Pinarello Prince Carbon 2008 more details
New Carbon Pinarello Prince answers a whole lot of questions
Posted: 10 July 2007
by Rich Land
Pinarello Carbon Prince Frameset £2699.00
The last incarnation of the Pinarello Prince almost had mythical status amongst those who owned one. The ride quality was fantastic, so when the demise came of this top-flight machine, was it a case of the Prince is dead and long live the Paris?
Thankfully the boys from Treviso have used all their know-how in making the successor to the vacant throne. Enter the new Prince Carbon. The weight for the new frame is staggering as the frame and fork is said to come in around the 900g mark. Part of this weight reduction has occurred by using a 1k weave over the 3k version used on the Paris. Combined with what is quickly becoming the new standard on top end racing bikes the 1½’ lower headset is another helping hand in the sveltness of the frameset. Currently only a Record equipped bicycle will be available, due at the end of July. Price for the frame and fork is £2699.00, which is similar to other sub 1kilo frames; due date for the frame-only option will be in the autumn.
The lines of the new frame and fork flow more organically through the whole of the bicycle and the Onda fork and stays have come to a new stage in their evolution. The Onda fork was first conceived in 2003, going through an extensive two-year testing period. Using Finite Element Analysis to find the desired perfect balance between lateral stiffness and vertical compliance is how Pinarello ended up with this shape. Using a double S shape resulted in an overall 5% increase in stiffness, while at the same time reducing road shock. This may not sound a lot, but as they say when you add up all the 1% it will make a big difference overall. Many bike companies have used the same principal of curving the stays to increase comfort, while at the same time not reducing the stiffness of the bike. Pinarello were the first to incorporate this into the front fork and the rear stays.
Many of you may have seen Valverde using the new Prince at the Dauphine recently, which caught the attention of many a lustful camera lens. Who better to receive the first Prince Carbons in the UK than Recycling.co.uk team captain Chris Newton and the eternal racer himself, Malcolm Elliott. So far both riders have come back with positive comments for their new frames. You will be able to see them in action on the weekend of July 14th at the Blackpool round of the Premier Calendar series.
www.pinarello.com
Discuss this story
I think you summed it up in the other thread on this subject. GBP 2700 for a bike made in China is crazy.
Posted: 02/11/2007 12:31
Ah Richard, Would that wedge be cheddar or wysnsleydale. (Spell checker wont check cheese names)
Posted: 02/11/2007 15:17
I would never spend that kind of money on a frameset. But each time I visit my local bike shop, where they have one in the window, I spend a few minutes admiring it. Don't care if it is made in China, Taiwan, Malaysia - it is a thing of beauty (+ I get really sick of the arguments that quality will necessarily suffer because of the location of manufacture). Being an unusual design means it won't appeal to many people - good. I have to say that aesthetically it is the best looking bike I have seen in a long time... If we're talking cheeses, it has to be a fully matured cheddar.
Posted: 02/11/2007 16:24
dude thats what I thought before lead tainted toys started coming out of china. Quality control is a science and its impossible to control the quality with mass production in a far off land. If its made in China it should say so and not say 'italian andrenaline'. I ride a Colnago Cristallo....with the straight carbon fork
Posted: 02/11/2007 18:37
White saddle rider, while I agree with some of the stuff you say. From working 4 years in the trade, I can honestly say some of the best quality control in products comes from Taiwan. And, if your bike shop is any decent, they'll spot any problems before the bike goes out for sale. Let's face it, carbon doesn't just break like people seem to think it does* * <Waits for Richard Hallett to contradict statement with years of experience riding steel bikes>
Posted: 02/11/2007 18:58
my last post sounds a bit harsh having read it, so I apologise, However if i spend that much money I'd want it made in a Ita;ian factory, after all when you buy a Pinarello you expect to be getting a Italian bike unless the specifically say so. Like Colnago sell the CLX at a cheaper price and explicitly say where its from. I would be tempted by the prince if it weren't for the fork and it was GBP 600 cheaper.
Posted: 02/11/2007 19:05
http://www.cyclingnews.com/sponsors/italia/2005/colnago.php look at some of the pictures in this link of sub-standard carbon frames, this opened my eyes
Posted: 02/11/2007 19:31
Does that make that much of a difference though, it may or may not make the colnago lighter (at a premium) but just because it looks neater and better finished (on the inside) does it really make the colnago stronger/stiffer and how much stronger for the extra dollars. Would love to know what the differences actually are in strength and stiffness, through testing, rather than just forming opinions from pictures. It must say something when hes prepared to put his name to frames manufactured in the far east they cannot be that bad.
