Dolan v Ribble v Planet X
msinger_7
Posts: 3
Hi All,
Been riding a Boardman Road Comp for the past 12 months, but feel ready to upgrade to a full carbon bike and take my riding to the next level.
Obviously I've seen various threads about the above named companies, so apologies to start another thread.
I've only been road cycling for 12 months too, so not really that knowledgeable when it comes to most things.
Anyway, I want to spend around £1,500 so quite a few of the Dolan, Ribble and Planet X bikes have caught my eye being that you can seemingly get a lot for your £1,500. I've known (from mountain biking in my teenage years) that Shimano are often recognised as the "best" but some of the bikes I've looked at have Sram and Campagnolo groupsets / parts. Obviously any other bikes around that price too, although not sure if you can get Ultegra / Force 22 / Chorus on a "named" bike for £1,500.
I'd really appreciate any help / information / experiences etc. which will hopefully lead me to making the correct decision. I understand some things are down to personal preference but I'm happy to be influenced by others!
Thanks
Been riding a Boardman Road Comp for the past 12 months, but feel ready to upgrade to a full carbon bike and take my riding to the next level.
Obviously I've seen various threads about the above named companies, so apologies to start another thread.
I've only been road cycling for 12 months too, so not really that knowledgeable when it comes to most things.
Anyway, I want to spend around £1,500 so quite a few of the Dolan, Ribble and Planet X bikes have caught my eye being that you can seemingly get a lot for your £1,500. I've known (from mountain biking in my teenage years) that Shimano are often recognised as the "best" but some of the bikes I've looked at have Sram and Campagnolo groupsets / parts. Obviously any other bikes around that price too, although not sure if you can get Ultegra / Force 22 / Chorus on a "named" bike for £1,500.
I'd really appreciate any help / information / experiences etc. which will hopefully lead me to making the correct decision. I understand some things are down to personal preference but I'm happy to be influenced by others!
Thanks
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Comments
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Bear in mind that the vast majority of bikes are made in the same handful of factories in the Far East. The frames won't be substantially different between those brands so you should be choosing on spec, customer service and what you like the look of. I have a planet x bike and am very happy with it, well put together, decent customer service and much better value than anything else I'd seen. Happy enough with it to have a second bike on order with them.0
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No difference in quality between Shimano, Campag and SRAM. The shifters all work in slightly different ways and they all feel quite different in use. Best advice is to try all three to see which you prefer. All 3 manufacturers have their own groupset hierarchy going from cheapish to obscenely expensive. I'd say the current sweet spot in terms of bang per buck is Shimano's 11 speed 105 5800 groupset.
While the 3 brands you mention offer very good value for money, getting actual test rides is tricky. If your current bike fits you well and you can ride respectable distances in comfort, try to replicate that geometry / sizing in the new bike.
Don't go making the mistake of thinking a budget carbon frame will be much lighter / faster / more comfortable than a quality alu frame though...0 -
Thank you for this advice, very helpful.
I had kind of gone down that road of thinking that a carbon frame will be much better than my current aluminium... Although, I think the kit that is on these bikes I've been looking at are much better than what I have already on my Boardman...
Got some decisions to make I think!0
