UKH

I’ve been looking at Gravel bikes, in particular Planet X brand - reviews seem to be a bit “marmite”. Anyone willing to share knowledge/experiences? And subsidiary question Titanium or Carbon frame?

Tia

I bought a road bike from them a few years ago to use as a Winter bike. It was a couple of hundred quid less than the Giant equivalent. Very subjective, but it didn't feel as good as the equivalent Giant, which I was using as a summer bike. To be fair they had used less expensive gears/wheels/etc. However, it was good value for the money and has survived several winters.

It seems that PlanetX has gone into administration, so I would be careful buying unless you can get a refund from your bank/Credit card.

There were rumours that planet-x was on the verge of going into administration. Possibly a self fulfilling prophecy but also a chance of a bargain or a risk of losing your money.

So I have had a carbon PlanetX gravel bike (Free Ranger) for a few years now and my wife has recently got a titanium one (a Tempest). Both set up 1x SRAM Force, adapted to 1x12. Really pleased, to the extent that we don’t really use our road bikes that much and wife is going to flog hers  - they are so much more confidence-inspiring than a skittery road machine! A friend who does quite a bit of bespoke frame construction and who runs a niche bike parts manufacturing business reckons they are brilliant value - a bit crude compared to more refined offerings perhaps, but at the price point you’ll unlikely do better. That was what we both found in our searches too. So it’s a thumbs up from us, though I can’t comment on the administration thing…

Had a Planet-X carbon road bike as a hire bike on holiday a few years ago - chose that over the Specialized option, as it had a better groupset. I found the bike had a bit of a disconcerting wobble at speed and I know some people refer to them as Planet-flex.

“Planet X has been saved from closure with Winlong Garments snapping up its assets, funded by Baaj Capital LLP.”

I've got a London Road which I use as a winter road bike and occasional gravel bike.  I can't say I love it, but I bought it as a cheap bike that I wouldn't need to worry about and it's fulfilled that brief very well.  Worth adding that I only bought frame/forks and built the bike up from bits I had lying around.

If you're looking to buy brand new from Planet X, I'd definitely consider getting something from another brand second hand, you'll get a lot more bike for your money.  It's amazing how many good quality bikes there are for sale that have only ever done a handful of miles.  

Any relation to "Hu Flung Dung"?

That's depressing that a seemingly well sorted company like planet x went into administration in the first place, or was it one of those trendy modern companies loaded with debt?

I've got a Titus Goldrush, bought the frame and built it up, all good.