Road Bike - Carbon Frame Upgrade

Shamrock said:
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.
Click to expand...

There's a point at which you maximise bang for buck. £240 on an old Planet X frame is below that point. £3,500 on cervelo's best is above that point. The trick is to get as close to that point as possible within your budget.
 
The Pro Carbon is alright and very alright for its current price. To be honest, the only time I've ever had a "wow" experience on a bike was going from my knackered Campag Xenon equipped aluminium Btwin to my wife's (then) new PX Pro Carbon with SRAM Rival. It's been diminishing returns since really, and I'm sure everyone has similar experiences of the first time they rode a carbon bike.

Groupsets are an underrated part of the riding experience too though, and 105 is so bloody good these days that a 105 equipped Pro Carbon would be a really nice bike for significantly less than a grand. Again, going from my old Xenon shifters to Rival was huge, I'd never noticed how cheap and flexy the basic levers were. You'd see similar going Sora>105.
 
One More Solo said:
To be honest, the only time I've ever had a "wow" experience on a bike was going from my knackered Campag Xenon equipped aluminium Btwin to my wife's (then) new PX Pro Carbon with SRAM Rival.
Click to expand...

Yeah this is the experience I'm going to be having. My current bike is the best I've had so I think I'll notice a difference when I do come to upgrade.
 
Yeah the px pro carbon frame is ok, pretty flexy by current standards. Doubt you'd buy one with racing in mind. Will be fine though and the flex makes it kinda comfy.

If you've got sora 9 speed you'll need to get some wheels that take 8/9/10 speed I think? then your only upgrade path is to 10 speed and not the latest 11 speed?
 
DanF said:
Yeah the px pro carbon frame is ok, pretty flexy by current standards. Doubt you'd buy one with racing in mind. Will be fine though and the flex makes it kinda comfy.

If you've got sora 9 speed you'll need to get some wheels that take 8/9/10 speed I think? then your only upgrade path is to 10 speed and not the latest 11 speed?
Click to expand...

You can get 11 speed wheels and use a spacer.
 
Vonhelmet said:
There's a point at which you maximise bang for buck. £240 on an old Planet X frame is below that point. £3,500 on cervelo's best is above that point. The trick is to get as close to that point as possible within your budget.
Click to expand...

it's cheap not because it's crap :) it's cheap because it's old/been around for ages, they've got newer frames around but many, pro carbons are still on the roads and I've heard no complaints from anyone about the frame. Yes it is not as stiff around BB as the top end cervelo will be but I have literally seen one review mention stiffness, everyone else is more than happy and upgrading from a cheap alu frame will make a massive difference.
 
PX have been knocking out the pro carbon for years. Many club level races have been ridden on them, thousands of riders are happy with them. Can't say fairer than that for £240
 
grudas said:
it's cheap not because it's crap :) it's cheap because it's old/been around for ages, they've got newer frames around but many, pro carbons are still on the roads and I've heard no complaints from anyone about the frame. Yes it is not as stiff around BB as the top end cervelo will be but I have literally seen one review mention stiffness, everyone else is more than happy and upgrading from a cheap alu frame will make a massive difference.
Click to expand...

I didn't say it was crap, I said it wasn't great. There are newer better frames for not much more money, not least from... Planet X.
 
I'll wade in here as the aforementioned PXPC owner that Shamrock mentions.
My experience has been overwhelmingly positive. I got mine on the cycle to work scheme, I think it was costing a shade over £50 a month or something - throw away cash, far less than I boozed away each month anyway. Perspective.

As for the ride, I've had mine for about 7000 miles. The bike has been ridden in all conditions, wet/dry, around Alpe d'Huez and the UK.

The frame is responsive and accelerates well. There is a noticeable difference in the pickup between the PX compared to my Trek 1.2 commuter.
I'm not a particularly powerful rider, it doesn't suit my build, far more of a spinner. I can't say that i've noticed any particular flex from the frame in that respect. Mostly I find the ride pretty comfortable. I suspect I could upgrade the seatpost / handlebars and bar tape if I found it harsh.

With a good wheelset and ultegra it's a really decent budget ride.
Can't comment on other frames - I wouldn't mind riding the RT-90 or EC-130-e frames for comparison!

With regards to my friends BMC Granfondo 01, his frame imploded on the flat. Top tube split across the middle - no crash involved. Under warranty, but neither Evans or BMC would honour it. Was offered a goodwill replacement for £700.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom