# Planet-X carbon bike - are they any good at this price ?



## nichop

I'm after my first road bike and have been recommended to get a carbon frame due to its compliance/comfort on road which for my type of cycling 'commute/leisure' would be better. I've looked at the Specialized Roubaix however for a lot less money I can get a Planet-X bike with carbon frame, Ultegra etc (http://www.planet-x-bikes.com/triat...agemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=335). Great spec and less money. They say this is entirely because they sell direct however I'm naturally nervous. Does anyone have any experience of these frames ? How do they compare to something like the Roubaix ? I've also tried an ali frame (Trek 1.9) which was great but I didnt go a long distance on it. Are the carbon frames of the Roubaix and Planet-X that much more 'comfortable' over long distances ?


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## mizzou1530

I would highly recommend this bike to everyone! I purchased a Planet X Pro Carbon Road bike last year and I can't rave enough about it. I had been racing on a Trek 2100 for 3 years prior to this. The difference was noticeable and immediate. The bike is stiff, comfortable, responsive, and fast! It has an awesome look too. The first race I competed in after buying the bike came to a sprint which I won. I credit the bike for the difference between 1st and 3rd or 4th. It accelerates very fast and sprints like a dream. It is so stiff that I can't feel any give at all when I go to sprint. It climbs very fast too. I immediately noticed a difference on the climbs around town during the group training rides. It is very lightweight at 17lbs with full Dura-Ace and Zipp 404s (including pedals and bottle cage). I could easily lighten it up a pound or two with a lighter build.

My coach was so impressed with the bike he bought a Pro Carbon Road Bike and a Planet X Pro Carbon Stealth TT bike. The road bike replaces his Litespeed Titanium road bike and the Stealth replaced his Cyfac TT bike. The price is great and the company is great to work with. They are much better than any bike company I have worked with before (I have since ordered 3 sets of Planet X wheels to replace my Zipps). I don't think you will find a better bike for the money and I don't think you should spend more on a higher priced bike because I don't believe they could really be any better. Let me know if you have any more questions.


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## ericm979

I have a PedalForce QS2 which looks like the same generic chinese CF frame as the Planet X. I like it a lot, it is comfortable for a race frame, yet handles well. It is not super stiff but stiffness is overrated.

I'm a big fan of carbon fiber for racing bike parts but to be honest the difference in comfort between carbon and other frame materials is small. There's a little less high frequency road vibration transmitted through the carbon. That's it. There's no suspension or give on large bumps. You can get more cushioning from the road by running larger tires.

Speaking of tires, the QS2 has a very tight chainstay/BB area, and only low profile 23mm tires will fit. Tall 23mm tires won't fit, and neither will 25mm or 28mm tires. If comfort is that important to you, then you should run at least 25s, and make sure the frame will take them.


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## CleavesF

mizzou1530 said:


> I would highly recommend this bike to everyone! I purchased a Planet X Pro Carbon Road bike last year and I can't rave enough about it.


Not to poop on anyone's party, but for the most part... ANYONE.

ANYONE that spends a bunch of cash on a bike will usually only say good things about it. Money blinds us all... 

I have my reservations on my expensive road bike, but they didn't come in until much later.


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## mizzou1530

There are several brands that use the Planet X frames and re-badge them with their own logos. In fact, if you notice in last years Tour, Cadel Evens rode a re-badged Planet X Stealth TT bike for the time trials. 

I use 20mm and 21mm tires. You should buy tires according to how you ride. If you race, you should probably use a 20 front and 21 to 23 rear since you can get the best of both worlds (aerodynamics and rolling resistance). The wider the tire the lower the rolling resistance but the narrower tires are more aerodynamic. If you put the narrow tire on the front you will save some of the wind resistance. Since the rear tire is inside the airflow of the bike frame you can get away with a wider tire which will reduce the rolling resistance of the rear wheel. If you do long road rides and don't race then a wider tire may provide more comfort. A wider tire will also grip better in wet conditions since there is more surface in contact with the road. I use 23mm on my trainer wheels which fit the Pro Carbon road bike just fine.


