Pinarello has officially announced the new Dogma XC, its first cross-country mountain bike since the original Dogma XC was released 11 years ago.
The new bike features a split rear triangle, flex-stay suspension and adjustable travel.
It was first seen in a camouflage disguise under Ineos Grenadiers riders Tom Pidcock and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot at the Guéret round of the MTB French Cup.
Pinarello says Pidcock and Ferrand-Prévot will be racing the Dogma XC at the opening round of the UCI cross-country world cup in Nové Město, from 11–14 May.
Pinarello expects the Dogma XC to be available commercially from March 2024, ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games. Presumably, Pidcock will be defending his Olympic mountain bike title, which he won using an unbranded BMC Fourstroke.
The brand says the Dogma XC is part of its “renewed focus” on mountain bikes and there is also a hardtail frame in development.
Split flex stays
Pinarello says it has recruited a dedicated MTB R&D team to help bring Pidcock’s race requirements to life.
The frame features a flex-stay suspension system, that uses the flexible areas built into the carbon fibre rear triangle to provide rear-wheel travel.
Pinarello says it decided on this design because it reduces the number of pivot points needed and allows for greater stiffness while reducing weight and supposedly improving rear-wheel traction.
Flex stays have become increasingly popular on cross-country mountain bikes, with the Cannondale Scalpel and Giant Anthem using the technology in the name of weight saving.
Pinarello’s design sees the use of a patent-pending split rear triangle. The triangle uses two distinct 'semi-triangles', which attach to a main rotation point moulded into the carbon frame, removing the bridges from the seatstays and chainstays.
Pinarello claims removing the conventional bridging section has enabled it to reduce chainstay lengths and limit mud accumulation in the area, while maintaining clearance for 2.35in mountain bike tyres.
The Dogma XC still features Pinarello’s signature asymmetrical design, which reinforces the left-hand side of the rear triangle to counterbalance the higher forces applied to the driveside. This is said to balance energy transfer.
Bottom bracket design
The Pinarello Dogma XC has a unique bottom bracket design with a strut running from the down tube to the seat tube, creating a triangular void in the bottom of the frame.
Pinarello says this design optimises stiffness and accommodates an oversized bearing and pivot point for the rear triangle.
The bike's front triangle can fit two water bottles, according to Pinarello.
Rear-travel adjustment
The Dogma XC has a top-tube mounted rear shock with an adjustable shock mount.
The top-tube mounted shock is similar to what we’ve seen on other modern cross-country bikes. The Trek Supercaliber, Specialized Epic World Cup and Wilier Urta Max SLR use a top-tube mounted shock.
Pinarello says this design allows the Dogma XC to be set up with different suspension travel for differing courses. The bike can be set up with either a 100mm suspension fork and 90mm shock, or a 120mm fork and 100mm shock combo.
Pinarello’s component brand MOST has made a fully integrated flat-bar mountain bike handlebar for the Dogma XC. The handlebar features integrated cable routing and a stopper to prevent the bar from twisting in a crash and cables being ripped from the levers.
The bike has internal routing for a dropper post and has a maximum chainring size of 40 teeth.
Pinarello Dogma XC geometry
The Dogma XC is on trend for current cross-country bikes, with a medium-sized frame featuring a head angle of 67.5 degrees and a reach measurement of 455mm.
The actual head angle changes through the sizes. Small and medium frames feature a 67.5-degree head angle, and the large and extra-large bikes are 0.5 degrees steeper at 68 degrees.
Pinarello Dogma XC spec
Pinarello is yet to confirm the spec – or price – of the commercially available Pinarello Dogma XC.
The pictures it has shared of Pidcock’s race bike show off a custom colour scheme.
A golden rear triangle signifies his success at the Tokyo Olympics and Pidcock's 'play your cards right' motto appears on the top tube.
The bike looks to be running prototype SR Suntour electronic suspension, which Pidcock has been riding for two seasons.
Pidcock has opted for the mechanical version of Shimano’s XTR drivetrain, with XTR levers married to flat-mount Dura-Ace brake calipers.
