Pinarello's Dogma X is ferociously fast, fun and slightly flawed

Pinarello revamped its endurance bike line-up in 2023 with the unveiling of the Dogma X and X-Series. 

The bikes feature a unique seatstay arrangement, claimed to improve compliance, with two sets of tubes that meet the seat tube in a triangle shape. 

Outside of those radical seatstays, there’s clearance for 35mm-wide road bike tyres (on 700c rims) and the bikes use a more endurance-focused geometry compared to the Dogma F, which Pinarello says enables you to ride longer distances in comfort. 

In testing, I’ve found the Dogma X to produce a ferociously exciting ride, and the X-stays take the sting out of poor surfaces. 

It’s not perfect, though. The bike doesn’t descend as assuredly as it climbs or performs on the flat and that £13,300 / $15,500 / €16,100 price tag is a hard pill to swallow.  

Pinarello Dogma X Dura-Ace Di2 frame details

Although the Dogma X very much looks like a Pinarello with its trademark asymmetric tubes, take a closer look and you’ll notice some differences from the Dogma F. 

The top tube kinks at its midpoint, the bottom bracket junction is less girthy and the seatstays are totally different. 

It’s a striking-looking frame, and I think the X-Stays look smart (although this view isn’t shared by everyone at BikeRadar HQ), especially the cross-shaped inserts between them, which punctuate the bike’s design. 

The Dogma X’s stays have an X-shaped insert sandwiched between them. Pinarello says this is to boost stiffness, citing that the seatstays would otherwise be too flexible. 

One thing’s for sure, though: it’ll certainly start conversations on group rides. 

The Dogma X frame is said to have a 90g weight penalty over the Dogma F, weighing a claimed 950g in a nominal size 53cm (Pinarello’s sizing isn’t standard), unpainted and without hardware. The fork is claimed to weigh 400g with the steerer uncut. 

It’s constructed from the Toray T1100 1K carbon fibre Pinarello has used on its flagship frames in the past. It’s worth noting the 2025 Dogma F uses a new Toray M40X carbon construction, which is said to be stiffer. 

The bike can accept up to 35mm tyres, which although competitive against most brands, isn’t as generous as the 40mm tyre clearance of the BMC Roadmachine or Specialized Roubaix. 

The front end is integrated, with the Dogma X inheriting the MOST Talon Ultra one-piece bar-stem found on the previous Dogma F. 

Like the cockpit, the proprietary seatpost is the same as the one used on the previous  Pinarello Dogma F.

The Dogma X inherits the integrated clamp design found on the F-Series bikes. This sees a T20 Torx bolt integrated into the top face of the top tube. 

As with all Pinarellos, it runs on an Italian threaded bottom bracket.  

Pinarello Dogma X Dura-Ace Di2 geometry 

The Dogma X is available in a whopping 11 sizes, from 43cm to 62cm (seat tube centre-to-centre) – that’s more comprehensive than most brands, especially considering the high cost of carbon fibre moulds. 

The Dogma X’s fit geometry is more relaxed than the Dogma F's, with a taller stack and longer reach. However, look closely at the numbers and you’ll see it’s still pretty race-oriented. 

For a nominal size 54cm (seat tube centre to centre), the Dogma X has a shorter 381.2mm reach than the 385.3mm found on an equivalent Dogma F, as well as a taller 568.4mm stack (compared to 551mm).  

Compared to the Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8 and the Trek Madone 8 (the latter in a size medium), the Dogma X is only 2.8mm shorter in reach but significantly taller in stack. The Madone has a low 546mm stack, with the Tarmac SL8 lower at 544mm. 

Compared to those brand’s endurance bikes, the reach is 0.2mm longer than an equivalently sized Specialized Roubaix SL8, and 7.2mm longer than a Trek Domane. The 568.4mm stack is significantly lower than the 585mm of the Roubaix and 575mm of the Domane. 

I like that Pinarello has decided to go down this route because it really stands out from the competition (and it fits with the kind of fast endurance riding I like to do) – this is not an endurance bike designed to mollycoddle you with a relaxed position.

By comparison, the X-Series bikes use Pinarello’s Endurance+ geometry, which is further relaxed compared to the Dogma X, and this may be a better bet for some.

I tested a size 56cm – the recommended size for my 5ft 11in / 180cm height, with a 46cm-wide / 110mm-long integrated cockpit. Although the handlebar may sound overly wide, Pinarello measures its handlebars from outside-to-outside, so in reality the bar is 44cm centre-to-centre. 

