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TECH NEWS
planet x exo32.jpgPlanet X launches new EXO3 time trial bike - prices and photos
Buying a fully fledged time trial bike can be an expensive purchase but Planet X’s new EXO3, which starts at just £2,499 for a complete bike, makes the race against the clock reasonably affordable.
Planet X has been producing time trial bikes for many years now and has carved itself a nice little niche for delivering unbelievable value for money, and it’s for that reason that they’re usually well represented at evening 10s around the UK.
The Rotherham-based company has been refining its time trial bike over the years, from the days of the Stealth, a rebadged Ridley, to the futuristic looking Exocet and its follow-up, the Exocet 2 a few years ago.
The EXO3 is the latest incarnation in the company’s Project Aero. The new frame has been six months in development with extensive CFD (computational fluid dynamics) and wind tunnel testing to refine the shape of the tube profiles. Planet X says the new bike is “built to win.”
One key change in the pursuit of reduced drag is the switch to integrated brakes. The front brake is concealed in the front section of the all-new fork, while the rear brake disappears under the chainstays. It’s using stock TRP TTV09, a mini V-brake.
Planet X appears to have taken inspiration from Pinarello’s Bolide with the front brake housed behind a sort of fairing that extends all the way in front of the head tube to below the stem.
The Selcof handlebar and stem is integrated into the top tube to reduce drag, a common theme with modern time trial bikes. It also helps to lower the front-end position of the body.
“By fully integrating the bars, stem, head tube and brake we’ve created an extremely efficient, flowing front end,” says Planet X Head of Design Jamie Burrow. “The integrated brakes are also a step forward for our top TT and Tri frameset.”
Other changes to the new frame include a new profile for the seatstays, they’re also shorter and have been dropped lower down the seat tube to reduce drag. The aero seatpost is new as well.
Internal cable routeing carries over from the previous Exocet 2 but now all the cables enter the top tube just behind the stem. Planet X says this is more functional and provides better gear changing performance.
Planet X is offering the new EXO3 in three builds, starting at £2,499 with a SRAM Force groupset and TRP TTV09 brakes and a SRAM GXP chainset. Wheels are Planet X’s own 60/90 carbon handbuilts.
At £2,999 you can get the EXO3 with SRAM Force 11 and Vision Metron 81 carbon fibre clincher wheels.
Next is the £3,499 model with a Shimano Dura-Ace 9000 11-speed groupset and a Planet X Five Spoke Full Carbon front wheel and Carbon Disc rear wheel with Track tubular tyres.
At the top of the line is the £3,999 model with the same Dura-Ace groupset as the previous bike but with an upgrade to HED wheels, an H3 Clincher front wheel and Jet Rear Clincher Disc.
Check it out at www.planetx.co.uk/c/q/bikes/tt-and-triathlon-bikes/exo3
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
Latest Comments
- ktache 50 min 9 sec ago
The small frame, the aggressive posture, lots of standover height.
- mctrials23 1 hour 45 min ago
As i've said before, the police should be sued for a lot of money when someone they have knowingly ignored has gone on to commit a serious crime....
- David9694 1 hour 53 min ago
'Bad parking' blocks firefighters multiple times on same emergency call-out...
- David9694 1 hour 57 min ago
Cambridgeshire boy, 13, crashes Audi into garden wall after taking it from home...
- Adam Sutton 2 hours 43 min ago
Good stuff. Now do it on cycleway C9 through Hammersmith to Chiswick.
- mark1a 2 hours 52 min ago
It's technically allowed but it's not known as "London's Orbital Car Park" for nothing.
- Dogless 4 hours 26 sec ago
You're defending bombing hospitals and refugee camps and starving children.
- mattw 6 hours 40 min ago
Used car salesman is a complete attention-seeking plank....
- tubasti 6 hours 57 min ago
I don't know if they're any better, but they's certainly become more boring.
- FionaJJ 7 hours 23 min ago
At risk of being cynical, and stereotyping the police, it's so they don't have to leave the comfort of their panda cars and pursue on foot when...
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11 comments
Quite a few guys have Planet. X TT bikes around by me. They seem happy enough with them. I like the look of the new Exo 3. I will look at these with others this winter.
Carlton Reid's "Faking It" series provides some interesing insight into Chinese frames, and busts a couple of myths. There are bargains, but it takes a lot of research because there's absolute rubbish as well.
I've bought quite a few things from Planet-X over the years, as on the whole they've done a good job at sourcing more bargains than turkeys.
If you zoom in on the CAD picture all you can see is Chinese text.
Not only did Planet X spend 6 months carefully designing it, but they also learnt Manderin to make their design easier to manufacture.
Impressive.
Fair comment and I have had more issues with Italian, American and UK made frames than anything from Taiwan. The vast majority of the worlds' bikes come from the far east and brands these days are meaningless, although some brands are percieved to be the best because of the advertising and 'reviews'.
Some customers do not like to be told that their 'Brand A' bike is actually made by a totally different company and come with crap wheels to offset all the advertising costs etc.
"And I have been in plenty of independent local bike shops that dispise the big boys that too have screwed up fitting, installed second hand parts as new and generally ripped people off with tales of fantasy and woe."
Well, I'm sure that for every bike shop you have been in there are a lot more that do not rip people off.
People that work in the bike trade have a passion for cycling and know that they are never going to get rich from it. Sure, I could make the most of my qualifications and get a job in an office and earn some serious money, but I would go insane.
I will fit second-hand parts to get a bike back on the road for a customer who is skint, but I would never charge for said part as I cannot guarantee it.
Anyway, back on track......
Taiwan and China are two places with different quality control and copyright issues. Anything out of Taiwan I would trust, but China.....?
No CE standard for frames and rims (wheels being the most important component of a bike). A decent carbon frame would cost you more than a complete bike from these guys and most of these 'bikes' have frames heavier than an aluminium one on a £500 road bike.
Still, I know nothing compared to you guys.
Would like to see where you an get an aluminium frame for 900g as the RT90 and Viner frame weight.
Have to agree, those drawers do look fantastic; A quick knock back with some wire wool and a coat of oil.......
Oh yeah, the bikes.......
Chinese carbon frames, wheels with no CE standard, great brand.
Some of us have to deal with the idiots who buy shite off this company, in a box and haven't got a clue how to assemble it.
Not only that, a whole host of OEM parts on it.
Still, never mind, it 'looks good'and it's 'carbon' which means it's OK for the overweight twat that buys one to try and impress their mates.
I have no issues with the public buying this stuff, but when I tell them the truth about the frame being out of alignment or the front mech cable rubbing on the B/B shell (had a few of these), they are not impressed.
Buy cheap, buy twice.
Cheap Ti or cheap carbon cannot be done.
But hey, what do I know, the 'reviews' and 'advertising' tell the truth right?
Utter rubbish on every account.
FYI almost every carbon frame in the world is assembled in the far east in the same factories. More r&d in bike frame tech is occurring over there. The carbon bike "made by an Italian farmer in his shed" that most like you cling to is a bigger conn. In this case it's Planet X R&D anyway. Of course the frame is made in the far east, that's where expertise and cheap production costs are... For almost ever single bike brand BTW.
And I have been in plenty of independent local bike shops that dispise the big boys that too have screwed up fitting, installed second hand parts as new and generally ripped people off with tales of fantasy and woe.
your definition of 'reasonably affordable' is different to mine
I absolutely love the look of that chest of drawers, gorgeous even with some missing.
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Ha ha, I though the same thing.