Pinarello Dogma 60.1 Di2

Pinarello Dogma 60.1 Di2

Components: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2

Wheels: Dura-Ace C24 Clinchers

Sizes (cm): 10 sizes from 44 to 59.5

No matter how light, fast or agile a bicycle is, there are times when the price tag hanging from the handlebar is the biggest obstacle to moving it off the bike shop floor. When Scott returned to North America a few years ago, it was one of the first bike brands to crack the five-digit price tag for a regular production offering. Since then, more and more brands have tiptoed over the $10,000 barrier, some with bikes that were worthy of that value, others that weren’t so.

Pinarello had already hit that mark with certain builds of its top-end Prince road bike last year, but for 2010 the Italian brand is leaving $ 10,000 in the dust. At a suggested retail price of $ 16,999, the 2010 Pinarello Dogma 60.1 Di2 is likely the most expensive off-the-shelf road bike available in Canada this year. While that might seem like something to balk at, a certain segment of the bike-riding population will find that fact a major selling point. If you own a 10,000-square foot mansion on the lake with two Porsches and a Ferrari in the triple-car garage, this is the bike to own. It’s just unfortunate that only a select few can have the opportunity to ride the new Dogma Di2, because, just like a fine car, it’s worth every penny.

While the Di2 version uses the same asymmetrical frame design, materials and geometry as other Dogmas, this is a purpose-built frame with routing for Shimano’s new electronic drive train system. At nearly $ 5,000 for the drive train alone, you can see where the high price comes from. The Dogma also uses Shimano’s Dura-Ace C24 carbon clincher wheelset with Continental rubber supplied on our test bike. Pinarello uses its in-house MOst brand for the seat post and gorgeous one-piece stem/handlebar combo while a Fi’zi:k saddle finish off the build.

The frame itself is jaw-dropping. Throughout the bike there’s intricate carbon shaping on the tubes and the paint makes you want to stand there and stare at it. Our model was white and blue, but there are metallic silver accents used generously throughout, really giving the Dogma the look of a bike worth nearly 20 grand. The fork is Pinarello’s curvaceous Onda model using the same new lightweight 60HM1K carbon as the frame.

Both frame and fork have asymmetrical designs. Looking at the bike from the back, it almost looks like the wheels are not seated properly, but this off-balance design is to make up for the extra drive-side loads placed on a frame. Pinarello measured the loads on traditional frames and realized the left and right sides see different amounts of stress. To compensate, the entire bike was created asymmetrically with extra reinforcements and larger tubes being used to create a balanced ride.

Out on the road, it doesn’t disappoint. The high modulus carbon frame dissipates road noise well and the Dogma’s asymmetrical design can be felt while sprinting and under hard accelerations. Between the quality of the build and the flawless Shimano Di2 drivetrain, the Dogma is an incredibly quiet bike that can almost be considered silky. The geometry of the Dogma is quite similar to the Pinarello Prince and offers a typical European race-feel.

If there’s anything to knock, it’s the price. The $ 17,000 price tag (that’s before tax) makes it attainable by only a select few. For the price we also found it to be a touch on the hefty side at around 7.25 kg (16 lbs), but replace the carbon clinchers with some tubular racers and you’ll drop that down by half a pound fairly easily.

The other complaint isn’t so much about the Dogma itself as it is about the “Made in Italy” sticker on the downtube. The Italian brand is able to use that sticker because the bikes are painted and assembled in its Treviso, Italy factory, but the frames themselves are made in a factory in Taiwan. That’s not to say there’s a problem with the fact they’re produced there, because Asia is pumping out some of the best carbon products in the world right now, but if a sticker says “Made in Italy”, most consumers assume the entire bike is manufactured in Italy.

That aside, the Dogma Di2 is one of the smoothest and most gorgeous bicycles I’ve ever ridden, and if I owned a Porsche, this would be mounted on the roof rack. Clearly I’m not the only one that feels that way. When we tested our Dogma, only four existed in Canada and they had all already been sold.

::GEARBOX
Dogma 60.1 Di2 – $16,999
Pinarello
12002