Planet X launches Maratona carbon endurance road bike

Planet X has named its new carbon road bike after the Maratona dles Dolomites, a granfondo event that takes place in the Italian Dolomites every year and which regularly attracts over 9,000 cyclists.

As you’d expect of a bike designed for such a long ( a gruelling 140km) and hilly course like that one used for the Maratona dles Dolomites, Planet X has produced a bike designed to provide all-day comfort whilst being light enough to climb and provide plenty of speed when the action hots up.

The geometry has been tailored towards providing this all-day comfort with longer chainstays, producing a longer wheelbase for increased stability, and a taller head tube to raise the height of the handlebars into a more comfortable position.

Let’s take a closer look at the geometry chart. A 54cm size combines a 550mm top tube with a 155mm head tube and a 1,013mm wheelbase, and a 384mm reach and 587mm stack. To provide some context for those numbers, a Cannondale Synapse 54cm has a 542mm top tube, 166mm head tube and 990mm wheelbase, and a 378mm reach and 570mm stack. 

The frame and fork are constructed from carbon fibre, using different grades of carbon throughout the frame to achieve the right blend of stiffness and weight. The frame packs modern features like internal cable routing compatible with Di2 electronic groupsets. 

Planet X is offering the bike in three builds starting at £1,199, with either a SRAM Rival 11 or Shimano 105 5800 groupsets. Both bikes use the same Vision Team 35 shallow section wheels with Planet-X’s own finishing kit (handlebars, stem and seatpost) and a Selle San Marco saddle.

Topping the range is a Shimano Ultegra model costing £1,399 and using the same Vision wheels and finishing kit.

Five sizes are available from XS to XL. 

More info at www.planetx.co.uk/c/q/bikes/road-bikes/maratona?