PLANET X MARATONA

£1299.99

The Maratona’s carbon frame is nicely finished, and fully internal cabling keeps things neat. The bike is named after the Maratona dles Dolomites sportive and offers fairly relaxed geometry with skinny seatstays for rear-end compliance. Planet X is generous here, giving you full 11-speed Shimano 105 with no messing about, including a huge 11-32 cassette that’ll get you up the worst climbs. The brakes are excellent, and while the Shimano wheels and Selcof finishing kit aren’t notably glamorous, everything does its job well. The Maratona is as sportive-oriented as its name implies and it’s not a super-stiff bike, so it’s better suited to steady efforts rather than out-of-the-saddle thrashing. It has that budget carbon solidity too, making for a ride that’s competent rather than exceptionally refined. It’s a solid performer but no live wire. The Maratona offers a very good spec for the money with no real weaknesses, but it doesn’t sparkle.