Pinarello Dogma F review: A serious superbike with an equally serious price tag

Pinarello’s Dogma has long stood at the forefront of the Italian brand's best road bike range. The lineage of Dogma has been raced by some of the most successful teams, by the best riders to victory at cycling's most prestigious events. The result of these successes and its unapologetic aesthetic has arguably made it one of the most recognisable and iconic road bikes of its time, across seven generations of Dogma. 

Pinarello says the lineage's successes have resulted in Dogma transcending ‘superficial classifications’, with the newest in the lineup simply being called Dogma F. When the time comes, Pinarello says that the next will be called Dogma F too, an identity for the future whilst also representing the Dogmas of the past.

While the differences between some generations have been quite dramatic. At first glance, it's hard to spot much of a difference between the Dogma F12 and the new Dogma F. Look closely, however, and you'll spot that Pinarello has made a host of subtle changes to the new frameset that make a dramatic difference out on the road.

Design and aesthetic

One bike to do everything, that's how Pinarello sees the Dogma. A race bike that blends aerodynamics, climbing ability, handling and ride quality. On face value, that's a lot of potential compromises: aerodynamics affect tube shapes which affect comfort; lowering structural weight affects stiffness and handling. 

But rather than diversify its portfolio to chase individual metrics like many other brands, Pinarello stuck with Dogma.

The Dogma F continues with Pinarello’s asymmetric design which it is now known for, the same TorayCA 1100G 1K materials of the F12 are carried over as well as the same geometry figures. Even the silhouette looks mostly unchanged from the Dogma F12.

Look closer and there are some notable differences, a redesigned fork, down tube and seatstays are said to improve airflow by 4.8 per cent over the outgoing Dogma F12. The redesigned fork channels airflow to the sleeker seatstay and off the back of the bike. If you believe the marketing, Pinarello says that the fork actually works as sails, favouring forward motion when experiencing crosswinds. In terms of speed and power, Pinarello claims the aero savings equate to 1.3 watts saved at 40kph and 2.6 watts saved at 50kph.

The downtube, which still features a wider sunken profile to hide the bottle, now steps up below the downtube bottle to help shield the seat tube-mounted bottle as well. This new step at the bottom of the down tube has also led to a claimed 12-per cent increase in stiffness around the bottom bracket area.

Pinarello refused to fundamentally alter the Dogma frame main construction which could potentially sacrifice handling and comfort to chase weight. This isn’t something new either as Pinarello’s frame target weight has remained unchanged at 850g (53cm) since the design of the F8.

Instead, Pinarello chased marginal gains in order to achieve a lower weight for the Dogma F. Using German 3D-printing company Materialise, it was possible to save 35g from the seat clamp, 25g off the headset and 27g from the seat tube. The new Dogma F Onda Disc fork also cut 78g and the one-piece Most Talon Ultrafast handlebar and stem has been redesigned in order to find another 40g of savings. The total adds up to a claimed 265g reduction from the previous Dogma F12 (Disc) which is pretty respectable considering that it's now also lighter than the F12 XLight.

The aesthetics of the new bike are unmistakably Pinarello with an unapologetically asymmetric design that uses swooping and twisting tubes. Pinarello is one of the few bikes that break the mould to stand out in the pro peloton and that alone makes the Dogma feel special. If you like the look of the Dogma series then the Dogma F will not disappoint. If you don’t, well at least the other 90 per cent of road bikes should be to your taste.

Specification

Our bike was built up with a very premium spec, decked out with an SRAM Red eTap AXS and DT Swiss Arc 1400 Dicut wheels which were 48mm deep and fitted with Pirelli P Zero Race 26mm (the frame and fork can clear a 28mm tyre). Our only real gripe with the spec was that the 46t big ring just wasn't big enough on a bike as fast as this.

Of course, Pinarello offers a handful of build options for customers to customise the Dogma F to their perfect spec. There is a Shimano Dura-Ace bike with all the trimmings including wheels, or a Campagnolo Super Record EPS build with Bora Ultra wheels if you want to go full Italian.

The customisation doesn’t stop there. The SRAM Red build comes in six different colours, our test bike was finished in Plutonium Flash, but you can use Pinarello’s My Way to customise the finish. There are three designs and 27 colours to choose from, although don’t get too carried away as the additional costs can rack up.

Upfront is Pinarello’s Talon Ultra Fast one-piece bar and stem. We found the shape to work well for us and although the bar limits adjustability post-purchase, Pinarello offers a good range of sizes to choose from. The one quirk we found was the drops have a slightly vertically ovalised shape, this didn’t cause us discomfort although it may differ depending on how you hold the drops.

The last niggle with the spec is the use of flimsy feeling Torx bolts on the stem and seat clamp. We were able to get everything nipped up properly, although only one tool at my disposal actually had what I needed and they just felt very delicate when working on the bike.

