Pinarello Dogma 60.1 ~
By
now, you've heard about the asymmetry of
Pinarello's new Dogma 60.1
and how it enables the frame and fork to be lighter and better
suited to the demands placed on them
by the offset of the drivetrain. Unless you've been privileged
to ride the Dogma it can be difficult to understand how this
affects the quality of the ride. Now that the Dogma
has been around for a little while and the weather is finally
allowing for longer rides, it's time to explain what sets the
ride of the Dogma apart from everything else.
If you have ridden a Prince, at first the Dogma will feel quite
similar. The geometry is the same so they will handle virtually
the same. The biggest thing you will notice at first is
that the Dogma is quieter. We attribute this to the EPS system
used for laying up the carbon matrix. This makes the inside of
the frame very smooth compared to other carbon
frames and eliminates the possibilities of voids in the carbon.
Once you've gotten warmed up and start pushing a little more,
you'll notice that the bike seems to be a little better balanced
than
anything you've ridden before. It tends to react a little
quicker and stay better balanced when sprinting. Once you go
into a full sprint you'll notice that the front end is planted
more securely than
with other bikes. It's a little hard to see how the affects of
the offset drivetrain can lead to asymmetric forces acting on
the fork blades, but Pinarello's computer modeling showed this
to be the case
and your first all-out sprint will confirm it. Both wheels stay
firmly planted without the skittishness that's common when
sprinting. As the road turns upward you'll find the Dogma helps
you to establish
a comfortable pace because every bit of energy you put into the
pedals goes toward forward motion. By balancing the forces
acting on the bike it seems to climb more efficiently without
inducing any
energy-wasting extraneous movement. Of course, it will push you
to ride a higher gear and go faster and reward you when you do
so. When descending, you'll find the Dogma corners effortlessly
and tracks like it's on a rail. It becomes very easy to follow
your line down the mountain or make that last second correction
when conditions require it.
When the Prince came out we frequently heard that it was the
best all-around bike ever. Another
bike may have been stiffer or more stable or more comfortable,
but the Prince offered the best
balance
between the three. With the arrival of the Dogma, the other
comparisons are out the window. The Dogma is stiffer, yet more
comfortable for long rides. It's more responsive without
sacrificing
stability
or becoming twitchy.
The Dogma truly
outperforms any other racing cycle regardless of which
parameters you examine.
Nelson Frazier
Pinarello e-Tech
