Focus Cayo or Planet X?

BUACHAILL

Quigs Snr wrote: »

Bit dramatic there Buachaill. Its clearly not Dura Ace in the picture. Its black for a start, Dura Ace is silver (FSA cranksets are fine by the way, I rode the etape on one). I agree the contents of the build kit should be mentioned (they are somewhere on this site and used to be more prominent till they did the redesign), I guess thats why they say buying from the web is only for people who are sure of what they are doing.... You should relax though, you still got a great deal, get out there and enjoy it.

Keith123, Dura Ace Cranks = more expensive, slightly lighter, Stiffer. The few grams saved will not matter, the stiffness won't be an issue unless you are Tom Boonen and even at that you won't notice. I ride Dura Ace Cranks, love them. Rode FSA cranks for a long time, loved them too.

The standard Planet X build kit has PlanetX branded Stems, Bars, Seatpost and Saddle (all good quality and light). FSA cranks and planet x wheels are also standard, again pretty standard mid-range stuff. The only Dura Ace parts are the shifters and derailleurs. The chain and cassette are 105, which again are fine.

All in its a fine race ready bike that you can upgrade to your hearts content or ride as is and ride to a very high standard, it wouldn't stop you winning a pro race right out of the box. The same could be said of the Focus and most other bikes of similar spec. It could be worse, you could be spending twice as much on a trek covered in Bontrager parts !

I have no bias in any of this by the way, I ride a Cervelo R3 SL and a Trek 5500, both full dura ace with mavic wheels. I have a set of planetx cages and wheels, found their service great and am considering a Stealth TT frameset at the minute.

Yeah sorry for the rant i have calmed down a bit. Its more annoying that if its not standard cosidering its a Dura Ace special offer that the option for the upgrade to Dura Ace is there. Nowhere is it mentioned.

Senior are you telling me that you would buy a bike by looking at a picture? By the way if you click on all there first couple of offers they have the same pic.

I am very fussy as you might have gathered and i dont mean to have a go and I am very aware that I have got a good deal but when you get one line short answers from someone who you have just spent money with its very annoying. I sell cars for a living and I would never treat a customer that way.

Anyway I am delighted with the bike and cant wait to get going.

Quigs Snr

Hi Buachaill,

All of us are fussy when it comes to parting with this amount of cash. I wouldn't buy a bike from a picture thats for sure, but I would research it as extensively as possible and the picture would cause me to question what I was getting. When I bought my Cervelo the picture showed a Wolf SL fork on it, so I damn near went into orbit when I got a 3T Funda with it instead, so I understand how you feel ! Ultimately though the bike just won me over in the end. I still got great value for my money so I was happy enough.

Now I do agree PlanetX need to make the crankset choice or lack thereof more visible (on the older site they specifically mentioned it, it was very clear whilst on the new one they are falling down badly)

You are going to love that bike, anyone who has one of these bikes raves about it, really good word of mouth. Goto bikenames.com and get your name tags made up for it so we can recognise you out on the road !

BUACHAILL

Quigs Snr wrote: »

Hi Buachaill,

All of us are fussy when it comes to parting with this amount of cash. I wouldn't buy a bike from a picture thats for sure, but I would research it as extensively as possible and the picture would cause me to question what I was getting. When I bought my Cervelo the picture showed a Wolf SL fork on it, so I damn near went into orbit when I got a 3T Funda with it instead, so I understand how you feel ! Ultimately though the bike just won me over in the end. I still got great value for my money so I was happy enough.

Now I do agree PlanetX need to make the crankset choice or lack thereof more visible (on the older site they specifically mentioned it, it was very clear whilst on the new one they are falling down badly)

You are going to love that bike, anyone who has one of these bikes raves about it, really good word of mouth. Goto bikenames.com and get your name tags made up for it so we can recognise you out on the road !

Hi Senior,

Thanks for your comments. I was more annoyed earlier at the guys comments more so than the fact i hadnt got what i expected. I really feel they need to be more clear on their website and they agree with me and said they are going to change it. I had done a lot of research into what bike i wanted and that's one of the reasons I had picked them in the first place as I could pick specific parts.

Please dont get me wrong here I am not unreasonable and I am chuffed with my new machine but I dont see how they can call it a Dura Ace Offer and yet nothing on it comes with it?? Yes I agree I should have questioned the bike in the picture but as I said earlier it was a stock picture.

Anyways to be fair to them they came back and offered me the Dura upgrade at a fee but i am going to decline as what I have is more than good enough for me and I have already spent enough. So i do commend them for the offer.

I must go and order up the plate now and cant wait to get out on it tomorrow, although i need to purchase a computer first. ha it never ends

I will try get some pictures up tomorrow !!

