Planet X Cross bike - any good?

DM222

Hi all

Thinking of getting one of these :

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXXLS105 ... #customise

Just wondered if any of you had one and if they were any good!?!

Thanks

majormantra

I have one. (Not a stock build. My wheels are lighter and my brakes are better.):

http://thesetbackpost.com/cyclocross/tsp/

http://thesetbackpost.com/cyclocross/foxlake/

I haven't had it long enough to write a review, but first impressions after a few rides and one race are very good. The only slight issue (and it's not a big deal) is that it's a bit lacking in heel clearance, at least if you pedal like a duck the way I do.

DM222

Thanks - bike looks great

bobley

I think half the forum rides one of those. As the Major mentions - the stock wheels are rubbish so most of us use the Stans Iron Cross wheels. I was lazy and just bought the stocker 105 model and the mrs uses the stock wheels on the turbo at home while the Stans come out at the weekend.

I personally hate the cable BB7 calipers (always needing the wear dialling out) and I'll be buying some TPR Hy/Rds as soon as they bother making them. TRP must be having a lot of bother with the recall campaign on their Spyre brakes. Might have to settle for Parabox but dont see the point in having the master cyclinder cluttering up the show.

majormantra

FYI the Hy/Rds have just come back in stock at Fatbirds:

http://www.fatbirds.co.uk/1670553/produ ... ilver.aspx

I had been planning to wait for them but decided the Spyres were worth a try, especially as they're lighter and cheaper. So far I'm happy with my choice although like all mechanical discs you have to adjust for wear quite frequently.

drummer_boy

I have one, I got it in the clearence last November with SRAM force and Rival kit, rather than the 105.

Haven't raced it yet, but have put road tyres on and commuted over 500 miles on it. My previous bike was a hardtail MTB.

I love the XLS to bits. Very light, fast, great brakes with the BB7's and generally an allrounder.

Would I buy the same bike again - YES, in a heartbeat.

Just need to get my rear in gear and try a CX race :-)

crossed

MajorMantra wrote:

FYI the Hy/Rds have just come back in stock at Fatbirds:

http://www.fatbirds.co.uk/1670553/produ ... ilver.aspx

I had been planning to wait for them but decided the Spyres were worth a try, especially as they're lighter and cheaper. So far I'm happy with my choice although like all mechanical discs you have to adjust for wear quite frequently.

It's a shame that nowhere seems to have the Hy/Rd's available in black otherwise I'd be getting a set.
The importers are still showing them as being back order with 4+ weeks wait for stock

majormantra

This shop seems to belong to a chap who posts on Weight Weenies, and he specifically told me he had stock of the black ones:

http://radsport-schrauth.de/index.php?p ... &info=1482

DM222

Drummer_Boy wrote:

I have one, I got it in the clearence last November with SRAM force and Rival kit, rather than the 105.

Haven't raced it yet, but have put road tyres on and commuted over 500 miles on it. My previous bike was a hardtail MTB.

I love the XLS to bits. Very light, fast, great brakes with the BB7's and generally an allrounder.

Would I buy the same bike again - YES, in a heartbeat.

Just need to get my rear in gear and try a CX race :-)

Thanks - I won't be racing one but want it as an all rounder. Most of my riding will be commuting and occasionally a road sportive. In your opinion is it up to the longer distances or am I better off with a road bike?!

tgotb

bobley wrote:

I personally hate the cable BB7 calipers (always needing the wear dialling out) and I'll be buying some TPR Hy/Rds as soon as they bother making them. TRP must be having a lot of bother with the recall campaign on their Spyre brakes. Might have to settle for Parabox but dont see the point in having the master cyclinder cluttering up the show.

I switched to a Parabox system just before Xmas, and I'm actually pretty impressed. Quite fiddly to set up, but has been awesome since. Part of the reason for switching was that, especially with all the bike washing, my cables were getting trashed in no time, and I was spending half the time riding around with rubbish brakes purely on account of the cables. I tried some expensive sealed ones, and they died just as quickly (but were more expensive). Since I switched to the Parabox I've had to do no maintenance at all, despite doing a lot of very muddy training rides, the NT Series race at Shrewsbury (which was a mudbath) and the Nationals (where many riders were swapping bikes every half lap). The self-adjusting feature is nice, but once I put organic pads in the Spyres they weren't wearing down enough in one race to make a noticeable difference anyway.

One of the reasons I tried it was that I came across a very cheap set, but I'll be putting another set on the (identical) bike I build this Summer...

Back to the original question: The XLS is a fab race bike. Significant reasons I can think of that might make a road bike better:
1. More aero (only really relevant if racing)
2. No mudguard or rack attachment points on the XLS (may or may not be relevant)
That's about all. Comfort will come down to the setup, choice of saddle etc, no reason the XLS shouldn't be comfortable.

majormantra

MajorMantra wrote:

This shop seems to belong to a chap who posts on Weight Weenies, and he specifically told me he had stock of the black ones:

http://radsport-schrauth.de/index.php?p ... &info=1482

In fact here are some in the UK: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TRP-HY-RD-Bla ... 1318555727

crossed

MajorMantra wrote:

MajorMantra wrote:

This shop seems to belong to a chap who posts on Weight Weenies, and he specifically told me he had stock of the black ones:

http://radsport-schrauth.de/index.php?p ... &info=1482

In fact here are some in the UK: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TRP-HY-RD-Bla ... 1318555727

For some reason the German site goes a bit wrong when I try to swap the language to English, not sure why though.

The eBay seller is Active Sport, having heard off some friends and read on another forum about them I don't think I'd buy anything from them :shock:

drummer_boy

DM222 wrote:

Thanks - I won't be racing one but want it as an all rounder. Most of my riding will be commuting and occasionally a road sportive. In your opinion is it up to the longer distances or am I better off with a road bike?!

I do most of my riding (right now) on the road, commuting, averaging around 80-100miles per week. Longest ride I've done on the XLS is around the 40mile mark. Prior to owning this bike, I didn't do a lot of road riding, but I did borrow a friends Alloy road bike before getting the XLS, and the XLS is better than the road bike I borrowed (although it did cost half as much as the XLS, so not really apples with apples.

I feel happy taking the XLS on long distances. It's nice and light so hills are pretty easy, and the gearing is a little light on the downhill side, although uphill it's pretty good.