outlash
also available in orange
- Location
- ice station zebra
New road bike for £500? (Piccies added - Page 6)
- Thread starter russ.will
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
Indeed .
OP
OP
russ.will
Slimboy Fat
- Location
- The Fen Edge
It doesn't sound odd at all. Bikes are not an objective subject and as a reviewer, in so many aspects, only has his subjective preferences as a yard stick, one needs to read between the lines, as you have. Of course, if the wheels go wonky within the first hundred miles, or you can find basically the same level of spec for less, then there's a value judgement to be made and that could knock stars off.
What was their issue(s)?
Russell
cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
They said it felt not very stiff when putting power down but very comfy on long rides .
Its all just talk though as tbh although it a whole 4-500 g lighter than my current bike ( woohoo !) the fact it i cant really justify it , a bike fit, groupset upgrade and a set of lighter wheels, for my current bike would be cheaper and probably more cost effective .
Last edited:
Tomtrumps
Active Member
- Location
- South East London
For £500 that must have been the bargain of the year. Got the weekly Merlin email yesterday and the full Rival groupset is £400, the Campag wheels are £90. How Planet X made money on that is a minor miracle!
OP
OP
russ.will
Slimboy Fat
- Location
- The Fen Edge
I (and the bike) had a proper baptism of fire tonight. A friend who has about n+10 bikes invited me out for a ride tonight. Friend Pippa, who's done Tri for over a decade said she'd come along too. It felt like I'd started a ball rolling and lost control of it. I was in for a reality check....
My average speed on the Plug has tended to be governed by my Saturday partner which is in the 15mph range over 24 miles. By myself, I've pushed that to 16.5mph. I've no idea if that's good or not, for a steel three speed, but the following morning, I know I did it.
Tonight, I had the dual shame of fat lad and new bike n00b status, terrified of watching the properly fit types free-wheel in front of my gasping form. Truth is, they went easy (Pippa in particular) but we managed 17.5mph average. However, that was more on-road than the normal busway route, so involved a couple of sets of traffic lights and a good few more road junctions that normal. Some of the longer unbroken stretches were done at a steady 21mph, which for this 17 stoner (8lb lost in the last two weeks) is frankly, unbelievable.
So ignoring that Strava is pinging up personal golds against an admittedly low base-line, the RT-58 was, at all times, very comfortable. It always felt like I was the limit and the bike wasn't getting in the way. Hell, I even stood up to sprint up a road bridge and was surprised to find the acceleration just happened. I could then sit and maintain the upward progress, without the sapping feeling of pedaling treacle the Plug imparts (thus stopping you from bothering in the first place) and more importantly, I was staying with the fit kids. Or at least close enough to catch them on the down hill bits, where weight is actually a bonus!
One pleasing note is that I corner faster than my friends. It's probably a result of 20 years of motorcycle riding and track day knee down, but I go in faster, lean harder and keep pedaling, so I come out faster. I know what grip at the limit feels like and I'm genuinely amazed at how much grip these slicks have. It's the only area I win, so don't tell me there are good reasons not to do this!
If I could change anything, I'd probably go for a slightly shorter stem, so I could mount the bars simultaneously closer and lower. When standing up to push, I found the bars were a bit too far away to pull up on, but I'll give it a few more rides. Currently, it's the first time I've been able to pull, as well as push a pedal, so it could just be that I have to un-learn some old habits and everything may click into place.
I'd also change the seat clamp. in fact, I'll have to because I broke it. Arriving home, I noted that the seat had sunk by 5-7mm, presumably because of the excess load it's being asked to deal with. In re-adjusting, I sheared the allen bolt and there's not enough to get a grip on to remove what's left. The clamp itself, is fine, but at the £5-10 quid these things cost, it's hardly a biggy.
All in all, I'm one happy bunny. The Plug met my expectations and it's a keeper, but the RT-58 is already helping me to exceed myself and that is as much as I can ask. Could other bikes do this? Without a doubt, but for the price paid, I'd pay it again jut for the smug grin I had. Once I got my breath back.
Russell
My average speed on the Plug has tended to be governed by my Saturday partner which is in the 15mph range over 24 miles. By myself, I've pushed that to 16.5mph. I've no idea if that's good or not, for a steel three speed, but the following morning, I know I did it.
Tonight, I had the dual shame of fat lad and new bike n00b status, terrified of watching the properly fit types free-wheel in front of my gasping form. Truth is, they went easy (Pippa in particular) but we managed 17.5mph average. However, that was more on-road than the normal busway route, so involved a couple of sets of traffic lights and a good few more road junctions that normal. Some of the longer unbroken stretches were done at a steady 21mph, which for this 17 stoner (8lb lost in the last two weeks) is frankly, unbelievable.
So ignoring that Strava is pinging up personal golds against an admittedly low base-line, the RT-58 was, at all times, very comfortable. It always felt like I was the limit and the bike wasn't getting in the way. Hell, I even stood up to sprint up a road bridge and was surprised to find the acceleration just happened. I could then sit and maintain the upward progress, without the sapping feeling of pedaling treacle the Plug imparts (thus stopping you from bothering in the first place) and more importantly, I was staying with the fit kids. Or at least close enough to catch them on the down hill bits, where weight is actually a bonus!
One pleasing note is that I corner faster than my friends. It's probably a result of 20 years of motorcycle riding and track day knee down, but I go in faster, lean harder and keep pedaling, so I come out faster. I know what grip at the limit feels like and I'm genuinely amazed at how much grip these slicks have. It's the only area I win, so don't tell me there are good reasons not to do this!
