Time trial bikes planet x

On the downside we found that the handlebar extensions weren? With an option to upgrade to deeper section wheels our rear and 82 front wheels did the job. Considering their price, these tubular carbon wheels do an excellent job.

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Cycling Weekly is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Each wheel is finished with a shiny marbled surface, going nicely with the frame. They're handbuilt using Sapim CX Ray spokes, American Classic hubs and deep dish tubular carbon rims: 50mm for the front, mm for the rear.

The front weighs g and the rear g - not a super light combination, but one that's certainly aerodynamic and affordable. Planet X also makes the Pro Carbon 82 which features an 82mm carbon rim, a full disk wheel, and offers Xentis four spoke and standard spoked Reynolds Alta Comp wheels as part of its bike builds.

The Pro 50 front handles like most deep dished front wheels including Lightweights that I've ridden. In a crosswind, it requires a bit more effort than a normal spoked wheel to keep straight, but nothing that you won't get used to after a few rides.

The only wheels I've come across that are immune to this effect are Zipps, with their flared aerofoil rims and golfball-like dimples. The Pro carbon rear is absolutely fine in a crosswind, because you've got most of your weight over the back wheel. It's almost-but-not-quite a disk, so it's great for hillier, technical courses where lighter weight and better handling come into play.

But if money is no object, a disk is still going to be your best option. Both wheels were fitted with Continental Competition 22 tubulars. These are tried and trusted by the pros. They give a great ride and have a good deal of puncture resistance, but don't cost the earth. Summary Planet X's Stealth Pro Carbon is an excellent choice of machine if you're after a medium-budget time trial bike.

With so many speccing options available, you should be able to find one that works for you, bearing in mind that it can always be upgraded. But the heart of the bike is the frame, which is not too heavy, handles well and is aero enough to satisfy a podium finisher in the Tour de France.

It's an amazingly good performer for the price, and right up there with the very best time trial machines. Where time trial bikes excel is going fast in straight lines, as this is where you will benefit most from improved aerodynamics.

Our machine came specced with Shimano Ultegra, with a few upgrades. The bike came with an Ergomo Pro power measuring device. Planet X offers a range of wheels with their bikes depending on your budget. Planet X Stealth Pro Carbon review. Latest deals. Our review A high quality, affordable machine with plenty of build options to suit your budget.

I first built this bike up in , having initially done a few time trials on a modified road bike in Unfortunately, whether through overtraining or just bad luck, I came down with viral encephalitis inflammation of the brain caused by, in my case, the varicella zoster virus in August of that year, and my amateur racing career sadly came to an abrupt halt.

Unfortunately, a global pandemic got in the way. Not only did I get this frame from Planet X, a Sheffield based bike brand renowned for making cheap bikes, but I also got it on sale. The end result is a frameset on which practically all of the major tubes are narrow airfoil shapes.

In simple terms, a straight-on headwind would have a yaw angle of 0 degrees, and crosswinds have positive or negative values depending on which side the wind is coming from crosswinds hitting the driveside first are described as having positive yaw angles, and vice versa.

Generally, riders moving more slowly will experience higher yaw angles than riders moving at higher speeds. The down tube, for example, is so thin that adding a water bottle would likely induce significant extra drag. This was, sadly, de rigueur at the time.

Fortunately, for short time trials, carrying water is generally unnecessary. Likewise, the rear brake mounting area is very small and thin. Presumably, this is because that was fastest on the computer. Another consequence of this slim design is the rear brake caliper has to mount onto an awkwardly small, removable insert, which is then screwed onto the frame with a small Allen key.

The frameset is also very much of its time in that tyre clearance is relatively limited. A final issue I had was that the original front derailleur hanger was of very poor quality and eventually bent out of shape quite badly. A lot of googling, measuring and eyeballing determined a Giant Defy front derailleur hanger might fit though, so I took a risk and got one.

Luckily, it fits and functions perfectly. The front wheel is a Shimano RS81 C It has just 16 spokes, another small aero gain. Though not very fashionable, this type of construction has two major benefits. This consistently came out on top of independent rolling resistance tests and, since a new version was recently released, I was able to get it fairly cheaply. As you may have guessed, I spent a couple of painful hours trying to muscle it onto the rim with my burliest tyre levers, blissfully unaware that fitting road tubeless tyres actually requires a minimum internal rim width of 17mm and a dropped central channel neither of which the wheel has.

The drivetrain is a mix of Shimano parts, some new, some slightly older. The key to it is that everything is big. Big chainrings, big cassette. Both of these things help make your drivetrain a little more efficient , meaning less of the power you put through the pedals is lost to friction in the drivetrain.