New Planet X TT Bike: The EXOCET

Home:Ballyhoura

See page 8 & 9 of the Testing Times (Bumper Christmas Issue) on the Planet X website for more details. Claims that it is even more aerodynamic than the current fastest TT rig (which is it, Cervelo P4, Specialized Shiv, Giant Trinity or that new Trek with concealed brakes) is impressive stuff, can't wait until it is released to the public and to see how much it will cost (hopefully I won't be sickened after just buying a Planet X Stealth, but we'll have to wait and see).

What do ye think of it? Anyone else heard of it yet or got any other info on it?

Some discussion here, here and here if you are interested!

MCOS

Been chatting with a few of the lads over at PX over the last couple of weeks and I'm reliably informed it will be more expensive than the stealth.

If you recently bought a Stealth I'm sure you are already sickened by the 20% off this week offer!

tunney

I think its pretty safe to say that this will no be more aero than the new Spesh, Trek or Cervelo. Its better than the Stealth but there are a few things obviously lacking on this frame. internal cable routing behind the headset for one. Thats a biggie. I think the Trek with the faux 8:1 tubes is the frame to beat these days.

Lumen

MCOS wrote: »

If you recently bought a Stealth I'm sure you are already sickened by the 20% off this week offer!

They're not really any cheaper though.

Besides which, the £999 bike I got in November is not currently available; the cheapest version is currently £2120 with discount.

MCOS

Lumen wrote: »

They're not really any cheaper though.

Besides which, the £999 bike I got in November is not currently available; the cheapest version is currently £2120 with discount.

Disagree. I've been tracking the PX website and chatting with them almost daily for the last month. Yes the base stealth build went from 1999 to 2499 but they included nicer kit, the bontrager bars, shimano wheels etc... Still a 500 jump. but 20% off 2.5k is 500 so you are essentially getting that nicer kit free. All depends how you look at it but 3 weeks ago I was looking at dropping 3k on PX and have since dropped 2.5 and have better kit too. Bargain!

Original budget was 3.5 with a P2C in mind, looks like me and the OH are taking a sunny spring break. I'll live with the cables not being hidden behind the headset for that

Home:Ballyhoura

MCOS wrote: »

If you recently bought a Stealth I'm sure you are already sickened by the 20% off this week offer!

Well not really, as I only bought the frame so only lost out by €50 or so (reduction made smaller by slightly less favourable exchange rate too), and still managed to build it all up for €1050 (already had wheels). I'm really delighted with building such a nice TT rig for just fifty quid over my relatively small budget. Will post pics when I get my nice wheels back from being repaired so it looks well in its photo. First impressions are important!

(They have also slightly put up the prices of their complete bike builds to make the sale not so cheap afterall. Still minor savings to be had here and there but not as drastic as the 20% off headline would lead you to believe!

Lumen wrote: »

They're not really any cheaper though.

Besides which, the £999 bike I got in November is not currently available; the cheapest version is currently £2120 with discount.

Ya, that deal has completely disappeared and it was a very good bargain altogether. Now the Stealth's aren't really that cheap anymore unless you buy the frame only and build it up with cheap new/2nd hand parts or else if you want a really high spec TT bike. On those threads I linked to on other forums have input from Planet X staff members who mention it being above the Stealth alright in performance and price, and off the top off their heads around 30% more expensive.

Home:Ballyhoura

MCOS wrote: »

Bargain!

Original budget was 3.5 with a P2C in mind, looks like me and the OH are taking a sunny spring break. I'll live with the cables not being hidden behind the headset for that

Does that mean we have another Stealth on the way to the boards.ie Cycling forum? Man they are getting popular these days aren't they!

mloc123

I see they haven't copied the Treks integrated brakes either...

http://cdn.mos.bikeradar.com/images/news/2009/07/03/1246634248407-33t04vmxult5-798-75.jpg

blorg

Are there any better/similar TT frames around the £400-500 mark- or complete TT bikes around the £1,000-1,500 mark? I am generally around 58cm if that helps with offers. Either M or L on the Stealth. Have Zipp 404s which will do for the moment.

My budget for this is not in Cervelo P4, Specialized Shiv, that new Trek territory

Lumen

blorg wrote: »

Are there any better/similar TT frames around the £400-500 mark- or complete TT bikes around the £1,000-1,500 mark? I am generally around 58cm if that helps with offers. Either M or L on the Stealth. Have Zipp 404s which will do for the moment.

My budget for this is not in Cervelo P4, Specialized Shiv, that new Trek territory

Ribble (probably still requires IE).

[URL="https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/30878/101202.png[/IMG][/URL]

blorg

Thanks, I was looking at the Ribble, some reckon it is a rebadged PX... But the paintjob really puts me off!

djpm

blorg wrote: »

Are there any better/similar TT frames around the £400-500 mark- or complete TT bikes around the £1,000-1,500 mark? I am generally around 58cm if that helps with offers. Either M or L on the Stealth. Have Zipp 404s which will do for the moment.

My budget for this is not in Cervelo P4, Specialized Shiv, that new Trek territory

Cervelo S1 (formerly soloist team) road bike can be set up as a TT/tri bike by flipping top of seat post around and clipping on aerobars. I have one but have never set it up for TT. It's aluminium but rated better than many carbon bikes. As a road bike it won Paris Nice in 04 and 05, among other races for CSC team.

blorg

djpm wrote: »

Cervelo S1 (formerly soloist team) road bike can be set up as a TT/tri bike by flipping top of seat post around and clipping on aerobars. I have one but have never set it up for TT. It's aluminium but rated better than many carbon bikes. As a road bike it won Paris Nice in 04 and 05, among other races for CSC team.

