Ineos Grenadiers to (finally) ride disc brake-equipped Pinarellos
British squad feedback regarding the move to the latest braking tech has been ‘encouraging.’
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Pro cycling’s wealthiest team is about to take a major technological leap forward in the lead-up to the rescheduled 2021 Paris-Roubaix.
Ineos Grenadiers will race the Pinarello Dogma F Disc at the 2021 at the GP de Denain Tuesday. In a statement made by the team, this is the first race and part of an initial phase of rolling out disc brake-equipped bikes to the team.
Also read: Review — Pinarello Dogma F Disc
Ineos Grenadiers’ director of racing Rod Ellingworth said, “Pinarello are constantly working to keep our bike at the front of the peloton, and their commitment to providing us the very best equipment has been evident across this project. Rider feedback has also been encouraging.”
The British-backed WorldTour team might be the very last holdout in braking technology.
Egan Bernal won the 2021 Giro d’Italia on a Pinarello equipped with rim brakes. And Richard Carapaz rode to third place at the 2021 Tour de France and also won the Olympic men’s road race on a similarly equipped bike.
Earlier in the year, Chris Froome — who won four Tours de France with Ineos Grenadiers — said he “was not 100 percent sold on them” when he revealed that he would be racing on a disc brake-equipped Factor for Israel Start-Up Nation.
On one of the wet stages in the final week of the 2021 Vuelta a España, Egan Bernal demonstrated his descending skills using a rim-brake Dogma F and appeared to manage the conditions rather well.
But times, they are a-changing.
The team’s head of technical partners Carsten Jeppesen offered, “We are always looking at ways to improve our kit, technology, and bike setup to ensure the riders have the very best options that are available.
“Our relationship with Pinarello has always been grounded in a love of racing and innovation, and their work on the Dogma F Disc should enable our riders to race to their maximum.
“Working closely with Pinarello and Shimano, we will continue to develop the all-round disc package, optimizing weight, the integration across Dura-Ace, and improvements in the quick release system,” Jeppesen said.
A stock 2021 Pinarello Dogma F Disc comes equipped with thru-axles.
Shimano recently updated the Dura-Ace groupset, and the new, Servo Wave brakes allow for improved modulation and control, while the 212g RT-MT900 rotors borrow from the brand’s off-road XTR technology and should decrease stopping distance.
Fausto Pinarello, long a holdout in equipping the bikes with his name on them is convinced that disc brakes are the future of bike technology.
“I’ve been convinced about disc brakes since I started riding them myself and I’m happy the team is going to race on them in the final part of this season. The Ineos Grenadiers are constantly pushing for excellence in everything they do and we are delighted with the Dogma F Disc we have developed with the team,” said Pinarello.
The 2021 Paris-Roubaix is currently on the racing calendar for October 3, and teams will need to have their service course set prior to the fall edition of the “Hell of the North.”