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<\/a>A Pinarello Dogma X with Shimano Dura-Ace components, a Talon Ultra Fast with 100-mm stem and 40-cm bar (closer to 39 cm hood to hood) and DT Swiss ERC 1100 DiCut 45 wheels with 32c Continental Grand Prix 5000 S tires\nThe endurance-bike conundrum and Pinarello\u2019s take<\/p>\n
The next day, when I spoke with Massimo Poloniato, the Pinarello R&D manager, about the Dogma X, he contradicted himself somewhat. He and I, as well as product manager Ilaria Chiodi, sat at a table not far from a bunch of new bikes. I didn\u2019t call him on his contraction, and I\u2019m not going to hold it against him now. No, his stumble actually speaks to the difficulty many brands have in conveying the qualities and benefits of high-performance-but-not-for-the-WorldTour bikes.<\/p>\n
I asked him if he\u2019d call the Dogma X an endurance bike. \u201cIt\u2019s not an endurance bike because it\u2019s not a relaxed bike,\u201d he said. But as he made comparisons with Pinarello\u2019s race bike, the Dogma F that you are seeing in the Tour de France right now, well, the idea of a more mellow geometry resurfaced. \u201cWe have the Dogma F that is a pure racing bike without compromise, and the Dogma X, that is more relaxed, an easier Dogma, let\u2019s say.\u201d<\/p>\n
Let me present Poloniato\u2019s case as faithfully as I can. The Dogma X is not as edgy as its sibling, the Dogma F, but it is more race-like than some endurance bikes that have slower steering. It\u2019s \u201cPinarello relaxed,\u201d which is still pretty darn zippy.<\/p>\n Where I would challenge Poloniato is the broad characterization of other brands\u2019 endurance models as bikes that aren\u2019t so reactive. Sure, there are some chill endurance bikes, but ones by Trek, Cerv\u00e9lo and Giant don\u2019t lumber around corners.<\/p>\n I\u2019m simply going to call the Pinarello Dogma X an endurance bike. (Heck, that\u2019s how the company classifies it on its site.) I\u2019ll unpack how that plays out in its design and how it felt on the roads. But first, what makes a Dogma?<\/p>\n In the Dogma pack<\/p>\n Comparisons between the big-ride-focused Dogma X and the pro-grade Dogma F are natural. At Pinarello, the Dogma designation means the bike is at the top the line in whatever category it\u2019s in.<\/p>\n Both of these frames use the same carbon-fibre formula, Torayca M40X. While maximum stiffness is not the priority of the Dogma X, the M40X allowed for the construction of a light frame with a high stiffness-to-weight ratio. Pinarello says the frame weighs in at less than 1 kg, and the fork is 400 g. The company found a size 53 frame outfitted with a Shimano Dura-Ace group and Princeton Grit wheels had a mass of 7.06 kg.<\/p>\n The Dogma X, like the Dogma F, uses a fork with an elliptical steering tube. That design allows the brake hoses to be run toward the front of the head tube. On the Dogma X, the head tube shaping, the increased taper of the down tube and the \u201ckeel\u201d at the bottom bracket all come over for the Dogma F. The endurance bike even has the drive-side front dropout covered, like the race bike, to improve aerodynamics.<\/p>\n When it comes to firm CdA improvements to the Dogma X, Pinarello doesn\u2019t have any figures at the ready. Both Poloniato and Chiodi said that honing aerodynamics wasn\u2019t a priority with the Dogma X. But the endurance bike is likely benefiting from the aero touches that it does have.<\/p>\n Because of that elliptical steering tube, the Dogma X has to use the F\u2019s one-piece bar\/stem, the Talon Ultra Fast. It\u2019s available in a whole bunch of size combinations, stem lengths ranging from 80 to 140 mm and bar widths (which are taken at the bottom of the bars) going from 40 to 46 cm.<\/p>\n The geometry and fit of the Pinarello Dogma X<\/p>\n Pinarello began its current foray into endurance bikes five years ago because the rider position on race bikes kept getting more and more extreme. The company\u2019s R&D led to the first iteration of the Dogma X. The new bike continues with almost the same geometry as its predecessor\u2019s. The stack and reach numbers are the same. One tube, however, was adjusted.<\/p>\n \u201cWe increased the head tube a little bit. A lot of amateur riders have a lot of spacers under the stem,\u201d Poloniato said, and then noted that the boost in head-tube length meant more riders could run fewer spacers. \u201cThe Dogma X has about a 10 to 15 mm higher stack, depending on the size, compared with the Dogma F. The Dogma X has a slightly slacker head-tube angle just so the bike would be less nervous, let\u2019s say, less nervous than a racing bike.\u201d The reach of Dogma X frames are roughly 5 mm longer than their Dogma F equivalents.