Pinarello FP Due Review, by Clive de Sousa
Pinarello FP Due Review.
The FP Due is and interesting bike to review. The obvious question to me was one of value. Does the trickle down technology from the legendary Dogma translate and offer the same performance in a lower grade of carbon and lesser group set or are you paying for the Pinarello name and better off looking for lesser known brands in the same price range that have better component specs?
When shopping for a bike in particular price range the obvious question is how does the build package stack up assuming the frames are all equal. If this was the case there are bikes that are going to seem to be better value than the FP Due. Yet we all know the heart of a good bike is in the frame set, the performance in the wheels and the face value in the component group.
Get out on the FP Due and the answer will come to you right away. Pinarello bikes have a unique ride quality and it's not lost in the Due. To be more specific Pinarello's famous ride quality is all there but some of the performance is not. Between the weight and the more lax ride of the lesser carbon some of the snap and buoyancy of the Dogma is missing but all the character of a Pinarello is there. Back up and say that again. FP Due feels like a Dogma a lot of the time but like a BMW with a smaller engine it does not kick like it's big brother when you hit a steep incline or try overtake a slower vehicle on a twisty country road.
If you are reading this trying to decide if the FP Due is the right bike for you then ask yourself this question. What's the most demanding ride you expect to do on your next bike? If it's a 45min criterium or a 5 day stage race in which you are going to contest the GC then maybe look up the Pinarello family tree or switch your focus to a brand that offers higher performance frame and components in the FP Due's price range. If it's a century and you are not going under 4:30 or fast group rides and your priority in all this is the pleasure of riding then FP Due is a very good option for you.
No one wants to buy "less performance" no matter the type of riding we are doing we want to know the bike we have chosen is able to drag race Cancellara to the line if it's rider had the legs. FP Due will do anything you ask it to do, it's as fast as the rider and you are not going to get left behind on it. My feeling about it's more lax rear end and softer ride quality is that most of us benefit more from this than we do from the stiffness bike marketers have taught us to chase down with our visa cards.
To be more specific about the ride quality I mentioned earlier. Pinarello bikes have been developed not only but hi-tech computers and engineers who can give the work they do fancy acronyms but also by a tradition that has been passed down over years and is alive in Pinarello product today. The bikes somehow feel smooth on the road and always track dead straight. They have a feeling of comfort and performance at the same time. FP Due feels this way and is a pure pleasure to ride. When braking hard the beefy head tube is solid and the fork does not waiver no matter how hard you lean into it on a steep decent. Out of the saddle the FP Due is not a standout and on steep inclines it's not the ideal bike for attacking the group on but if you are a steady climber then the smoothness and comfort are your friend.
Build kit and wheel set on the FP Due are well thought out. All three models have the same bar, stem, post and saddle and wheels. The bike tested was the Ultegra version with a partial 6700 grupo that has a 105 5700 crank, bottom bracket, chain and cassette along with the MOst branded FSA brake calipers. Switching out the Ultegra parts for 105 get's the Ultegra bike into a lower price category and does vitally nothing negative to performance but does leave one feeling like someone took a swig of your beer before they handed it to you. You know it's OK but you would rather they did not. The MOst branded FSA brake calipers look great and are a nice compliment to the MOst bar, stem and post but they do not perform as well as 6700 calipers. Once again not worth sending that beer back to the bar but not exactly what you want. The wheels are pigs. No big deal because they leave the door open for a exciting upgrade down the road and don't spoil the fun.
Becareful of the FP Due. It might turn you a believer and wet your appetite just enough to start looking up the Pinarello family tree for more of the good stuff. The Due lets you in at a easy price and encourages more grandiose thinking and buying habits. FP Due is the gateway bike, we all know where that leads.
Pinarello geometry means you can be sure of getting perfect fit on the FP Due as it comes in seven sizes, rather than the four or five most manufacturers offer.
Pinarello FP Due Review.
The FP Due is and interesting bike to review. The obvious question to me was one of value. Does the trickle down technology from the legendary Dogma translate and offer the same performance in a lower grade of carbon and lesser group set or are you paying for the Pinarello name and better off looking for lesser known brands in the same price range that have better component specs?
When shopping for a bike in particular price range the obvious question is how does the build package stack up assuming the frames are all equal. If this was the case there are bikes that are going to seem to be better value than the FP Due. Yet we all know the heart of a good bike is in the frame set, the performance in the wheels and the face value in the component group.
Get out on the FP Due and the answer will come to you right away. Pinarello bikes have a unique ride quality and it's not lost in the Due. To be more specific Pinarello's famous ride quality is all there but some of the performance is not. Between the weight and the more lax ride of the lesser carbon some of the snap and buoyancy of the Dogma is missing but all the character of a Pinarello is there. Back up and say that again. FP Due feels like a Dogma a lot of the time but like a BMW with a smaller engine it does not kick like it's big brother when you hit a steep incline or try overtake a slower vehicle on a twisty country road.
If you are reading this trying to decide if the FP Due is the right bike for you then ask yourself this question. What's the most demanding ride you expect to do on your next bike? If it's a 45min criterium or a 5 day stage race in which you are going to contest the GC then maybe look up the Pinarello family tree or switch your focus to a brand that offers higher performance frame and components in the FP Due's price range. If it's a century and you are not going under 4:30 or fast group rides and your priority in all this is the pleasure of riding then FP Due is a very good option for you.
No one wants to buy "less performance" no matter the type of riding we are doing we want to know the bike we have chosen is able to drag race Cancellara to the line if it's rider had the legs. FP Due will do anything you ask it to do, it's as fast as the rider and you are not going to get left behind on it. My feeling about it's more lax rear end and softer ride quality is that most of us benefit more from this than we do from the stiffness bike marketers have taught us to chase down with our visa cards.
To be more specific about the ride quality I mentioned earlier. Pinarello bikes have been developed not only but hi-tech computers and engineers who can give the work they do fancy acronyms but also by a tradition that has been passed down over years and is alive in Pinarello product today. The bikes somehow feel smooth on the road and always track dead straight. They have a feeling of comfort and performance at the same time. FP Due feels this way and is a pure pleasure to ride. When braking hard the beefy head tube is solid and the fork does not waiver no matter how hard you lean into it on a steep decent. Out of the saddle the FP Due is not a standout and on steep inclines it's not the ideal bike for attacking the group on but if you are a steady climber then the smoothness and comfort are your friend.
Build kit and wheel set on the FP Due are well thought out. All three models have the same bar, stem, post and saddle and wheels. The bike tested was the Ultegra version with a partial 6700 grupo that has a 105 5700 crank, bottom bracket, chain and cassette along with the MOst branded FSA brake calipers. Switching out the Ultegra parts for 105 get's the Ultegra bike into a lower price category and does vitally nothing negative to performance but does leave one feeling like someone took a swig of your beer before they handed it to you. You know it's OK but you would rather they did not. The MOst branded FSA brake calipers look great and are a nice compliment to the MOst bar, stem and post but they do not perform as well as 6700 calipers. Once again not worth sending that beer back to the bar but not exactly what you want. The wheels are pigs. No big deal because they leave the door open for a exciting upgrade down the road and don't spoil the fun.
Becareful of the FP Due. It might turn you a believer and wet your appetite just enough to start looking up the Pinarello family tree for more of the good stuff. The Due lets you in at a easy price and encourages more grandiose thinking and buying habits. FP Due is the gateway bike, we all know where that leads.
Pinarello geometry means you can be sure of getting perfect fit on the FP Due as it comes in seven sizes, rather than the four or five most manufacturers offer.
 | ||||
| | |||
| | | | |
|
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment