I previously showed a selection of images of my new Planet X RT-57 and after a months worth of riding I thought it's be a good time to take you through a few negatives to bear in mind if you're considering buying a Planet X Bike and looking for reviews and feedback
Planet X RT 57 Bike Problems (A review)
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| Planet X RT 57 Review and Problems |
Planet X RT 57 Bike Problems (A review)
- I found that when I collected the bike Planet X's builders hadn't done the best of jobs in tightening the various nuts and bolts. Particularly the bars and stem. The handlebars slipped on their first use and I was rather fortunate I'd bought a set of allen keys for the ride. Therefore I have to mark Planet X down on the bikes build quality
- I had to spend time myself setting up the rear brake which hadn't been fitted centrally. I wanted to simply get on the bike and ride- finding that you needed to adjust the brakes before your first ride is a real annoyance
- Bottle cage bolt placement is too close together. If you look at the monochrome photo above notice how close the bottle cages are together. It means that water bottles will not fit correctly into the cages i have. I'm currently on the lookout for a set of bottle cages which sit high up and close to the bolt fixing positions
- The Planet X CNC Ultralight brakes are pretty weak on stopping power. As someone who previously was used to the strong yet stable breaking of Dura Ace Calipers. The Planet X Ultralight CNC brake set looks good but is relatively weak and in return takes a lot of work to stop- particularly in emergencies. I'm even at the point of considering changing to a set of Sram or Shimano Caliper brakes once I get paid next.
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| Planet X CNC Ultralight Calipers offer lightweight and light feeling braking |
To be honest most of these are minor issues. The bolt tightness I would recommend anyone to check before they ride a bike anyway but my real worry is the bottle cage bolt fixings being so close together. This is a size large (56cm) RT 57 frameset so I would expect the bolts to be closer together on smaller framesets as well.
This Planet X bike deep deep is a great bicycle. The frameset is fantastically responsive and I absolutely love it however the above have been a few minor issues I thought best shared with the world and blogosphere.
Hi
ReplyDeleteBrakes shown are Fourniers not Planet X.
They are also forged not CNC'd.
The CNC'd brakes have a bit more stopping power.
Thanks Anonymous
ReplyDeleteThe brakes were sold and advertised as CNC brakes and by Planet X. It's likely that they both have the same supplier from China. And match other companies CNC'd options.
had to read your blog.
ReplyDeleteJust took the RT57 out of its well packed box after waiting impatiently since I ordered it last Wednesday; had it up and running within 1/2 hr. It put a grin on my face what with its zexplosive acceleration and shock absorption. the sram are good a the rear- a but clunky at front. I noticed a bit of frame rattle going fast down hill but it might be the brake cable running inside the top rail.
The red slicks do make me feel a bit of a pimp too, but Im bound to get over it when I start getting appreciative comments at traffic lights.
david
I feel that your comments re bolt tightness is (as you admit) a little churlish, hardly a reason to do down Planet X. The bottle cages do sit quite low but I use both, one for tool bottle second for drink and they fit fine on my XL frame. I have no complaints at all especially as an online buyer I expect to fit my own bars and tighten them adequately anyway.
ReplyDeleteThe bike is very compfortable over rough roads, a real joy to ride, stiff as anything, responsive, very precise cornering, light and with BB30 very smooth. I simply cannot find a fault, for this price I don't feel this bike could be any better.
Only thing I'd change is the Planet X logo on the down tube should be black, so that it whispers rather than shouts.
Thanks for the comment- I purchased my RT 57 from the Planet X site and picked it up there ready to ride. If you do that at your local bike shop and it's not ready to ride there would be hell to play! It's unacceptable to sell a bike to a member of the public which is unsafe.
ReplyDeleteI was NOT an Online buyer.
My issue has been with certain bottle cages (Decathlons BTWIN cages wont run 2 on a Large 56 frame). I tried to fit a set of Zefal cages and they had the same overlap issues although i'm currently running fine on a set of Elite Cages
Thanks again for the comment