If I could change anything, I'd probably go for a slightly shorter stem, so I could mount the bars simultaneously closer and lower. When standing up to push, I found the bars were a bit too far away to pull up on, but I'll give it a few more rides. Currently, it's the first time I've been able to pull, as well as push a pedal, so it could just be that I have to un-learn some old habits and everything may click into place.
I'd also change the seat clamp. in fact, I'll have to because I broke it. Arriving home, I noted that the seat had sunk by 5-7mm, presumably because of the excess load it's being asked to deal with. In re-adjusting, I sheared the allen bolt and there's not enough to get a grip on to remove what's left. The clamp itself, is fine, but at the £5-10 quid these things cost, it's hardly a biggy.
All in all, I'm one happy bunny. The Plug met my expectations and it's a keeper, but the RT-58 is already helping me to exceed myself and that is as much as I can ask. Could other bikes do this? Without a doubt, but for the price paid, I'd pay it again jut for the smug grin I had. Once I got my breath back.
Russell
outlash
also available in orange
- Location
- ice station zebra
Good work sir, 17.5 ave isn't bad at all, even on the flatter parts of the county. Where there's no hills, you'll get the 'fen blow' 
.
Tony.
.Tony.
cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
well done,
it never gets easier,you just go faster.
it never gets easier,you just go faster.
Torvi
mr poopmechanic
- Location
- Wellingborough
haha great mate! i think we are soulbrothers as i also corner like a madman, no person can overtake me on corners ~gotta look for apex~ haha
cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
Come and teach me , i love hills especially the up bits as i found of asking if we can do a hill again ( jokingly ) but i will admit im cack at cornering .
OP
OP
russ.will
Slimboy Fat
- Location
- The Fen Edge
Suck up you plumbs and tuck your fingers away. Touching the brakes is a sin.
I did a race school in Spain with Docshop a few years ago. The whole of the first day was spent in third gear and you were not allowed to touch the brakes. This was boring on the straights, but Cartagena has a couple of 30mph-at-apex hairpins and I was riding an Aprilia RSV Mille that would do circa 110mph in third. In other words, enough for the purposes. All the instructors were doing, was teaching you how much speed could be scrubbed, simply by leaning the bike into a corner and letting friction do the rest.
Of course, there was equal amounts of bowel movement and chickening out early on. But by the end of the first day, you were tipping the bike in at 60-65mph, knowing it would be doing the required 30mph at the apex. Nett result, you were entering corners 10-15mph faster than you dared at the beginning of the day, which meant less and later braking and therefore more speed carried at the end of a straight, for longer.
Okay, you don't have the sheer amount of rubber on a cycle to dissipate the speed through friction, but then you don't have the speed to deal with either. The principle is much the same and you learn the 'feel' by doing the same, safe corner, over and over again. Just go a tad faster, with a tad less braking every time, until you (as I did!) fall off. Retrench to previous successful speed and learn what that feels like so you can repeat elsewhere.
If I was doing it again now? Honestly, I couldn't and that's why I eventually replaced motorbikes with skiing - Falling off hurts less and I still get my slightly-beyond-my-safety-zone, buzz, but some lessons learned in all sports, apply elsewhere.
Russell
I did a race school in Spain with Docshop a few years ago. The whole of the first day was spent in third gear and you were not allowed to touch the brakes. This was boring on the straights, but Cartagena has a couple of 30mph-at-apex hairpins and I was riding an Aprilia RSV Mille that would do circa 110mph in third. In other words, enough for the purposes. All the instructors were doing, was teaching you how much speed could be scrubbed, simply by leaning the bike into a corner and letting friction do the rest.
Of course, there was equal amounts of bowel movement and chickening out early on. But by the end of the first day, you were tipping the bike in at 60-65mph, knowing it would be doing the required 30mph at the apex. Nett result, you were entering corners 10-15mph faster than you dared at the beginning of the day, which meant less and later braking and therefore more speed carried at the end of a straight, for longer.
Okay, you don't have the sheer amount of rubber on a cycle to dissipate the speed through friction, but then you don't have the speed to deal with either. The principle is much the same and you learn the 'feel' by doing the same, safe corner, over and over again. Just go a tad faster, with a tad less braking every time, until you (as I did!) fall off. Retrench to previous successful speed and learn what that feels like so you can repeat elsewhere.
If I was doing it again now? Honestly, I couldn't and that's why I eventually replaced motorbikes with skiing - Falling off hurts less and I still get my slightly-beyond-my-safety-zone, buzz, but some lessons learned in all sports, apply elsewhere.
Russell
Torvi
mr poopmechanic
- Location
- Wellingborough
- (example left corner) if you see tight sharp corner, just before entering it swing your bike to the inside(as in to the right) and then swing back to the left right away, that way you will maintain balance as your whole weights shifts with bike from right to left that will allow you to enter the corner much sharper than with just typical swing from middle(straight position) to the left.
- if you feel that you are going in too fast then use both brakes in the middle of the turn to maintain grip over the track, do not use them too hard as you will lose a lot of speed and may result in a crash, moreover it will result in higher leg output to regain old speed thus wear you out
- adjust gears before cornering
- keep looking for the way that you can have wide exit, even if you corner really hard, you will see that there is no space for comfortable throttle, go inside but exit more to the middle of your lane, dont hug close to the ditches as the road is mostly in worst condition there
20mph on a bike and went in from the inside on very sharp turn(stupid newb mistake), just before hitting the curb managed to put the bike on the side so i didnt broke anything, few spins on the footpath but at least bike wasnt damaged 
