When Alexi Grewal won the 1984 Olympics road race event and Pedro Delgada the Tour de France four years later, Pinarello became a household name in the road race sector. Now, many cannot stop wondering, why are Pinarello bikes good?
Pinarello bikes are good because they are performance-oriented. Their carbon frames are stiffer, lightweight, and stable, and the bikes enjoy good geometry and aerodynamic designs to outperform most bikes on the tracks. Plus, the level of bike innovation and specs quality is unbeatable.
These bikes also have larger tire clearances, enabling riders to fit larger tires to dominate the streets. Even better, the bicycles come in multiple frame sizes and offer the option of customization through the ‘My Way’ project.
That, nonetheless, doesn’t cancel the fact that these bikes are pretty expensive. Let’s kick start this review with the brand history.
In a rush? Below are the best Pinarello bicycles on the market:
5 Best Pinarello Bikes
- Pinarello Dogma: Pinarello Flagship Model
- Pinarello Prince: Dogma’s Cheaper Alternative
- Nytro Urbanist: Best Pinarello urban Bike
- Pinarello Grevil: Best Pinarello Gravel Bike
- Nytro Roadster: Best Pinarello Electric Bike
Brand History
Pinarello is an Italian bicycle brand headquartered in Trenso, Italy. The company was established in 1953 primarily as a competitive road bike brand. Today, however, Pinarello makes gravel bikes, urban bikes, electric bikes, and cyclocross bikes.
Pinarello also runs the Opera bike brand and relies on its in-house component manufacturer MOST, which makes most of its bike components.
The company gets its name from its founder Giovanni Pinarello, who began making bikes at a local factory at only 15. By 25, Giovanni was a professional bike designer and builder. That saw him start the Pinarello bicycle company a few years later.
Initially, the bikes only featured a steel frame, slightly heavy but reliable and strong. The company only made its first-ever all-carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) frames in 2005.
Their landmark bike is the Pinarello Montero SLX that won the Summer Olympics, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta Espana, and Tour de France road race events in the 80s.
Today, Pinarello is known for its flagship road bike series, Dogma, which is every professional racer’s road bike.
Pinarello mainly associates with British professional road cyclist Chris Froome, notable for winning the Tour De France from 2015 to 2018.
Why Are Pinarello Bikes Good?
Pinarello bicycles are performance-oriented, and you can tell that from their build quality, design, innovations, and material choice. Generally, these bikes are better performers due to these reasons:
1. Performance-Oriented Carbon Frames
Pinarello invests highly in carbon frame technology to ensure its bike frames are stiffer, comfortable, lightweight, and stable.
The downtube, for example, is shallower and wider to effectively dampen vibrations, while the chainstays are chunkier to improve the bikes’ stiffness and offer it better tire clearance.
And more, the frame has an asymmetric profile that makes it stronger, stiffer, and easy to handle.
2. Comfortable Race Geometry (Relaxed Fit)
Ordinarily, race geometries are all about rider’s comfort than bike speed. That’s, however, not the case with recent Pinarello road bikes. An option like the Pinarello Prince enjoys a less aggressive (casual-like) reach that puts you in a more relaxed position.
Plus, it enjoys a more linear reach height, improving its handling and comfort.
3. Aerodynamic Design
You expect bikes with a relaxed fit and wider tire clearance to be slower, but that’s not the case with Pinarello. Pinarello bicycles enjoy a more aerodynamic design with a competitive edge when sprinting.
For one, their frames boast of an internal cable routing and swoopy top-tube profile to reduce wind drag when riding fast. Their front is aero to cut through wind drag, compensating for their slightly wider tires.
4. Bike Innovation
Pinarello rides on innovation. The bike manufacturer spends years researching and developing technologies that make its bikes faster, more resilient, and comfortable to ride.
Some of its current bike innovations include:
- Carbon Fiber Technology – By employing Carbon T700 UD and T1001K on its Prince and Gan road bikes, Pinarello promises bike frames with higher vibration-dampening effects and comfort.
- Flat-Back Profile – Flat-Back Profile comes in handy in making Pinarello bikes more aerodynamic. The technology lowers lateral wind drag to ensure you ride fast.
- TiCR – TiCR is an advanced internal cable routing that Pinarello employs to hide its brake cables to protect them from damage and reduce wind drag. Its purpose is cable protection and aerodynamics.
- ONDA – ONDA is a suspension fork technology Pinarello employs to give its road bikes precision turning ability and stability. To an extent, the ONDA fork reduces shock, making the bike steering more comfortable.
5. Quality Specs
Pinarello doesn’t just invest in state-of-the-art innovations but goes a step further to assemble the best components. While they get their groupsets from SRAM and Shimano, their in-house company MOST handles most of the other components to guarantee standardization and quality.
The components by MOST include saddle, handlebar, wheels, stem, bar tape, and accessories.
6. Larger Tire Clearance
Pinarello makes its bike frames to allow you to fit slightly voluminous tires. Some let you fit tires as wide as 28c, which is the case with the Pinarello Prince.
