Upgrade from Planet X to hand Italian?

[Janosh]

It's my second season and I've been riding a Planet X nanolight (equipped with Force/Red parts) with great pleasure. It's light (not much over 7kg) and comfortable, but I can't help but wonder how much better my life would be on a Viner / Colnago / etc...

Most of these frames are heavier than what I have, so has anyone upgraded and regretted?!

I understand it's all about ride quality, longevity and lots of other less tangible metrics, so should I pull the trigger largely based on curiosity??

• I have been to a trusted bike man who does the proper bike fit piece so I would be buying based on his recommendation not just which one I like the colour of!

[Janosh]

Sorry - Obviously the title should say 'hand made'

[anonymous-user]

I find it hard to imagine the bike is holding you back. Buy the Colnago et al if you want to because you like it and want something shiny but no upgrade will reap a major performance gain when your current bike is already high end kit.

I guess it depends what its your second season doing to, would a training week be money better well spent?

[okgo]

It won't feel vastly different I doubt. Spend it on a holiday

[Grandfondo]

Get an Italian bike with Campag and your times might not improve but life will feel so much better!

[Rocksteadyeddie]

okgo said:

It won't feel vastly different I doubt. Spend it on a holiday

[anonymous-user]

If you want something 'just because' then go for it. The placebo may make you feel faster but don't expect it to transform your riding

[Bolebroke]

Everyone should experience the joy of owning a CT2 or C40/C50...they are great bits of kit and definitely encourage you to get out even more than you do already....but be very careful about racing them...I have seen the usual round of crashes and prangs in all levels of racing (particulalrly the lower ones of course) that leave you nursing a mangled bike and a big bill...save the Italian exotica for sportives / etapes and thrash the mass produced stuff round the circuits...

[TheFungle]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Now that you have gone faster on your CX bike what happens when you go back to the alu bike, are you faster than the old baseline?

I had to 'downgrade' to an alloy bike after my frame was written off, swapped components over and I have to say there wasn't that much in it although the carbon bike felt a lot more 'pleasing' to ride.

[anonymous-user]

Bolebroke said:

Everyone should experience the joy of owning a CT2 or C40/C50...they are great bits of kit and definitely encourage you to get out even more than you do already....but be very careful about racing them...I have seen the usual round of crashes and prangs in all levels of racing (particulalrly the lower ones of course) that leave you nursing a mangled bike and a big bill...save the Italian exotica for sportives / etapes and thrash the mass produced stuff round the circuits...

Insurance. That is all.

[agentnomad]

Several things here and I am old enough to have done most of them.

You can buy an exotic bike from your material of choice and the manufacturer of choice this will not make you any faster, I know I had a Greg Lemond carbon team bike in the 90"s it is now in Planet X's showroom minus the forks and one of the rear drop out is loose in the carbon tube. But I enjoyed riding it and therefor trained more on it so maybe was a little faster but not really, mind games.

Having the nice top end equipment can make the enjoyment greater so the performance can increase, it can also decrease as you are not always prepared to take the extra little risk needed to get into the corner in front of the other rider.

If you get a large enjoyment from owning the best you can buy then again go for it, you and the bike will get talked about at cafe stops, beware not always in the nicest way, not everyone will share your passion.

As talked about above comfort and aero position are a performance enhancing detail that would probably come with a nicer bike, but could be achieved with a bike fit on your current bike.

If you are trying to buy speed buy some wheels and some quality coaching/training and stick to the regime the training programme sets out. (because it will hurt)

But whatever you do enjoy it even the pain of training because if you don't enjoy it or the results it brings do something you do enjoy.

Paul.

[okgo]

Think he's talking about that De Rosa mountain bike you bought with the downhill rims - think Steve Peat used them in Fort William in 2006

[TheFungle]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

It's all in the legs

The difference I've noticed, from a 'decent' carbon frame to a somewhat budget alu frame with exactly the same components and contact points is that the carbon bike is easier to push on, everything is just a little more planted and secure which in turns draws that extra power from the legs, of course having now gotten used to the cheaper frame when I eventually get my new frame it will likely be a revalation

[HundredthIdiot]

I know someone who put a SuperSix fork on his Planet X Nanolight and claims it has "totally transformed the ride, before it was twitchy and nervous, now the front listens and behaves much better".