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Pinarello 2016 road bikes: Dogma F8, Dogma F8 K-S, Gan, Rokh, Razha and more

Not content with simply making bikes that win the Tour de France, Pinarello have something for everyone in their huge range. We take a look at what's coming in 2016...

With three Tour de France wins in the last four years and more than ten in total (largely depending on how you feel about Bjarne Riis and Jan Ullrich), you could be forgiven for thinking that Pinarello only make a few top line bikes.

This’s not the case. In reality their range is huge, spanning everything from entry-level alloy frames all the way up to Sky’s aero race machine, the Dogma F8. In fact, you can even pop into Halfords and buy yourself a bike from the lower end of Pinarello’s range these days, something that would have seemed unimaginable only a few years ago.

And the great thing about that accessibility is that whether you want to channel your inner Froome and grab yourself an F8 or simply want a bike but would like ‘Pinarello’ on the downtube, there really is something for everyone, whether it’s the F8, the new Gan line-up of more affordable race bike, a sportive machine, or even a gravel bike.

Anyway, enough of that. Here’s the low down on the 14 bikes in Pinarello’s 2016 range…

Pinarello Dogma F8

Replacing a bike as successful as the Dogma 65.1 Think 2 on which Sir Bradley Wiggins won the 2012 and Chris Froome secured his first victory in 2013 was never going to be easy, but Pinarello went back to the drawing board with input from Team Sky and Jaguar and designed yet another Tour de France-winning ride in the Dogma F8.

Pinarello claim the F8 is the benchmark for road bikes (because it would be silly to claim otherwise), and reckon that their newest ride is 12 per cent stiffer, 16 per cent ‘more balanced’ (though we still haven’t worked out that means) and 47 per cent more aerodynamic than the Dogma 65.1. It’s also dropped 120g off the 65.1’s weight, bringing it down to 860g for a 54cm frame.

Some of the fundamentals of the Dogma 65.1 have stayed, though, notably the Think 2 system, Pinarello’s answer to the problem of routing both mechanical and electronic groupsets on the same frame. The adapter system means you’re not struggling to adapt one to the other, and can run either a mechanical or electronic without any problems on the F8.

The fundamental goal with the F8, though, wasn’t to create a super light bike, but to build an aero road machine. One glance at the frameset compared to its predecessor and you can see that Pinarello have changed the tube shapes to the ‘Flatback’ profile, which keeps the front half of the airfoil shape, but removes the rear. Pinarello went through 25 different models and 300 individual CFD (computational fluid dynamics) runs before deciding on the F8 frame design, and the result was a frameset 47 per cent faster, and 17.5 percent faster taking the full bike (components, wheels and all) into account.

None of this, of course, is brand new for 2016 as the F8 debuted in May 2014 and Froome won his second Tour de France title on the F8 this summer. What is new, however, is the disc brake equipped version of the bike, the Dogma F8 Disk, which will be available for the new model year. According to Pinarello the geometry, material, stiffness and aerodynamics of the frame remain the same, but it comes equipped with Shimano’s new flat mount disc brakes and hydraulic braking.

If you want to buy a Dogma F8, then you’ll need deep pockets, with the frameset coming in at £3,899 and complete bikes available with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 or Campagnolo Super Record, starting at – wait for it – £8,799.

It’s also worth pointing out that using the new Dogma ‘My Way’ bike creator you can have a Dogma F8, F8 Disc or K8-S made with the paintjob of your choice.

Pinarello Dogma K8-S

Described as a ‘game changer’ by Sir Bradley Wiggins, the Dogma K8-S gathered a huge amount of attention when Pinarello unveiled it just before the 2015 cobbled Classics.

Based heavily on the Dogma F8, the K8-S has a very similar front triangle with slightly modified geometry resulting in a position more suited for attacking the cobbles. There’s also a 4mm increase in fork rake to lengthen the wheelbase and stabilise the handling. But tube shapes, proportions and layup remains the same.

It’s at the back where the innovation has taken place, as the ‘DSS 1.0’ (Dogma Suspension System) in the seatstays and the new, flat chainstays – called ‘Flexstays’ – combine to make the ride as comfortable as possible.

Pinarello had previously made a comfort-oriented bike in the Dogma K, but the K8-S takes things to a whole new level with the DSS 1.0, what they claimed is the world’s first bespoke lightweight suspension system for road bikes.

The unit itself is a 95g elastometric suspension that provides a claimed 4.6 per cent improvement in performance on rough terrain. During development, Sky and Pinarello tested the bike on the final 130km of the Paris-Roubaix course, with Wiggins and Christian Knees riding bikes compete with accelerometers, power meters and GPS units. The most impressive stat they came up with is that the K8-S is rated as providing a 50 per cent reduction in vibration over the cobbles, potentially making races like Roubaix a (slightly) more pleasant experience. At the back, the chainstays provide a claimed 10mm of travel on their own. Of course, the bike itself won’t win you Paris-Roubaix (Luke Rowe was Team Sky’s top finisher in eighth), but bike manufacturers are doing everything they can at the minute to help make the ride as comfortable as possible.

The K8-S frame weighs 990g for a 53cm version, but given that it’s meant for battling cobbles rather than climbs the weight isn’t quite as important, even if it is still pretty light. If you want a K8-S though, you’d better get saving because the same model that Sky ride, complete with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset and Dura-Ace C50 wheels will set you back £9,199. On the other hand, if you think that’s a little cheap, you can grab a Campagnolo Super Record EPS version with a set of Campag Bora Ultra 35 hoops for £10,299. We’ll take two…

Pinarello Gan

Confusingly, there are four models in the new-for-2016 Gan line: the Gan, Gan RS, Gan S and Gan Disk. But happily, those names don’t refer to wholesale changes in the bike, rather to changes in the carbon layup and components (except the Disk, of course, but that’s fairly self explanatory). The Gan line-up is still race-focussed, with a geometry which reflects that.

The Gan is, ostensibly, the F8 light. It takes technology and design elements from the F8 and transfers it into a more affordable package. There are the same Flatback tube profiles, Think 2 system, asymmetric stays (although not to the same extent) and drop-in bearings as the F8, and it’s built around the same, threaded Italian bottom bracket.

Where things change is in the carbon fibre used to make the frame. Where the F8 uses Toray 1100 1K carbon, the range-opening Gan uses T600, the mid-range Gan S is made from T700 and the top-line Gan RS is crafted from T900 carbon fibre. That means the Gan will be progressively lighter as you move up through the range from the FGan, through the Gan S, and up to the Gan RS.

The Gan will come with a (mostly) Shimano 105 drivetrain, combining 105 shifters, derailleurs and cassette with a RS500 crankset and Tektro R540 brake calipers. All that rolls on a set of Shimano R501 wheels, and finishing kit is Pinarello’s own brand MOST kit topped off with a MOST Panther saddle. All that will cost you £1,950. The Gan Disk is also made from T600 carbon, but Pinarello have yet to release 2016 pricing.

One up from that, the Gan S, comes in at £3,299. At that price you’ll find the upgraded T700 carbon fibre frame, with a full Shimano Ultegra groupset, except for the 105 chainset, and a set of Fulcrum Racing 5 wheels. Finishing kit stays the same as the Gan.

Top of the Gan range is the RS. This keeps Ultegra shifting – with the matching crankset, this time – and upgrades to a T900 carbon fibre frame. Fulcrum provide the same Racing 5 wheelset as well, but carbon finds its way into the finishing kit this time with a full carbon MOST stem and alloy-carbon blend bars. Fizik’s Arione R7 saddle tops off the build and the bike comes in at £4,050.

Pinarello Rokh and Razha

Designed originally as a pared down version of Pinarello’s old comfort bike, the Dogma K, the Rokh features a full carbon frame and has a more relaxed geometry than the pro-level bike, making it far more accessible to the newer rider. It’s essentially Pinarello’s mass-market sportive bike, for rider who want a machine from the Italian marque, but whose budget (understandably) doesn’t stretch to the Dogma K8-S.

Although pricing is yet to be announced for 2016, Pinarello say the Rokh will be available in Shimano 105, Ultegra and Ultegra Di2 versions, the latter thanks to the same Think 2 dual cable routing as the F8.

The Razha is Pinarello’s entry-level carbon platform and comes in two versions: the Razha and Razha K. The plain-old Razha features a full carbon frame and race geometry.

The Razha K, on the other hand, has a slightly more relaxed geometry making it endurance-focused. It’s the same shape as the Rokh, but uses a more affordable blend of carbon fibre (the same as the Razha) to up the frame weight and lower the price – although Pinarello haven’t yet let us in on what the 2016 versions of the Razha K will cost yet.

And the others…

Still in Pinarello’s range are the Prince 60.3, an updated model of another full carbon race bike that used to be the Italian brand’s flagship bike in its original incarnation around six years ago. Check out Alejandro Valverde’s 2008 Spanish champion edition if you want to see something eye-catching.

Then there’s the versatile Mercurio T2 Hydro, what Pinarello describe as ‘the first hybrid superbike’, and probably the closest thing Pina make to a gravel bike. It pairs hydraulic disc brakes with mechanical shifting, and also features some serious tyre clearance for a different type of riding.

At the bottom of the range there are three alloy offerings: the Prima and the Trionfo Alloy, traditional alloy frames with Shimano Sora-level kit, and the Neor, a hybrid alu-carbon frame where the front triangle is alloy, but the rear triangle is full carbon with the intention being to add extra comfort at the back end. Dual-material frames are a rarity these days, and the Neor is certainly a striking design that comes with a ten-speed Tiagra groupset.

Website: Pinarello