As a result, the tires enjoy longer strides, giving the bike an advantage when sprinting and on long rides.
7. Multi-Frames and Customization
Pinarello allows you to pick a paint scheme for your preferred bike and customize it the way you want through the’ My Way’ bike customization project.
And when it comes to prebuilt bikes, you have a wide range of sizes to choose from. An option like the Pinarello Gan offers you up to 10 frame sizes, while Pinarello Prince provides 9.
The Drawback
The biggest drawback with Pinarello bicycles is their price. It’s hard to find another downside other than that. Overall, Pinarello bikes prices range from $2,250 (for entry choices) to about $13,500 (for most high-end options.
But why are Pinarello bikes so expensive?
Well, the reasons are apparent. Pinarello deals with high-end bicycles that grace every major racing competition, including the Olympics, Giro D’Italia, and Tour de France. That makes the bike brand prestigious and its bikes expensive. You also pay for build quality as these bikes’ quality is unmatched.
Pinarello Bike Range
Currently, Pinarello makes the following bike types:
- Road bikes – Include Pinarello endurance bikes, competition road bikes, and supercharge road bikes (electric road bikes).
- Gravel bikes – Also include endurance, supercharge, and competition categories.
- Urban bikes – Includes the Nytro Urbanist bike line.
We also have a line for the Pinarello e bikes on the Pinarello website, but it features the same supercharge bikes you find on Pinarello road bikes and urban bike lines.
And while there is no dedicated line for Pinarello mountain bikes on the website, you may find a few Pinarello MTBs on sale.
Let’s review the three key bike categories.
Pinarello Bikes Review
Are Pinarello Road Bikes Good?
Pinarello makes non-motorized road bikes (competition and endurance road bikes) and non-motorized (electric or supercharge) road bikes.
The Pinarello Paris and Pinarello Gan headlines the endurance road bike line. On the other hand, the Dogma and Prince aero-road bikes, Bolide TR triathlon bike, MAAT Italia track bike, and Crossista cyclocross bike headline the competition road bike category.
Pinarello Paris and Pinarello Gan are built for long-distance shredding, owing to their more relaxed endurance geometry. However, the flagship model is the Dogma, which has won 7 out of the last 11 Tour de France competitions.
The hottest Dogma right now is the Dogma F12. It’s known for its excellent build, quality specs, good looks, and, more importantly, unmatched on-track success.
Dogma’s alternative premium model is the Pinarello Prince. It shares many specs with the Dogma, including its aerodynamic advantage but is slightly heavier and thus slightly inexpensive.
As for the supercharge bike line, the headliner is the Nytro Roadster.
Are Pinarello Road Bikes Good?
Pinarello makes gravel bikes also in the competition, endurance, and supercharge categories, just like the road bike series. Leading the competition road bike category is the Pinarello Grevil, which is arguably Pinarello’s best gravel bike.
The bike is designed to devour harsher off-line terrains with its vibration-dampening asymmetric carbon frame and shock-reduction ONDA fork.
Other bikes making up the lineup include the Nytro Grinta, Nytro Grinta Apex, and Nytro Gravel Force – all endurance gravel e-bikes.
Are Pinarello Urban Bikes Good?
Pinarello urban bikes, which are the most recognized hybrid Pinarello bikes, belong to the Nytro Urbanist family. These bikes are designed to go faster than your regular hybrid bike, owing to their powerful motors and low-weight frames.
The motor offers three-level pedal assistance: Breeze (gentle mode), River (sporty mode), and Rocket (aggressive mode). So, you can ride casually, aggressively, or in-between, depending on your preference.
Furthermore, the bikes offer you an active geometry, which allows you to take different riding positions, thus making it comfortable.
People Also Ask
1. Is Pinarello a Good Bike Brand?
Pinarello is associated with top cyclists and triathletes who have won the Olympics, Giro d’Italia, and Tour de France, among other prestigious races. For years, the company has been at the pinnacle of bike innovation, making the speediest, most powerful, and strongest bikes.
2. Are Pinarello Bikes Worth the Money?
Pinarello bicycles are undoubtedly worth the money. These bikes come in the most aerodynamic, comfortable, stiffest, and strongest constructions. Their specs are high-end, and everything about them gives them a competitive edge.
3. How Much is the Pinarello Dogma F12?
The Pinarello Dogma F12 goes for at least $12,000, making it one of the costliest and most high-end Pinarello bikes. The bike’s high price is due to its superior build quality, exceptional low weight, and unrivaled speed, power, and comfort.
4. Are Pinarello Bikes Made in Italy?
All Pinarello bikes are assembled in Italy. However, the company makes its frames in China and a few others in Taiwan.
5. How Much Does A Pinarello Cost?
A decent competition-worthy Pinarello bike costs $7,000-$13,500, depending on the model and the level of customization.
In Conclusion – Are Pinarello Bikes Good?
Pinarello bikes are everything a top triathlete and cyclist wants from their bikes. They have top-tier specs, quality frames, and innovative designs that enable them to outperform, outpace, and outlive most bicycles. So, yes, these bikes are really good, especially for top cyclists.
Also Read: