Cycling
Torn on the KOBH: Pinarello’s Cobblestone Competitor vs the Dogma
Bicycling in the Alps never looked so good. Between the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia and numerous trips through the French and Italian countryside, I needed a bike that would stand up to the elements (snow, rain and gravel during the Giro). This adventure called for using one of Pinarello’s 2011 KOBHs during a busy tour season with Punto Tours. And it was a great choice.
Just so you know, Pinarello has no idea who I am. I receive nothing from Pinarello for reviewing any of their products, and if I did, I would disclose it. It just so happens that I like to write about quality products, and they (so far) haven’t let me down.
The KOBH (pronounced /kob/as in “cobblestone”) was launched just prior to the 2010 Paris-Roubaix, as reported by Competitive Cyclist. In fact, their report on the KOBH is much more thorough than anything I can write here. We know that these carbon-fiber frames are strong for racing, but how strong are they over the cobblestones? There are a few aspects of the KOBH that make it an incredibly resilient ride over rocks regardless of its relatively “fragile” carbon-fiber based core.
A re-shaped “Dogma”
The bike is essentially the same as the Pinarello Dogma that I wrote about here in this post. However, as Competitive Cyclist puts it:
With the introduction of the KOBH, Pinarello takes the amazing form of the Dogma Carbon and re-fashions it for the worst of the Spring Classic pavé.
And they’ve done that by re-shaping the seat-stays, making them thinner yet wider than the Dogma’s. This technique is seen on a number of bikes created for the punishing cobblestone classics in northern 
Europe.
However, the KOBH also allows for bigger tires (28c tires as opposed to 27c). All the while, maintaining its asymmetrical design to maximize speed and efficiency under torque.
Obviously the headtube is a bit beefier, and both the headtube and the seattube are more perpendicular to the ground, so the compression of the material is along the length of the tube, not across it. An added plus is Pinarello’s use of the Torayca 60HM1K carbon with its “bursting” alloynano technology (which I wrote about here). So even if you stress the carbon, these alloy particles are released into the carbon fiber making it stronger and giving the carbon a longer life. And a longer bike life is important, especially when yours is riding on top of it.
The Pinarello Dogma 2 Professional Road Bike: To Be “Born Again”
About two months ago, I posted this article on the 2011 Pinarello Dogma 60.2. I wrote about its geometry, asymmetric styling and the pleasure of riding one on long uphills and steep descents. Little did I know that, within a few weeks, my comments about the Pinarello Dogma would seem outdated – almost antiquated – by a group of cyclists from Perth, Australia. On a trip with Punto Tours in the French Alps, every one of them was armed with the latest Pinarello creation: the Dogma 2.
However, Pinarello had only released the Dogma 2 not even a few months prior to these lads coming on tour. In fact, I got to handle not one, but thirteen fresh and beautiful high quality carbon-framed bicycles. Over our eight-day adventure through the French and Italian Alps, I had plenty of time to study the geometry of the bike. At first its design seemed unappealing (I’m a traditionalist), but then I began to understand the method to Pinarello’s engineering.
The first feature that caught my eye was the oversized head tube/fork crown combination. Pinarello studied the side-to-side asymmetry in this advanced frame. That asymmetry is still present in the Dogma 2 and is primarily focused on the sprinter and a fast transference of energy to the pedals. In layman’s terms, the right side of the bike is engineered differently than the left side, to account for the bike’s drive train. According to Competitive Cyclist in this post, all of this same research is brought to the Dogma 2, but now Pinarello has modified the front symmetry of the bike to make what is considered, “the most responsive Pinarello race bike ever.” As a result, the head tube is much larger and essentially more aerodynamic, and the fork is much larger at the crown. As I mentioned earlier, this is the most eye-catching feature in the new design since this reinforcement of the front-end allows for an even stiffer ride with a “more predictable braking and a more precise steering feel,” according to Competitive Cyclist.
To increase the aerodynamic characteristic of the frame, all of the cables are threaded internally and the tube junctures have been smoothed out. It is a fantastic machine and pricing it here would be useless. It is the newest, professional grade, top-of-the-line race bike from one of Italy’s premier manufactures. Online I’ve seen prices from $5,800.00 USD just for the frame. Of course, you wouldn’t want to put a Beetle engine in a Ferrari, so you can count on another $2,200.00 for a Campagnolo Record 11 transmission. Don’t forget wheels. You can dump another $1,500.00 to $3,000.00 easily. In the end, you get one expensive bike, but one hell of a high performing machine. So, if you are going to invest that much, make sure you’re riding at least 150 miles a week and avoiding the blueberry muffins and chocolate cupcakes. These days when ideologies come with a high price and seem to fluctuate like the market, this enhanced Dogma stiffness will never let you down.
Photo Credits: Brad Jardine
Nevi say Nevi: Italian Mountain Bike manufacturer strikes Gold with Titanium
Descending on single track is such a great feeling. Tucking behind the seat and opening the brakes ignites the endorphins, sending adrenaline through the body. Certainly many mountain bikers have experienced this adventure in cerebral chemistry, thinking that their bike is – without a doubt – the best in the world.
Think again.
A small bike manufacturer out of Bergamo, Italy has an interesting way of making fram
es. Nevi carefully chooses the titanium tubes (Grade 9 3AL-2.5V TI) and refines them before welding them together. After raw cutting them to the necessary specifications, the tubes are washed and lubed in vats using ultrasound! They are then welded together in an hyperbaric chamber (to prevent dust from interfering with the weld), creating an inert gas chamber.
Yet the most interesting part of the process is “attaching” the bottom bracket. Other frame manufacturers weld the bottom brac
ket as the rest of frame is completed which – according to Nevi – is wrong. Nevi measures its tubes, assembles its frame and places the bottom bracket at the end of the process. This way they assure the pedal center is perfectly perpendicular to the movement plane of the frame.
At the very end of this process, the chainstays, as well as the entire posterior of the frame, are assembled before being finished. Again, using the hyperbolic chamber helps to remove every impurity as the assembly is finished. They also make custom frames, so if the dimensions and sizes of the standard bikes don’t suit your needs, you can send them your information and they’ll make a custom fit.
Pros: The construction makes for a superb ride. Light and maneuverable in the tightest corners and the steepest track, Nevi’s construction is without flaw, and the lifetime guarantee puts their word behind each frame. I highly recommend the 29” for a smooth and effortless ride. The custom possibilities are endless – from the size of the seat tube to the length of the down tube – this probably will be the last mountain bike you ever buy.
Cons: It’s unfortunate that these frames are hard to come by. There is no retailer in North America (at least that I know of) and they are hard to come by in Europe. Nevi has a few of them listed here, but making them difficult to acquire makes them more desirable right? Don’t despair, that doesn’t mean you’ll never find one. Nevi say Nevi.
The Granfondo Pinarello Marathon and the “Goat’s Leap.”
The French Alps, the Giro d’Italia and now the Granfondo Pinarello. The Granfondo is a cycling event primarily for non-professional bike racers, but professionals also participate for training purposes. In Italy, these cycling races have been popular for well over 20 years, of which La Fausto Coppi, La Granfondo Eddy Merckx, and the Pinarello Marathon are just a few of the most well-known.
On July 17th, Punto Tours is leading a group that will partake in one of the most ambitious events – the Pinarello Marathon. Forget most of what I’ve written about the Zoncolan and this video, in one week the Pinarello Marathon promises to be an even bigger challenge for the group of cyclists presently riding the Italian mountainside. As their website describes, there are two possible circuits: one of 130 km, and the other of 205 km. Thus, isn’t necessarily for the Sunday stroller.
Naturally there are two departure times for the two circuits, but what is stunning is the amount of elevation gained over the course of the race. The “short” route, claims approximately 1100 m, while the “regular” route of 205 km boasts about 700 m more. Add to that a grueling climb through the Salto della Capra (The Goat’s Leap) at a grade of approximately 20% and higher for a duration of about a kilometer or so. Of course, the ride doesn’t finish there: after 12 km more of climbing another 400 m, the group will arrive at the military base atop Monte Grappa. Oh, then there is the return all the way to Treviso in
the northeastern part of Italy.
However impressive this may all sound, keep in mind that the beauty of a Granfondo is that it is not only focused around cycling (if you can believe that after all you’ve read so far). Music, food, giveaways and a convivial atmosphere await those who wonder around the city of Treviso, in the Veneto, waiting for the race to end. However it’s a great way to spend the day in a beautiful Italian town. The Granfondo is a fantastic way to cycle some of Italy’s most impressive hills, while also enjoying all the culture and food this region has to offer.
Zoncolan: Video from the Giro 2011
A few weeks ago, I posted this blog about climbing the Zoncolan by bike. A few weeks later I posted this response to my initial post. I’ve finally gotten around to edit all the video I took on that magnificent day into a nice six-minute adventure.
