Planet X London Road
Comments
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Been looking at the London Road for a little while now and was really happy to see them releasing the stealth black version - I've always found that look appealing when seeing other bikes on the road. Have just ordered myself one!
Is that a Large frame size ianlash?0 -
ryanshattered wrote:Is that a Large frame size ianlash?
No, it's the XL, but I am 6'4". 44cm handlebars too, but the standard 172.5mm cranks and 100mm stem. Seems to fit me fine. I got the ISM Adamo Road saddle as it was only £40 to upgrade (£99 normally) so worth a try, and the carbon fibre seat post. I also got the carbon fibre PX bottle holders, but they don't look good with the stealth black, so they can go on another bike.
I've only ridden it a short distance so far, but I do like it.0 -
Ah, cool. I am 6'1" so I went for the Large as I think the XL would be a shade big for me.
No upgrades on mine as I thought all the standard kit looked pretty decent.
It's going to be on commuter duty the majority of the time so I've ordered a tortec velocity hybrid rack and a set of P45 chromoplastics (all black, of course). Looks like it will be fun and games fitting the front guard. I know a couple of people mentioned they got some guards on - does anybody have pictures of how they've bent the stays to fit the front one?0 -
It may depend on what calipers and mudguards you have. Different bike I know but with BB7s on my Kinesis I had to bend the stay to go above the caliper. Now with a Parabox thingy the associated hydraulic caliper is narrower and the stay clears it without a bend. Look at others to see what the options are then see what looks like it will work best with your application.ryanshattered wrote:...does anybody have pictures of how they've bent the stays to fit the front one?0 -
Veronese68 wrote:
It may depend on what calipers and mudguards you have. Different bike I know but with BB7s on my Kinesis I had to bend the stay to go above the caliper. Now with a Parabox thingy the associated hydraulic caliper is narrower and the stay clears it without a bend. Look at others to see what the options are then see what looks like it will work best with your application.ryanshattered wrote:...does anybody have pictures of how they've bent the stays to fit the front one?
Thanks Veronese
The London Road foregoes the usual mudguard eyelets at the bottom of the fork, so the guards need to be fitted to the rack mounts further up the fork. I have seen pictures of this type of setup elsewhere and there seem to be different ways of approaching it. Confident to figure out what works best when I come to fit them but was just wondering if any members had pictures because I think a couple of people mentioned they had fitted guards0 -
I got the XL for my 6'5" frame with 44cm bars, 100 stem and 175 cranks. I have been comfortable with it but everyone says that the frame looks small for me. Does anyone think that it is smaller than other bikes of similar size/user size? Is it the "modern style" for smaller frame?0
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Tangled Metal wrote:I got the XL for my 6'5" frame with 44cm bars, 100 stem and 175 cranks. I have been comfortable with it but everyone says that the frame looks small for me. Does anyone think that it is smaller than other bikes of similar size/user size? Is it the "modern style" for smaller frame?
You can see the geometry here, about half way down, if you want to compare:- http://www.planetx.co.uk/c/q/bikes/road-bikes/london-road
I think it is a big frame, certainly equal to my two other bikes (Boardman and Ribble), which are both XL.
It's how it feels that matters.0 -
Mine feels great but I put it on a 2 bike wall rack with my old (25+year) bike and it looks a lot smaller. My old bike was only just a bit bigger frame than my last bike (a specialized Crosstrail sport disc that got stolen). That is why this bike actually got me wondering if I had been supplied the Large not the X Large. i am happy with the fit and the seat was the right height for me straight out of the box. Indeed I only had to straighten the bars and put the pedals on, nothing else needed changing to get out. That surprised me. They are a great brand IMHO for what they put out. My only thing is the gears keep jumping at the cassette when I put the chain on the smaller cogs. I know it only needs adjusting but gears are one part of the bike I actually feel unsure of because it seems to me to be easy to mess it up completely. A bit like truing the wheel by eye. I have done that and eventually got to an acceptable level but that was 50:50 luck and judgement. Gears would be the same.0
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It's always possible they've given you the wrong size. I can't see anything on the frame that says the size. Just measure it against the geometry on the link above (maybe measurement "C" which should be 590mm).
Gears aren't too bad, especially if you've trued a wheel. Plenty of YouTube videos showing what adjustment controls what - once you have the limits set for the big and small gears (which is probably okay already and doesn't need adjustment) then setting the change between gears is just one knob.0 -
Ah, ok you probably will have to put a bend in regardless then. Easiest way to bend them I found was to clamp the stay in a vice just below where you want the bend then tap it gently just above the bend. Produced neat tight bends that way.ryanshattered wrote:The London Road foregoes the usual mudguard eyelets at the bottom of the fork, so the guards need to be fitted to the rack mounts further up the fork. I have seen pictures of this type of setup elsewhere and there seem to be different ways of approaching it. Confident to figure out what works best when I come to fit them but was just wondering if any members had pictures because I think a couple of people mentioned they had fitted guards0 -
Veronese68 wrote:
Ah, ok you probably will have to put a bend in regardless then. Easiest way to bend them I found was to clamp the stay in a vice just below where you want the bend then tap it gently just above the bend. Produced neat tight bends that way.ryanshattered wrote:The London Road foregoes the usual mudguard eyelets at the bottom of the fork, so the guards need to be fitted to the rack mounts further up the fork. I have seen pictures of this type of setup elsewhere and there seem to be different ways of approaching it. Confident to figure out what works best when I come to fit them but was just wondering if any members had pictures because I think a couple of people mentioned they had fitted guards
That was what I was thinking - best way to get the bends in a symmetrical place on each stay too, got to be neat and symmetrical!0 -
ryanshattered wrote:Veronese68 wrote:
Ah, ok you probably will have to put a bend in regardless then. Easiest way to bend them I found was to clamp the stay in a vice just below where you want the bend then tap it gently just above the bend. Produced neat tight bends that way.ryanshattered wrote:The London Road foregoes the usual mudguard eyelets at the bottom of the fork, so the guards need to be fitted to the rack mounts further up the fork. I have seen pictures of this type of setup elsewhere and there seem to be different ways of approaching it. Confident to figure out what works best when I come to fit them but was just wondering if any members had pictures because I think a couple of people mentioned they had fitted guards
That was what I was thinking - best way to get the bends in a symmetrical place on each stay too, got to be neat and symmetrical!
