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While innovation, genuine or at least the appearance of it, seems to fly by at a frantic pace from season to season when it comes to bikes, the models themselves remain relatively resolute. Rare is it to see a new model, and rarer still is an overhaul of a whole range of bikes. Pinarello has decided some spring cleaning is in order and has retired its long-serving Prince and Paris models, replacing them with the ‘F’ and ‘X’ series, designed for racing and endurance respectively.
We were lucky enough to spend a few days recently in southern Spain to bring you a first ride review of the new Pinarello F7, but we also got to see the whole range of new bikes and hear what they are all about. Are they new bikes, or just new names? A rose by any other name would still aim to be lighter, stiffer and more aerodynamic…
New Pinarello F range: A Dogma-lite?
The new F range sits below the Dogma F, and aims to serve riders wanting a high-performance machine but perhaps not quite to the level of a Tour de France winning one, either in performance or pricetag. It does however have its sights squarely on being one of the best road bikes out there.
The geometry of the F is based on that of the Dogma but with a few minor tweaks. The head tube and seat tube angles remain the same, as does the bottom bracket drop and stack. The only tangible differences come in the form of 2mm longer chainstays and an increased reach of just shy of 2mm, making the whole frame a trifle longer by about 4mm. This varies a little by size though; here we are comparing a nominally ‘53’ frameset, with a 545mm effective top tube. There are nine frame sizes to choose from, which is slightly less than the 11 offered by the Dogma, but still a large range.
For comparison, the outgoing Prince in the same size was 3.3mm shorter in reach than the Dogma, 11.4mm higher in the stack, a hair steeper in the head angle and slacker in the seat angle, and had an equivalent BB drop. The chainstays were also 2mm longer.
During the press launch, there were claims that the F is ‘lighter, stiffer and more aero’ than the Prince, as you’d expect, but as they’re effectively new bikes there aren’t any specific claims to wattage savings. It’s likely safe to assume it’ll be less efficient than the top-spec Dogma too, but this is unconfirmed for now. The F will be offered in three builds, the F9, F7, and…
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