The Pinarello Dogma has been a staple of the peloton for years and while the Specialized Tarmac rivals it for longevity, few other bikes have become as synonymous with one team as the Dogma with Team Sky and more recently the Ineos Grenadiers. This is the 13th Dogma since 2005 and was designed both with and for the nominally British team.
The close-ups that surfaced in my gallery of the Dauphiné bumpers seemed to show some pretty marginal changes to the surface, which isn’t much of a surprise from a brand that has such a distinctive silhouette for its flagship. It’s safe to say the gains are marginal, as befits a bike for a team that promoted marginal gains as a concept, but marginal or not, some interesting things are happening.
Numbers in the caption
For those of you not keeping track of time, the short version of the full text below is that the new Dogma F is 108g lighter, has a new cockpit (representing almost half the weight savings), a slightly longer wheelbase, 30c tire clearance and is available only with the highest spec kits or as a frameset. The Aero improved by 0.2% in the drag coefficient, but in real terms it’s not a huge improvement.
For anyone who wants to see how all of this translates into driving performance, you’re in luck. Cycling news was invited to ride the bike before the launch, my first impressions are written in my Dogma F first ride review.
New set of frames
The heart of any new bike is the frameset, and the Dogma frameset has been repaired and tuned rather than redesigned. At the front, the head tube has been narrowed by 8mm to reduce the frontal area, which is mainly facilitated by the introduction of an oval head tube that creates space for the brake lines to run down the front of the head tube rather than the sides as before.
In addition to a narrower head tube, it’s been made deeper, although little was made of this addition in the official presentation I received at launch.
To match the narrower head tube, the fork legs have also been narrowed in individual widths, while also being spread wider to accommodate larger tires – more on that. The down tube was also slightly narrowed.
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At the bottom, the bottom bracket has been extended forward to create what Pinarello calls an “aerokyle”. Hidden by the doorknobs, it’s not something I’ve seen much of in my first shots, but it’s pretty huge.
Both drive-side lugs are now blind, which is said to contribute to both aerodynamics and aesthetics. The geometry is in most respects the same as the previous model, but the fork got a longer slope (up to 47 mm from 43 mm). This new shape geometry was apparently extensively tested on the old model and met with the approval of Ineos riders.
These modifications, in addition to the new cockpit, only resulted in a 0.2% improvement in CdA. Brands rarely cite aerodynamic improvements when it comes to CdA, but in real terms this would equate to a saving of less than a watt at 40km/h.
Using some slightly convoluted math, Pinarello claimed that this CdA improvement was equivalent to an additional 175g weight saving over the entire Grand Tour ridden by Geraint Thomas.
Tire clearance
The new Dogma F can now accept 30c tyres, which is rather narrow in terms of recent trends. I brought this up to Pinarello’s R&D manager, particularly in relation to the trends I’d seen at Paris-Roubaix with teams using 34c and wider tyres.
The response pointed to the input that Ineos has on the bike. Simply put, allowing wider tires than 30c would have resulted in a less stiff bottom bracket, and that wasn’t something the team was willing to sacrifice for the sake of one race. We all know there’s always room for a bit more than the stated maximum anyway, and given that we saw the team use 32c tires on the outgoing Dogma F (which has a claimed maximum of 28mm) at Roubaix this year, it’s safe to assume that “I will continue to do the same.
New cockpit
The new Talon Ultra Fast cockpit is measured from the drops, which are extended 1cm on each side, so 40cm is actually 38cm for the hoods. The tops are narrower and less bulbous than the older model. This narrowing and slimming makes the cockpit 40g lighter, although it’s not clear what the weight saving is when you consider the similar width at the hoods.
The flare is also designed to work with the new UCI rules on inward facing fairings. Due to the oval post, it is the only cockpit that can be run on the bike and is available in widths from 34-42cm and stem lengths of 80-140mm.
Weight saving
Almost half of the 108g saving comes from the cockpit. The remaining 60g of savings comes from slimming areas of the frame (head tube and center console) as well as using higher modulus carbon in discrete areas of the mount, primarily around the bottom bracket and chainstays. Higher modulus carbon is stiffer so you can use less of it to save weight, but it’s more brittle so it can only be used in less complex areas.
Specifications and prices
The new Dogma F can only be purchased with top kits unless you go the frameset route. Dura-Ace, Red or wireless Super Record are the only options. Wheel options are similarly premium, with Princeton Peak 4550 or DT Swiss ARC 1400 wheels paired with Dura-Ace or Red and Bora Ultras with Super Record options.
System weight for size 53 without pedals and bottles is 6.63kg for Red with Princeton wheels, 6.77kg for Dura-Ace with Princeton wheels and 6.88kg for Super Record with Bora WTO wheels.
Prices start at €14,500 / £12,600 / $14,500 and the frameset will set you back €6,700 / £5,500 / $6,950.
Rescue rope for rim brakes
To no one’s surprise, the new Dogma F is a disc brake only bike. What was the surprise was the announcement that Pinarello would continue to make a rim brake version of the old Dogma F.
Yes, it’s a super-premium frameset, but where it’s due, it’s a win for backwards compatibility, and while it probably won’t sell in high volume, it’s likely to be a target for rimbrake enthusiasts or anyone who’s written off a beloved rimbrake. frame and has a perfectly serviceable set of rim brakes and bump wheels.