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I managed to get my guards on without any modification at all. It works well, but i've since taken them off now that the weather is better!
You should be able to mount normal mudguards to the front without issue.0 -
MountainMonster wrote:I managed to get my guards on without any modification at all. It works well, but i've since taken them off now that the weather is better!
You should be able to mount normal mudguards to the front without issue.
Ah I see. Like this photo I just found then - shortened top stay:
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I have a short back and long legs so I'm considering between this bike and Ridley X-Bow.
MountainMonster: your bike is M size. Does it really have 596 mm stack? Because if it has, this frame is extremely "high and short".0 -
Paar wrote:I have a short back and long legs so I'm considering between this bike and Ridley X-Bow.
MountainMonster: your bike is M size. Does it really have 596 mm stack? Because if it has, this frame is extremely "high and short".
I have no clue to be honest. Let me know what to measure, and I'll check my frame and let you know.0 -
Thank you, that would be great! I hope the picture shows up. There are two measures: longer minus shorter is "stack" -and it should be close to 596 mm.0
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I've got a medium too so I've done some measurements for you:
Floor to centre BB - 283mm
Floor to top of head tube centre -840mm
Stack - 557mm
Top tube measures horizontal, centre seatpost to centre headtube - 540mm
Compare this to my PX Pro Carbon which has a pretty racy geometry, certainly not in the endurance camp....
Floor to centre BB - 270mm
Floor to top of head tube centre - 815mm
Stack - 545mm
Top tube measures horizontal, centre seatpost to centre headtube - 550mm
So the stack on the London road is more than the Pro carbon and it sits higher (on bigger tyres though don't forget), as would be expected for a cx capable bike but not massively so and there is not a huge difference in TT length. I would easily be able to get the same position on both bikes if I wanted (this wont happen as I have bars higher for cx)
No idea how these numbers compare to other bikes but hope it helps you...0 -
Thank you very much, indeed! Now that is interesting. There is a 39 mm difference between this measurement and the length that Planet X declares. It is quite a lot.0
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MountainMonster: please, could you measure the stack, too? It would be good to know if "the official" stack is wrong.0
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Paar wrote:MountainMonster: please, could you measure the stack, too? It would be good to know if "the official" stack is wrong.
No problem. I'm out all day for work today, but I will try to get it done tomorrow afternoon.0 -
For the guy wondering about mudguards, here is a pic of my SKS longboards fitted. I just used pliers and bent by hand, I think it looks quite neat. On the back had to do similar to bend around my pannier rack, but really didn't take that long. Longest part was using my rubbish mini hacksaw, a dremmel is on the planned purchase list.
I'm also really chuffed with mine, running marathon pluses and is a nice comfy ride. Took it for a ride the other day without panniers etc and couldn't believe how well it rode without all the added weight as has only been my commuter since getting it.0 -
patrick54896 wrote:For the guy wondering about mudguards, here is a pic of my SKS longboards fitted. I just used pliers and bent by hand, I think it looks quite neat. On the back had to do similar to bend around my pannier rack, but really didn't take that long. Longest part was using my rubbish mini hacksaw, a dremmel is on the planned purchase list.
I'm also really chuffed with mine, running marathon pluses and is a nice comfy ride. Took it for a ride the other day without panniers etc and couldn't believe how well it rode without all the added weight as has only been my commuter since getting it.
Cheers Patrick, that's helpful. I bought a 165 piece 'dremel' set from ebuyer for £14.99 in preparation for this job. They're super useful tools in general and I've wanted one for a while anyway. Hadn't thought about needing to bend around the rack too. Have got a new Tortec velocity hybrid waiting to go on so will wait and see if that's necessary too...0 -
I'm very tempted by the £699 Apex version. What do you think of the stock wheels? Do they have wide rims?0
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staffo wrote:I'm very tempted by the £699 Apex version. What do you think of the stock wheels? Do they have wide rims?
Just changed my tyres so measured the rims. They are 24mm outside-to-outside. No idea how that compares. Haven't ridden mine much to give an opinion on them either.0 -
Cheers Ian, thanks for the info0
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For people owning this bike, how long are your commutes? I'm looking to do 3 days per week, 40 mile round trip where I'll be wanting to push on as much as possible. I own a pretty light Canyon SL (7KG) but obviously don't want to use that! How do people find long distances on this bike?Trainer Road Blog: https://hitthesweetspot.home.blog/
Cycling blog: https://harderfasterlonger.wordpress.com/
Blog: https://supermurphtt2015.wordpress.com/
TCTP: https://supermurph.wordpress.com/0 -
Supermurph09 wrote:For people owning this bike, how long are your commutes? I'm looking to do 3 days per week, 40 mile round trip where I'll be wanting to push on as much as possible. I own a pretty light Canyon SL (7KG) but obviously don't want to use that! How do people find long distances on this bike?
Mine depends heavily on which route I decide to take. One route is only 7 miles, but another brings me roughly to 20. It is a lovely bike for those journeys, the disc brakes help and the forms and back end are quite compliant. I have done a few longer rides, and the fault I could find with the bike was the motor!
Its lovely being able to have guards and a rack all year too!0
