Planet X SL Pro Carbon or Boardman Team Carbon?

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Sam Kennedy

New Member
Location
Newcastle
I will hopefully be getting a new bike in 6-8 weeks time (once I have the money).
My budget will be around £1000.

The two bikes I've spotted are the Planet X SL Pro Carbon with the Ultegra SL groupset (however it has FSA cranks), and the Boardman Team Carbon (Sram Rival).

I like the looks of both bikes, however I'm slightly more tempted by the Planet X bike.

Has anyone had experience with both bikes? Which offers the best value for money?

Cheers,
Sam
 
I will hopefully be getting a new bike in 6-8 weeks time (once I have the money).
My budget will be around £1000.

The two bikes I've spotted are the Planet X SL Pro Carbon with the Ultegra SL groupset (however it has FSA cranks), and the Boardman Team Carbon (Sram Rival).

I like the looks of both bikes, however I'm slightly more tempted by the Planet X bike.

Has anyone had experience with both bikes? Which offers the best value for money?

Cheers,
Sam


The Planet X will have an FSA bottom bracket, which is not so good. From my experience of the Planet X Ti, and having done some research, and also getting advice from my LBS, it seems FSA BB's don't have a good reputation at all, as they don't seem to last very long. They're also being a bit cheeky calling it Ultegra, when it's using a 105 cassette. Also, the Planet X B type wheels, although extremely good and very smooth and strong, are really annoying in having a loud freewheel.

Spec wise though, there's not a lot to choose between them, although a few people seem to prefer Rival over Ultegra for shifting. Are you able to test ride them to see which you prefer?
 
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Sam Kennedy

Sam Kennedy

New Member
Location
Newcastle
The Planet X will have an FSA bottom bracket, which is not so good. From my experience of the Planet X Ti, and having done some research, and also getting advice from my LBS, it seems FSA BB's don't have a good reputation at all, as they don't seem to last very long. They're also being a bit cheeky calling it Ultegra, when it's using a 105 cassette. Also, the Planet X B type wheels, although extremely good and very smooth and strong, are really annoying in having a loud freewheel.

Spec wise though, there's not a lot to choose between them, although a few people seem to prefer Rival over Ultegra for shifting. Are you able to test ride them to see which you prefer?

Hmm, the bottom bracket thing could be a problem, but it's only ~£20 to replace it.

I wont be able to test ride a planet x, unless I can find someone in my club who has one and would let me test ride it.

Halfords don't allow test rides outside the shop, apparently they will let you try the bikes on a turbo trainer, but that doesn't let me feel how the bike corners or how it accelerates.
 

lordjenks

Well-Known Member
Some halfords will let you out for a propper test ride, bring in your signed cycle to work voucher, they keep it, you test ride the bike, if you walk off then they put the voucher through the system.
BUT the new 2010 range of boardmans are 1200 thus elimiating 90% of their sales
 
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Sam Kennedy

Sam Kennedy

New Member
Location
Newcastle
Some halfords will let you out for a propper test ride, bring in your signed cycle to work voucher, they keep it, you test ride the bike, if you walk off then they put the voucher through the system.
BUT the new 2010 range of boardmans are 1200 thus elimiating 90% of their sales

I wont be buying through c2w, it's just going to be paid for like normal (I don't have a job, I'm still in school).
 

Evilcat

Senior Member
Location
London
Hmm, the bottom bracket thing could be a problem, but it's only ~£20 to replace it.

I can't get onto the PlanetX site at the moment, but be aware that some FSA cranks are only compatible with FSA BBs, which leaves you without much in the way of options for replacement.

For example, the "helpful" people at my LBS decided that a Shimano Dura Ace BB would work with the FSA SLK carbon cranks on my Roubaix. Their sizing is almost, but not quite, compatible. Switching to Ultegra cranks and a decent Hope Shimano-compatible BB was much better, once I had managed to remove the FSA cranks which were too tight a fit.

EC
 

HJ

Cycling in Scotland
Location
Auld Reekie
Hmm, the bottom bracket thing could be a problem, but it's only ~£20 to replace it.

I wont be able to test ride a planet x, unless I can find someone in my club who has one and would let me test ride it.

Halfords don't allow test rides outside the shop, apparently they will let you try the bikes on a turbo trainer, but that doesn't let me feel how the bike corners or how it accelerates.

Another good reason for not buying from Helfrauds, but then again the Boardman's do have a good reputation, and the turbo does let you find if the geometry is about right for you, but it is really no substitute of a proper test ride. All reputable bike shops let you test ride bikes outside (so long as it isn't raining), usually after you have given them a valid credit card, you don't bring the bike back they charge you. Maybe we should all write to Chris Boardman and tell him what we think of him only selling bike through Helfrauds.

As you say an Ultegra BB is only £20 and I recently picked up a nearly new Ultegra crank (minus rings, it was the wrong length for the seller) for £9 on e-Bay, so the Planet-X could be a good option.
 

l4dva

Guru
Location
Sunny Brum!
The boardmans team carbons have gone up in price recently too £1200

I got mine a few weeks before the prices went up and its brilliant! The sram groupsets are really good, and halfords let me test ride mine around the car park but it still wasnt enough of a test ride. but I still went for it and im really really pleased with it.

I guess the extra £200 on the price tag may put some people off. i think it was bound to of happened though, start of really cheap, build up customers and reputation and then bump the prices up, eventually I hope they'll ditch halfords too
 

amnesia

Free-wheeling into oblivion...
Team Carbon
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Haven't had any problems with mine, although I took it to a reputable LBS to check it over before I rode it... the list of 'adjustments' they made was quite long considering it had just been professionally (sic) set up by the spotty Herbert at Halfords.

img01.jpg
 
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Sam Kennedy

Sam Kennedy

New Member
Location
Newcastle
Team Carbon
thumbsup.png


Haven't had any problems with mine, although I took it to a reputable LBS to check it over before I rode it... the list of 'adjustments' they made was quite long considering it had just been professionally (sic) set up by the spotty Herbert at Halfords.

img01.jpg

I can't quite put my finger on it... but for some reason I have the feeling that your opinion is biased ;)
 

amnesia

Free-wheeling into oblivion...
I can't quite put my finger on it... but for some reason I have the feeling that your opinion is biased ;)

Maybe...
whistling.gif


I would have liked a Ribble or a Bianchi, but couldn't get one on my company's C2W scheme
angry.gif

I had the Road Comp last year and it was really nice - the Ltd Ed was available and has won loads of awards so I plumped for the Boardman and not looked back since !
 
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