Saw that one but seems oriented towards people who only want one bike which is rather the opposite of my situation. I have road bikes coming out of my ears here... have aerobars but would like gears at the end of them so would be a lot involved. Reckon a dedicated TT bike is the way to go. PX are going to have a budget build in the next few weeks at around the 999-1199 mark apparently so imagine I would go for that. If I was going Cervelo reckon I would want a P2C, maybe get the 2008 frame and build it up thus deceiving myself as to the actual expense involved. I have stuff like wheels, TT saddle, aero bars, brakes, already...

Home:Ballyhoura

Slightly off topic I know but I only just came across these 3T hybrid ZEFIRO bars for the first time yesterday. Mad lookin yokes but they could make an interesting build for someone looking to combine a road and TT bike like djpm mentioned with the Cervelo (I know this is not what you want blorg). I'm sure they are more aimed at the Tri crowd but I was interested in the for all my "long solo breakaways" but they aren't allowed for mass start UCI events! Good enough for hilly Pro Tour TT's though! See below:

blorg

I think that sort of thing can make sense when the course is hilly or very technical. Emma Pooley used this very peculiar setup with normal STI levers to win silver in her Olympic time trial. Hanka Kupfernagel had a similar idea.

mloc123

The 3T looks to be designed for draft legal tris where the bars must be bridged and under a certain length.

Home:Ballyhoura

Here is a resized version of your initial picture - more user friendly...that was massive!!! Anyway, I thought this 162cm Columbians TT setup was strange until I saw that photo, I would love to see a side on shot. Thanks!

blorg

Haha, cheers, it was one of those where it didn't look so big in the article. I changed it to another pic.

Bambaata

MCOS wrote: »

Been chatting with a few of the lads over at PX over the last couple of weeks and I'm reliably informed it will be more expensive than the stealth.

If you recently bought a Stealth I'm sure you are already sickened by the 20% off this week offer!

I dont think ill be catching you on the bike this coming year with this kinda talk

Home:Ballyhoura

Anyone ever seen a side on shot of Emma Pooleys's Olympic TT bike blorg linked to? I recently saw Cadels setup for the first time, crazy stuff! Is it something similar to his do you think? He runs such a low front end with that TT position, his hands are not that far away from the tyre! He has also been on -17° stems on his road bike for quite a long time...madness!

P.S. That WeightWeenies thread is very interesting indeed, lively and fast moving! (Go on..say it. I'm a traitor, I know!!! )


[url=https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/183126/102518.jpg[/IMG][/url]

niceonetom

Pooley's bike look fairly similar to the way a lot of old pursuit bikes looked before aero bars came in:




Evan's setup looks more normal though it is very low - Cadel has very long arms and a short torso and in one of the few rider you see who TTs with his knees between his elbows rather than behind them. Works for him though it is anything but stylish...

JacksonHeightsOwn

Evans has that funny position because he has extremly long arms, i remember the commentator saying this during the Vuelta, he has arms like an orangatang supposedly

Home:Ballyhoura

Quick side on shot of the Evans' extreme TT bike position as seen above!

kcuu77

Hey guys, I found a website of China's carbon bicycle manufacturer produce a similar frame as PX Exocet!

http://www.gotobike.com.cn/gs_detail.asp?id=500386&nowmenuid=500006&previd=500027

mloc123

kcuu77 wrote: »

Hey guys, I found a website of China's carbon bicycle manufacturer produce a similar frame as PX Exocet!

http://www.gotobike.com.cn/gs_detail.asp?id=500386&nowmenuid=500006&previd=500027

Further poof that the ebay carbon frames and PX aren't very far removed..

blorg

mloc123 wrote: »

Further poof that the ebay carbon frames and PX aren't very far removed..

Or indeed the bike that Cadel Evans used to win Stage 13 of the Tour in 2007 :rolleyes:

Chips Lovell

blorg wrote: »

Or indeed the bike that Cadel Evans used to win Stage 13 of the Tour in 2007 :rolleyes:

If he'd been riding a Colnago, he would have won by more;)

petethedrummer

kcuu77 wrote: »

Hey guys, I found a website of China's carbon bicycle manufacturer produce a similar frame as PX Exocet!

http://www.gotobike.com.cn/gs_detail.asp?id=500386&nowmenuid=500006&previd=500027

If there's one thing I require from a TT frame its good agglunation. And it looks like they're adhering to the old Chinese carbon fibre proverb:

- stairway agglutination,make agglutination surface larger

blorg

el tonto wrote: »

If he'd been riding a Colnago, he would have won by more;)

Could have won the entire Tour!

kcuu77

Is it consider NEW TT Frame? Or just import some chinese carbon frame and mark on PX sticker? China's made? How good they are?

Lumen

kcuu77 wrote: »

Is it consider NEW TT Frame? Or just import some chinese carbon frame and mark on PX sticker? China's made? How good they are?

Almost all carbon frames are maufactured in China and Taiwan. The process is very labour intensive.

The spendier manufacturers just tend to do more of the design work, or at least that's what they claim. Obviously Chinese/Taiwanese people can't use computers.