First look: Pinarello Dogma K8-S
Pinarello launched the radical Pinarello Dogma K8-S, with its rear suspension, at the cobble Spring Classics in April. But the bike, a 2016 model, has only arrived in Canada recently. Canadian Cycling Magazine received one of the first bikes to land for testing.
Pinarello launched the radical Pinarello Dogma K8-S, with its rear suspension, at the cobble Spring Classics in April. But the bike, a 2016 model, has only arrived in Canada recently. Canadian Cycling Magazine received one of the first bikes to land for testing.
[divider scroll_text=”The Bike”]
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Derived from the aerodynamic F8, the K8-S looks remarkably similar to its more classical sibling, with the rear shock being the obvious departure.
[divider scroll_text=”The Shock”]
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An elastomer is housed in the rear shock, providing about 1 cm of travel. You can use a wrench to turn the collar at the top, allowing adjustment of pre-load to suit rider weight.
[divider scroll_text=”The Frame and Fork”]
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The seatstays start out extremely tall and wide, for power transfer and stiffness. Each tapers dramatically at the mid-point, thinning out to allow vertical flex, without the need of a pivot. They remain quite wide to the dropouts to maintain lateral and torsional stiffness.
The K8-S shares the same truncated-airfoil design of the F8, which Pinarello calls “flat back.” By chopping off the pointed tail portion of an airfoil, the truncated design is able to retain most of the aerodynamic benefits of a traditional airfoil, without the sacrificing weight or stiffness.
The fork on the Pinarello K8-S bows outward dramatically, away from the wheel and spokes. According to Pinarello, this shape helps improve aerodynamics by avoiding the interaction of turbulent air from the wheel with the fork, a feature also found on Pinarello’s F8 and Bolide time trial bike. Interestingly, Pinarello chose to use a conventional caliper up front rather than Shimano’s direct mount, as it does on the back of the K8-S.
[divider scroll_text=”The Components”]
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No aero details are overlooked. Pinarello went so far as to make custom aero spacers and matching stems to eke out the every last bit of aero savings. Unfortunately for us, the test bike shipped with a stem that is just a bit too short for our reviewer, so we swapped in a conventional stem. In this case, the Vibe, a carbon model from component brand PRO.
The Pinarello K8-S uses Shimano’s new direct-mount caliper standard. Appropriately for a cobbled race, ample clearance available from both the frame and brakes allow for fatter tires. The Dura-Ace caliper gives strong and predictable braking.
Our test bike came fully loaded, decked out in Shimano’s Dura-Ace Di2 drivetrain, and Zipp 303 carbon clinchers. Look for the full review in the December 2015/January 2016 issue of Canadian Cycling Magazine.
