By The Takeaway: The $6,000 F5 105 is unmistakably a Pinarello. It shares a beautifully balanced handling and smooth ride quality with the brand’s $15,000 Dogma F.
- Offered in nine sizes
- Shares many details with Pinarello's premium racing frame
- Italian threaded bottom bracket
- 30mm tire clearance
- Integrated hoses and housing
- Mechanical-shift compatible
- 990-gram claimed frame weight (53 cm)
Price: $6,000 (F5 105 tested)
Weight: 19.5lb. (size 51.5cm)
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Pinarello Pinarello F5 105 Di2 Road Bike
Pinarello Pinarello F5 105 Di2 Road Bike
Pros
- Comfortable and smooth
- Shimano 105 Di2 is amazing
- Excellent handling
Cons
- Slow rolling
- Saddle adjustment requires saddle with cutout
Pinarello’s Dogma F is one of the most expensive production bikes on the planet. With complete bikes priced around $15,000, the Dogma is out of reach of many riders. The new F is the bike for riders who crave the Dogma but not the ultra-luxe price. F models are heavily influenced by the Dogma F, which reigns as Pinarello’s top-of-the-line race bike. F-models look a lot like the Dogma F (and even share some features and geometry) but are cheaper alternatives to the pricey Dogma.
With the arrival of the F-series, gone, for now, are familiar Pinarello mid-range models names like Paris and Prince. In their place are F5, F7, and F9; a line opens with the $6,000 F5 shown here. These models are available at Pinarello dealers from today.
Pinarello F—Features and Details
Fundamentally the F is the Dogma F but slightly simplified and rendered less-premium carbon-composites.
The F has much of the signature swoopiness and aerodynamic tuning of the Dogma F—even down to the crazy winglets on the fork dropouts—but a close inspection reveals the F’s frame is less intricately shaped. Pinarello representatives told me they’ve compared the drag of the F to the Dogma F and hinted that they’re close but not identical. However, they demurred when pressed for further details on which frame was quicker and by how much.
The F incorporates Pinarello’s asymmetric frame shaping. Though it requires a close look, the frame does have different shapes on either side of its midline. The idea here is to equalize the asymmetric loads the drivetrain places on the frame, so the bike feels more balanced and consistent. Does it work? Hard to say as Pinarello doesn’t make a symmetrical F for comparison.
Pinarello relies on its partnership with Toray for carbon, but instead of the Dogma F’s T1100 blend, the F9 and F7 use T900, and the F5 uses T700. Those names do not mean a lot since every composite frame is made of a blend of different carbon fibers, which are then mixed with one of many resins. But lower-grade carbon is typically less stiff, so more carbon material is needed to hit stiffness targets resulting in a heavier frame. While the Dogma F has a claimed frame weight of 865 grams, the F9 and F7 frames come in at 950 grams, while the F5 frame is 990 grams. Note that those weights are based on a “raw” 53cm frame. But while heavier, the F5 and F7/F9 frame weights are still impressive.
Like the Dogma F (and almost every other race bike), F models have hidden brake hoses and drivetrain wires/housing—yes, the F is mechanical shift compatible. Pinarello relies on the same TiCr system as the Dogma F that runs the spaghetti through windows in the upper headset bearing compression ring and down the center of the stem.
Swapping a bar or stem, or servicing the headset, requires unwrapping the bars and disconnecting the hydraulics, so you want to be sure you have your fit dialed (TiCr requires compatible bars and stems) and the headset nicely prepped before the bike is built. Because once this sucker is assembled, you won’t want to pull the front end apart until it’s absolutely necessary.
At the bottom bracket, Pinarello chooses threads of the Italian flavor, which will make your mechanic happy even if Italian-threaded BBs are a bit rarer than BSA-threaded. The F’s seatpost is deep, skinny, and gripped by an internal binder.
One detail of the F that exceeds the Dogma F is tire clearance. The F clears up 30mm to the Dogma F’s 28mm maximum. However, even 30mm is narrow, and many of the bike’s competitors fit up to 32mm.
Pinarello F—Geometry
If one thing is consistent about Pinarello’s race bikes, it is the geometry. Pinarello has relied on the same geometry recipe for over a decade now. The only asterisk is the number of sizes offered.
Pinarello’s top-of-the-line frame, now the Dogma F, always comes in the most sizes; lower-end frames typically get a few fewer. That is the case here: The Dogma F has 11 frame sizes, while the F has nine. Even so, nine is still an impressive size range. And it's more sizes than Cannondale, Canyon, Giant, Specialized, and Trek offer in their race bikes.
Pinarello F—Builds and Prices
The F arrives in three models opening with the F5 ($6,000), stepping up to the F7($8,800), and topped by the F9. Pinarello did not provide me with an official price for the F9 because that model is not expected to be sold in the USA. If it were, I expect the price will break the five-figure barrier.
All models get Shimano 12-speed Di2 drivetrains: 105 for the F5, Ultegra for the F7, and Dura-Ace for the F9. The F7 and F9 get MOST (Pinarello’s house component brand) carbon rims and a one-piece carbon bar/stem. The F5 has a two-piece bar and stem rendered in aluminum and Fulcrum Racing 800 wheels with aluminum rims. The F5 is the only model with an upgrade option: for $950 more, you can step up to the or the same MOST Ultrafast 40 wheels as the F7 and F9.
Pinarello F5 105—Ride Review and Impressions
The F5 105 is the least expensive model in Pinarello’s F race-bike platform. Sometimes the cheapest bike from brands specializing in exotic high-end stuff is disappointing. The F is not. Yes, it is expensive compared to the competition, but it has a smooth feel, is reactive, and handles very well. I’ll even call it a good-looking bike, and I’m not typically the biggest fan of Pinarello’s singular styling.