The bike fitted me well, although I'd prefer to go down a size on the handlebar width because my arms still felt a little splayed out. 

Pinarello has an impressive 16 options for the cockpit – a significantly greater range than the vast majority of brands. 

Pinarello Dogma X Dura-Ace Di2 build 

At £13,300 ($15,500 / €16,100), the Dogma X Dura-Ace Di2 is a pricey proposition. 

As the name suggests, it comes with a 12-speed Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 groupset. 

If you prefer SRAM Red eTap AXS or Campagnolo Super Record Wireless, Pinarello offers these groupsets on other builds, but not in the UK – there, you’ll need to opt for a frame at £5,500 ($6,950 / €6,700) and buy a groupset separately. 

The top-tier Dura-Ace electronic groupset sees Pinarello spec 50/34t chainrings paired with an 11-30t cassette – a good mix of gears for an endurance rider while keeping the ratios close, if slightly on the racier side.

However, a major omission (especially at this price) is the absence of a power meter. While commonly considered a racer’s tool, there’s arguably equal application for one for someone managing their training and effort over the long haul. That said, you may already own a compatible power meter that can be transferred to this bike. 

The bike also misses Shimano’s latest RT-CL900 rotors in the spec list, Pinarello instead opting for the older RT-MT900 models. This isn’t a huge issue, but the latest rotors are said to be less prone to warping under load and reduce the chances of rotor rub.

The rest of the spec comes mostly courtesy of MOST, Pinarello’s in-house component brand, with the aforementioned Talon Ultra cockpit, proprietary seatpost and a Lynx Ultrafast Superflow L saddle.

Pinarello says it’s up to the dealer if they are willing to change the stock cockpit at the point of purchase – this is the same approach generally taken by the likes of Specialized and BMC (a free swap isn’t guaranteed). 

A Princeton Carbonworks Grit 4540 wheelset shod with 700 x 32c Continental Grand Prix GP5000 S TR tyres rounds out the build. 

A plus point (from a maintenance perspective) is Pinarello’s use of CeramicSpeed’s SLT headset bearings – these are said to be self-lubricating and corrosion-resistant, and are backed by a lifetime warranty. 

This means you shouldn’t, in theory, have to take apart the front end to replace or change a headset bearing any time soon. 

My size 56cm test bike weighed 7.32kg, without pedals (and the integrated Garmin computer mount, which isn’t included in the price). 

For comparison, a similarly specced BMC Roadmachine 01 Two weighs 7.46kg in an equivalent size and it’s nigh-on identical to the Specialized S-Works Roubaix SL8 at 7.3kg. 

Pinarello Dogma X Dura-Ace Di2 ride impressions

I’ve been testing the Dogma X over the last couple of months on a range of surfaces and ride lengths. 

For reference, I have experience riding the latest Dogma F and Dogma F10, and I own a Pinarello GAN K Disk, one of the brand’s past endurance road bikes. 

It took me three rides to fully understand the bike’s riding characteristics, quirks and all. Once I became fully accustomed to how the Dogma X rode, though, I was very impressed. 

The Dogma X has an efficient and purposeful ride quality that isn’t as overtly rigid as some of the brand’s racier bikes have had a tendency to be. 

The frameset has an impressively compliant but not overly muted quality, and the X-Stay rear end is very effective at filtering out road buzz. 

For a bike that’s designed to keep you comfortable in the saddle for many hours, the frame is ruthlessly responsive. 

Even small increases in effort are met with a tangible and thrilling sense of urgency.  

Given its racy but compliant character, it’s been impressively fast (and fun) to ride on everything from long club runs to faster-paced efforts.

It’s brilliantly composed off-road too, even with the stock 32mm tyres. It dispatched the Strade-Bianche like gravel sectors at the initial Venetian launch event with ease, and I’ve since taken it along disused railways and even canal paths on UK soil – the latter with frequent mud patches and occasional cobbles. 

Compared to the BMC Roadmachine 01 Two, the Dogma X feels as though it delivers a faster and more responsive ride – but the BMC trumps it with its better-balanced ride quality and more polite descending manners. This is where the Pinarello arguably comes undone a little. 

In terms of balance, the front end of the Dogma X is not as comfortable as the rear and, having swapped out the Princeton CarbonWorks wheels to discount those as a factor, it’s likely the cockpit could be responsible. 

