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Planet-X RT -58 Carbon – which one?

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  • March 19, 2015 at 9:11 pm #23550
    alexwlondon

    Hello everyone.

    I have been following the forum for a while and learned a lot here (thanks!) but this is my first post. I started daily commuting in London some years ago and have been riding an hybrid Tachyon GT 4. I have done quite a few thousand miles on it and enjoyed changing various parts as they gave up the ghost.

    I think I am ready to try a road bike. I’d go for alloy but I can see the price of carbon frames has plummetted while I was learning to cycle, so I am quite tempted. I see many here stating that the RX-58 Carbon by Planet-X is a perfectly OK frame. Can I check with you whether this comment applies to someone heavier than average (90kg) who would need a fairly comfortable bike? I do 15miles daily without a problem and want to do longer stints at weekends.

    If the frame is fine, can I ask you for advice between the

    http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXRT58RIV22BNC/planet-x-rt-58-carbon-sram-rival-22-bianco-edition

    http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXRT58CTIA/planet-x-rt-58-shimano-tiagra-carbon-road-bike

    Shimano or or Sram? Both at £799 right now.

    I’ve been with Shimano on previous bikes but they were cheap groupsets so I guess these are completely different pieces of kit.

    Thanks!

    Alex

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  • March 21, 2015 at 7:53 pm #837979
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    Mrmiik

    “Planet X are a pile it high
    “Planet X are a pile it high and sell it cheap kind of company. That’s always going to annoy some, as it’s the opposite end of the spectrum from the romantic view of legendary cycling brands. They will talk about soul and heritage, while PX focus on volume and value.”

    Not sure what your point is here really. Value is highly subjective. Bikes that break through normal riding yet are ‘affordable’ are not good value. Planet x is cheap and a lot of their stuff borders on tat. I’ve got some bits of kit that I use for shitty weather, and their bottle cages are awesome.

    Unsure why you are bringing Colnango and the whole ‘heritage’ esque stuff in here; it seems abit tangenty…

    There isn’t anything particularly lenegendary or romantic about cannondale, Spez and the like, other than they make fantastic bikes.

    While we are the subject of climbing, I’ll assure you that a cheaper Alu frame (perhaps from Planet X or ribble!) will be way stiffer for hitting the bergs than low end carbon. Heck, Alu can give high end carbon a run for its money!

    One of my brothers club mates has a PX carbon – he still misses his CAAD.

    March 21, 2015 at 5:05 pm #837977
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    timb27

    Its not about carbon vs alu,
    Its not about carbon vs alu, it’s what is the best bike you can get for the money (as in best FOR YOU).

    On that basis, the Rt58 with Rival for 800 quid is a bloody good buy. I bought the Ultegra version for the same price last month, and so far I’m delighted.

    Not a full gruppo, but the FSA brakes are fine and with better pads they’ll be great. The FSA chainset is lighter than Ultegra and I quite like the look of it. I got Campag Khamsins which are perfectly good basic training wheels, will be the first upgrade I buy.

    Planet X are a pile it high and sell it cheap kind of company. That’s always going to annoy some, as it’s the opposite end of the spectrum from the romantic view of legendary cycling brands. They will talk about soul and heritage, while PX focus on volume and value.

    When I can build my dream bike on a money’s no object basis, it’s unlikely to be a PX. For now, it’s the best bike I could get for my budget and when I’m cycling up the Croix de Fer as quick as any Colnago, I shall be as happy as a pig in shit.

    Enjoy.

    March 21, 2015 at 4:29 pm #837975
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    Chasseur Patate

    A friend of mine is weighing
    A friend of mine is weighing up between a Planet X and a Ribble at the moment, I provided him the same cautionary tale as that I’m about to tell you:

    Food for thought, but one of my club mates’ Planet X snapped in the middle of the drive side chain stay last week. Not crashed, just snapped whilst riding. This is the third Planet X bike I’ve witnessed snap or seen immediately after it has. Another snapped on the top tube just going round a corner in a crit, the other was offside chain stay near the BB. None have come from crashes. The only other carbon frame I’ve ever seen snap in my life was a Specialized tarmac and that was in a crit crash.

    There’s a reason they’re cheap.

    March 21, 2015 at 4:24 pm #837973
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    Mrmiik

    You do hear that the cheaper
    You do hear that the cheaper carbon frames are not particulary tough. There could be reasoning behind this. Carbon frame failures were much more common in years past. The costs of developing a carbon frame and creating the moulds are significant. PX will be buying an open mould (even if they own the rights to that specific mould) and using the more affordable grades of carbon fibre.

    Now obviously racers and club riders will be putting far more watts down and straining the frame…. But it is something to consider.

    I’ve had three bad crashes on my Cinelli. The frame has been fine. All frame materials can fail.