Quigs Snr

I do love dealing with Planet X, the 2 times I have they have been great, but their website was a disgrace, the new one is better but still has work to do. When I got my wheels they were one price in the "road wheels" section but cheaper (significantly) in the triathlon section. I think the problem with a company like PlanetX which is run by lads who love bikes and riding bikes is that they are a bit sloppy when it comes to the professionalism of selling online. Its not intentional as far as I can tell and they are trying to improve, but I would always be cautious buying from them.

They have a great deal on an ergomo power meter today. Damn them.

Re: Computers, I got my CS400 on Ebay. At the time I was 300 euro in Ireland (the cheapest I could find it), I got mine from the states for about 180 euro. I am sure similar savings could be made on the lower end models... To be fair though a Cateye Strada wireless or micro would be grand for you if you don't want anything fancy like HR.

BUACHAILL

yeah i am not sure if i should go for HR or not. I am thinking of going for one anyway as its better to have it and not use than having to go spend more money on another one if I decide i do want one, plus I am a gadget freak and if i buy one I know i wont be able to help but use it ha ha.

BUACHAILL

BUACHAILL wrote: »

yeah i am not sure if i should go for HR or not. I am thinking of going for one anyway as its better to have it and not use than having to go spend more money on another one if I decide i do want one, plus I am a gadget freak and if i buy one I know i wont be able to help but use it ha ha.

My new machine

planet x.JPG

planet x1.JPG

Caroline_ie

BUACHAILL wrote: »

My new machine

planet x.JPG

planet x1.JPG

Very Nice!!!!! Congrats on the baby! Hopefully we'll see you at the spins now as well eh?

BUACHAILL

Yeah hopefully so caroline just need to get the next few sats out of the way as I am working . Did you go for a spin today?

Caroline_ie

BUACHAILL wrote: »

Yeah hopefully so caroline just need to get the next few sats out of the way as I am working . Did you go for a spin today?

Was outside Dublin last night, I was too tired to drive back so late and only came home this noon. I am really tired after driving 350k, so I am just watching the tour de France on tv. Maybe I'll go later tonight just around the park, but not sure. I am going for a spin for the early tomorrow AM.

By the way, don't worry about working saturdays, there are also spins on Sundays :cool:

BUACHAILL

Yeah but my sundays are normally hang over days. just like right now. Had a few last night and head is thumping. Dear god why we do it

paddyb

BUACHAILL wrote: »

Yeah but my sundays are normally hang over days. just like right now. Had a few last night and head is thumping. Dear god why we do it

have you been out on the bike yet?

BUACHAILL

No not yet hope to get out on it later today but if not my commute starts tommorrow

Drapper

BUACHAILL wrote: »

No not yet hope to get out on it later today but if not my commute starts tommorrow

you know what lance would say about this situation?

blorg

BUACHAILL wrote: »

yeah i am not sure if i should go for HR or not. I am thinking of going for one anyway as its better to have it and not use than having to go spend more money on another one if I decide i do want one, plus I am a gadget freak and if i buy one I know i wont be able to help but use it ha ha.

Get HR, it is a very useful training aid. You can get a simple (non-logging) HR monitor for far less than 300, to give you an idea of how cheap even Aldi/Lidl do them periodically for around €20 or so.

blorg

PeadarofAodh wrote: »

Yeah I'd probably just convert it to a double, no big deal. It's either that or destroy my head trying to go through the Planet X options...all I want is a decent bike to get on the road again!!

Don't get a triple if you want a double, it is a big deal to convert and would be expensive. You would need definately new front shifter (and they generally sell as a set), crankset, bottom bracket and front derailleur, plus a swap on the rear derailleur for a short cage if you wanted that benefit.

Swapping compact for a standard road double should just be a matter of the crankset (still not cheap, but considerably easier than changing a triple.)

You would likely be better off just spending the extra now and getting a more expensive bike with the gearing you want. Personally though I have a triple and am perfectly happy with it (reckon I would be as happy with a compact either.)

PeadarofAodh

Thanks for the heads up Blorg, I was obviously misinformed!

I think I'll plump for the Planet-X, just trying to figure out what components I should go for etc. It's going to take a while for me to try and decipher it all!

stuf

blorg wrote: »

Get HR, it is a very useful training aid. You can get a simple (non-logging) HR monitor for far less than 300, to give you an idea of how cheap even Aldi/Lidl do them periodically for around €20 or so.

Can also be a good kick up the arse to increase your gear or cadence when cycling on the flat

ChickenBalls

BUACHAILL wrote: »

My new machine

planet x.JPG

planet x1.JPG

How are you getting on with the bike?
I thinking of ordering today but not sure what to upgrade on it or maybe just leave it as is.

BUACHAILL

keith123 wrote: »

How are you getting on with the bike?
I thinking of ordering today but not sure what to upgrade on it or maybe just leave it as is.

