Are the Planet X bikes good value?

richard36

I've previously asked whether anyone, who has the RT 57, is able to pass on a review. I asked the question because I'm thinking of getting the bike. I'm not that keen on the colour of the frame but from what I can gather the bikes represent good value for money (and that would be reason I buy it). The SRAM red (ok not all red) is £1599 and now the Force is £1299. From what I've seen other bikes of a similar price have a lot lower spec.

My question is why do more people not buy this kind of bike? Is it

1. because actually they are not that good value for money and that you can get a similarly equipped bike for a similar
price or
2. because there are other similarly priced bikes which give a better ride even though they are not equipped the
same
3. or because of the colour/shape of the frame?

If you were going to spend about £1000 - 1500 would you buy a Planet X bike because you get a lot for your money or would you get something else and if so why?

Cheers

bobinski

This is not really an answer to your questions but...

I have an Sl pro in white. It is lovely to look at ,often commented on by others and more than anything an absolute joy to ride. Light and stiff enough for my needs. Infact probably beyond my needs. I am still surprised that something so reasonably priced has brought me so much pleasure and continues to do so. Hope this helps.

Dick Scruttock

Fantastic value for money IMHO.

Not got the overheads other companies have. Take any big bike company, Specialized, Trek, Giant etc. You have where they make the bike, then the company itself, the distributor in say the UK, then the bike shop. Each one wants a slice of the cake so prices naturally are higher for the same spec. Planet X has the factory they make the frames and then themselves. Everyone generally buys direct so costs are lower. They like Merlin and Canyon (to name but two) have quite large buying power at Sram/Shimano so can get good deals on components.

Ok if you or I were tour riders I am sure you could find fault in planet x products. Maybe stiffness in comparison to say a SW SL-4 but I can have a full PX bike on Red for £1k less than a SL-4 frame and forks so I know where I would spend my money.

Wirral_paul

Rick Draper wrote:

Fantastic value for money IMHO.

Planet X has the factory they make the frames and then themselves.

Slight correction but most of the Planet-X frames are made by XPace in China. Planet-X buy in large quantities and so benefit from bulk discounts, same as they do with groupsets etc. Overall, this makes them very very competitive and so superb value for money.

Why do more not buy them - well loads do but i guess there's a snob value that comes into it with many. I guess the value for money becomes secondary for many who want a big fancy name on their frameset.

Dont be put off. Most carbon frames are from either China or Taiwan these days. Planet-X make some lovely bikes and if they suit you then go for it.

richard36

Thanks for your replies.

As I said I'm not that enamoured by the frame colours of the Planet X bikes and there are some that are, in my opinion, far better. For example I really like the look of the new Pinarello FP Due in Red/White/Black but at £2300 I would be crazy to spend that kind of money when the spec is no where near as good as the spec on the Planet X bikes.

Do I take it then that for the money the Planet X bikes cannot be rivalled and that if someone bought another make of bike for the same money then there is either snobbery involved or simply that person prefers the colour/shape of a different frame and is prepared to sacrifice specification for looks?

What about the 'ride' quality? Do some similarly priced bikes give a much better 'ride' and therefore some folk might opt for a different bike for that reason?

Dick Scruttock

I have a Felt, its ok but I wish I had looked more at the Planet X option when I spent my monies.

Wirral_paul

If you're looking at value for money then you should also have a really good look at the Ribble Cycles website

cougie

My px alu cross bike rides really well. As well as my cf big brand bike.

Tbh I think there's a lot of marketing bollox and technobabble and snobbery in the bike world.
I doubt 99% of people could tell what brand bike they were on without looking down. I love passing flash bikes on my cheap winter hack. It's the legs that are the important thing. The bike is not the most important bit.

If the paint job is that important to you you could buy a cheaper bike and pay for your custom respray - but I prefer to ride the bike rather than just look at it.

My PX is a lovely bike and I have plans for the N2A if the reviews are good when it comes out.

richard36

I have considered the Ribble but you seem to get more for your money with Planet X. Having said that I've just noticed that the RT 57 SRAM red is not as 'customizable' as it was. Up until recently there were more options for pretty much everything especially the wheels but I see that now they are only offering the FSA Vision Trimax. They were offering the RS80's for about £200 more and I was seriously considering that option.

Also, I note the RT 57 SRAM force bike they are selling doesn't seem to be customizable.

The bikes still seem to be good value - subject to the ride quality of say the RT 57 - but I can understand that others may prefer a different bike for other reasons.