What struck me initially about the F was how robust it felt. Before its arrival, I had been on some very light road bikes. Lightweight bikes are great in their ways, but they also can feel slightly, erm, insubstantial. And jittery. And fragile. I often ride them thinking, “This is working, but it almost feels like it shouldn’t.”
The F’s feel is dauntless: It feels as if it will truck through any pothole, shrug off any crosswind, and remain judder and shudder-free on any descent. One descent I tackled aboard the F was fast with swirling crosswinds and plenty of broken pavement dotted with water, slush, and debris runoff—Ah, winter in Colorado. But the F was perfect: Quick reflexes, accurate handling, smooth and controlled. In a few words, no drama: Even when supertucked on an exposed pitch buffeted by unpredictable crosswinds.
I struggle a bit with how to characterize the F on the climbs. The frame, fork, bar, and stem are plenty stout—I preferred this bar and stem to the flexy and oddly shaped one-piece unit on the $15,000 + Dogma F—so the F feels crisp and efficient underneath. But it also does not feel particularly fast. The feedback is that of a quick-riding bike, so the F doesn’t climb poorly; it just doesn’t climb swiftly. I’m not comparing it to a lighter, higher-end bike either: I’m thinking of the —two-plus-pound lighter—Specialized Aethos Comp Rival ($5,200).
I noticed this on flatter terrain too. The F felt like an efficient bike, yet I moved slower. This was especially noticeable on a group ride I usually have no issue hanging in with: On the F5, I felt like I was having difficulty keeping up. My spidey sense tells me the Pirelli P7 Sport tires—inflated by standard butyl tubes—are the likely suspects. But I didn’t have time to get enough miles on the bike in stock form for this review and start swapping in other wheels and tires to see if that helped. I will keep playing with the F because the sensations it gives me are almost identical to when I have swapped from fast to draggy tires on another bike I know very well.
That slightly slow feeling was the only thing I didn’t like about the F5’s performance. It’s surprisingly comfortable, the handling is balanced and beautiful, and I appreciated that Pinarello offers the same aggressive race bike fit in this bike as their top-of-the-line Dogma F. Other things I liked are the brake hose routing was quiet, Pinarello’s Shimano Di2 battery holder—built into the downtube cable guide (yes, this frame is mechanical-shift compatible)—is secure and awesome, plus I love the pull-out handles built into the thru axles.
On the do not like list: The saddle clamp mechanism is only compatible with cutout seats; the seat post binder bolt is deeply recessed and tough to access with a standard-length Torx bit on a torque wrench.
One spec item struck me as odd: round spokes. The frame has aerodynamic shaping, the hoses and wiring are hidden, and the rims have an airfoil (like) shape. Hell, this bike has crazy little winglets on the dropouts. And yet it comes with round instead of aero spokes.
Likely, this is a symptom of the price constraints required to make Pinarello’s cheapest F-model. I find it odd that Pinarello put so much effort into the aerodynamic details of this bike but then balked at the lowest cost and most simple aero detail.
One thing about the F5 I cannot praise enough is the Shimano 105 Di2 components: This group is perfect. I had high expectations going into my first ride on these parts. Yet, I was floored by their shifting and braking performance. Who needs Dura-Ace when 105 is this brilliant?
Now let’s talk price. The F5 105 is a great bike, and I believe someone who specifically wants this bike will be satisfied with what they get. But, when you start comparing the F5 105 to other bikes, things get rough.
For example, the Specialized Aethos Comp Rival AXS is a superb riding bike (Bicycling's 2021 Bike of the Year), sells for $800 less, and is over two pounds lighter than the F5 105. Unlike the F5, the Aethos has little aerodynamic tuning and partially external routing (which some may prefer), so a more direct competitor might be the Specialized Tarmac SL7 Comp Rival AXS. That bike is $500 less than the F5 105.
Cannondale’s SuperSix EVO Disc 105 Di2 is $1,750 less than the F5 105 with a very similar build kit. For just $200 more, Trek sells the Emonda SL 7 with Ultegra Di2, a carbon handlebar, and carbon wheels. Giant has a TCR Advanced Disc 1 with 105 Di2 and carbon wheels for $4,500. And then there is Canyon’s Ultimate CF SL 8 Disc Di2, which is $2,000 less than the F5. And it has an Ultegra 12-speed Di2 drivetrain and a carbon bar and stem.
However, for fairness’ sake, I need to point out that the F5 105 is $2,000 less than Trek’s new Madone SLR 6 with Shimano 105 Di2 (though the Madone has carbon wheels and carbon bar/stem).
But other than that anomalous Trek, the F5’s price makes it primarily a bike for people who want that “Pinarello” on the downtube and are willing to pay a premium for the logo. There are too many exceptional race bikes for less—sometimes significantly less—to say otherwise.
Still, I want to stress that the F5 is a dynamic, engaging, and surprisingly comfortable race bike. It has the moves, and it has looks that are unmistakably Pinarello.
A gear editor for his entire career, Matt’s journey to becoming a leading cycling tech journalist started in 1995, and he’s been at it ever since; likely riding more cycling equipment than anyone on the planet along the way. Previous to his time with Bicycling, Matt worked in bike shops as a service manager, mechanic, and sales person. Based in Durango, Colorado, he enjoys riding and testing any and all kinds of bikes, so you’re just as likely to see him on a road bike dressed in Lycra at a Tuesday night worlds ride as you are to find him dressed in a full face helmet and pads riding a bike park on an enduro bike. He doesn’t race often, but he’s game for anything; having entered road races, criteriums, trials competitions, dual slalom, downhill races, enduros, stage races, short track, time trials, and gran fondos. Next up on his to-do list: a multi day bikepacking trip, and an e-bike race.