I have no complaints at all with the bike its the business, was out on it last night again and just gets better. I find the standar wheels and tyres that are on it quite good, they are planet x wheels not Reynolds.

i upgraded quite a lot on it though

PeadarofAodh

Planet X for me as well, finally decided what I'm going to upgrade etc based on a friend's recommendations. Hopefully will get it ordered today or tomorrow

PS: Could you imagine spending £26 on bar tape??!

ChickenBalls

PeadarofAodh wrote: »

Planet X for me as well, finally decided what I'm going to upgrade etc based on a friend's recommendations. Hopefully will get it ordered today or tomorrow

PS: Could you imagine spending £26 on bar tape??!

What upgrades are you getting?
Friend of mine told me to upgrade the brakes as he never heard of tektro

BUACHAILL

ha i wasnt that bad with my upgrades i can live wit the standard tape.
I upgraded breakset, cassette, chain to Ultegra, gear levers, front mech, rear mech to Dura Ace , got an FSA Gossamer Chainset although thought it was Dura Ace but works fine and upgraded saddle to Selle Italia slrT1.
SWEET

Chips Lovell

keith123 wrote: »

Friend of mine told me to upgrade the brakes as he never heard of tektro

Tektro would be a pretty well known brake manufacturer in fairness. They're often found on on cheaper bikes, but they've a few more expensive models too.

ChickenBalls

yeah I saw they had carbon version of the brakes too so thought they might be decent company alright.

ChickenBalls

Regards the wheels is there much difference between the Model C, B and A57?

PeadarofAodh

I'm going with pro 31.6 seatpost, not sure about saddle yet, Ti seatclamp, shimano cassette, dura ace chain, ultegra brakeset, model b wheelset and the stelvio plus tyres

ChickenBalls

PeadarofAodh wrote: »

I'm going with pro 31.6 seatpost, not sure about saddle yet, Ti seatclamp, shimano cassette, dura ace chain, ultegra brakeset, model b wheelset and the stelvio plus tyres

Cheers.

how much is all that then?

blorg

Tektro brakes can be utterly fine (I have Tektro RX5 Mini-Vs on my tourer and they are _great_) but at the same time I think I would upgrade the R720s on that bike simply out of groupset snobbery.

If I was getting that bike, I'd upgrade/change from the standard:

- no saddle (just as I am eccentric and would be sticking on a Brooks, but if there is one there you reckon you want, go for it)
- Shimano Ultegra 10 12-27 Cassette (to get up those hills)
- Shimano Ultegra, Dura-Ace or KMC chain (would probably take SRAM if it was there but KMC is a good alternative. The Shimano stuff is also fine.)
- Shimano Ultegra (not much more than 105) or Dura-Ace brakeset (if you are in a hell, feck it mood)
- Planet X Model B wheelset (lighter and a bit flashier than the Model C, might not be as durable though probably a good choice for a racing bike)
- Schwalbe Ultremo tyres (better tyre than the Stelvios and same price- have these on my Focus and very happy with them)

ChickenBalls

Thanks for the info Blorg - things slowly beginning to make sense now

blorg

keith123 wrote: »

Regards the wheels is there much difference between the Model C, B and A57?

Mainly weight and spoke count:

Planet X Model B wheelset - 20h/24h Shimano

The NEW Planet-X Model B wheelset are designed for fast road use, triathlons and time trialling. SL semi aero Rim Profile Planet-X Superlight hubs (sealed cartridge bearings) Bladed aero spokes (20 front , 24 rear) Weight - 1570g per pair. Supplied with a set of Planet-X quick release levers. Shimano 8, 9 and 10 speed compatible.

Planet X model C wheelset - 32h/32h Shimano

The NEW Planet-X Model C wheelset are designed for all round road use. SL semi aero Rim Profile Planet-X Superlight hubs (sealed cartridge bearings) Round profile butted spokes (32 front and rear) Weight - 1685g per pair. Supplied with a set of Planet-X quick release levers. Shimano 8, 9 and 10 speed compatible.

Planet X A57 wheelset - 32h/32h Shimano

Now available and back in stock, our award winning A57 wheeleset - based on the set that won the Cycling Plus Award last year.
32 spoke front and rear, running on our superb Superlight Team hubs.
Shimano compatible.
Comes with skewers.

If you are relatively light you could probably go with the B wheelset but if you are of a heavier disposition I'd go for the Cs or the A57s- the 100g up to the C weight is unlikely to make much of a difference, the wheels will just look a bit more traditional and less bling. I believe the A57s are in the 1800g range and would be the strongest.

PeadarofAodh- I'd get the Ultremo tyres, they are a great light tyre, a rung above the Stelvios but Planet X are charging the same price for them.