Pinarello has officially launched its new cross-country mountain bike. This comes just a week after INEOS Grenadier riders Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Tom Pidcock were spotted racing prototype Pinarello mountain bikes. The new Dogma XC marks the return of a cross-country mountain bike after a ten-year hiatus. As expected, quite a lot has changed.

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The new Dogma XC will be available commercially in March 2024. Excitingly though, Pinarello said there is a “second, front suspension frame also being developed”. 

As we revealed last week, the Dogma XC is a pure-bred cross-country race bike and has been developed together with Ferrand-Prévot and Pidcock. Leading up to the development of the Dogma XC, the pair were riding BMC Fourstrokes on their mountain bike races due to the lack of a suitable bike in Pinarello's range. 

2023 Pinarello Dogma XC detail, by Pinarello

Pinarello CEO Fausto Pinarello said: “Seeing Tom and Pauline competing on the Dogma XC is going to be a landmark moment for everyone at Pinarello. We’ve worked tirelessly over the last months to build a bike that meets the demands of two of the very best cyclists on the planet, and we can’t wait to see how they ride it at Nové Město."

The two riders said they wanted a lightweight bike with a stiff rear triangle and bottom bracket and progressive suspension kinematics. Pinarello took these thoughts on board and went on to develop the new bike.

Pinarello Dogma XC - Frame design

2023 Pinarello Dogma XC rear end, by Pinarello

The Dogma XC features a full carbon rear and front triangle with aluminium hardware - but it's the rear end that's received the biggest design efforts.

The Dogma has eschewed the traditional three pivot point rear triangle design for flex stays to improve wheel travel. Pinarello says the Dogma XC’s unique geometry and integration of flex stays combine to enable travel in a more direct manner. 

The rear triangle of the Dogma XC is asymmetric and comprises two distinct semi-triangles - aimed to counterbalance the higher forces applied to it on the opposite side of the drivetrain. The semi-triangles are fitted to a main rotation point using a unique design where two pins are moulded to the carbon frame, allowing for a shorter chainstay and improved handling. It also allows more tyre and mud clearance - the bike can accommodate up to 2.35in rubber.

2023 Pinarello Dogma XC bb, by Pinarello

And moving down to the bottom bracket, it's quite unique-looking on the Dogma XC. Pinarello's design has created a triangular void at the bottom of the frame, said to optimise stiffness and accommodate an oversized bearing and pivot point for the rear triangle.

Pinarello Dogma XC - Kinematics

2023 Pinarello Dogma XC shock, by Pinarello

The design of the rear triangle and flex stays has had an effect on the rear suspension kinematics, too. Pinarello says friction at each pivot point has also been minimised using a mixed bearings and bushing system.

This means that the bushings have been incorporated at one place to absorb the high impact and low rotational forces placed upon them, and bearings at other spots take on the low impact and high rotation forces. This results in reduced energy dispersion, increased reactivity of the rear end, and increased durability of the system.

In terms of the rear suspension, Pinarello has designed the suspension connection point so that it can be placed under the top tube, which allows for different rear shock absorbers to be fitted with different travel.

Pinarello Dogma XC - Finishing kit 

2023 Pinarello Dogma XC rear, by Pinarello

The Dogma XC features a fully integrated MOST cockpit, complete with fully integrated cable routing and specific headset bearing which features an internal stopper at 60 degrees to prevent the handlebar from over-twisting.

There are no specific builds available as of yet, but Pinarello says the Dogma XC is 1x12 compatible and can play nicely with chainrings ranging from 30-40T in size and up to 175mm cranks. 

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