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Pinnacle Dolomite road bikes and Arkose 2017 adventure bikes – first look

Discs for the Dolomite and revised geometry for the Arkose as Pinnacle reveal 2017 range

Pinnacle is the in-house bike brand of Evans Cycles and the British firm’s range has been overhauled for 2017, with the introduction of a disc-equipped version of the Dolomite road bike, while the popular Arkose has been updated to cement its position as Pinnacle’s adventure bike.

We stopped by Pinnacle’s 2017 press preview to take a closer look at the range and caught up with product manager James Olsen to get the inside story on what’s new. Let’s start with the Pinnacle Dolomite.

Pinnacle Dolomite

The key change for 2017 when it comes to the Dolomite, Pinnacle’s aluminium road machine, is the introduction of a disc-equipped version of the frame. In fact, disc brakes now dominate the line-up, with eight of the ten bikes in the range coming with discs – only the entry-level Dolomite 1 and women’s-specific Dolomite 1 W retain rim brakes.

Cable disc brakes make an appearance on the Dolomite 2, Dolomite 2 W and Dolomite 3, before hydraulic disc brakes take over on the Dolomite 4 and continue through to the top-of-the-range Dolomite 6.

The Pinnacle Dolomite has had a disc brake update for 2017

“The main difference with the frame is that it has a little bit more clearance,” says Olsen. “You can get a 32c tyre in there, or 28c with a mudguard.” Otherwise, Pinnacle have updated the full carbon fork and added 2mm to the chainstays to improve front derailleur clearance when using mudguards, but otherwise the geometry remains compact, with the aim to provide a snappy, responsive ride.

As a result, the Dolomite also retains its versatility, thanks to that additional tyre clearance and eyelets for full mudguards. Olsen sees the Dolomite as a year-round machine which more than matches a carbon fibre frame at the competitive position the range fills.

Speaking of which, the Dolomite line-up starts with the Dolomite 1 with a Shimano Tourney seven-speed groupset and rim brakes for £500. As we’ve already mentioned, disc brakes then take over, with the £650 Dolomite 2 getting a Shimano Claris groupset with Tektro Mira cable discs and the £800 Dolomite 3 wearing Shimano Sora components with TRP’s excellent Spyre mechanical disc brakes.

The £1,000 Dolomite 4 steps things up a level, with a Shimano Tiagra groupset and the Shimano RS-405 hydraulic disc brakes. In fact, Olsen views the introduction of those Tiagra-level discs as something of a game changer, offering impressive, hydraulic braking at a competitive price.

Pinnacle have opted for a thru-axle at the front and quick release at the rear. Flat mount discs keeps everything neat and tidy

Move up to the Dolomite 5 and you get Shimano 105 components with an FSA Gossamer chainset and Shimano RS-505 hydraulic disc brakes for £1,150, before you arrive at the flagship Dolomite 6, which wears a full Shimano 105 groupset with Ultegra-level Shimano RS805 hydraulic discs for £1,400. As a side note, all Dolomites come with a compact 50-34t chainset and 11-28t cassette, plus 25mm tyres.

Is that everything? Well, no – not exactly. There’s another completely new bike in the Dolomite range, with Pinnacle also introducing a disc-equipped, singlespeed version of the bike which on paper looks an ideal all-weather commuting machine (providing your commute isn’t too hilly, mind).

The Pinnacle Dolomite SS is another new addition

“This is a bike a lot of people have been asking for,” says Olsen. The frame is slightly different to the rest of the Dolomite range and has a little more clearance for mudguards, while the head angle is half-a-degree slacker than the regular Dolomite. “It’s a Dolomite which has been optimised for winter and singlespeed riding,” adds Olsen.

The Dolomite SS pairs a 46-tooth chainring with a 18-toot rear sprocket, while TRP provide the Spyre mechanical disc brakes. Yours for £525.

Pinnacle Dolomite 1 (Shimano Tourney) – £500
Pinnacle Dolomite 1 W (Shimano Tourney) – £500
Pinnacle Dolomite 2 (Shimano Claris) – £650
Pinnacle Dolomite 2 W (Shimano Claris) – £650
Pinnacle Dolomite 3 (Shimano Sora) – £800
Pinnacle Dolomite 4 (Shimano Tiagra) – £1,000
Pinnacle Dolomite 4 W (Shimano Tiagra) – £1,000
Pinnacle Dolomite 5 (Shimano 105 mix) – £1,150
Pinnacle Dolomite 6 (Shimano 105) – £1,400

Pinnacle Dolomite SS – £525

Pinnacle Arkose

The Arkose has been in the Pinnacle range since 2010, starting out as a cantilever cyclo-cross bike before morphing into a versatile, disc-equipped road-cum-adventure bike in 2012. In many ways, it was ahead of its time – now almost everything brand has a bike in the mould of the Arkose.

“The Arkose was a little bit ahead of the whole gravel bike thing,” Olsen says. “Everyone has a gravel bike now but we had that in the range with that road/off-road mix.”

The Arkose has been updated to give Pinnacle’s drop-bar adventure bike more of an off-road bias

Pinnacle haven’t rested on their laurels, however, and the Arkose has been updated for model year 2017. With the new Dolomite coming in as Pinnacle’s disc-equipped road machine, the Arkose has been tweaked to give it more of an off-road bias. Whereas before it was often used as a winter road bike or all-round machine for both road and off-road use, now Olsen sees the Arkose as a dedicated adventure/gravel bike (though the frame still retains mudguard mounts).

The geometry has been updated accordingly, with the seattube now half-a-degree slacker, the bottom bracket 6mm lower and the chainstays 9mm longer. That should provide more stable off-road handling but also provides additional tyre clearance, with the Arkose now capable accepting anything up to 45c rubber.

Pinnacle have specced 48-32t chainsets across the majority of the Arkose range

In terms of spec, the Arkose range follows the same pricing as the Dolomite line-up, though it starts with the £800 Shimano Sora-equipped model. Again, that bike has TRP Spyre cable disc brakes before hydraulic disc brakes kick in.

Otherwise, Pinnacle have specced 48-32t FSA or Praxis chainsets across the Arkose range (other than on the £900 Arkose X, which has a single-chainring setup).

The Pinnacle Arkose X gets a single-ring setup

“Manufacturers are starting to offer smaller chainsets for this type of bike – it makes a lot of sense,” says Olsen of the decision to spec FSA and Praxis rings. “On a bike like this, a 50-34t chainset might feel great on the road, but as soon as you get off-road, the 50-tooth chainring is fairly pointless.”

All bikes in the range come with Kenda Flintridge 35c tyres, again apart from the Arkose X, which uses WTB Nano Comp 40c tyres with a more aggressive, knobbly tread. That, combined with the single-ring setup, gives the bike a “more rugged bias” according to Olsen.

Pinnacle Arkose 1 (Shimano Sora) – £800
Pinnacle Arkose 1 W (Shimano Sora) – £800
Pinnacle Arkose 2 (Shimano Tiagra) – £1,000
Pinnacle Arkose 2 W (Shimano Tiagra) – £1,000
Pinnacle Arkose 3 (Shimano 105 mix) – £1,150
Pinnacle Arkose 3 W (Shimano 105 mix) – £1,150
Pinnacle Arkose 4 (Shimano 105) – £1,400

Pinnacle Arkose X (Shimano Deore 1X) – £900

Website: Evans Cycles

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