    If I was getting a budget carbon bike, I’d look at Dolan or Ribble first.

    March 21, 2015 at 2:46 pm #837971
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    PonteD

    I have a planetX proCarbon
    I have a planetX proCarbon and have been vey happy with it. For some reason PlanetX rarely gets mentioned in reviews, but when they have articles about the top 10 bikes for £XXX read the comments and there are many who are fans of them.

    The reviews for the Canyon Al bikes say they are excellent frames and there’s very little between these and a carbon frame. I was looking at the canyon aluminium models before I visited the PX showroom, it was only once there I got my bike as it was on offer and it was too good to turn down. One thing about a decent Al frame is that you’ll likely get a better groupset for the same money. It’s not unusual to get Ultegra on an Al bike at the same price as a 105 equipped Carbon bike.

    March 21, 2015 at 11:45 am #837969
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    Mrmiik

    Carbon isn’t necessarily
    Carbon isn’t necessarily going to be any lighter at this price point. Not sure about the weights for the PX. One of my Alu bikes is the same weight as my carbon one. Go figure.

    Alu will probably be much more stiff though! Sounds like you are after comfort though.

    March 21, 2015 at 11:41 am #837967
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    fukawitribe

    alexwlondon wrote:dazwan,

    alexwlondon wrote:
    dazwan, this is indeed the precise point I’d like to understand. The problem is that I do not know enough. Why should a high end alu frame better than a low end carbon?

    There are probably some bloody awful ‘quality’ aluminium frames and very good ‘low’ end carbon one – and vice versa – and the ‘high end’ frame may not be suitable for what you want (ride, position etc) – it’s just not that simple. Don’t get caught up on materials.

    As mentioned, if you can get into the shops and have sit on the bikes, see what takes your fancy, arrange a test ride if possible (remember, they’re trying to sell something to you) and go from there.

    If you’re buying online, like PlanetX, Canyon etc, then you’ll probably have to go on reviews, forum posts etc and choose the general type of bike is suitable for you – the RT-58 sounds like a good one for all round riding and the SRAM model, in particular, seems excellent value.

    March 21, 2015 at 11:41 am #837965
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    bashthebox

    I don’t subscribe to alu
    I don’t subscribe to alu being better than low end carbon at all. Planet X get their frames direct from factory, presumably in Taiwan or China. The frames those factories pop out can be nothing short of astounding for the money.

    March 21, 2015 at 10:35 am #837963
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    alexwlondon

    thanks everyone for your
    thanks everyone for your comments on the components

    dazwan, this is indeed the precise point I’d like to understand. The problem is that I do not know enough. Why should a high end alu frame better than a low end carbon? Will it be softer? More comfortable? More versatile in case I’d like to use the bike for commuting too?

    Clearly carbon will be lighter – why shouldn’t I go for it?

    Sorry if this is obvious to some. If it’s been discussed several times, please do feel free just to suggest a link.

    Thanks again everyone!

    March 21, 2015 at 10:00 am #837961
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    Mrmiik

    A quality aluminium frame is
    A quality aluminium frame is going to be better than a low end carbon one.

    There is a reason why people rave about the likes of CAAD, Kinesis, canyon Alu despite the availability of cheap carbon.

    Best advice is to go in shops, look around, get an idea of what’s out there – make sure it fits.

    March 21, 2015 at 9:17 am #837959
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    PonteD

    And making personal attacks
    And making personal attacks on people in public forums on people you don’t know or have never met makes you a better person?

    Lighten up, I treat everyone with dignity and respect, don’t confuse sexism with a light hearted joke.

    March 20, 2015 at 10:11 pm #837957
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    crikey

    Quote:I know it’s almost like

    I know it’s almost like a woman liking a car for the colour

    Are your knuckles always sore?

    It’s because they are dragging on the ground…

    March 20, 2015 at 10:07 pm #837955
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    PonteD

    I know it’s almost like a
    I know it’s almost like a woman liking a car for the colour, but id go for the SRAM purely for the fact the gear cables are routed out the rear of the brakes hoods, relatively minor, but once your bars are full of tat (GPS, lights, cameras, bells, etc.) those cables get in the way. At least with the SRAM your cables are routed along the bars and exit the bar tape with the brake cables and keep the space on front of the stem fairly clean.

    I have Rival 20 and prefer it to Shimano, not as smooth though (smooth gear changes can be a welcome relief on a long ride though) but I like the reassuring clunk on gear changes.

    March 20, 2015 at 2:13 pm #837953
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    kwi

    The Rival is pitched at the
    The Rival is pitched at the same level as the Shimano 105 if that helps. Though I see it’s not a full Rival GS.
    I’m running the Rival 22 at the moment and am more than happy enough, though it took a few rides to get used to the double tap shifters I do prefer them.

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