, hill climbing or even road/circuit racing your needs may be a bit more specific, but actually only once you are pretty durn good.

Why didn’t you buy the Defy?

Dazzled by the full Ultregra kit and the cycle show review on the Pro X.

Still starting out in any cycle discipline is a school day at the start.

Nice touring frame and swap the parts over?

Add what

Suspect he’s taking the piss

Handbuilt wheels are what you need.

I pity the poor wheelbuilder.

DIY, will keep him busy for a while…

… having trued a few over the years, having a go at my first build as soon as I have a spare night 🙂

hora – Member – Quote
Still starting out in any cycle discipline is a school day at the start.

This is a very fair comment. My advice to you would be to learn to live with what you are currently riding and all its little foibles. Once you have a bit more experience you’ll be better informed when/if it comes to your next upgrade or bike. I just think you’re rushing into change for changes sake at the moment.

It’s very possible that what you think is a good change now, you’ll subsequently regret as you get more used to road riding.

ADD/taking the piss- ah one of those types of posters, similar to those who post ‘first world problems’.

Like everything, you focus on your hobby/product until you get it feeling right for you.

That poster probably rides what hes given.

until you get it feeling right for you

You never do though, you dont think anything you’v ever bought is any good, Blur 4x, Turners, Marzocchis, the list is endless. We have all been watching you for years and wondering whats next. Good entertainment, keep it up 😆