The First Affordable Pinarello? | Cycling Weekly
Pinarello have launched two new ranges of bikes. To do this, they have got rid of the Prince and Paris and have simplified their range with a new F series and X series. The F series is to be made their new affordable race bike while the X series has gone on to become their endurance offering. It's clear that Pinarello are targeting a market which can't quite afford a Dogma but still want the same performance.
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00:00 Today, Pinarello has launched a brand new range of bikes.
00:03 In fact, what they've really done
00:05 is thrown out most of what they did have
00:07 in their mid-tier range offering
00:09 and have replaced it with two new lines of bikes
00:11 to target a more affordable price point.
00:14 The dogma has remained,
00:16 but the Paris and the Prince, well, they've gone.
00:19 Instead, Pinarello has opted for a more simplified lineup
00:22 and one which appears to have more consistency
00:25 throughout the range.
00:27 I have been lucky enough to ride one of the new bikes
00:29 and there is a lot to like,
00:31 but sadly, there are some things
00:33 which I'm not the biggest fan of.
00:35 So be sure to stay tuned later on in the video
00:38 for my first ride impressions.
00:40 First up, let's get into what was actually launched.
00:44 We'll start with what the brand is calling the new F-Series.
00:47 This takes the place in which the Prince used to sit.
00:51 Now, this range of bikes is designed
00:53 to mimic the same ride characteristics
00:55 as the top-end dogma F.
00:57 So think racy and aggressive.
01:00 Initially, the series is being launched with three models,
01:03 the F5, the F7, and the F9.
01:05 And the reason behind the numbering in the series
01:08 is to differentiate between the different models.
01:10 So the higher the number, the higher the spec.
01:13 You'll also not find a painted number on the frame itself
01:17 because as we all know, parts can be upgraded.
01:20 So while you may have bought an F7,
01:23 you could then upgrade the parts to match that of an F9
01:26 and voila, you've got an F9.
01:29 Now, while the group sets are the main
01:30 differentiating factors between the bikes,
01:33 the wheel options also change along with the handlebars.
01:37 On the F7 and the 9,
01:39 you'll get the Talon Ultra Carbon integrated bars.
01:42 And on the F5,
01:43 you'll get an integrated two-piece alloy setup.
01:46 Both F7 and 9 will be rolling on in-house brand
01:49 Most Carbon wheels,
01:50 while the F5 will be making the best
01:53 of some alloy fulcrum racing wheels.
01:56 Looking past the components for a moment,
01:57 the carbon layup in the F series itself
02:00 will slightly differ.
02:02 The F7 and the F9 will use the same
02:04 Touray T900 carbon fiber.
02:06 However, the F5 will use a slightly lower grade
02:10 T700 carbon fiber.
02:12 Now to put that into context,
02:14 the top end Dogma F uses T1100 carbon fiber.
02:18 So when you start to line the models up next to each other,
02:21 you can really start to see the natural progression
02:23 of the carbon fiber used throughout the entire range.
02:27 As mentioned, the geometry is similar to the Dogma.
02:30 However, when you look at the numbers,
02:32 it's not exactly the same,
02:34 but this is down to the fact that the Dogma
02:36 is available in 11 sizes
02:39 and the F series is available in nine.
02:41 So they had to shimmy a few bits around
02:44 just so they knew that each size was right.
02:47 F series to one side,
02:48 in place of the old Paris,
02:50 we now have the X series.
02:52 Now the X series range of bikes
02:54 now sits as the brand's endurance offering.
02:57 And at the moment we'll utilize the same carbon layout.
03:01 In this initial launch,
03:03 we have the X1 and the X3,
03:05 which will wear mechanical 105 and 105 Di2 respectively.
03:10 The X3 will also be available in a SRAM rival build.
03:14 Both the X1 and the X3 will use the same T600 carbon.
03:19 When you start to look at the specification
03:21 that's offered here,
03:22 you can start to see a bit of a pattern emerge.
03:25 Put it this way,
03:26 I wouldn't be surprised if in the future,
03:28 we start to see more bikes in the X series range,
03:31 maybe an X5, an X7 and an X9,
03:35 which then match the F series in terms of spec offering
03:39 and an increase in grade of carbon fibre.
03:42 And likewise,
03:43 I think we'll see more affordable versions of the F series.
03:46 So think F1 and F3.
03:49 I can imagine what's stopping Pinarello
03:51 from coming out with those bikes right now
03:53 is the availability of parts from component manufacturers.
03:56 And they may also not want to have the models
03:59 competing with each other at this initial launch.
04:03 So those are the specs of the bikes
04:04 and what Pinarello is actually releasing.
04:07 But what are they like to ride?
04:09 Well, during my time at the launch event,
04:11 I was able to have a really good go on the F7.
04:14 And well, there were a lot of good things to say about it,
04:17 but also some not so great things.
04:20 So let's get into them.
04:21 First up, we'll start with the good stuff.
04:23 The bike looks the part.
04:26 There's no question about where it's come from
04:28 and where it's drawn its inspiration.
04:30 The clean colourways generally look really good
04:33 across the range.
04:33 And I think they'll stand the test of time.
04:36 The F series has done a really good job
04:39 at replicating the same ride feel that the Dogma gives you.