ADIHEAD

Guy I ride with occasionally bought a Planet X carbon with full Sram Red. Great bargain and he enjoyed it, but found it too flexy. He swapped out the frame for a discounted Giant TCR Advanced and transferred almost everything else and he can't believe the difference. He reckons the Giant is so much stiffer and more direct, plus comfortable. He's more confident on descents also with the Giant. I guess it's all about fun per pound, if you can afford a frame from a company that's spent a lot of money on development, then if may be more enjoyable. If not, buy the Planet X and swap the frame later if you're not satisfied, you can't go wrong really as the frame's almost free when you look at the price for the whole package hey

springtide9

Richard36 wrote:

I have considered the Ribble but you seem to get more for your money with Planet X. Having said that I've just noticed that the RT 57 SRAM red is not as 'customizable' as it was. Up until recently there were more options for pretty much everything especially the wheels but I see that now they are only offering the FSA Vision Trimax. They were offering the RS80's for about £200 more and I was seriously considering that option.

Also, I note the RT 57 SRAM force bike they are selling doesn't seem to be customizable.

The bikes still seem to be good value - subject to the ride quality of say the RT 57 - but I can understand that others may prefer a different bike for other reasons.

If you call PX you can get the exact spec that you want, as long as they stock the components (which is what I did for my SL)

It doesn't matter whether you are able to select the options or not on the bike configuration tool (and you just pay the difference in cost).

springtide9

cougie wrote:

My PX is a lovely bike and I have plans for the N2A if the reviews are good when it comes out.

FYI
http://road.cc/content/news/48133-exclu ... anet-x-n2a

spokegeezer

Richard36 wrote:

I have considered the Ribble but you seem to get more for your money with Planet X. Having said that I've just noticed that the RT 57 SRAM red is not as 'customizable' as it was. Up until recently there were more options for pretty much everything especially the wheels but I see that now they are only offering the FSA Vision Trimax. They were offering the RS80's for about £200 more and I was seriously considering that option.

Also, I note the RT 57 SRAM force bike they are selling doesn't seem to be customizable.

The bikes still seem to be good value - subject to the ride quality of say the RT 57 - but I can understand that others may prefer a different bike for other reasons.

I noticed this too, and really wouldn't buy the RT57 with a 53/39 chainset for sportive use and it doesn't appear to be an option to spec anything different. In addition the Force groupset doesn't have any spec sheet so who knows what you might get???

amaferanga

ADIHEAD wrote:

Guy I ride with occasionally bought a Planet X carbon with full Sram Red. Great bargain and he enjoyed it, but found it too flexy.....

But that wasn't a RT 57 was it? And I'm guessing it wasn't a Nanolight either. Was it an SL Pro? That's the only P-X road frame that I've ever heard anyone describe as being flexy.

Is he a fatty, sorry I mean powerful rider?

mroli

Firstly, let me say that I think the Planet X bikes are incredibly good value and if I was in the market for a one stop shop to buy a bike - they'd be well up there. I buy bits and pieces from them (and Ribble, and merlin and Fudges) and they are incredible value.

However, I would be a "bit" wary of their claims of "Force" and "Red" build bikes - sometimes these are not full groupsets and will have cheaper chains/brakes/other components. This does not devalue the bikes at all - they just aren't quite as much of a mega bargain as they sometimes appear.

I tend to build my own bikes (I enjoy doing it) and would be hard pushed even at second hand prices (sometimes) to build bikes specced as Planet X spec them.

I have heard (through a mate, who heard from a mate) that a couple of people have had problems with their frames after the warranty period expired, which resulted in the frames being discarded, but I'm sure if you dig around for long enough you will hear those sort of stories about everyone. Also - as pointed - with most of these bikes you are effectively getting the frame/fork for free given the price of the components.

I would guess that more people don't buy these bikes because people still like to sit on bikes before they buy them.

rolf_f

Richard36 wrote:

I have considered the Ribble but you seem to get more for your money with Planet X.

When looking at Ribble prices, make sure you check the Special Edition prices - they are generally quite a bit cheaper than the Bike Builder prices albeit with a smaller options list. They normally get up to Athena level in Special Editions for Campag but no idea how far they go for SRAM.

giant_man

With PX I would get one of their frames and build it yourself, been thinking of doing this with their alu superlight team for £199, carbon fork for 70 quid and off you go. Athena or 105 and some half-decent handbuilts and you have a cheap winter bike imo .....