<\/p>\n At the press event, when I found the Dogma X on the rack with my name on it, I thought there\u2019d been a mistake. The frame was a size 560. The Dogma F I tested a few years ago was a size 540. Surely the Dogma X in 560 was too big. Well, it wasn\u2019t. I\u2019m 175-cm tall and set my saddle to about 76 cm. On proper race bikes, I usually like around 2 cm worth of spacers. With the Dogma X, I didn\u2019t need anything added under the stem. The fit was good\u2014not race-bike but still powerful.<\/p>\n X still marks the seatstays, somewhat<\/p>\n In 2023, when the first Dogma X launched<\/a>, it sported seatstays with two attachment points each at the seat tube as well as an X-like bridge at the top of those stays. The new bike, with its X-Stays 2.0, has the forked seatstay ends, but with some notable changes. For example, that X bridge is gone.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had to try to simplify the frame a little,\u201d Poloniato said. \u201cThat\u2019s why we got rid of the X brake bridge that we had previously.\u201d The change led to some weight savings.<\/p>\n Compared with the first-generation X-Stays, version 2.0 have a more acute angle, attaching to the seat tube lower down. This design allows for more seat-tube flex, adding to the vibration management offered by the forked stays. The sharper angle also increases the lateral stiffness of the frame.<\/p>\n Did Pinarello consider adding an elastomer or some form of suspension, as the company did with the Dogma K8-S<\/a> or K10-S? \u201cAll of those systems had a lot of weight and a lot of compromises,\u201d Poloniato said. \u201cOf course, they are good, they can work, but the evolution of the market with the bigger tires and tubeless tires allow us to improve vertical compliance without complicated mechanical systems.\u201d<\/p>\n The Dogma X has 35 mm of tire clearance. That might seem a bit stingy if you conduct a wide survey of endurance and all-road bikes. But, Pinarello didn\u2019t want to go bigger, or wider, because the bike would have then needed even longer chainstays. They are 422-mm long to accept those 35-mm treads. Going longer would have affected handling and decreased lateral stiffness.<\/p>\n Stiffness gains and stiffness loses<\/p>\n There\u2019s some give and take you\u2019ll notice or if you\u2019ve been keeping score, if you will, with the stiffness profile of the Dogma X. Pinarello hasn\u2019t provided any numbers, but the company has noted that the Torayca M40X keeps things quite rigid. The lower seatstays also increase the stiffness, as does the beefy down tube and bottom bracket. Yet, there are some features that can\u2019t help but open the door to more lateral movement.<\/p>\n Poloniato said there is a smidge more flex in the Dogma X compared with the Dogma F. \u201cA little bit, yes, because of course you have more stack on the front end,\u201d he said, \u201cso it is a little bit more flexible when you are sprinting. Also, the rear chainstays, due to the tire clearance, we needed to reduce the section of the chainstays, which means a little bit of more lateral deflection.\u201d<\/p>\n Will the pros ride the Pinarello Dogma X?<\/p>\n During the press event\u2019s main presentation, Pinarello chief marketing officer Federico Sbrissa spoke about why you won\u2019t see the Pinarello Dogma F in WorldTour races, even if Tom Pidcock liked an early prototype.<\/p>\n \u201cThe teams have the pure freedom to choose to race whatever they want,\u201d Sbrissa said. \u201cWe\u2019d never push them to take this bike to Paris-Roubaix or the Ardennes Classics.<\/p>\n \u201cIn general, one of the most important things right now for the athletes is the geometry and the position they have on their race bikes. Asking one athlete to change bikes for a one-day race or for one stage of a Grand Tour, it is something that no one wants to do at the WorldTour level. Even a small adjustment on the geometry impedes their performance. This bike, as I mentioned, has a different geometry than our Dogma F. In particular, it\u2019s about an 11- mm higher stack, which, trust me, for an athlete, is a thing. They don\u2019t want to go higher, they don\u2019t want to go shorter.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why this bike is not designed and used by any team. It\u2019s more like a race bike for amateurs.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a>On the climb to Castello San Salvatore. Image: Courtesy Pinarello<\/p>\n<\/a>The Pinarello Dogma X draws some design features, such as the down-tube shaping, from the Dogma F.<\/p>\n<\/a>The latest Pinarello Dogma X has an increased head-tube length compared with the previous generation.<\/p>\n<\/a>The first-generation of Pinarello Dogma X with its X-shape bridge between the seatstays.<\/p>\n<\/a>The Pinarello Dogma X\u2019s X-Stays 2.0 have a lower bracing angle than the first iteration of this design.<\/p>\n<\/a>The Dogma X uses the same Talon Ultra Fast bar\/stem as the Dogma F.<\/p>\n<\/a>Vineyards and Pinarello Dogma Xs. Image: Courtesy Pinarello<\/p>\n<\/a>Pinarello Dogma X top tube.<\/p>\n