The MOST Talon Ultra integrated cockpit is a carry-over from the 2022 Dogma F, and was deemed stiff enough for the demands of top-tier road racing. It’s quite common to see brands developing specific handlebars for their endurance bikes, typically to increase compliance, but Pinarello is one of the exceptions to the rule here. 

I asked Pinarello at the launch event if it had considered developing a more compliance-focused handlebar for the Dogma X, but the brand said it always intended to spec the Talon Ultra cockpit. 

While the drops are a comfortable place to grasp, the tops are quite wide in surface area. They’re by no means uncomfortable to wrap your hands around, but it’s where I felt most of the vibrations come through. 

It’s worth noting, alongside a tweaked profile, the MOST Talon Ultra Fast bar found on the latest Dogma F, was designed to be more forgiving than the Talon Ultra in its carbon layup. However, it isn’t compatible with the Dogma X because the Dogma F’s steerer tube is different and its dimensions are racier than the Talon Ultra. 

The Dogma X’s descending performance also doesn’t quite live up to its flat or uphill prowess. It feels far more akin to a typical race bike than the easier, neutral steering of an endurance bike. 

It’s thrillingly efficient on straight or familiar descents without any wind, but I was aware I had to take more care when descending at speeds in excess of 40mph (64kph), because the front end would then begin to oscillate a little – just as I found at the launch event in Italy.

On a lumpy ride in the Peak District, where side winds seem to be common at the top of 500m elevation climbs, I found I had to take more care than I usually would need to and not ride the Dogma X quite as hard as I would like. 

Both the BMC Roadmachine 01 Two and Look 765 Optimum outshine the Dogma X in their predictable descending qualities. At the very least, the Dogma X requires a more confident rider in such conditions. 

That said, I was impressed by how free of rattling the bike was, even on gravel. 

The 32mm-wide Continental GP5000 S TR tyres undoubtedly play a large role in the ride quality. 

The GP5000 S TRs offer bundles of speed, grip and suppleness. 

The Princeton Carbonworks Grit 4540 all-road carbon wheelset also impressed, delivering a good mix of low weight, high stiffness and sharp responses. 

It features a varying rim depth of between 40 and 45mm with a wave-like profile, while sporting a contemporary 21mm internal rim width. The wheels spin on White Industries CLD hubs, equipped with Enduro Bearings ABEC 5 bearings, and a low 7.5-degree engagement freehub. 

They are seriously pricey at $3,000 (aftermarket price), although the bike itself is accordingly expensive.  

When I briefly swapped the Princetons out for a set of Campagnolo Bora WTO 45s to confirm that the cockpit was responsible for the slightly harsher front end rather than the wheels, it was interesting to note the Boras were slightly more compliant than the Princetons. 

Other than the fact I was able to elicit some pad rub when swinging the bike from side-to-side on harder efforts and after heavy braking (a known factor since claimed to be improved by Shimano’s latest rotors), Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 is an impressive electronic groupset. The shifts were lightning-quick, with class-leading front shifting. 

The proprietary aero carbon seatpost didn’t cause me any problems in testing and nicely complemented the frame’s compliance. The 3D-printed titanium hardware at the head is a luxurious touch, but I had to remember to carry a somewhat long-handled T20 Torx socket on my initial shakedown rides to access the seat clamp. 

It’s worth noting a T20 isn’t commonly found on many multi-tools. I’d also feel better if there were a rubber seal that slid over the seatpost and covered the entry point into the frame to protect from any dirt or debris getting in. 

I initially dismissed the carbon-railed, short-nosed MOST Lynx Ultrafast Superflow L saddle as the bike’s only cost-cutting exercise – a 3D-printed saddle would be more befitting of the price point. 

However, I’ve found it very comfortable across all my test rides and didn’t see a need to change it, proving 3D-printed tech isn’t a guarantee of greater comfort. 

Finally, I really admired the Xolar Black paint scheme. This mixes gloss-black sections, where the carbon weave is exposed at certain points, and matt silver for most of the down tube, the bottom half of the seat tube and top half of the fork legs. 

It’s definitely a paint scheme for sunny days though, because the matt sections are hard to keep scrupulously clean. 

The silver-foil graphics also look classy, adding to the premium feel, but I noticed a couple of ripples on some of the letters when looking forensically at them.