F-Series Detail:
The Pinarello F Series are a range of competition and performance focused road bikes designed to complement, and derived from, the flagship Dogma F. With a race geometry that closely follows its premium stablemate, the F frames are aimed at delivering the tools required by both racing cyclists and those that appreciate a high end, performance product.
While similar in form, there are noticeable differences between the Dogma and the Fs that deliver an element of refinement to the series, making them more accessible and better suited to the broader market. All while delivering a premium aesthetic that is synonymous with the brand, and of course the Pinarello ‘feel'.
For the F Series, Pinarello focused on the demands of the market, while keeping the racing heart of the Dogma. To this end there are 2 carbon layups employed in the range that vary by target audience. Material choice is critical as it influences the ride characteristics and allows Pinarello to best serve its customers. Like the Dogma, Pinarello have used carbon fibre supplied by their long term partner Toray. The F9 (so close in price to a Dogma, it won’t feature in the UK) and F7 bikes use a high end T900 carbon to deliver an ideal balance of reactivity, low weight and vibration damping that perfectly positions them for competition or performance focused riders. The F5 maintains the excellent responsiveness of its stablemates but, using a T700 fibre it is better able to dampen vibration at a minimal cost to performance and weight. The F1 is the introductory model to the range and uses T600 carbon that sacrifices some stiffness for a more affordable but still balanced and race leaning ride.
In each case Carbon Reinforced Polymer (CRFP) is used to optimise each element of the frame in order to tune the desired stiffness and weight while also increasing impact strength. In areas where stiffness is favoured Pinarello employ a high modulus (HM) fibre, with High Tensile (HT) fibres used in areas that require strength.
Like the Prince before it - which was based on the F10, Pinarello have focused their design of the F series frameon refining areasthat speak to the remit of bringing the Dogma spirit to a wider customer base; this begins with tyre clearance. The F series frames will accommodate a 30mm tyre, and given their performance-forward remit, this is about as far as you would want to go to avoid sacrificing the aerodynamic benefits of the platform while delivering the proven benefits of bigger boots!
With that accommodation, it is no surprise that a lot of the frame’s design is centred around the rear end with the 520g Onda front Fork mimicking that of the Dogma F, and featuring the same rake for best handling and response.
Asymmetric design in both the chain stays and seat stays balances the greater torsional loads imparted by the drive train, and by the forces applied to the frame via a Disc brake acting at the rear hub. For the F series, this design improves lateral stiffness, reduces power leakage and solidifies handling, and the overall result is a noticeably improved balance. The stability that is yielded is far reaching and positively impacts all aspects of your riding - from sprints to technical descents. The asymmetry is also evident in the head tube - a result of the accommodation internally of hoses on the right hand side, and an aerodynamic shaping.
The F Series design has also paid close attention to the seat post and clamp. Sharing the same seatpost as the Dogma F (albeit with different clamp hardware) for optimised weight, aero and stiffness, the F frames use an integrated, forward mounted seatpost clamp which reduces weight by 36g over previous designs and helps to improve aerodynamic performance by allowing a narrowing of the top tube in this aero-sensitive area.
On top of the aero benefits of the seatpost, and as with the Dogma, aerodynamics are a key focus on the F Series. The new F bikes feature the company’s Total Integrated Cable Routing or TICR that removes cables and hoses from the airflow by housing them internal to the bar, stem and frame, helping to save watts. The key tubing (the Down Tube and Top Tube) are similar to the Dogma, the down tube hiding the bottle cage from the wind as far as possible and the top tube thinning to deliver aero numbers close to the flagship frame.
Each size of the F frames is designed-to-size to deliver the same performance characteristics regardless of rider, and each delivers a signature Pinarello ride feel and a distinctly planted, racy and reactive ride. While the range of sizes is fewer than the Dogma (9 as opposed to 11,with the largest size refined and with the 54 and 55cm Dogma F frame sizes merged into a 54.5cm equivalent)there should be a suitable frame for all.
The F7 and F5 are equipped with Electronic Ultegra and 105 group sets from Shimano respectively, with a great value wheel set option on the F7 in the form of the MosT ULTRAFAST Carbon 40. The f1 uses a mechanical 105 group with wheels from Shimano.