Pinarello releases the lightest mid-drive E-bike on the market

The best electric bikes have really gained a foothold in the market over the last few years. Day to day they appear to be the preserve of commuters and delivery riders, either on dedicated eclectic bikes or homemade options thanks to e-bike conversion kits. At the other end of the spectrum, there are an increasing number of high-end, high-performance electric road bikes that instead of going for maximum power or utility aim to mimic as best they can the feel of a non-assisted road bike. The new Pinarello Nytro E range very much falls into that category, prioritising low weight and handling.

It’s not just an electric road bike, however; there is a gravel model too, and an all-road flat bar version sharing the same geometry of the gravel model, just with a very different build. 

Power assisted, but still lightweight

At the heart of each of the road, gravel, and allroad bikes is a new mid-drive motor. The TQ-HPR50 unit (catchy name, right?), in combination with a 360Wh battery, adds only 3.9kg to the total system weight. In return, you get 50Nm of torque and a 300 Watt boost. The motor has been designed for low weight, but also for low size so as to maintain as close a Q factor as possible to better mimic the feel of riding a standard road or gravel bike. 

Moreover, the motor has been designed to be silent. The shape of the bike, the larger downtube, and the integrated LED display may give away that you’ve got power assistance, but the sound of the motor shouldn’t give you away. At 11.4kg the road model doesn’t compare to a high-end road bike, but it’s comparable to some touring bikes and is the lightest electric bike of its kind on the market. 

The road model especially is clearly inspired by and shares the design features of the Dogma F, and the new Pinarello F that we test rode recently. The same visuals, the same cable integration and cockpits, and the same asymmetrical design to better cope with the forces of braking and power transfer (which is presumably even more important with a 300Watt boost).

It may seem like aerodynamics would be less of a concern when you have a motor in the bottom bracket and a battery in the downtube, but the more slippery the bike (and the rider), the less power assistance you need and therefore the range increases, so opting for the same truncated aerofoil tube shapes as the Dogma and F ranges makes sense from this standpoint as well as from a design language continuity point of view. The E-road models borrow the Dogma seatpost, too, while the E-gravel use a round option so as to keep customers' options open for dropper posts, or more suspension-oriented seatposts. 

The Nytro range; specs and prices 

The headline act is the Nytro E-Road, which comes in three flavours (E9, E7, and E5). All feature electronic Shimano groupsets, cascading from Dura-Ace, through Ultegra, to 105. Only the E7 comes in two colours, with the E5 and E9 in one option only. All can fit 32mm tyres, and wheelsets range from Princeton Grit at the top end, to Fulcrum Racing 800 at the 105 level. 

The gravel models, which feature a different geometry and space for 50mm tyres, all feature 1x Sram groupsets. Red for the E9, Force for the E7, and Rival for the E5, with a similar wheel lineup from Princeton through to Fulcrum Rapid Reds. There is also the Nytro Allroad model, which shares the same geometry as the Nytro Gravel but comes with flat bars, mudguards, a pannier rack, and an 11sp Deore drivetrain.