New Pinarello Dogma F: the secret’s out… so is it a secret you’d want to keep?

Pinarello says it has dropped 108g from the weight of its Dogma F road bike but that if you’re looking for those all-important marginal gains – and Pinarello-sponsored Ineos Grenadiers always is – the 0.2% reduction in drag makes more difference to your speed out on the road. In case you’ve forgotten, this is the bike that Ineos Grenadiers really, really didn’t want us to see at the Dauphiné earlier this month.  

> Leaked Tour de France road bikes

Pretty much every top-end road bike launch focuses on lower weight and/or improved aerodynamics, and Pinarello claims both for its updated Dogma F.

“Over the course of a Grand Tour, a 0.2% improvement in the coefficient of aerodynamic drag (CdA) equates to a 175g saving on the bike,” Pinarello says.

“To validate that theory, Ineos Grenadiers’ performance team measured Geraint Thomas’s performance data from the 2022 Tour de France. They studied the average energy he was expending and balanced that with the potential savings he could make in different riding situations: on the flat, climbing, descending. They found minor improvements in CdA and rolling resistance were in fact more valuable than saving weight.

“In Grand Tours, just like with our daily rides, it’s not always an uphill time trial. We’re constantly riding on varied terrain. Examined objectively, aerodynamic gains are worth more than weight savings, and that’s why, with the new Dogma F, we didn’t focus solely on saving weight. Yes, the new model is 108g lighter than the previous edition but our primary concern was to reduce the bike’s CdA by 0.2%.”

> Check out our review of the Pinarello Dogma F Super Record EPS 2023

What has Pinarello done to lower the drag? It says it has made a series of minor improvements, all developed using “the latest computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, and countless hours in the wind tunnel” – which is standard practice. 

“The down tube has been completely redesigned to reduce its thickness, improving the frontal aerodynamic performance of the frame and reducing overall drag,” says Pinarello.

“The down tube has also been rotated by 3.5° to create a keel shape that improves the aerodynamic performance of the bottom bracket area by 1.2%.”

The frame section surrounding the bottom bracket is much longer than previously, extending far further forward. This is one of the most noticeable features of the new design.

Pinarello has also gone to work on the head tube. 

“Our unique head tube nose shape - which was first introduced on the Dogma F8 in 2014 and wildly copied by our competitors - has evolved again. We have reduced the volume and width of the nose area by 8mm courtesy of a more streamlined design which improves frontal aero penetration.”

To reduce the width of the head tube, Pinarello says it has designed an elliptical fork steerer tube and used a headset with a narrower upper bearing. Like the lower bearing, it was previously 1-1/2in; now it's 1-1/4in (as used by loads of other brands). Pinarello has also moved the internal cable routing from the sides of the steerer tube to the front.

Check out the drive-side of the new Dogma F and you’ll notice that the end of each thru axle is no longer visible – there’s no external hole on either the frame or the fork – bringing this bike into line with the likes of BMC’s Teammachine and the yet-to-be-released update to Canyon’s Aeroad.

> Canyon’s unreleased Aeroad raced by Movistar at Critérium du Dauphiné 

Pinarello says that this improves both the aerodynamic performance and the aesthetics. 

It also says that the Onda fork has been slimmed to improve aerodynamics and that the rake (the distance the front hub is offset from the steering axis) has been increased from 43mm to 47mm “to improve handling and speed on descents”.

The seatpost clamp is now smaller than previously and it’s fully integrated inside the seat tube. You tighten it via bolts on the back of the seat tube.   

“This new solution reduces the weight, improves the design and increases the cleanliness of the system by limiting the amount of dust and sweat that can get inside,” says Pinarello.

Rather than the previous Dogma F’s T1100 (the T stands for Toray) 1K carbon fibre, the new version uses M40X carbon fibre, also from Toray.

“The Dogma F’s brand new M40X carbon fibre is the result of countless hours of testing on our X-Light models, and on Ineos Grenadiers’ bikes,” says Pinarello. 

As the name suggests, the X-Light bikes are lighter-weight versions of Dogmas that Pinarello has released over recent years. The Dogma F10 X-Light weighed a claimed 760g, for example, 60g lighter than the standard model.

“This groundbreaking lay-up has an exceptional tensile modulus that has enabled us to take lateral stiffness to the next level,” says Pinarello.

According to Toray, “[M40X] employs proprietary nano-level fibre structure control technology to balance a high compression strength and a tensile strength of 5.7 GPa [gigapascals], with a tensile modulus of 377 GPa. The fibre’s diameter of five microns constrains productivity, however, making costs an issue.”

Tensile modulus is a mechanical property that measures stiffness. For comparison, T1100 1K has a tensile modulus of 324 GPa. 

Pinarello says the use of M40X has “enabled us to take lateral stiffness to the next level”, although it hasn’t published head tube and bottom bracket statistics comparing the new Dogma F with the previous version.

Pinarello hasn’t published an official frame weight either but it does say that the complete weight of the frame, fork, seat post, axles, headset and bar is 1,925 g.

Pinarello has stuck with the principle of asymmetric frame production here on the basis that the two sides experience different forces. Pinarello modifies tube profiles and adds reinforcing carbon to account for the drivetrain’s position.

“An asymmetric frame creates a more balanced response while pedalling,” it says.
As mentioned, Pinarello has altered the fork trail but most other geometry figures are the same as before, or very close. Across the board, stack and reach figures are within 0.4mm of their previous values. As you’d expect, the Dogma F is built to typical race geometries, the size 53 frame coming with a 542.4mm stack and a 385.6mm reach.

Moving beyond the frameset, Pinarello has introduced a new version of its Talon cockpit. The Talon Ultra Fast design is said to be lighter and more aerodynamically efficient than previously… but you could have guessed that.

“It features a natural twisted lever position which allows riders to find aero positions in a safer way,” says Pinarello.

What does that mean? For a given handlebar width (measured at the ends), the levers on the Talon Ultra Fast sit 20mm closer together than on the existing Talon Ultra Light because of a 7° flare to the drop section. There’s also a slightly lower stack height (38mm versus 41mm) and Pinarello has introduced a 400mm model to sit alongside the 420, 440, and 460mm versions. The Talon Ultra Fast cockpit has a claimed weight of 313g.

Prices and weights

The Pinarello Dogma F is available with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 and SRAM Red groupsets, with either DT Swiss ARC 1400 or Princeton Peak 4550 wheels. If you want to go with an Italian theme, it’s also available with a Campagnolo Super Record Wireless groupset and Bora WTO 45 wheels. Complete bike prices start at £12,600 with framesets from £5,500.

> Read our review of Campagnolo Super Record Wireless 

Pinarello claims these weights (size 53 frame, no pedals)

• 6.63kg with SRAM Red AXS groupset, Princeton Peak 4550 wheels
• 6.77kg with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset, Princeton Peak 4550 wheels 
• 6.88kg with Campagnolo Super Record Wireless groupset, Bora WTO 45 wheels 

pinarello.com