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## yankeesuperfan

Well there TT bikes look cool


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## swerv512

mizzou1530 said:


> In fact, if you notice in last years Tour, Cadel Evens rode a re-badged Planet X Stealth TT bike for the time trials.


Interesting claim... i gotta look this up.


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## Mountain Elephant

Would like to know the answer to this as well. Haven't heard anything bad about them but have heard a lot about cheap end carbon fibre not being unidirectional and therefore no better, if not less good, than aluminium.

If you get an solid answers I would be very interested


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## RC28

swerv512 said:


> Interesting claim... i gotta look this up.


It is true...it might not have been one sourced directly from Planet X (the same frame is sold by Pedal Force and ElementSix) but from the original manufacturer in Taiwan. I posted about this some time ago on Bike Forums and there was a thread last year there about it confirming it.


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## brica1

*Planet-X Carbon Pro 50 Tubular*

Sounds like you've purchased the Carbon Pro 50 from Planet X. What are your thoughts on these wheels? Ebay has them for $599 with free shipping. Do you know of a better place to buy them? Please let me know your experience.

brica1


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## justyn_c_uk

I have never read a bad review of Planet X bikes or components. In the UK they seem to have a loyal cult-like following and if it wasn't for the fact that I did the PF groupbuy, I would have bought one.


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## Topher

Are you sure you want to spend that much on a bike when your riding is "commuting/leisure"? Unless you have plans to get into lots of road riding, it seems to me that you would be better off spending way less than the $2000+ that frame and ultegra would cost you. If a lot of your riding is commuting, you might want to find something you don't mind beating up a little bit, riding in bad weather, etc. 

You seem to be worrying a lot about comfort... how well the frame fits you is going to matter way more than if its carbon or not. 

Chris


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## Lazyrider

*Well, I have to agree with Cleaves*

generally that everyone's "best" bike is their newest one. However, I have always been critical of my bikes and have to say that the most expensive one I ever owned was my least favorite. It was my Litespeed Vortex. Traded it in and got $2500 on a trade in before they did away with their program. 
Picked up a Litespeed Solano with Dura Ave 10 speed for $500 plus trade in and is much better bike IMO. My consistently favorite ride is my 1997 LS Classic, although my new Mongoose Bosberg is pretty remarkable for the $. 




CleavesF said:


> Not to poop on anyone's party, but for the most part... ANYONE.
> 
> ANYONE that spends a bunch of cash on a bike will usually only say good things about it. Money blinds us all...
> 
> I have my reservations on my expensive road bike, but they didn't come in until much later.


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## roybot

I work at a bike shop and having raced with some success in time trials on a crappy aluminum frame TT bike (Leader), I've ridden on plenty of aluminum and CF bikes before and can say that many CF bikes do have a much smoother ride than aluminum, depending on the frame though. I did a lot of research including looking into what pro deals / employee discounts I could get on Specialized Transitions and all the other TT frames out there. It basically came down to either a used Giant TCR or a Planet X stealth pro. The Transitions looked good except I prefer more 'square' geometry.

From the looks of it Planet X frames are made in China by a company that doesn't have an exclusive license with them - so a few other companies, even some independent eBay merchants, sell what are probably their factory 2nds. The Planet X frames are higher priced but are also backed by warranty, and the company has a great reputation as far as I can tell. I have found many great reviews by people who seem to know their bikes and have yet to see a bad one. I read some people (who haven't owned or ridden one) knocking them for being 'cheap carbon' - but looking at their prices vs. the overhead of big name bikes sold in big stores, Planet X probably keeps their prices low mostly by only selling via the web. I don't see the price as a reason to assume it's a lower quality frame, they're not -suspiciously- cheap (ie., Leader). They may have used less unidirectional fibers, but if there's more weave fibers it should be stronger, and at 1410 grams it's still very light. As far as aluminum vs. CF, I had a TCR before which was the same weight, but the ride was pretty harsh. I decided on getting a CF frame mostly because I expect it to ride a bit smoother with 21c tires.

I'm excited to try this bike out and I'll be sure and post my review here after it's been built and ridden. I should add that I bought this bike, as a 'serious amateur' triathlete, partly because I thought it was more appropriate than a higher end bike such as the Shiv or cf Cervelos, Argon 18s, etc. - high end racing frames are built assuming the rider will be around 160 lbs. - I'm 180. Also the Planet X Stealth Pro was reviewed to corner better than most TT bikes which would be nice considering the roads I have to train on. 