I’m not here to promote cycling. I’m here for the pure adventure of what I experienced that day in the mountain, watching the Giro d’Italia. During the time we sat on the mountain, listening to the howling and screaming, I felt a sense of what it must have been like 60 years ago. The intensity of the crowd must’ve been similarly intense, and the foreboding clouds and rolling thunder only increased the drama. It was a scene unlike any I’ve ever lived. With the following video, I hope the reader can also partake in – what can only be described as – one of the most electric and dramatic days of my life.
Special thanks to Punto Tours for having placed me on assignment for this piece.
I’d greatly enjoy reading your comments if you feel so inspired by this video. I’ll be on assignment again soon, but I’ll make sure to get back to you as quickly as I can.
Pinarello Dogmas will make a Believer out of you.
It’s hard not to like this bike. For some enthusiasts, biking is a religion, the Tour de France is their church, and the Pinarello Dogma is their credo.
The concept behind the Pinarello Dogma is the idea of “asymmetrical frame” design, invented by this noteworthy bike manufacturer in Treviso, Italy. The way they see it, the drive-side of the bicycle frame puts asymmetrical force on the frame with each pedal stroke. To compensate for this imbalance, frame tweaks and design modifications allow the Dogma frame to be lighter than the Prince (a lower model, yet high-end machine), while remaining more resistant to impacts, according to research conducted by Bicycling Online.
These modifications are felt significantly in the acceleration and performance of the frame. The force is properly dispersed not only throughout the bottom-bracket and asymmetrical chainstays, but also throughout the entire frame for optimal speed and energy transference. So the symmetry plays a part, but so does Pinarello’s switch to Toray’s 60HM1K carbon fiber: a substance that almost prevents cracks and breaks. As Bicycling explains:
“…the new material has what Toray calls “nanoalloy” which, the company says, “disperses nanoscale elastomers between the carbon fibers. These elastomers absorb impacts and prevent the propagation of cracks as they occur”.”
However, the asymmetric composition of the frame doesn’t stop with chainstays (the bits that get the most force) as you would ima
gine. According to Competitive Cyclist, even the top tube has a rounded right-side, and a more flat left side; the right seat-stay is fatter near the brake-bridge; even the sides of the fork are asymmetrical. So what Pinarello has come up with was a construction whereby each side of the frame is a separate piece. Competitive Cyclist has written a great article explaining, in depth, the processes involved in creating such a complex frame here.
Pros: an amazing ride. The acceleration, climbing and power within the frame is astounding considering its insignificant weight. Tight cornering and solid descending are to be expected from a frame engineered to work with itself. The frame doesn’t give that sense of harshness other oversized frames often do. Plus, the addition of the new alloy-nano particles puts less strain on the carbon fibers, giving a longer life to the frame.
Cons: running between $16,999 and $17,900, the Pinarello Dogma may be the last bike people ever buy. It certainly has a professional price tag and may be wasted on those riders who don’t train in the Alps and average at least 100 sprint finishes per year. If you are sponsored by Pinarello, ask for the best. You may believe in this Dogma, but keep your money out of the offering basket. Try spending it on a little something more “down-to-earth” like the Pinarello Kobh.
Facing Fear: New Depths in Adventure Travel
“Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch’entrate.” This epithet – notoriously carved above the entrance gates to Dante’s Inferno – initiated the Zoncolan climb: a narrow road with an average 15% grade for 10 kilometers. The top of the climb reaches 1700 m with stunning views over the valley. A few weeks ago I wrote about scouting the Zoncolan here. It would be a futile attempt in this blog post to express in detail each painful meter, each dragging foot of elevation gain, every aching rotation of the pedals. Oh reader! I would like to quench your curiosity with an amazing tale about our hero’s relentless battle to reach the heavenly summit. It would be a privilege to relate an epic tale of courageously facing one’s fears with the ecstatic onlookers cheering on our protagonist to new heights. To which end he presses further, out of the saddle, to a climactic victory up high.
Dear reader, I would like to relate all this, but I can’t. Dante’s journey into hell is by all accounts a “descent.” It is the spiraling “ascent” through Purgatory that is physically exhausting, emotionally draining, yet redemption awaits for those who are true of heart. For this tale, by the fourth kilometer, the mountain had gotten the better of our two-wheeled pilgrim, who descended from his bicycle to walk quite a distance. There is nothing to pen about this journey. In fact, there is no story here.
There is legend.
For had our hero not been witness to the most stunning interplay of human determination and elemental wrath, it would otherwise be impossible to believe. It was a stunning display of our meager existence interlaced with powers greater than we imagine.