Posted: 02/11/2007 22:16
And, if your bike shop is any decent, they'll spot any problems before the bike goes out for sale. Let's face it, carbon doesn't just break like people seem to think it does* * <Waits for Richard Hallett to contradict statement with years of experience riding steel bikes> Crashed my Museeuw MF1 Carbon Flax frame side-on into a BMW M5 a couple of months ago at about 20mph, landing a good 10 metres beyond the car. Bike bounced off, undamaged but for scratched STI levers... Awesome. The Beemer driver looked stunned at its survival
Posted: 03/11/2007 18:11
I am not sure about carbon, but I know when it comes to aluminium frame construction, Tiawan now leads the way...why/ Simply because they have done mor eof it than other countries, so are better placed to get it right more often. My last bike frame (carbon Kona of all things) is built in Tiawan and is the best frame I have ever owned. It also came with its own Quality Control paper and believe me the tolernaces quoted were impressive. The thing about mass-production is that yes, its harder to control stuff like quality, but at the same time its better for having teh correct conditions, working practices etc etc to ensure that quality is more consistent. Also, whether made in China or Italy, the Prince is a top end product using top end carbon, with top end techniques. With that in mind, no one can afford to get it wrong too often making these frames. In real terms what that means is that the factory will either be mighty careful when making the frames, or that they will be lax when do quality control.... Now I don't think Mr Pinarello is going to put up with too mnay duff frames going to market so I reckon it'll be the former.
Posted: 05/11/2007 10:54
'at the end of the day intuitively if you buy a pinarello bike you'd prefer it to be made by pinarello rather than outsourced'. Maybe, but not necessarily. It's not impossible that the Taiwanese factories can do a better job, especially when it comes to mass production. In today's market, when you buy a Pinarello, Colnago or so on you are buying a brand and its values, which no longer necessarily include being made in Italy. On the other hand, if you buy a Pegoretti, you quite reasonably do so in the expectation of getting something made by the man himself, since that is what the Pegoretti label implies. Of course, there are plenty of romantic souls who feel that all Pinarellos, Colnagos etc. should definitively be made in Italy and at the factory of the manufacturer concerned, but even if they were, they would not be made by Ernesto or Fausto in person. In which case, does it matter whether it is made by an Italian artisan or a Chinese factory, provided the end result is of suitable quality?
Posted: 05/11/2007 16:19
I have a BMC which has "Swiss Quality" emblazoned on the Downtube. Their websites home page states "Welcome to the world of BMC, where passion, Swiss precision technology and innovative design merge into fascinating products". The frame is made in Taiwan, the Carbon design/supply is by Easton (from the USA I believe). It isn't made obvious that this is the case and I found out later where the frame was actually made. BMC only put the Bikes together. When I found out Taiwan is where a lot of Frames are made I wasn't concerned. WSR - I'm white-collared, I bought it as it floated my boat with its looks and reviews, not because I want to send out a message i've can afford it - I took the 'you only live once attitude' and I 'treated' myself. I started work on the shop floor at 16 and have 'worked my way up' so I hope you approve - don't pick on me as you can see from my face on the right how mean I look. I think the 'made in Taiwan' is a stigma from the past just like buying a Skoda was, things move on. You pays your money and you takes your choice, each to their own. Oh and while i'm in full flow i've ordered an Enigma Eulogy custom fit Frame....the frame itself is constructed in Taiwan (I knew that before ordering) but I think i've read somewhere Enigma chose Taiwan as they wanted high quality and China couldn't provide what they wanted. EDIT - found the bit i referred to above: " We have made it clear to the press and public via other forums that our frames are designed in the UK but manufactured in Taiwan. I would love to tell you that we make the frames here but it is simply not possible to produce the quality of product that we require at a competitive price in the UK. As I have stated previously I looked all over the world to find the perfect partner for Enigma and the best I found was in Taiwan. Our manufacturer is a small high-end company working from a "state-of-the-art" facility, producing a world class product and they can accommodate our bespoke building requirements. They are the only Taiwan manufacturer building Titanium bike frames. I am sure you are aware that Taiwan produces some of the finest bike frames in the world. I could have bought much cheaper frames in China or Russia but the quality of materials and construction was not of the standard that I was looking for ". Sorry i've drifted well off topic 
Posted: 06/11/2007 05:53
mate we've gone over this point already, its not racist to say that one counrty has a competitive advantage over another. I'd agree that they are better at electronics in the east than in the west. Swiss watches are better than those from Hong Kong.........etc etc
Posted: 06/11/2007 17:06
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