Retail giant Evans Cycles is celebrating 10 years of its Pinnacle bike brand with some limited-edition machines. This Dolomite LTD is available in men’s and women’s versions, and is the most expensive road Pinnacle in the range.
Where the LTD differs from the next bike in the range — the £1,450 Dolomite 4 — is in frame finish, and having 105 kit instead of the 4’s Ultegra.
Evans has maintained the outgoing Ultegra-level RS685 hydraulic shifters, and added custom mudguards and built-in lights, powered by a front hub dynamo. When you realise the front Edelux II LED light alone costs £125, and the hub well over twice that, the value judgement becomes clearer.
Neat ports carry the cables, hoses and wiring through the frame and fork, and the front mudguard stays unusually mounted beneath the fork’s 12mm thru-axle, while the rear hub is quick-release.
The stays wrap around the long, flapless mudguards, reducing your chances of toe overlap. Its mildly relaxed 72-degree head angle helps here too, and my size 45s didn’t clash with the ’guard at all.
The LTD additions add some weight, taking our medium model just over 10kg, but the Dolomite doesn’t ride like a bike that’s overindulged. The bike dynamo hub adds around 250g, the lights and wiring a little more, but none is rotational mass. There’s a pleasing directness about the way the Dolomite rides, no mush, no sloppiness and no obvious road vibration, it just rolls along smoothly at a very decent pace.
The Pinnacle-branded stem, seatpost and saddle are fine, the FSA bar too, although I found the 100mm stem length and overall reach a little shorter than I normally prefer.
The front Alex rim is rebuilt around the Son thru-axle hub dynamo, and whether due to quick-release and thru-axle rigidity differences, my Novatec hub-mounted rear disc rotor rubbed on most climbs while standing.
With a standard 50/34 compact chainset and 11-32 cassette, the Dolomite LTD is amply geared when the road goes up. It climbs quicker than it feels it should, but it's still nowhere near a race-bike’s speed.
Descending at speed feels stable, although I’d prefer a longer stem to really plant the front wheel. It handles with a satisfying crispness, and Shimano’s hydraulic brakes haul it to a stop without fuss.
Measuring 24mm externally, the Alex rims spread the Schwalbe Pro One 28mm tyres out to 30mm, adding extra floaty air volume and a generous grip patch. I know the rolling resistance of 28mm tyres is negligible in real terms, but I did notice the resistance caused by the dynamo hub.
The fork crown mounted front light is specifically designed for optimum road-cycling vision in the dark, with a focused spot ahead of an even light patch that effectively lights over 10m of country lane darkness. It won’t dazzle drivers, and a three-position magnetic switch on top selects on, off or sensor modes.
The LTD is well equipped and very practical with all-weather, all-season credentials matched to a refined ride feel and response. It looks great, is fine value and is a perfect fast commuter or winter bike.
