Planet x cnc brakes

Hanners
Hanners Posts: 260
edited May 2012 in Road buying advice
Has anyone used these and if so any issues? are they any good?
Thanks

Comments

  • limoneboy
    limoneboy Posts: 480
    hi,

    i have set which i am using with campy record levers, they are excellent and are supplied with swiss top pads which are great in any weather ( which at the moment is important) modulation is excellent better than the chorus dual pivots i had on before . the main benifit is the weight reduction at just over 200g they are mega light .
    last month wilier gt -this month ? bh rc1
  • dru
    dru Posts: 1,341
    they are ok.

    Pros - they are lightweight. I always stopped using them.

    Con's they are a pain to line up correctly (in my opinion and experience)
    They are not as powerful as more robust brake calipers that I've replaced them with (Ultegra or Sram Red brakeset)
    I did not find an easy way to release them to get full pressure tyres in and out.
  • limoneboy
    limoneboy Posts: 480
    Dru , your right i forgot to say they are a pain to set up , but work weel when done
    last month wilier gt -this month ? bh rc1
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    One thing to remember is that CNC doesn't mean that these brakes are better than a pair of, oh say, DA's or Records or Reds. They are simply manufactured differently. CNC is not a statement of quality, it's the method they were made.
  • Bozman
    Bozman Posts: 2,518
    All look, I replaced a set on a bike with SRAM rival calipers.... I could stop again!
    I'm a Shimano man but the rival calipers blew the Planet X brakes out of the water and you don't have to piss about trying to set them up, the down side - a bit of weight and SRAM calipers aren't that pretty but the stopping power makes up for that.
  • BillyMansell
    BillyMansell Posts: 817
    They're good and very light if not as powerful as dual pivots. I've never had problems stopping with them and I'm not a light rider. Maybe I've got a strong grip but I find a dual pivot on the rear overkill anyway.

    The issue that most people report is the set up which largely comes down to a person's ability to set up single pivot brakes rather than the product itself. If you know how to set up single pivot brakes or are willing to learn then consider them but if you want the simple life go for dual pivots, having said that I find them as simple as any other brakeset to work with.
  • Beatmaker
    Beatmaker Posts: 1,092
    I have a set and found them ever so slightly more fiddle to set up, but nothing worth writing home about. Power and modulation are very good, I've never been left wanting more power. I think they are a bargain.
  • ba68
    ba68 Posts: 156
    I agree with the comments they are not as easy to center as normal dual pivots, with regards to releasing them so you can remove a wheel with inflated tyre; reach over the tyre and squeeze the calipers together with one hand and with the other pull down on the cable near the cable stop where it fits into the red cam and you should be able to release it. Just do the reverse to re-fit, in my experience this can upset the centering though.
  • spasypaddy
    spasypaddy Posts: 5,180
    i have a set, liked them for about 18months, then over the winter i used ultegra brakes on my winter bike. went back to the best bike with the CNCd ones on and felt the stopping power wasnt as modulated as what id got used to over the winter. decided to get some DA calipers instead so my CNCd are now sitting around redundant.

    I have no qualms in using them but i just prefer the feel of the shimano calipers and the way they brake over the single pivot design of the others
  • StorckSpeed
    StorckSpeed Posts: 291
    I agree with all the comments made above.
    They're single pivot brakes which give the advantage of less weight, with the Swiss stop brakes pads you get good stopping power too. Centring them is a pain and pretty much you need to check them before each ride and if you stick the bike in the back of the car then you'll have to set them up all over again.
    I liked them to start with until after about a year I got pissed off with the constant adjustment and bought a new pair of Miche dual pivot brakes carbon. More weight but the relief of not having to constantly re-align them, more than makes up for that.
    There's warp speed - then there's Storck Speed
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    I agree with all the comments made above.
    They're single pivot brakes which give the advantage of less weight, with the Swiss stop brakes pads you get good stopping power too. Centring them is a pain and pretty much you need to check them before each ride and if you stick the bike in the back of the car then you'll have to set them up all over again.
    I liked them to start with until after about a year I got pissed off with the constant adjustment and bought a new pair of Miche dual pivot brakes carbon. More weight but the relief of not having to constantly re-align them, more than makes up for that.

    I'm with you all the way, especially on the adjustment issue. I have DA brakes and as far as I'm concerned that little set screw, on the brake arms, that allows you adjust brake centering on the wheel, is the greatest invention since sliced bread. :wink:
  • Hanners wrote:
    Has anyone used these and if so any issues? are they any good?
    Thanks

    I did a mini-review of these a while back on my blog site..may be useful to you as to what to expect if you buy them. Don't panic..no ads or anything :)

    http://anotherdooratthe.endoftheinternet.org/2011/03/07/planet-x-ultra-light-cnc-brake-calipers-5-minute-review/
    ........................
    http://anotherdooratthe.endoftheinternet.org

    Cycle related blog entries, including a few 5 minute reviews:
    http://anotherdooratthe.endoftheinterne ... y/cycling/
  • ChrisSA
    ChrisSA Posts: 455
    I have the forged ones on my TT bike. They slow me down. I'd rather the forged ones than CNC from a longieveity POV.
  • yakk
    yakk Posts: 589
    I have the forged ones, cheaper, 20g heavier, comments as above re setting up, no issues stopping, even on Alpine descents. Lighter than anything that cheap if that's a bonus for you. I don't find I have to constantly realign.
    Yak
  • I have them. Ok, so you have to check the alignment when you have had the wheel out. But I would do that anyway,
    whatever brakes I had.

    I find no difference in the stopping power of them and my previous ultegra brakes.

    And of course as I slowly drift into the addictive world of weight weenieness they hardly weigh anything...