Pinarello’s gold-medal winning Pinarello Dogma XC Hardtail has landed at BikeRadar HQ for further testing, with the cross-country bike featuring 100mm of travel and an asymmetric frame design.
The Dogma XC Hardtail has already proven itself under Pauline Ferrand-Prévot at the Paris 2024 Olympics, with the French rider taking the top step in the cross-country.
This consumer-available model differs from the one used by Ferrand-Prévot, with a Fox 32 Factory Step-Cast replacing the SR Suntour Axon-Werx 34 Boost EQ fork and DT Swiss wheels used instead of P1's Singularis M30.
We’ve already brought you a first-ride review of its full-suspension sibling, but before we put the Dogma XC Hardtail through its paces on home soil, let’s take a closer look.
Asymmetrical accuracy
The Dogma XC is made from a high-modulus Toray M40J carbon fibre and features a rather quirky bottom bracket area that sees a bridge from the seat tube to the down tube.
This is the same on the full-suspension Dogma XC, where the area supports oversized pivot bearings.
Pinarello says the design aids in stiffness and efficiency.
Ferrand-Prévot had a lot of input to the design of the Dogma XC Hardtail, working alongside Pinarello's engineers and Tom Pidcock.
As with many of the latest cross-country bikes, the Dogma XC Hardtail features integrated cable routing.
It enters the frame via the integrated Talon Ultra XC cockpit made by in-house brand Most.
Pinarello says the cockpit reduces weight and increases steering accuracy compared to a two-piece alternative.
Internal stoppers are used in the head tube to prevent the handlebar from over-rotating more than 60 degrees, making it impossible for shifters, dropper levers or suspension lock-out remotes to cause damage to the top tube in a crash.
An asymmetrical design is used in the rear triangle, with the left-hand side reinforced to counteract the forces applied to the frame from the drivetrain.
Pinarello says this results in a more balanced energy transfer and improves speed and traction.
This design also removes the need for bridges between the seatstays and chainstays, allowing for greater tyre clearance and enabling shorter chainstays to be used, increasing responsiveness.
The bike comes with a fixed carbon fibre seatpost to shave off some extra grams, although there is routing should you wish to run a dropper post.
A 68-degree head angle is used, with reach measuring 470mm for a size-large frame.
A single spec tier
The Dogma XC Hardtail is only available at one spec level, but don’t be alarmed – it’s equally as high-end as the frame.
SRAM’s lightweight XX SL Eagle AXS Transmission is used to shift gears, with the drivetrain matched to Shimano XTR single-piston brakes.
Up front, there’s a Fox 32 Factory Step-Cast fork, delivering 100mm of suspension travel connected to a suspension lock-out remote that firms up the fork for less demanding trails.
The bike rolls on 29in, carbon fibre DT Swiss XRC 1200 Spline wheels, which are booted in Maxxis Rekon Race 2.25in tyres.
A Garmin bike computer mount features on top of the Talon Ultra XC, using a teardrop-shaped stem cap.
Pinarello’s Lynx 2.0 Carbon XC saddle finishes off the touchpoints.
