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…
The top spec F9 is only available in this black/white colourway (Image credit: Pinarello)
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 F5, with the 9 coming with either Shimano Dura-Ace or SRAM Red, the F7 with Ultegra or Force, and the F5 with 105 or Ultegra. All the groupsets on offer from stock are electronic, but the frame can accept mechanical groupsets should you wish.
The F series is aimed at riders who want a performance race machine, but at a more achievable price point than the Dogma. It'll be used by Junior and pro-conti teams (Image credit: Pinarello)
In terms of weight, the framesets differ slightly for the same size as the F9 and F7 use Toray T900 carbon, while the F5 uses a slightly lower modulus T700 offering. While this adds a bit of weight it does have claimed benefits in vibration dampening. Raw frame weights for a size 53 are 950g and 990g respectively, and all frames can clear 30mm tyres. The finishing kit is provided by Most, as are the wheels on all but the top-spec F9, which features Fulcrum hoops.
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As per the Dogma, the frame has been designed asymmetrically to account for the differential stresses that drive on one side of the frame, and disc brake on the other. The battery placement (for Shimano groupsets) has also been lowered to just above the bottom bracket rather than inside the seatpost. This has allowed the use of a narrower, more aero seatpost, and also lowered the centre of gravity.
As for colours, and Pinarello is proud of both its aesthetics and its ability in the paint booth, each model will be available in a far narrower range than that of the Dogma. The F9 only comes in black and white, the F7 in all black, or black and red, and the F5 in blue or silver. This is designed to speed up the process of getting bikes into the hands of customers.
Big days out, or after a little more of a comfortable ride? The X range is aimed at you (Image credit: Pinarello)
New Pinarello X: Endurance, not all-road
There has been a trend lately towards the gravelification of things. Endurance bikes have been given wider and wider tyres and marketed to some degree as all-road or gravel-adjacent (it makes the best endurance road bikes category a very hard one to call). Not so with the new Pinarello X, which still flies the flag for what we’d think of as a classic endurance road bike. A shorter reach, higher stack, longer chainstays and a similar, but marginally steeper head tube are the key takeaways; geometry that Pinarello hopes will serve you well over longer distances. A 32mm tyre clearance will help over poor tarmac, but it’s not gravel, or even all-road by modern standards.
Differences in geometry aside, the two ranges share similar details, though each of the X models (X1 and X3 in this case) are constructed from T600 carbon fibre. As per the F, each X model comes in two colours only, and in nine sizes. The upper tier X3 gets Shimano 105 Di2 or SRAM Rival, and comes in black or red, while the lower tier X1 comes in white or black (a shiny black, this time) and is built up with mechanical 105.
As well as using a lower modulus carbon and allowing bigger tyres, the seat stays are designed in such a way as to add a bit more rear-end compliance. Comfort is the aim, but not without performance, so there is still full cable integration, an aero seatpost, and the same asymmetric design as the F and the Dogma.
32mm tyres will help you deal with poorer road surfaces, but the X is still very much a road bike. (Image credit: Pinarello)
Pricing and availability
Not all models will be available in all markets. The pricing breakdown is as follows:
UK Pricing
F9: Not available
F7, Ultegra w/ Most Ultrafast wheels: £7,000
F7, Ultegra w/ Fulcrum Racing 500 wheels: £6,500
F5, 105 w/ Fulcrum Racing 800 wheels: £5,250
X3, 105 w/ Fulcrum Racing 800 wheels: £4,500
X1: TBC
US Pricing
F9: Not available
F7, Ultegra w/ Most Ultrafast wheels: $8,800
F5, 105 w/ Most Ultrafast wheels: $6,950
F5, 105 w/ Fulcrum Racing 800 wheels: $6,000
X3: Not available
X1: Not available
EU Pricing
F9, Dura-Ace w/ Most Ultrafast wheels: €11,900
F9, SRAM Red w/ Most Ultrafast wheels: €11,900
F7, Ultegra w/ Most Ultrafast wheels: €8,850
F7, SRAM Force w/ Most Ultrafast wheels: €8,750
F7 Frameset: €5,000
F5, 105 w/ Most Ultrafast wheels: €6,800
F5, 105 w/ Fulcrum Racing 800 wheels: €6,150
F5, Ultegra Mechanical w/ Fulcrum Racing 800 wheels: €5,150
X3, 105 w/ Fulcrum Racing 800 wheels: €5,660
X3, SRAM Rival w/ Fulcrum Racing 800 wheels: €6,070
Will joined the Cyclingnews team as a reviews writer in 2022, having previously written for Cyclist, BikeRadar and Advntr. He’s tried his hand at most cycling disciplines, from the standard mix of road, gravel, and mountain bike, to the more unusual like bike polo and tracklocross. He’s made his own bike frames, covered tech news from the biggest races on the planet, and published countless premium galleries thanks to his excellent photographic eye. Also, given he doesn’t ever ride indoors he’s become a real expert on foul-weather riding gear. His collection of bikes is a real smorgasbord, with everything from vintage-style steel tourers through to superlight flat bar hill climb machines.