PhilPub

mroli wrote:

However, I would be a "bit" wary of their claims of "Force" and "Red" build bikes - sometimes these are not full groupsets and will have cheaper chains/brakes/other components. This does not devalue the bikes at all - they just aren't quite as much of a mega bargain as they sometimes appear.

This is a very good point. Not that I think they're trying to be sneaky about it but it is worth examining the spec closely to see what you're getting. I bought the Pro Carbon SL with a "Dura Ace build" a few years ago for £999. "Dura Ace" was limited to the shifters and front and rear mechs, with the rest of the bike being lots of PX stuff (seat/post, bars/stem, model B wheels), an FSA Gossamer chainset and Tektro brakes - on the face of it, all more at the budget end than Dura Ace to say the least. On the other hand, several thousand miles later the only thing I've replaced on the whole bike are the piss-poor (or maybe I was just unlucky with punctures?) Schwalbe Lugano tyres. For a 1k carbon bike I really can't complain. Excellent VFM if you want to take a punt on buying off t'net.

fivethirtyonepm

I have been looking about for a new bike too and have been checking out Planet X against Ribble, Rose and Canyon.

I have discovered that if you are handy with a spanner (or can persuade PX to build the bike foc. you can get pretty good value by stepping away from their 'standard builds' and going full custom.

For example:-

Carbon Pro frame (new version) with mkII carbon forks -£250.00
Bars (their lightest inhouse alloy jobbies - £30.00
Headset - £20.00
Seatpost (their silly light alloy jobby) - £25.00
CNC silly light stem - £25.00
AL30 wheelset - £150.00
Ti-stix QR's - £17.50
Ultremo folding tyres - £40.00
Tubes - approx £8.00
Jagwire cable set - £23.00 (not sure they do the full set, but £23.00 does buy you it elsewhere)
Ultra light seatlamp with ti-bolt - £10.00
Saddle - budget circa £25 for a Raleigh titanium jobby or their inhouse ti-railed (but heavier) jobby
Bar tape - £10.00
Supersexy Zeus carbon compact chainset with BB - £130.00
Ultegra levers - £199.00
Ultegra front mech - £30.00
Ultegra rear mech - £60.00
Ultralight forged brakes - £60.00
Sram silly-light cassette - £50.00
KMC silly-light chain - £20.00

I think this comes in at around £1,320.00 ish....

that should make for a pretty light bike... i reckon somewhere just shy of 7kgs I would think (assuming their claimed weights are not stupidly adrift of reality)

ADIHEAD

amaferanga wrote:

ADIHEAD wrote:

Guy I ride with occasionally bought a Planet X carbon with full Sram Red. Great bargain and he enjoyed it, but found it too flexy.....

But that wasn't a RT 57 was it? And I'm guessing it wasn't a Nanolight either. Was it an SL Pro? That's the only P-X road frame that I've ever heard anyone describe as being flexy.

Is he a fatty, sorry I mean powerful rider?

Not sure which frame it was but it's about 18months old so can't be the RT57. I've read the review of it also and it says the opposite. He's not fat at all, guess 70-75kg but reasonably powerful. Guess it probably was the SL Pro then?

petemadoc

Planet X RT-57 with Sram Force* £1299

Looks pretty good to me

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/PBP ... _road_bike

*Nearly Sram Force

SFT

I am pretty keen on a PX Ti Sportive, which looks really good, especially as the frames are 'hand built' by Van Nicholas. Has anyone any experience of the recent PX Ti frames?

Crankbrother

fivethirtyonepm wrote:

I have been looking about for a new bike too and have been checking out Planet X against Ribble, Rose and Canyon.

I have discovered that if you are handy with a spanner (or can persuade PX to build the bike foc. you can get pretty good value by stepping away from their 'standard builds' and going full custom.

For example:-

Carbon Pro frame (new version) with mkII carbon forks -£250.00
Bars (their lightest inhouse alloy jobbies - £30.00
Headset - £20.00
Seatpost (their silly light alloy jobby) - £25.00
CNC silly light stem - £25.00
AL30 wheelset - £150.00
Ti-stix QR's - £17.50
Ultremo folding tyres - £40.00
Tubes - approx £8.00
Jagwire cable set - £23.00 (not sure they do the full set, but £23.00 does buy you it elsewhere)
Ultra light seatlamp with ti-bolt - £10.00
Saddle - budget circa £25 for a Raleigh titanium jobby or their inhouse ti-railed (but heavier) jobby
Bar tape - £10.00
Supersexy Zeus carbon compact chainset with BB - £130.00
Ultegra levers - £199.00
Ultegra front mech - £30.00
Ultegra rear mech - £60.00
Ultralight forged brakes - £60.00
Sram silly-light cassette - £50.00
KMC silly-light chain - £20.00

I think this comes in at around £1,320.00 ish....

that should make for a pretty light bike... i reckon somewhere just shy of 7kgs I would think (assuming their claimed weights are not stupidly adrift of reality)

£1.3k for a bike built on a £250 frame and £150 wheels is hardly a good buy is it? Throw in the limited resale value and it gets even worse ...