But overall, no matter what keep in mind that it's the engine that matters most. at my first tri I was kind of intimidated at the registration line seeing everyone's expensive 'fast bikes', vs. me with my crappy Leader bike with the bent derailleur and all. When I smoked nearly all of them and finished in the top 10, I was less impressed.


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## pulser955

mizzou1530 said:


> There are several brands that use the Planet X frames and re-badge them with their own logos. In fact, if you notice in last years Tour, Cadel Evens rode a re-badged Planet X Stealth TT bike for the time trials.


Have any prof? Brands like BMC spend massive amounts of cash on testing and wind tunnel time with there TT bikes. Its my understanding that the bigger brands have not dun the re-badgeing thing for a several years now. Here is a video of Cadel's 2010 tt bike.


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## RC28

pulser955 said:


> Have any prof? Brands like BMC spend massive amounts of cash on testing and wind tunnel time with there TT bikes. Its my understanding that the bigger brands have not dun the re-badgeing thing for a several years now. Here is a video of Cadel's 2010 tt bike.


That's not the one...it's the one when his team was running Ridley bikes (before Ridley came up with the Dean so it was probably 2007 ). And it definitely was one of the open mold frames.

Quick Google IMages search brought up this:
Cadel Evans Pictures - Tour de France - Stage Thirteen Time Trial - Zimbio
Pedal Force back in 2007 was selling this frame, as was Planet X and Element Six.


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## tuffguy1500

My buddy rolls on a PX stealth, and I'm using the open mold Exocet (non PX branded) and we both love the feel and handling of the two bikes. Another pal (former pro mtb type) has a PX road frame (sorry, don't know which one) and has ridden it several thousand miles and he always talks it up. They're a great company to buy from, and it's one brand of bikes I see a lot of at triathlons.


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## persondude27

I've known about 6-7 athletes on PX bikes, including both TT and road machines. Some of them treated them like crap, others like gold. In every case, it was not the bike holding the athlete back. In some of the cases, the athlete wasn't being held back. I've raced tris with a guy who humiliates people on his Exocet.


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## Straz85

This thread's almost 4 years old. I think the OP probably made a decision.


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## sadisticnoob

not that it helps but i cracked one of their rims before


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## roybot

I've had a Planet X Stealth Pro for years, it wasn't my first carbon bike and I've ridden plenty of others, I've been really impressed with it and would def recommend it. It comes in a bit heavier than other name brand bikes, but their prices are 2-3 times as expensive (and only ~10% lighter, usually). The extra bulk can actually be good - it's a very strong frame. Myself and at least two people I know have wrecked ours bad enough the frame should've been toast, but instead was perfectly fine. I actually like it's ride better than the S-Works bikes I tried at the bike shop. One time I test ride a customer's Kestrel, I'd say the Planet X rode better.


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## aclinjury

6 year old thread
one downside of using search feature


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## roybot

aclinjury said:


> 6 year old thread
> one downside of using search feature


LIKE I SAID, I've been riding it for YEARS it has stood the TEST OF TIME which is useful information for anyone searching for info on Planet X frames new or old. 

You have no point.


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## mmbuckwa

Any thing new to add about planet x bikes? I know this is an old thread but curious if anyone has bought a planet x brand bike lately and can comment on their purchase.


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## 00Garza

I met a guy at a local duathlon who rides a Planet X TT bike. He had nothing but good things to say about it. Sorry, thats all the info I got on the subject.

*Edited due to terrible writing skills*


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## Nexx11

00Garza said:


> I met a guy at a local duathlon who rides a Planet X TT bike. *He had nothing but things to say about it.* Sorry, thats all the info I got on the subject.


....were they good things or bad things...or just things?


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## 00Garza

Nexx11 said:


> ....were they good things or bad things...or just things?


Doh! GOOD things!


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## turbogrover

This whole threads just smells like PX employees and cheerleaders trying to drum up more business.


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## mmbuckwa

My post was a real question but I decided on a bike from another seller.


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