The early afternoon scorched. Clear skies gave way to blazing temperatures. Our cyclists moved slowly up the hill, burdened with backpacks equipped with supplies for whatever adverse elements lay in store for the afternoon. Morning television reported possible late thunderstorms. Yet, it was due in part to this heat that our heroes stepped off from their bicycles and began to walk. The climb was an unbearable furnace.
But as Dante’s Inferno is a mix of fire and ice, so is this mountain. Lo Zoncolan is high enough to wield freezing temperatures and gale-force winds. After hours of walking, our weary travelers made it to within 350 m of the finish line, where over 100,000 damned souls screamed and wailed in expectation of a great finish. Their moans reflected an agony of almost having been exiled to this mountain top for hours if not days, waiting for he big finish to arrive. After hours of inebriation in the blazing sun, these faceless shadows had lost their wits, teetering on the brink of insanity. Our cyclists stayed focused, climbing out of the girone that was the small mountain road and onto the grassy knoll just before the 100m sign to the finish.
The deafening loudspeaker reports announcing the peloton’s proximity rivaled heaven’s trumpeting archangels. The crowd whistled and screamed in drunken mists, spinning themselves dizzy within the mountain fog that settled. At every numerical countdown – 8 km from the finish, now 5 km, now 3 km – these specters howled and roared. Helicopters mimicked Satan’s minions, soaring overhead like black demons, beating the air with a million anxious heartbeats. The ground shook as the wind stirred the mountain sides, bringing an icy end to the day’s scorching heat.
One glance over the shoulder revealed what lay in the hours to come: black clouds grew within the eastern valley of Zoncolan. “That wrath is headed this way,” they thought. At the same moment, a distant thunder roll, then another, and the masses voiced everyone’s inner tension. The mobs gathered around the narrow asphalt path, as flashes of light lit up the crowd. Some believed they were merely early camera flashes, but far away an angry deity was aroused in a fury. The light and sound initially seemed unable to find a perfect rhythm: first a flash than a grumbling moan about half a minute later. But little by little, the two lovers slowly embraced until they were dancing directly over our heads.
Suddenly a collective scream overtook the mountain side, growing in intensity: the first riders appeared from the dark forest below. The guardians along the
path locked arms and held the possessed and inebriated spirits from tearing apart the first cyclists: released like fresh souls into this unforgiving underworld. With 200 m to go, the first drops of rain fell on the racers, the road, the podium and the spectators. As Igor Anton made his way to the 50 m mark, the rain fell in diagonal sheets, riveting the protective plastic covers of the bierhaus and softening the grassy hillsides. By the time the second racer, Alberto Contador, came to that same mark, the weather changed to bitter cold. The rain became pea-sized hail, bouncing off the Spaniard’s helmet and the pavement. Lightning continued to streak and snap overhead, as the thunder that followed its steps muffled the crazed and infuriated loudspeaker, which screamed in vain to commentate meter by meter the outcome of this awesome spectacle.
Fearful and tired, the spectators dashed for shelter. What little cover there was at this altitude found itself bursting with four to five-times the number of people it was constructed to hold. Another torrent of hail and rain scattered these lost souls and created mud pits and slippery paths through the fields. Since the road was closed to the racers, the only remaining option was to wait out the storm with no cover, or hike through the treacherous, murky goat paths to get to the other side of the mountain. Our heroes threw their bikes over their shoulders, and began climbing up. They advanced towards the mayhem at the top of the mountain, which was compounded by over 100,00 people moving all at once.
Scaling muddy mountain sides and straddling aluminum fences, our travelers stumbled upon the last member of the group (quite miraculously) at the top of the climb. Dressed as best as possible for foul weather, the three began to descend the mountain in a torrential thunderstorm. Lightning crashed on the hillside as the skies rumbled and cracked with discontent. Every car looking to flee the chaos maneuvered its way along the harrowing narrow roads with dropping cliffs on either side. A veritable exodus out of hell, the cars were backed up and honking, with their hazards flashing. Our travelers threaded the necessary needles to get away from this chaos and down to warmer altitudes. At a bar in the valley, Charon – the van – drove our journeymen out from the rings of hell and into a warm hotel for the evening.
Dear reader, I would have liked to have written about my personal successes on Zoncolan. In a way, I believe I just did.
How now, Giau?
“Cima Coppi” is the name given to the highest climb during each year’s Giro d’Italia. It’s a tribute to the memory of Fausto Coppi: one of the greatest Italian cyclists of all time. Instead of drugs and performance enhancers, he ate prosciutto, drank red wine, and biked without a helmet in a wool jersey…on dirt roads.
