The start of a new season means a new bike for Bradley Wiggins. This is the machine the Tour de France champion will ride in 2013.
Wiggins started his season at Challenge Majorca – a series of four, one-day events – on Sunday, helping team-mate to Ben Swift to third in the opening day’s bunch sprint, and we were there to check out the Olympic time trial champion’s Pinarello Dogma 65.1 Think 2.
While Team Sky used last season’s Dogma 2 at the Tour Down Under and Tour of Qatar – two early-season races where the significant logistical challenge of shipping bikes means that old equipment is often used – all riders in Majorca were equipped with the new Dogma 65.1 Think 2, unveiled ahead of last year’s Tour but only ridden by Wiggins on the final stage.
The frame shape remains the same as the Dogma 2, with Pinarello’s trademark asymmetric design and wavy fork, seatstays and chainstays, but changes have been made under its skin. The 65.1 uses a 65Ton HM 1K carbon fibre, which gives the frame its awkward name, and Pinarello claim the revised layup is “more rigid and more reactive” than the Dogma 2, plus it’s lighter at a claimed 920g for a size 54cm.
Team Sky’s Pinarellos have also been given a new paintjob for 2013, with less blue and more black, much like the new kit designed by Rapha. Where the Dogma 2 had a long blue strip which stretched along the length of the toptube and onto the seatstays, and on the underbelly of the downtube, the new frame has separate flashes of blue on the toptube, seatstay bridge and right-hand fork leg. Wiggo’s 60cm frame also includes a subtle nod to mod.
Shimano’s 11-speed Dura-Ace Di2 9070 groupset is beginning to enter production but only Team Sky and Blanco had it at their disposal in Majorca. Wiggins, therefore, had an extra sprocket for his first race of the season, with a Dura-Ace Di2 9070 front mech, rear mech, cassette and shifters fitted but note the absence of the new crankset. Team Sky’s mechanics told us the 9070 crankset fitted on other bikes (from both Team Sky and Blanco) is only a final prototype and they are waiting for the finished article before fitting it to Wiggins’ machine, although we expect him to revert to his favoured O-Symmetric chainrings once the racing hots up.
Otherwise, Wiggins’ bike is equipped with Shimano Dura-Ace C50 wheels shod with 23mm Veloflex Carbon tubular tyres, an aluminium PRO Vibe 7S handlebar and stem, a Fizik Arione CX Carbon saddle and an SRM power meter and computer. Let’s take a closer look.
Count the sprockets – Wiggins’ machine has gone 11-speed for 2013
Wiggins has not yet switched to Shimano’s latest Dura-Ace crankset, although the Tour de France champion usually rides with O-Symmetric chainrings. Wiggins cranks are 177.5mm in length, reflecting his rangy 6’3″ frame
Wiggins started his season with a 116km criterium in Palma, Majorca – the first of four, one-day races
The new frame is made from 65Ton HM 1K carbon fibre which Pinarello say makes for a “more rigid and more reactive” machine
A nod to mod. Sky’s Pinarellos have been given a new paintjob for 2013 and gone is the team’s mantra which used to adorn the toptube
Wiggins was given a gold SRM power meter after winning the Olympic time trial, while the 32-year-old also had a yellow version during the Tour de France
The aluminium Vibe 7S stems uses PRO’s ‘puzzleclamp’ stem plate design, which is said to reduce stress on the bolts and handlebar
Shimano C50 wheels shod with Veloflex Carbon tubular tyres
Most of Team Sky use Shimano pedals but Wiggins prefers to use Speedplay Zeros
Wiggins rode to Tour de France and Olympic glory in a pair of Bont Zero shoes and they remain his footwear of choice for the new season. This pair look like they have done plenty of miles, while the socks are as long as ever
Pinarello’s flagship frame uses an Italian threaded bottom bracket, unlike most top-of-the-range machines which now use a PressFit BB
The frame’s convertible internal cable routing means you can run either a mechanical or electronic groupset
RoadCyclingUK attended Challenge Majorca as a guest of race sponsor Iberostar, staying at the Iberostar Playa de Muro hotel in Alcudia. For more information visit www.iberostar.com