04:42 And while I did have about 30 millimetres of spaces
04:45 underneath my handlebars,
04:47 and it would have been really good to ride it slammed,
04:50 I will say it provided a really similar experience.
04:53 The bike itself came alive when it was at speed.
04:56 It felt really balanced and it beckoned me
04:58 to really lean into the corners
05:00 without making me worry that it was gonna twitch out.
05:03 However, onto what I believe
05:05 are some of the downsides of this bike.
05:07 And this goes for both F7 and F9.
05:10 It really is let down by the wheels and tyre choice.
05:14 The most carbon wheels that are fitted
05:16 really are just rebadged wheels from Vision.
05:19 And they certainly sit in the mid range of the wheel market.
05:23 They numb the ride and they feel harsh.
05:25 When you pair that with the Pirelli P7 tyres,
05:28 the losses, well, they go even further.
05:31 It's a real shame that Pinarello didn't fit
05:33 a pair of Pirelli P0 tyres.
05:35 I did question them about the decision
05:37 and they said that they didn't fit Pirelli P0s
05:40 because that's what comes on the Dogma.
05:43 To me though, that doesn't really stack up.
05:46 The F series is designed to sit below the Dogma,
05:49 but that doesn't mean that you can't fit top tier tyres,
05:52 especially when you consider how much
05:54 this bike is likely going to cost.
05:56 Really, Pinarello is forcing the end user
05:58 to upgrade those tyres right from the get go.
06:01 New tyres really would help this bike.
06:03 And even though the wheels aren't great,
06:06 it would be a step in the right direction.
06:08 Other things that I'm not the biggest fan of
06:10 is that as the bike sizes get bigger,
06:12 the frames start to look a little bit weird.
06:14 To my eye at least, the smaller frame sizes
06:17 definitely look much better.
06:19 And luckily, I ride quite a small frame,
06:21 so it works out well for me.
06:23 But for some of my colleagues,
06:24 the shapes do start to look a little unwieldy.
06:28 Lastly, as I mentioned earlier,
06:30 the bike comes alive at speed.
06:32 It's a real joy to pilot on the descents,
06:35 climbs, and open flat sections.
06:37 However, when riding around town
06:39 or just at more sociable paces,
06:41 it doesn't feel quite as special.
06:43 It feels rather normal and a bit samey to everything else.
06:46 Now, perhaps this is too harsh,
06:48 and the same argument could be applied
06:50 to most other top-end road bikes out there.
06:52 But when you compare the two different personalities
06:55 of the F-Series,
06:56 the difference in riding experience is really large.
07:00 If anything, it just makes me want to push harder
07:03 to chase that feeling you get from riding fast.
07:06 I think if you do buy the F,
07:08 then bear in mind that you'll probably want
07:10 to change the wheels
07:11 and maybe get something a bit more premium
07:13 and something that's just more attuned
07:15 to the level that that bike is on.
07:17 New wheels, I think, would help the bike at slower speeds.
07:20 And actually, I think they would also allow you
07:22 to push even harder at higher ones.
07:25 I believe new tyres are a must.
07:27 Again, you'll want range-topping rubber
07:30 to make sure that you get the most out of that bike.
07:32 Happily, the F-Series has clearance for 30 mil wide tyres,
07:36 and the X-Series has clearance for 32 mil wide tyres.
07:39 So, you're not gonna be limited by the frame.
07:42 The F-Seven is the model that makes the most sense to me.
07:45 I believe that anyone wanting Dura-Ace
07:47 would probably just take the extra step
07:50 and buy a full-blown Dogma.
07:52 The F-Seven's second-tier Ultegra groupset
07:54 matches the second-tier nature of the F-Series.
07:58 The models that sit below the F-Seven
08:00 simply provide more value
08:02 and allow more people to get onto the F-Series platform.
08:05 But my recommendation of upgrading the wheels and tyres
08:08 will probably ring true even sooner
08:10 into any ownership experience.
08:13 At the moment, I've only ridden the F-Series,
08:15 but the X-Series will be coming in for test very soon.
08:19 Given that the X has roughly taken the Dogma geometry,
08:22 but reduced the reach by around 13 millimetres
08:25 and increased the stack by over 30 millimetres,
08:28 it should make for a fairly relaxed riding experience.
08:32 But the effects of those changes remains to be seen.
08:36 We have seen pricing for the bike,
08:38 and I've put a little graphic on screen
08:40 so you can have a look at some of the build options offered.
08:43 The entry-level F-Five comes in at £5,250 here in the UK,
08:47 which is less than half the price of a Dogma F.
08:51 So if you've always wanted something
08:53 that performs like the range-topping F,
08:55 then maybe the F-Five is for you.
08:57 Different bikes will be made available
08:59 in different parts of the world,
09:01 and this table also doesn't show all builds
09:03 that Pinarello will be making available.
09:06 But parking that to one side,
09:08 what do you make of this new range of bikes?
09:10 Have the new changes made the range any easier to understand?
09:14 Do they still pull on your heartstrings
09:16 as much as the Dogma might do?
09:18 Let me know down in the comments below.
09:21 If you enjoyed the video, then please do drop it a like,
09:23 subscribe to the channel for more content,
09:24 and I'll see you again very soon.
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