Along the road that leads to Pocol Giau, in the Italian Dolomites (north of the Veneto region), lies the
remains of the Muraglia di Giau: a great stone wall built in 1753 and completed in 6 months that stretched from the top of the mountain to Crepe Formin. This barrier was originally under a meter tall, with a 150 cm base width. Built by the authorities from the Republic of Venice and the Austrian Empire, it was used to settle border disputes between Cortina and San Vito.
The pass connecting Cortina d’Ampezzo with the Val Fiorentina is known as Passo Giau. It is this year’s Cima Coppi at the 2011 Giro d’Italia. The first time it was showcased as the highest pass in the race was in 1973, summited by the Spaniard José Manuel Fuente. The Giau is also the steepest and highest climb in the Marathona dles Dolomites: an amateur bicycle race that bisects these majestic slopes. I’ve participated with a number of my friends in this race – some who went the right way, others who didn’t – yet we all managed to make it to where we needed to be in the end.
As we crested the summit in our snazzy red van the other day, the pass was empty, deserted. A layer of snow softened footsteps and the only noise was the sound of the wind over the stone. The light was overwhelming: sun-rays came from every direction, reflecting off the snow, yet the views were beyond imaginable. To be up there at that hour of the morning, the only people around for miles, knowing that we were at the top of one of the most popular bike races in the world, was magnificent. Our next experience on Giau will be by bike, with hundreds of other multi-colored cyclists trying their best to master the Cima Coppi.
What you don’t know about Sardinia could Thrill you.
I was already concerned about the weather during our departure from Pula, in the southern part of the island. By the time we had packed our bags, the rain began to fall. The skies were grey. I lifted a large backpack filled with notebooks and cameras on my back as tiny drops fell on my face. My good friend Enrico had even less to carry: a small rucksack and a burning desire to pedal. Our adventure teetered on the brink of waterlogged shoes and uncomfortable shorts. We didn’t carry a change of clothing with us and we had no intention of doing so. But that is all part of the adventure when mountain biking in southwestern Sardinia.
For early spring it was uncommonly cold weather along the second largest island in the Mediterranean. We had specifically chosen this week to do a more intense hike along the snagged routes and plummeting pitches of the Selvaggio Blu: a challenging itinerary along the Gulf of Orosei. All the more reason we had packed lightly (Enrico packed light; I was hoping for spectacular pictures). We opted for a mountain bike itinerary along routes designed by the Sardegna Tourism Board and while Enrico had
already shipped his bike to the island, I was able to get a new Felt front-suspension from Simone at ProBike in Pula.
Fortunately for us, July and August are the high tourist months in Sardinia, when most Italians and North Europeans flock to the island to marvel at its ivory beaches and azure waters. The first week of May permitted Enrico and me the opportunity to have the dirt roads and lonely paths all to ourselves. A shepherd or forest ranger would pass, tending his flock, or roasting pork chops along the side of the road. Some hunters were around, but we were mostly on our own. The weather was damp and menacing, yet the heavens never fully unleashed the wrath we were expecting. In fact, a few times the skies let out a fine spray of mist which was a cool welcome after one particularly sweltering day.
Not only was the weather in our favor, but so was the ride. It unfolded as a fairytale excursion through dense forests, desert dunes, ridge rides and quintessential small hamlets. Our travels took us to the Temple of Antas, the Mines of Rosas, the abandoned digs at Ingurtosu, a cheese maker, multiple small animals (wild and domesticated) and a run-in with the Carabinieri in Sant Angelo. We soared to the bottom of downhills (with only one brake) and sweated uphills that would put alpine climbs to shame. The amount of pure virgin Sardinian countryside we saw is unimaginable, especially when you think you’ve seen all the island has to offer. Mountain biking – even for four days – brought us to peaks and valleys we would have only stared at from the beach saying to ourselves, “I wonder how you get up there.”
July and Augus
t are the months to go to the beach and soak your toes. If you are looking to do more on an island that has so much more to offer, take trips like these in the off-season on a shoe-string for some epic adventures. Anyone interested in riding an organized trip through this savage and wonderfully untouched area of Sardinia, should contact one of the tour operators active on the island. For example Skedaddle, HappyTrails MTB, and Dolcevita Tours all organize wonderful Mountain Bike excursions through Sardinia. For those of you looking to go on your own, contact the Sardinia Board of Tourism and bring a GPS, a map, and a good sense of where you are. For further details of our exploits, you’ll be able to read about them in Free Wheelin’ in about a month (link to follow), and maybe another bike publication, if they find it as cool as I do to publish.
So if you find this cool, make sure you like it here below.