Kestevan
Last of the Summer Winos
- Location
- Holmfirth.
Just taken delivery (and had a quick ride) on my new Planet X RT-57 with SRAM Rival Groupset.
First off - dealing with Planet X was a complete pleasure. There was initially a minor issue (my fault) with the ordering procedure, but this was sorted out in minutes with a quick phonecall to Planet X.
I was able to track the progress of the order from picking through build - when there was a slight delay in the build they rang me to tell me the bike would be ready "early next week", and it was duly delivered on the Tuesday morning (Courier was DPD they texted me that morning with a 1 hr delivery slot which they stuck to)..
The bike itself arrived in a sturdy box, with shed loads (literally) of packing. Every tube wrapped in foam and no problems. Finish is superb, a lovely matt black carbon with deep red on the inner (very chunky) forks/chainstays and highlights.
I'd ordered planet X own brand compact drop bars (very shallow drop), lightweight seatpost and a slightly shorter than normal stem, everything else as standard. I could happily do without the gold chain as fitted and this will be replaced when it wears out.
Other than that everything looks good. Fitted the rear mech, wheels and seat post with no problems.... other than the quick release on the brakes which is a bit "odd" - it's almost like the noodle on a V brake than the usual shimano style release lever, it did confuse me for a moment.
Bike is very light... even with heavy wired tyres, a basic saddle and 105 pedals it tips the scales at something around 7.5kg (best guess on a bathroom scale).
First ride impressions are that it's very quick. There was no hint of flex through the frame, even with my not inconsiderable bulk throwing it around. Road buzz/vibrations through the seat and bars was minimal, and I'd guess I'd got the sizing right, as it seemed to fit very well.
Change to SRAM rival from shimano was interesting.... I kept trying to push the brake lever off at first, but I'm sure this will come. Gearchanges are "solid" with a more mechanical thunk than Shimano, but easy to fire, and very positive, no problems with setup or chain rub.
The brakes are a bit all or nothing, very powerful compared to 105s but with less modulation (this may get better as the pads/rims bed in).
Only complaints so far are an occasional rattle over rough roads in some gears - suspect it's the gear cable on the down-tube; and the absence of frame protector patches or guides on the headtube and chainstay. I'll be adding helicopter tape/lizardskin before the next ride.
On the whole very pleased with the whole buying experience - just hope it holds up as I add some miles to the bike over the next few weeks.
First off - dealing with Planet X was a complete pleasure. There was initially a minor issue (my fault) with the ordering procedure, but this was sorted out in minutes with a quick phonecall to Planet X.
I was able to track the progress of the order from picking through build - when there was a slight delay in the build they rang me to tell me the bike would be ready "early next week", and it was duly delivered on the Tuesday morning (Courier was DPD they texted me that morning with a 1 hr delivery slot which they stuck to)..
The bike itself arrived in a sturdy box, with shed loads (literally) of packing. Every tube wrapped in foam and no problems. Finish is superb, a lovely matt black carbon with deep red on the inner (very chunky) forks/chainstays and highlights.
I'd ordered planet X own brand compact drop bars (very shallow drop), lightweight seatpost and a slightly shorter than normal stem, everything else as standard. I could happily do without the gold chain as fitted and this will be replaced when it wears out.
Other than that everything looks good. Fitted the rear mech, wheels and seat post with no problems.... other than the quick release on the brakes which is a bit "odd" - it's almost like the noodle on a V brake than the usual shimano style release lever, it did confuse me for a moment.
Bike is very light... even with heavy wired tyres, a basic saddle and 105 pedals it tips the scales at something around 7.5kg (best guess on a bathroom scale).
First ride impressions are that it's very quick. There was no hint of flex through the frame, even with my not inconsiderable bulk throwing it around. Road buzz/vibrations through the seat and bars was minimal, and I'd guess I'd got the sizing right, as it seemed to fit very well.
Change to SRAM rival from shimano was interesting.... I kept trying to push the brake lever off at first, but I'm sure this will come. Gearchanges are "solid" with a more mechanical thunk than Shimano, but easy to fire, and very positive, no problems with setup or chain rub.
The brakes are a bit all or nothing, very powerful compared to 105s but with less modulation (this may get better as the pads/rims bed in).
Only complaints so far are an occasional rattle over rough roads in some gears - suspect it's the gear cable on the down-tube; and the absence of frame protector patches or guides on the headtube and chainstay. I'll be adding helicopter tape/lizardskin before the next ride.
On the whole very pleased with the whole buying experience - just hope it holds up as I add some miles to the bike over the next few weeks.