It should come as no surprise that the latest Pinarello Dogma, dripping in the best SRAM and DT Swiss has to offer, doesn’t come cheap. For most, this is an unattainable bike, the £12,000 ($14,500) price tag is impossible to gloss over and while Pinarello has always commanded a high price tag, it's not like mainstream competitors aren’t also charging similar prices these days. Specialized’s S-Works Tarmac SL7 with SRAM Red is £600 more than the Dogma F we have here, albeit the Tarmac does come with a power meter. Compare it to better value bikes like Canyon's Aeroad though and the disparity of the cost to kit ratio is obvious. The Aeroad CFR Disc eTap is a whopping £3,500 cheaper than the Dogma F with arguably a better spec.

The reality is, these days most manufacturers will have a bike that costs upwards of five figures. In the end, debating whether a bike that costs so much is arbitrary as value for money becomes of secondary concern. 

Performance

The Dogma F has been designed to race and it feels like a thoroughbred too, but not in the way you might think. It isn’t a hard bike to ride, it doesn't feel like it needs to be kept in line or put in place. You don’t need to pinpoint hand-eye coordination in corners or a concrete lower back either. The Dogma F only has one job, to help you go as fast as you can.

Like the Dogma F12 predecessor, the handling here is sublime, utterly effortless and balanced. There's zero nervousness and no matter how fast you're going, the turn-in and carve is predictable and confident. Rougher surfaces don't seem to phase the now-stiffer chassis either, it feels utterly planted throughout the brake, corner and accelerate process. There is no shortage of excellent handling road bikes, but very few come close to the Dogma F's telepathic cornering ability. 

On the open road, there's no slowing down and, while it's hard to ‘feel’ aerodynamics, the Dogma has a real urgency to it. The bike wants to hunt down riders up the road and take the lead. On my local flat coastal coffee spin, every ride became a chase as the bike's urgency translated into my own keenness to push on. 

There is a noticeable improvement in climbing compared to the outgoing F12 that I previously rode. I don't think this is entirely down to the lower weight, although it will certainly help overcome gravity. The Dogma F seems to have more energy around it and is more reactive too. Stamp on the pedals and the stiffer chassis becomes clear, giving the bike an encouragingly sprightly feel. It's the same with sprints and the Dogma just has a hunger to surge forwards, pedal strokes seem easier to muscle over making the Dogma F a formidable contender to go wheel to wheel with.

What is most surprising about the Dogma F is just how comfortable it is. With the purposeful aero tubing, I expected it to finish longer rides feeling a bit rattled, yet the Dogma F floats over rough surfaces. Assuming you can handle the fairly aggressive race position, the Dogma F will go for hours whilst minimising the jarring effects or cracked and broken tarmac. Even on rough local cobbled sections, it had a calmness that would usually only be found on a bike fitted with bigger tyres.

Having ridden a few Pinarellos over the last few years, the oozing aesthetic has really grown on me. I like how outrageous and flamboyant it is with its twists and curves yet still very muscular and purposeful. Pinarello has taken all the best bits from the F12 and refined them to make the Dogma F sleeker and smoother. The seatstay junction is no longer squared off, instead, it looks as if it’s been eroded by the wind and the new bulge at the bottom of the downtube fills out the bottom bracket junction nicely. In my opinion, the Dogma F is the best looking Dogma yet.

Verdict

For me, the Dogma is the epitome of a racing bike. Ultra-precise, incredibly fast and unwaveringly capable, it defines what it takes to be a winning machine. The Dogma F doesn’t feel as if it makes any compromises. It feels slippery when fast yet energetic at slower speeds, savagely fast yet ruthlessly efficient and comfortable and the balance and poise are truly sublime. The Dogma F is just a pleasure to ride. 

The Dogma has a distinguished heritage in the greatest races in cycling and the latest successor holds itself with dignity and splendour. Long live the Dogma F. 

Logbook: Pinarello Dogma F Disc

• Temperature: 10 to 34 degrees
• Weather:  Spring to summer conditions
• Road surface: Mixed surfaces
• Route: Range of routes from fast training rides to big 240km days
• Rides: 29
• Mileage: 1,898km

Tech Specs: Pinarello Dogma F Disc

• Price: £12,000 / $14,500 (£5,400 / $6,950 frameset only)
• Sizes: 430, 465, 500, 515, 530, 540, 550, 560, 575, 595 and 620
• Weight: 7kg
• Frame: TORAYCA T1100 1K
• Fork: TORAYCA T1100 1K
• Shifters: SRAM Red eTap AXS
• Front derailleur: SRAM Red eTap AXS
• Rear derailleur: SRAM Red eTap AXS 12-speed
• Crankset: SRAM Red 46t/36t
• Cassette: Sram Red XG-1290
• Brakes: Sram Red 2 pistons caliper, 160mm rotor
• Wheels: DT SWISS ARC 1400 50mm
• Tyres: Pirelli P Zero Race 26mm
• Saddle: Most Lynx Ultrafast Superflow L Carbon
• Seatpost: Pinarello Aero seatpost with 3D printed titanium top seat clamp and bolts
• Handlebars: Most Talon Ultra Fast