Back to Pinarello for the Tasmanian, we take a closer look at his ride from the Santos Festival of Cycling
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Richie Porte is back on Pinarello for 2021. Back in 2015 he was on the Dogma F8, his new bike is the latest Dogma F12(Image credit: Kevin Anderson)
The one-piece Most Talon Ultra cockpit hides all the cables except for the front brake cable. Interestingly, if this was the disc version there would be no exposed cables at all(Image credit: Kevin Anderson)
Porte is running Dura-Ace Di2 complete with sprint shifters on the drops(Image credit: Kevin Anderson)
In previous year's we've seen Ineos opt for unpainted frames in pursuit of marginal gains. That's not the case in 2021(Image credit: Kevin Anderson)
Porte's bike doesn't have the 3D printed titanium seat clamp as found on the team's Dogma F12 X-Light bikes(Image credit: Kevin Anderson)
Porte is using the rim brake frame, with Shimano direct mount stoppers(Image credit: Kevin Anderson)
The Most cockpit and lack of headset spacers makes for a clean front end(Image credit: Kevin Anderson)
Counting Porte's watts is a Dura-Ace power meter(Image credit: Kevin Anderson)
Richie Porte's first official outing aboard his new Pinarello Dogma F12 in Ineos Grenadiers colours was slightly different from expected. With the 2021 Tour Down Under being transitioned into the Santos Festival of Cycling - a National Road Series race - due to COVID-19, the Tasmanian slotted into the Garmin Australia National Team, alongside a smattering of other Aussie pros who were home for the southern summer.
Traditionally in Adelaide, Porte would be chasing the overall win, which he's achieved twice, but this year, alongside EF Education Nippo rider Jimmy Whelan, he served as a domestique, grabbing bottles and driving the pace on the front of the field. Having said that, he did keep his crown as the king of Willunga Hill, winning the third stage from Mclaren Vale to Willunga.
After a few years with BMC, and then Trek, Porte is back to Pinarello on a similar setup to what he was riding in 2015. The team has maintained most of the same sponsors since Porte left, back when they were still Team Sky: they are still on Pinarello, Shimano, and Fizik, with Continental tyres and Kask helmets.
Porte is on the latest and greatest Dogma F12, though the British team still uses the direct-mount rim brakes, despite the frame being available with discs.
Porte is one of a few riders who is transitioning from disc brakes (on his Trek Emonda) back to rim brakes (Image credit: Kevin Anderson)
Beyond just swapping from discs back to rim brakes, the Australian rider is also going from SRAM's Red eTap AXS drivetrain to Shimano's Dura-Ace Di2 R9150. At the front, Porte is running the brand's crank-based power meter, which is paired to a Garmin Edge 830 computer.
In fact, the Garmin Edge computer will be the only sense of familiarity for Porte, as his frame swaps from Trek to Pinarello, wheels change from Bontrager to Shimano, groupset goes SRAM to Shimano and even stopping power goes from disc to rim. He's even swapped his entire wardrobe, with his shoes changing from a custom-made pair of Bontrager's XXX road shoes to Northwave, his sunglasses from Koo to Oakley and his kit from Santini to Castelli.
The Shimano power meter still requires a magnet stuck to the frame to calculate cadence and watts, but the F12 has a chain suck protector where the magnet would traditionally be glued to the frame. So, the mechanics have instead opted for a K-Edge Pro Braze-on Chain Catcher with Universal Powermeter Magnet, killing two birds with one stone.
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Ineos is one of many teams running custom direct-mount derailleur hangers, with the British outfit opting for svelte looking 3D-printed hanger over the beefy bright and anodized versions at the back of some bikes in the peloton.
Since Porte last swung his leg over a Pinarello, bike brands across the board have trended towards one-piece integrated cockpits, building the cockpit around a proprietary bar and stem combo which hides the cables from the wind. Porte's Pinarello is no different, with the Italian outfit's in-house component manufacturer Most providing it's Talon Ultra bar and stem combo. Porte is also running the integrated computer mount upfront and sprint shifters mounted on the drops
The Most cockpit is pretty clean, except for the unavoidable front brake cable (Image credit: Kevin Anderson)
While Ineos has been known to don Lightweight wheels, Porte rode Shimano's Dura-Ace C40 tubular, finished with Continental Competition Pro LTD tyres.
With Porte using a Bontrager Aeolus saddle last year, it's no surprise with his swap back to Fizik that he's opted for the snub-nosed Vento Argo R1 short-nosed saddle for 2021.
Dura-Ace Di2 and sprint shifters (Image credit: Kevin Anderson)
Tech Spec: Richie Porte’s Pinarello Dogma F12
Frameset: Pinarello Dogma F12
Front brake: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 direct mount caliper
Rear brake: Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 direct mount caliper
Brake/shift levers: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9150 Dual Control Lever
Front derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9150
Rear derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9150
Cassette: Shimano Dura-Ace, 11-28T
Chain: Shimano Dura-Ace
Crankset: Shimano Dura-Ace Dual-Sided Power Meter Hollowtech II
Bottom bracket: FSA PressFit30
Wheelset: Shimano Dura-Ace C40 tubular
Tyres: Continental Competition Pro LTD 25mm tubular
Based on the Gold Coast of Australia, Colin has written tech content for cycling publication for a decade. With hundreds of buyer's guides, reviews and how-tos published in Bike Radar, Cyclingnews, Bike Perfect and Cycling Weekly, as well as in numerous publications dedicated to his other passion, skiing.
Colin was a key contributor to Cyclingnews between 2019 and 2021, during which time he helped build the site's tech coverage from the ground up. Nowadays he works full-time as the news and content editor of Flow MTB magazine.