ADIHEAD

SFT wrote:

I am pretty keen on a PX Ti Sportive, which looks really good, especially as the frames are 'hand built' by Van Nicholas. Has anyone any experience of the recent PX Ti frames?

Friend of mine has one of these, supplied by Bike Science of Bristol, who told him it was a Lynsky. Great bike, really comfortable apparently - too small for me to try

I hadn't realised how superior the Rt-57 is supposed to be compared to the SL Pro. It's got me thinking now......

spokegeezer

Crankbrother wrote:

fivethirtyonepm wrote:

I have been looking about for a new bike too and have been checking out Planet X against Ribble, Rose and Canyon.

I have discovered that if you are handy with a spanner (or can persuade PX to build the bike foc. you can get pretty good value by stepping away from their 'standard builds' and going full custom.

For example:-

Carbon Pro frame (new version) with mkII carbon forks -£250.00
Bars (their lightest inhouse alloy jobbies - £30.00
Headset - £20.00
Seatpost (their silly light alloy jobby) - £25.00
CNC silly light stem - £25.00
AL30 wheelset - £150.00
Ti-stix QR's - £17.50
Ultremo folding tyres - £40.00
Tubes - approx £8.00
Jagwire cable set - £23.00 (not sure they do the full set, but £23.00 does buy you it elsewhere)
Ultra light seatlamp with ti-bolt - £10.00
Saddle - budget circa £25 for a Raleigh titanium jobby or their inhouse ti-railed (but heavier) jobby
Bar tape - £10.00
Supersexy Zeus carbon compact chainset with BB - £130.00
Ultegra levers - £199.00
Ultegra front mech - £30.00
Ultegra rear mech - £60.00
Ultralight forged brakes - £60.00
Sram silly-light cassette - £50.00
KMC silly-light chain - £20.00

I think this comes in at around £1,320.00 ish....

that should make for a pretty light bike... i reckon somewhere just shy of 7kgs I would think (assuming their claimed weights are not stupidly adrift of reality)

£1.3k for a bike built on a £250 frame and £150 wheels is hardly a good buy is it? Throw in the limited resale value and it gets even worse ...

Planet X website says RT57 frame and fork £599

amaferanga

spokegeezer wrote:

Planet X website says RT57 frame and fork £599

SL Pro frame + forks is £250.

rolf_f

Crankbrother wrote:

£1.3k for a bike built on a £250 frame and £150 wheels is hardly a good buy is it?

Who says it isn't? Depends on your priorities and current vs long term finances. Unless you are being very simplistic.

As for resale - personally I don't give a stuff about that; I've never sold a bike in my life. And the resale would probably be better than on a high end bike. It's not about percentages but absolute loss. A 4k bike will be down to 2k before the first year is up. A £1200 bike can't lose £2k.

The resale value could be zero and it would still be a better functional buy than any Dogma

spokegeezer

Rolf F wrote:

Crankbrother wrote:

£1.3k for a bike built on a £250 frame and £150 wheels is hardly a good buy is it?

Who says it isn't? Depends on your priorities and current vs long term finances. Unless you are being very simplistic.

As for resale - personally I don't give a stuff about that; I've never sold a bike in my life. And the resale would probably be better than on a high end bike. It's not about percentages but absolute loss. A 4k bike will be down to 2k before the first year is up. A £1200 bike can't lose £2k.

The resale value could be zero and it would still be a better functional buy than any Dogma

+1
and most frames are made the same place so dont matter much who paints it and sticks a few stickers on it.

amaferanga

The only thing I have against the SL Pro frame is that it is fecking ugly.

cougie

You cant see it when you're riding it ! ;-)

wheezee

IIRC, PX tend not to spec the groupset chainset on their standard builds, whereas Ribble give you the complete option on their Special Edition bikes.

I'd be more interested in the wheels myself. Would people prefer the PX AL30 wheels to the Ribble Rodi Airline 4s?