Just got my new Pinarello Prince TODAY!!

[Frankie - B]

I agree with you Pharding. That is why I moved it back.

[ave]

Looks great! Good luck with the build!

First I thought the weight is shocking for such a small size.
But read it again, and the 1206g does include the headset as well, which helps the case a little bit.
Still not a weight weenie frame, but at least it's not the heaviest full carbon frame I know.

[Stats]

One thing is for sure; the looks of the Pinarellos are polarizing, and I still don't know what to think about all those curves I suppose it is all good as long as you like the way it looks.

Also, don't you think that the frame and fork weights are a little excessive (especially a size 53) for a top-end frame costing a large chunk of money?

The curves wasn't something that i fell in love with the first time i saw it either... but then i rode one

In terms of the amount of money spent on a frameset weighing this much (which isn't too bad considering the full headset is installed and the seatpost collar etc)... i wasn't paying for the weight, otherwise i could have saved a heap and got a Scott Addict... i simply rode one, and found that i could easily get it under 6.8kg with a good selection of components - although i am a weight weenie - i am just as much a ride and handling weenie and so am happy with the balance

Agreed. They do ride relatively well and are pretty stiff where it counts, but nowhere near claimed weight and actually heavier than even most of the nice non WW bikes out there (595, EPS). From the weight, it would seem that the grade of carbon used isn't as exclusive as advertised, which makes one wonder why they cost so much at retail.

I don't think the weight is really indicative of the type of carbon used - or not - you don't know how much of it they used or what else they did to get the ride as they wanted... maybe they were looking for durability as well as stiffness to weight? All i know is the one i rode, was the best carbon frame i've ever ridden and i just hunted for a good price and when i found it - i bought it

Weight is only one of may factors, and certainly not the most important, that make a bike great. Virtually all who have spent some meaningful time actually riding a Prince, conclude that it is arguably one of the best, if not the best outright, road racing bikes ever made. It is quite light, but most important, extremely precise and responsive. Precision and responsiveness, of course, are very difficult to assess when just reading specs about a bike on the web.

I respectfully suggest that those who may feel otherwise, but have not ridden one, to find a way to do a few miles on a Prince. You'll learn something new that day.

Couldn't agree more! I thought my friend who bought one had spent too much money on just another bike... then i rode it

Are Pinarellos available in custom geometry?"

not for us mere mortals - as far as i'm aware anyway... they come in 1cm increments pretty much so it's rare you'd fall between sizes unless you need something particularly unique...

I am disappointed that this thread was moved. The OP wasn't introducing himself or herself. He was just excited about a new, major purchase and he/she was sharing that with us. He even went so far as to weigh the frameset as a way of contributing to the discussion here and joining a highly respected group of people. The decision to move this thread is contrary to the high standards of Weight Weenies management.

I agree, and thank you But it was good to have it moved back... i thought it would suit the road section because it was less of an introduce myself seeing as i've been here for nearly 2 years and 500 posts later and more of a weighing of a new frame... thought some would like to see the actual weight of a Prince, although i didn't do myself any favours by leaving the headset and the rest of the fittings on it...

You must be very excited Stats, I would be!

What groupset are you gonna use?

Funny you ask! I went to a local bike shop today and got the chance to have a feel of all 3 new top tier groupsets on the showroom floor... I was able to immediately rule out DA 7900 (no offence intended to anyone who has just bought it) but i thought the brake levers felt a bit loose and the reach of the hoods was long and not suitable for me basically. It was also the least inspiring finish of all 3. I had a flick of SRAM Red and was quite impressed with the short throw of the shift mechanism! The Zero Loss is really quite good and if i could pick shifting of all 3 - this'd be it... I had a go of Chorus 11 (no SR there) and was impressed with that too - the hoods are by far the most comfortable of all the groupsets and the new shape of the brake lever really makes it feel like the thing was built for me... i just loved it - the only draw back was that thumb lever (which to be honest was less of a turn off than i thought it might be) and the longish throw of the lever that goes up to a bigger cog! Would SR be a shorter throw than Chorus? Maybe the bike i was trying it on wasn't all too well set up yet either, not too sure... but i am definitely down to 2 options - and Tinea Pedis made a good comment to me "in a few years time, which would you regret not getting more - Red or SR?"... ... SR for sure.

I agree with you Pharding. That is why I moved it back.

Thanks Frankie! Sorry about the other thread i made with the F.der little issue that i later found out was a non-issue as well

Looks great! Good luck with the build!

First I thought the weight is shocking for such a small size.
But read it again, and the 1206g does include the headset as well, which helps the case a little bit.
Still not a weight weenie frame, but at least it's not the heaviest full carbon frame I know.

Yeah, i weighed my Giant TCR Advanced 1 (the top model in 2008) without the headset or any other fittings and it was only 22g lighter than the Prince WITH all the fittings... and the Prince would come in under the Giant weight if you took all that out for sure... i think the problem is people spend so long looking at 'advertised' weights of frames and forget the real weight of frames... For example, the Pinarello Prince is advertised as weighing 900grams in a size 54 (one size bigger than this) with the little * that says (*unpainted) - of which none of them come unpainted

[KH1]

Beautiful looking frame stats.
Gotta love the way the Italians put so much 'art' into their bikes. Looking forward to your pics of the completed project.

[Chiho]

Weight is only one of may factors, and certainly not the most important, that make a bike great. Virtually all who have spent some meaningful time actually riding a Prince, conclude that it is arguably one of the best, if not the best outright, road racing bikes ever made. It is quite light, but most important, extremely precise and responsive. Precision and responsiveness, of course, are very difficult to assess when just reading specs about a bike on the web.

I respectfully suggest that those who may feel otherwise, but have not ridden one, to find a way to do a few miles on a Prince. You'll learn something new that day.

It is a nice bike, I am not saying otherwise. I was able to borrow one for a week and put around 20 hours on it, including a solid average 250 watt, 4-hour ride by myself in the mountains, and a hard 4-hour hammer ride with several elite U-23 development riders. I couldn't say that it significantly better than our team's Super Six Hi-mods, though, just that it was a nice bike that I would enjoy owning.

[Stats]

It is a nice bike, I am not saying otherwise. I was able to borrow one for a week and put around 20 hours on it, including a solid average 250 watt, 4-hour ride by myself in the mountains, and a hard 4-hour hammer ride with several elite U-23 development riders. I couldn't say that it significantly better than our team's Super Six Hi-mods, though, just that it was a nice bike that I would enjoy owning.

Funny you make that comparison... i rode a Super Six before the Prince. Whilst i thought the SuperSix was a better than my current Giant TCR Advanced 1, it wasn't better 'enough' to get me to pay the money required to own one (SuperSix's are quite expensive in Aust)... it felt a little muted and like the front end and rear end were made by different teams that thought they were building a slightly different bike... although together it does work and i did like it it just didn't inspire me enough for the money it commanded ($8200 AUD at the time)... after i rode the Prince i really loved the ride - it was stiff more comfortable than my current bike but not in the same way as the Cannondale. I felt like the Cannondale used the seat stays to mute or soak up the road buzz, but the Prince used the type of carbon or bike design to absorb the buzz... a different feeling... but i liked it enough to justify the money to buy one...