The eagle-eyed among us had spotted the prototype mountain bike wrapped in a camouflage paint job ridden by Tom Pidcock and Pauline Ferrand-Prevot of the Ineos Grenadiers already this season. This was a clear indicator that Pinarello had a new cross-country bike in the works, the first the brand has created since it launched the Dogma XC in 2012.
With Pidcock previously opting to ride an unbranded BMC Fourstroke for the past two seasons, including when he won Gold at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, it’s unsurprising that Pinarello wanted to get the European champion on one of its own bikes as quickly as possible. Pinarello today confirmed that the new Dogma XC has been in development for two seasons, with a dedicated internal MTB R&D and kinematics team analysing Pidcock’s feedback and data from the last two years of mountain bike testing and competition in order to create the best cross-country bike possible.
Pinarello explains that these extensive studies highlighted the requirements that Pidcock felt “were needed to produce a race bike capable of competing at the very highest level and being able to withstand the powerful riding styles both he and Ferrand-Prevot deploy”. Ultimately, it led to the brand having four key aims when creating the Dogma XC: extreme stiffness in the rear triangle and bottom bracket, simple and progressive kinematics to optimise travel, the ability to match suspension travel to different circuits, and a light weight alongside strong handling abilities.
The Italian brand’s aim to reach these requirements is clear when looking at the innovative and unique design of the Dogma XC. It features an interesting-looking rear triangle design whereby two distinct semi-triangles are fitted into a main rotation point, held together by two pins moulded into the carbon frame, Pinarello says that this allows for a reduced chainstay length and improves handling. It also means that mud should be less likely to accumulate in that area and allows for the fit of wider tyres. Pinarello says the left-hand side is reinforced on this patented design, allowing the bike to counterbalance the higher forces applied to it on the opposite side of the drivetrain. This should result in balancing energy transfer, as well as improving speed and traction.
The bottom bracket accommodates an oversized bearing and pivot point for the rear triangle, alongside integrated flex stays which Pinarello says saves weight, adds stiffness and delivers optimal compression and rebound on technical descents. When it comes to customisation, the Pinarello Dogma XC features the ability to move the suspension connection point under the top tube, allowing different rear shock absorbers to be fitted with different travel, allowing the riders to match their bike to different terrain.
Another area which sees innovation on the Dogma XC is the cockpit design. It is fully integrated which Pinarello says saves weight and offers precise handling compared to a two-piece bar and stem combination. The cockpit also features an internal stopper to prevent the handlebar from over-twisting.
Although Pidcock and Ferrand-Prevot's Pinarello Dogma XC builds feature the same frame and components, each has a different custom paint job. The gold on Pidcock’s bike is an ode to his 2020 Tokyo Olympic Gold, while the rainbow stripes on Ferrand-Prevot’s model honour her four World XC Championships. The Dogma XC will be available to the public in March 2024, but will be ridden by Pidcock and Ferrand-Prevot in the opening round of the UCI Cross-Country World Cup in Nové Město, Czech Republic, on May 11 - 14. Pinarello explains the bike is still in development and Pidcock notes: “It’s going to be fun working with Pinarello to make it even better.”
