Planet X CT45 Carbon Tubular Wheelset

drplumbster
drplumbster Posts: 83
edited June 2015 in Road buying advice
At £549.99 are these any good?

Please only reply to this thread if 1 you have actually ridden these wheels or 2 you race or at least ride regularly enough to actually know about if these wheels are any good.

Obviously they are cheap, but as plannet x claim are they as good as say wheels for £1000 etc.... I have my doubts but they are all made in the same factories so maybe they genuinely are as good?

I would love to hear some thoughts from anyone who has raced on these.

Cheers in advance
«13

Comments

  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    Having passed your pre-qualification criteria, I am able to answer. Yes.
  • slowandsteady
    slowandsteady Posts: 339
    This will be a quiet thread.

    oops, I've broken the rules.
    Wilier Cento Uno SR 2013 in Fluro Yellow
    Cannondale Caad10 2014 in BLACK!!
  • drplumbster
    drplumbster Posts: 83
    Haha! I just didn't want some of he usual drivel on here from folks who comment on things like this without actually having used the product stating 'avoid' or why don't you get these etc etc...

    Sorry if the post sounds a little turse!
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,325
    drplumbster wrote:
    Haha! I just didn't want some of he usual drivel on here from folks who comment on things like this without actually having used the product stating 'avoid' or why don't you get these etc etc...

    Sorry if the post sounds a little turse!

    Whilst doing it your way you got plenty of advice so far... :wink:
    left the forum March 2023
  • drplumbster
    drplumbster Posts: 83
    Helpful

    Thanks
  • john1967
    john1967 Posts: 366
    drplumbster wrote:
    Helpful

    Thanks

    There are some real wheel experts on this forum.You just need to filter out the windup merchants.
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    you don't need to be an expert to recognise VFM.
  • warrior4life
    warrior4life Posts: 925
    Great rims although not the lightest.
    Similar profile to Zipp 404s so good in a cross wind, More aero benefit than a standard 50mm rim.

    Hubs are good, occasional complaints about bearings but generally from people who use a degreaser to clean that area and manage to penetrate the seals.

    The only downside is the pillar spokes they're using at the moment, not the strongest. If you have any issues get in touch with customer services and they should send you some if you're nice.

    I have these wheels and I'm 80kg, I've had no issues.

    For the money they're hard to beat.
    Spokes and bearings aren't covered under warranty but rims and hubs are.

    The 52 clinchers they do have the same rim as the cosmic carbone sl from 2011 I believe.
  • ben16v
    ben16v Posts: 296
    are the 52mm a carbon rim with alu brake track bonded to it or a alu rim with a crbon fairing??
    i need more bikes
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,325
    ben16v wrote:
    are the 52mm a carbon rim with alu brake track bonded to it or a alu rim with a crbon fairing??

    If the spoke length quoted on the site are anything to go by, then the carbon is not structural, but only a "fairing" as you say...
    left the forum March 2023
  • warrior4life
    warrior4life Posts: 925
    The 52mm rims are the same as 2011 mavic cosmic carbone sl.
    They come from the same the place.

    Planet x hubs with with not so good pillar spokes.
  • Paul 8v
    Paul 8v Posts: 5,458
    I thought it would be best to post here rather than start another thread.

    I'm looking at these versus the Wheelsmith carbon/alloy clinchers to put on my Domane. I run it with 25mm tyres so the wider rim of the planet x appeals. I definitely want an alloy braking track so both of these rims fit the bill but I'm a bit torn between them.

    The Wheelsmith is lighter, more expensive and has a structural carbon rim but has a thinner rim width (20mm) they are currently £710

    The planet x is 236g heavier, slightly less deep but has a wider rim at 23mm. They are £261 cheaper at the moment (Sale price) which means I could probably afford them now rather than in a few months (I allow myself £100 a month for bike stuff otherwise I would spend all my money on it and nothing would get bought for the house...)

    How much of a difference does the wider rim make? (I'm liking a wider tyre at the moment as the roads are shocking in Essex) And will I really notice the difference in weight between the planet x and wheelsmith? (Current Bontrager wheels are as heavy as my Dad's old school stainless steel wheels he rides on his 1960s build touring bike...)

    Is it worth spending the extra money for the wheelsmith wheels or will I be fine on the planet X ones? The wheels will be used hopefully for racing next year if I can get fit enough but I also enjoy just riding and trying to get quicker and quicker on my own routes so I'm hoping some better wheels will help get my average speed up.

    Cheers

    Paul
    Road
    MTB
    NEW Cross
    Track/Grass Track/Winter bike
  • Yellow Peril
    Yellow Peril Posts: 4,466
    I'm disappointed Paul I thought you'd be riding Campag Boaras!
    @JaunePeril

    Winner of the Bike Radar Pro Race Wiggins Hour Prediction Competition
  • Paul 8v
    Paul 8v Posts: 5,458
    Yellow Peril wrote:
    I'm disappointed Paul I thought you'd be riding Campag Boaras!
    :mrgreen:
    Road
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    Track/Grass Track/Winter bike
  • dw300
    dw300 Posts: 1,642
    I wondered if this thread would be revived. These are £382.49 today (Saturday) only. UKWHEELS15

    I'd love a set of these to run 25mm tyres on, they'd surely handle like a dream and be a great everyday wheel.
    All the above is just advice .. you can do whatever the f*ck you wana do!
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    The Northern Ireland Thread
  • markynulty
    markynulty Posts: 409
    I got a set of the tubular version a couple of months ago and am running them with 23mm Vittoria Corsa tubs. They are a cracking set of wheels and are very light. The hubs are nice and smooth aswell, with a very loud freewheel for people who like that kind of thing lol.
  • BillyMansell
    BillyMansell Posts: 817
    dw300 wrote:
    I wondered if this thread would be revived. These are £382.49 today (Saturday) only. UKWHEELS15
    That code might work after today as it worked yesterday. I had a play with anticipating what the discount codes might be and got that one right along with UKWORKSHOP15 for tools.
  • Paul 8v
    Paul 8v Posts: 5,458
    Purchased :-)
    Road
    MTB
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  • Yellow Peril
    Yellow Peril Posts: 4,466
    Paul 8v wrote:
    Purchased :-)

    You little minx you! I was looking at these yesterday that's how I came across this thread. Great bored at Christmas time minds think alike!
    @JaunePeril

    Winner of the Bike Radar Pro Race Wiggins Hour Prediction Competition
  • Paul 8v
    Paul 8v Posts: 5,458
    Haha, I got the OK from the wife, would have been rude not too!

    Got some bontrager R3 tyres as a replacement for my (160g heavier) R1's as I really like the way they corner and they're pretty light for a 25mm. Also picked up an Ultegra rear cassette from them which is about 100g lighter as the original wheels will be for the turbo trainer.

    I'm hoping it will fly after that...
    Road
    MTB
    NEW Cross
    Track/Grass Track/Winter bike
  • mortenb
    mortenb Posts: 1
    Thinking of buying a pair as well for my wife but do you know if the hub can convert to shimano 11 speed? Can't find the brand and the Sales rep I spoke to last week didn't know since there was no technical people in the office.
  • Paul 8v
    Paul 8v Posts: 5,458
    These came through today, took a while to get here and had a hell of a job trying to get through on the phone!

    Quality of the wheel is good and they come with skewers too, not sure what they are but they are a lot lighter than the ones I had originally (They are hollow so I assume chromoly?)

    The rim is very wide (23mm) which gives a good tyre size when inflated (I'm running a Bontrager R3 in 25mm) Not a bad weight compared to my stock wheels but I know there are lighter sets out there, I haven't had a chance to ride these yet as they only come through today but I'll be interested to see what sort of effect they have on my performance.

    These are them installed since there are no pictures of them on a bike anywhere on the web!

    20140107_185929.jpg
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  • Camcycle1974
    Camcycle1974 Posts: 1,356
    Very nice indeed. I like the alloy brake track. It looks better than all black. I am looking at a set of these to go on My Ribble 872 to run alongside my alloy Archetypes. Can you report on how they ride or have they not seen much action due to the atrocious weather? I would be interested to see if these would be a decent upgrade to the Archetypes which are lovely but a little bit weighty. Want these as a good weather only 2nd set really.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,325
    Camcycle1974 wrote:
    I would be interested to see if these would be a decent upgrade to the Archetypes which are lovely but a little bit weighty. Want these as a good weather only 2nd set really.

    These are likely to be more weighty... especially at the rim, where it actually matters
    left the forum March 2023
  • Paul 8v
    Paul 8v Posts: 5,458
    Camcycle1974 wrote:
    Very nice indeed. I like the alloy brake track. It looks better than all black. I am looking at a set of these to go on My Ribble 872 to run alongside my alloy Archetypes. Can you report on how they ride or have they not seen much action due to the atrocious weather? I would be interested to see if these would be a decent upgrade to the Archetypes which are lovely but a little bit weighty. Want these as a good weather only 2nd set really.
    Hard to tell really as I rode them in the middle of what seemed like typhoon, they were defintiely a lot lighter than the stock set but I had also changed tyres, inner tubes and cassette (I think in total I lost about 700g) Once they are up to speed they seemed very quick and it was easier to hold higher speeds. The ride was good over the diabolical roads and they make a satisfying whooshing noise.

    I have had some issues with them pucturing when off the bike, I'm starting to think this is the rims tapes and I'm going to change the planet x ones for some velox to see if that stops it (They were left in the room for a few weeks and then developed a puncture by themselves!)

    They aren't great in the wet as they fill up with water but are easy to drain
    Road
    MTB
    NEW Cross
    Track/Grass Track/Winter bike
  • Camcycle1974
    Camcycle1974 Posts: 1,356
    Thanks for the info. Not without their problems then. UGO, I know you are a carbo-sceptic when it comes to wheels. Are the rims likely to be heavier than the 480g archetypes? I realise that probably I am only likely to improve cosmetics rather than performance. a light weight alloy set might be better then?
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,325
    Camcycle1974 wrote:
    Thanks for the info. Not without their problems then. UGO, I know you are a carbo-sceptic when it comes to wheels. Are the rims likely to be heavier than the 480g archetypes? I realise that probably I am only likely to improve cosmetics rather than performance. a light weight alloy set might be better then?

    These are alloy rims + carbon fairing so yes, they are bound to be heavier than alloy rims only. Roughly rims of this sort weigh 550-650. The title of the thread is misleading as we are talking clinchers now, right?

    They weigh 1800 for the set according to Planet X... using the same hubs and spokes and 20/24 count, a set of Archetype would come at 1500-1600, so I am inclined to conclude the rims weigh no less than 580 each, probably more, which is consistent with the above
    left the forum March 2023
  • Camcycle1974
    Camcycle1974 Posts: 1,356
    Sorry to confuse. I was referring to the tubular version which come im around 1400g I think. Clinchers would give me no benefit over what I have now. My archetypes are 28/32 so heavier. I need to get over the mental thing of total weight and focus on the rim weight as a priority. I should have gone for 20/24 & saved some weight and money on spokes! Mine weigh about 2kg all in.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,325
    Camcycle1974 wrote:
    Sorry to confuse. I was referring to the tubular version which come im around 1400g I think. Clinchers would give me no benefit over what I have now. My archetypes are 28/32 so heavier. I need to get over the mental thing of total weight and focus on the rim weight as a priority. I should have gone for 20/24 & saved some weight and money on spokes! Mine weigh about 2kg all in.

    Ah... I thought you were referring to those on the photo... which are Clinchers

    Yes, the tubulars would be lighter than an Archetype I would assume. 400 grams a piece is realistic, maybe even less

    Of course the tubulars are full carbon, even the brake track
    left the forum March 2023
  • gotwood25
    gotwood25 Posts: 314
    After reading this I decided to take the plunge and order me some, Planet X had them knocked down to £399 so took the bait and have my first foray into the world of tubs.

    Must say compared to the stock Syncros wheels they are crazily light and seem to spin forever. Although the click-clacking noise may send me insane or will keep me continuously pedalling so good for training.

    Anyway not many pics of them on bikes so included mine, yes they are my sons bibs being used as frame protectors.

    https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=BBDD17AF8762D537%2114218

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