Road Bike - Carbon Frame Upgrade

macgyverfan · 12 Jan 2016 at 09:00

I have a GT GTS Comp 2014 (nothing fancy - alloy frame, Sora groupset). I'd like to know what people consider the best upgrade for the price.

I've been looking at carbon frames from Planet X and they seem pretty awesome and relatively cheap (especially when on sale). But there are also aero wheels which I've heard good things about. Thoughts/experiences?

Vonhelmet · 12 Jan 2016 at 09:22

The cheap carbon frames on Planet X aren't all that. They have some good frames, but the super cheap ones are cheap for a reason.

Also, upgrading a frame is a bit of a pain, as you'll have to transfer everything across bit by bit.

I'd say your best bet is spend £150 or so on some handbuilt wheels and then save for a whole new bike, or at least the parts to build a whole new bike in one go.

macgyverfan · 12 Jan 2016 at 10:20

Vonhelmet said:
I'd say your best bet is spend £150 or so on some handbuilt wheels and then save for a whole new bike, or at least the parts to build a whole new bike in one go.

£150 for wheels? I guess they aren't aero. Would I notice a significant improvement do you think?

Shamrock · 12 Jan 2016 at 10:21

Vonhelmet said:
The cheap carbon frames on Planet X aren't all that. They have some good frames, but the super cheap ones are cheap for a reason.

Not really sure how you can make such a statement. Have you ridden or owned a PX frame?

FrenchTart · 12 Jan 2016 at 10:25

They do have a bad rep though really I think that's probably not fair any more. Certainly a few years ago they had a few less than awesome carbon frames out.

macgyverfan · 12 Jan 2016 at 10:25

Shamrock said:
Not really sure how you can make such a statement. Have you ridden or owned a PX frame?

What's your opinion on PX carbon frames? I'm not really looking at their bottom offering but have been thinking about one of their's with internal cable routing.

Shamrock · 12 Jan 2016 at 10:33

I don't own a PX but I rode a PX stealth carbon TT bike for a week in Lanzarote and found it to be perfectly fine. Obviously, I can't comment on what it's like to live with but most carbon frames come from the same factories in China and are marked up based on the name and paint job!

It was this bad boy:

A friend owns a PX pro carbon and he has had zero issues, yet another friend's BMC carbon frame randomly failed for no reason and BMC wouldn't replace under warranty.

FrenchTart · 12 Jan 2016 at 10:36

I've ridden this Chinese carbon frame for over 6,000 miles and had zero issues.

http://flyxii.com/en/products/flx-fr-602-matt.html

Just spamming it again as I like the frame. No good unless you like disc brakes though.

macgyverfan · 12 Jan 2016 at 10:39

FrenchTart said:
I've ridden this Chinese carbon frame for over 6,000 miles and had zero issues.

http://flyxii.com/en/products/flx-fr-602-matt.html

Just spamming it again as I like the frame. No good unless you like disc brakes though.

They've got some nice looking frames. Did you hear about this through someone or just decide to take the risk? I've heard a lot of horror stories about buying carbon direct from China.

FrenchTart · 12 Jan 2016 at 11:00

macgyverfan said:
They've got some nice looking frames. Did you hear about this through someone or just decide to take the risk? I've heard a lot of horror stories about buying carbon direct from China.

I read up on a lot of Chinese carbon build forums and spoke to a couple of people on here that had built up a load of Chinese frames. If you research before you buy you're pretty safe - if you just buy some random knock-off then you're asking for trouble.

macgyverfan · 12 Jan 2016 at 11:01

FrenchTart said:
I read up on a lot of Chinese carbon build forums and spoke to a couple of people on here that had built up a load of Chinese frames. If you research before you buy you're pretty safe - if you just buy some random knock-off then you're asking for trouble.

I've seen some crazy cheap aero wheels too

!

FrenchTart · 12 Jan 2016 at 11:03

macgyverfan said:
I've seen some crazy cheap aero wheels too !

I took a chance and went for 50mm aero wheels from a slightly less reputable seller (still had good feedback on Aliexpress and offered a better warranty than most). They've done 7000+ miles and until recently were flawless when a spoke broke. Still, pretty good going for the price.

Vonhelmet · 12 Jan 2016 at 11:16

Shamrock said:
Not really sure how you can make such a statement. Have you ridden or owned a PX frame?

The old pro carbon is down to £240. How good do you think it is? I did say they have good frames, but not at the cheap end of the scale. Given we're talking about upgrades to a £500 bike, I doubt the op is up for spending that much again on a frame to transfer his sora groupset onto.

But hey, I could be wrong.

Oh, and I have two Planet X frames, though neither is carbon, granted.

macgyverfan · 12 Jan 2016 at 11:20

Vonhelmet said:
The old pro carbon is down to £240. How good do you think it is? I did say they have good frames, but not at the cheap end of the scale. Given we're talking about upgrades to a £500 bike, I doubt the op is up for spending that much again on a frame to transfer his sora groupset onto.

But hey, I could be wrong.

Actually that is what I had in mind. Upgrade the frame move everything across. Then at some point upgrade the groupset. Incremental upgrades.

Vonhelmet · 12 Jan 2016 at 11:21

macgyverfan said:
£150 for wheels? I guess they aren't aero. Would I notice a significant improvement do you think?

Define significant. The real answer is that most upgrades don't result in a massive improvement. It really depends on what you're looking for, what you're expecting, and how much you're prepared to pay to save 100g or to get up a ten minute hill ten seconds faster.

macgyverfan · 12 Jan 2016 at 11:22

Vonhelmet said:
Define significant. The real answer is that most upgrades don't result in a massive improvement. It really depends on what you're looking for, what you're expecting, and how much you're prepared to pay to save 100g or to get up a ten minute hill ten seconds faster.

Would I feel anything at all different?

Vonhelmet · 12 Jan 2016 at 11:23

macgyverfan said:
Actually that is what I had in mind. Upgrade the frame move everything across. Then at some point upgrade the groupset. Incremental upgrades.

It's doable, but personally I'd save and build an entirely new bike. If you're buying a frame you're starting from scratch as it is. Besides, if you do it that way then you have two bikes by the time you're finished.

macgyverfan · 12 Jan 2016 at 11:24

Vonhelmet said:
It's doable, but personally I'd save and build an entirely new bike. If you're buying a grand you're starting from scratch as it is. Besides, if you do it that way then you have two bikes by the time you're finished.

I like the sound of 2 bikes. I've certainly got a lot of new ideas to play around with.

FrenchTart · 12 Jan 2016 at 11:29

I agree with Von to be honest. Assuming you're not desperate to just spread the cost then you're probably better off getting an entirely new bike and upgrading the wheels separately (either before or after the new bike).

Shamrock · 12 Jan 2016 at 11:50

Vonhelmet said:
The old pro carbon is down to £240. How good do you think it is?

By that logic, a Cervelo or Specialized frame-only costing £3500 must be incredible. Very stiffness, so power transfer, wow!

I think you're falling for the marketing a bit.