PLANET X GALIBIER £1699
› Can the only alloy-framed bike here compete with carbon?
While some of the bikes here are multi-use allrounders, the Galibier is an unashamedly pure take-noprisoners race bike. In fact it was recommended to us by Planet X main man, Dave Loughran, as “the bike all my ‘proper’ guys (including ex-Premier Calendar series and National Hill Climb champion Mark Lovatt, and ex-number one rated Espoir and US Postal pro Jamie Burrow) are buying.”
It’s easy to see why it appeals to hardcore former pros. For a start the alloy frame uses super-thin walled, multiple-butted main tubes – so thin you can squish them slightly by hand and see them bulging around the bottle mounts – to keep the weight under a claimed 1kg. Cables are run externally for easy servicing and minimal weight. There’s no Di2 compatibility but it’s certainly not a crude chassis. The down-tube morphs from triangular to square and the seat-tube flares out to support the durabilityboosting screw-in bottom bracket.
A chunky full carbon fork completes the chassis and while we generally don’t comment on aesthetics, the retro dark blue and cream livery received tons of compliments when we were out testing.
The 73/73.5-degree geometry keeps the overall wheelbase short, so it’s a naturally quick-witted and involving bike on the road. Planet X also lets you change all the cockpit kit dimensions, crank lengths, gear ratios and so on when you order, as well as offering a range of model options in its Bike Builder menu.
Here, that meant the £1299.99 Shimano Ultegra base build got a carbon-shafted 27.2mm seatpost upgrade. The wheels have been changed from the already good Vision Team 35 Comps (but basic Hutchinson Nitro 2 wire bead
tyres) to 56mm-deep Selcof carbon wheels set up tubeless with Hutchinson Fusion 3 rubber for an extra £400.
The result is a proper ‘Doncaster Dragster’ that is suited to smashing out race laps round airfields, hanging on for grim death on chain gangs or claiming Strava KOMs like you’ve downloaded digital EPO.
While the wheels share lightest on test honours with the Boardman, the deeper rims are slightly slower to accelerate so it surges rather than explodes when you light the blue touch paper. The way that surge continues as you come over the top of a climb, or ease back the throttle slightly, is where they really score though and the faster you can push the Galibier the more obvious the gains are.
The super-precise steering and rock-solid power delivery make sure every guidance input or watt you put in goes exactly where it should for an intoxicating, involving, high-velocity rush.
The tubeless tyres and other shock-absorbing elements, such as the carbon fibre seatpost and quality Pro Logo saddle, mean it’s not too harsh over smoother surfaces either. If things get slightly rougher, the unapologetic stiffness of the chassis can make the Planet X punishing very quickly. Most hardcore speed fiends and racers we know would tell you that if a battering from the frame is bothering you rather than being drowned out by leg and lung torture you’re not trying hard enough.