Pinarello has launched a new version of its Prince race bike. The less pricey sibling of the Dogma gets new features with trickle down tech from the premium Dogma F12, which Pinarello says makes it a real alternative to that bike – it’s also a lot cheaper too.
That includes the much more integrated front end of the Dogma F12, with fully-hidden cable routing through the bars and stem and into the frame.
External cables contribute disproportionately to a bike’s aerodynamics and Pinarello claimed a 5 per cent reduction in drag from the internal routing on the Dogma F12.
2021 Pinarello Prince
Pinarello has also added more tyre clearance, so, like the Dogma F12, the Prince can now handle 28mm tyres. There are disc brake and rim brake variants and two different grades of carbon available, for a standard and lighter weight frameset – the lighter weight frame is dubbed the FX and made with T900 carbon fibre.
The frame and fork designs have had an upgrade too, with a concave down tube and reshaped bottom bracket junction that Pinarello says is completely derived from the F12.
The bike’s reach and stack lead to a riding position that’s a bit more relaxed than the Dogma and the available size range has been altered to provide more options around the middle of the range, to cater better for the majority of cyclists whose dimensions fall there.
There’s a new fork design that integrates more with the frame and includes Pinarello’s Fork Flaps. Again, that’s copied from the F12 and, Pinarello says, improves aerodynamics.
There’s been work done on the Prince’s chainstays too to improve responsiveness. Pinarello says that the asymmetric build of the left chainstay and fork blade on the disc brake bike have been tweaked to handle the differential braking forces from the disc calipers. The rim brake version now gets direct-mount brakes for increased rigidity and improved braking effectiveness.
In the UK, you’ll only be able to buy the Prince in disc brake format. The Shimano Ultegra version is priced at £4,000 and the Ultegra Di2 version is £4,700. Go for the lighter Prince FX and that increases to £5,000 and £5,700 respectively.
2021 Pinarello Paris
Alongside the new Prince, Pinarello has also launched the new Paris endurance bike.
It’s a name reintroduced from the brand’s past, with its predecessors ridden by the likes of Miguel Induráin. With 15 Tour de France wins to its name, Pinarello says it can rightfully claim the name for the new bike.
The Paris is an endurance model, with a shorter reach and higher stack, but again comes with trickle-down tech from the Dogma F12. Pinarello says that it considers it the perfect entry bike to fall in love with the brand.
The Paris follows on from the GAN endurance bike, while copying the asymmetry and aero features of the Dogma F12.
Disc brake only, the frame has the clearance to accommodate 30mm wide tyres. Alongside the longer wheelbase, that’s something that’s recently become a standard feature on more endurance-focused bikes.
The new Paris, kitted out with Shimano 105, is priced at £3,000 in the UK.
