I’m gonna strip the groupo off of my current tri bike and build up a roadie this winter. Probably gonna pull the trigger on a new tribike sometime before the new year.
I like the Planet X deal because it seems like a reasonable price ($450 for the frame and fork). Anything else I should consider?
This bike might be used for an occassional group ride, maybe a grand fondo / century ride event, possibly a crit.
I plan to just get a cheap set of wheels for now (Forte Titan or something similar).
Where you can get the Planet X for $450? The price I see on their website is $550… still a great price, comparable to the generic chinese frames on ebay…
I got a bike from bikesdirect.com in 2006 for around $ 1,100. It was a complete bike, aluminum frame, carbon fork and seat stays, full ultegra 10 spd, shimano wheels. Might be a touch more than you are looking to spend, but for what I paid I was more than satisfied. Can’t recall if they sell frames or not. But then my new (er) road bike is a planet x, and thats a hard deal to beat too…
Although it’s a bit more $, I think the Cannondale CAAD10 is pretty hard to beat for the money. If you look on eBay you can probably find the frame for under $700 or complete bike for a bit more. I rode one last year, and I did not expect to like it. I was pleasantly surprised.
For the money I’m not sure there is a better deal than the Specialized Allez which you CAN buy as a frame…that is if you can find one in stock. Last year the white/blue was like trying to find weapons grade plutonium laying on the sidewalk. I waited 5 months and opted for a Secteur, but the Allez is a smoking deal IMO.
The Planet X road frame is $450 with the ST discount (I saw the post in the ST classifieds a few weeks ago. I think it is only good thru end of October)
The direct form china carbon frames is what I would buy right now.
Check out the fm028. It can be had (Frame, fork, seatpost, headset) for under $600 shipped.
It’s talked about a fair bit over on the road bike review forums.
They are also talking about a new frame that looks like the Scott Venge that can be had for a similar price (although I don’t think anyone has gotten their hands on one yet)