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Pinarello KOBH Road Bike Frame - 2012
Upon its unveiling, the Pinarello Dogma Carbon proved to be the most coveted frameset in recent (and not-so-recent) memory. If test riding one made you dizzy with desire, it seemed that simply being near one did the same. Is it the asymmetric tubing design? Is it the scintillating paint? Is it the handling or the Torayca 60HM1K carbon? The answer is "yes" -- it was all of those things in the aggregate. Layered on top of it was the instant palmares of Team Sky and Caisse d'Epargne once the 2010 season kicked off plus the figurative resurrection of the thing that wooed so many of us into bike racing in the first place -- a white-hot love affair with something gorgeous and italiano.
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 pav. KOBH is pronounced "cob", short for cobblestones. It's no mistake that the bike was launched in the week leading up to the 2010 Paris-Roubaix. The details that distinguish it from the Dogma Carbon are ones that make it better suited for a mud-sodden Belgian apocalypse, and outside of them it's otherwise identical in design, construction, and execution to the Dogma Carbon.
The most visually distinct difference of the KOBH is its seatstays. Instead of the double-S-bend Onda seatstays you've seen in the last few generations of Pinarello carbon frames, here you get flatter, radial curved stays. If they look mildly familiar, it's because they should. This same basic design is what you first saw from Cervlo in their R3, then again in their RS, and once again by Ridley for their best-selling Excalibur. The curvature of the thin-yet-wide stays is made to promote vertical compliance. Pinarello's take on the flat, radial stays, though, are a step beyond: Pinarello calls them AFS, short for "Asymmetrical Frame System" which means that even though they look complete different from the Dogma Carbon's stays, they share one critical commonality: They're asymmetric to maximize the frame's resistance to flex under power.
One other important detail about the seatstays: Unlike the Dogma Carbon (or virtually any other ProTour bike in the marketplace), the KOBH seatstays (and KOBH 60.1 carbon fork) permit the use of 28c tires. Given that the most popular tires at Paris-Roubaix are the Vittoria Pav Evo in 27mm and the FMB Paris-Roubaix in 27mm, this is something we love about the KOBH.
Just as the stays are engineered to promote compliance, the KOBH's geometry is unlike what you'll find on any other Pinarello. The seat tube and head tube angles are relaxed; the headtube is taller; the chainstays are 0.7cm longer and the fork rake is extended to 48mm on all sizes. The result is a calmer-riding bike and a position where you'll be just a hint higher and further back on the bike, giving you added comfort and stability.
The KOBH's geometry, fork, and rear triangle are distinct from the Dogma Carbon. So what's the same between them? They're both built with the same asymmetrical design principles, and they use the same carbon fiber. Its Torayca 60HM1K carbon is built to withstand 60 tons per square cm, the strongest-ever carbon used by Pinarello. Stronger carbon, of course, allows for the use of less material as a whole, keeping the overall frame weight to a minimum.
The lightness is nice, but since this a bike made for the Classics, what about the durability to withstand the violence of the cobbles? 60HM1K carbon is made using Torayca's Nanoalloy technology. Alloy nano-particles are embedded into the carbon itself. Upon significant impact (read: when you plow into the Euskatel rider who inevitably crashes right in front of you) these particles "explode" -- in other words, they absorb the kinetic energy of impact forces so the carbon itself won't have to. According to Pinarello testing, the net result is that the KOBH is 23% more impact-resistant than previous generations of carbon Pinarello frames.
And like the Dogma Carbon, the KOBH is made by using Polystyrene for the form during the lay up phase. If Polystyrene sounds familiar, it should: It's what your helmet is made out of. According to Pinarello, the use of Polystyrene results in the most consistent wall-thicknesses possible, with less wrinkling or the other types of imperfections that could cause structural weak spots over time.
Given the unique geometry of the Pinarello KOBH, we recommend that you focus on the top tube length in order to determine your ideal frame size. And if you've already test-ridden the right-size Dogma, here's a quick guide:
The Pinarello KOBH Road Bike Frame is available in six sizes. It comes standard with a Pinarello KOBH 60.1 full carbon seatpost, a Pinarello threadless headset, and a 31.6mm Pinarello carbon seatpost. It requires the use of an Italian bottom bracket and a 34.9mm front derailleur.
Price: $2099.99 (53% Off!)
Regularly: $4500.00
Buy Now
Upon its unveiling, the Pinarello Dogma Carbon proved to be the most coveted frameset in recent (and not-so-recent) memory. If test riding one made you dizzy with desire, it seemed that simply being near one did the same. Is it the asymmetric tubing design? Is it the scintillating paint? Is it the handling or the Torayca 60HM1K carbon? The answer is "yes" -- it was all of those things in the aggregate. Layered on top of it was the instant palmares of Team Sky and Caisse d'Epargne once the 2010 season kicked off plus the figurative resurrection of the thing that wooed so many of us into bike racing in the first place -- a white-hot love affair with something gorgeous and italiano.
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 pav. KOBH is pronounced "cob", short for cobblestones. It's no mistake that the bike was launched in the week leading up to the 2010 Paris-Roubaix. The details that distinguish it from the Dogma Carbon are ones that make it better suited for a mud-sodden Belgian apocalypse, and outside of them it's otherwise identical in design, construction, and execution to the Dogma Carbon.
The most visually distinct difference of the KOBH is its seatstays. Instead of the double-S-bend Onda seatstays you've seen in the last few generations of Pinarello carbon frames, here you get flatter, radial curved stays. If they look mildly familiar, it's because they should. This same basic design is what you first saw from Cervlo in their R3, then again in their RS, and once again by Ridley for their best-selling Excalibur. The curvature of the thin-yet-wide stays is made to promote vertical compliance. Pinarello's take on the flat, radial stays, though, are a step beyond: Pinarello calls them AFS, short for "Asymmetrical Frame System" which means that even though they look complete different from the Dogma Carbon's stays, they share one critical commonality: They're asymmetric to maximize the frame's resistance to flex under power.
One other important detail about the seatstays: Unlike the Dogma Carbon (or virtually any other ProTour bike in the marketplace), the KOBH seatstays (and KOBH 60.1 carbon fork) permit the use of 28c tires. Given that the most popular tires at Paris-Roubaix are the Vittoria Pav Evo in 27mm and the FMB Paris-Roubaix in 27mm, this is something we love about the KOBH.
Just as the stays are engineered to promote compliance, the KOBH's geometry is unlike what you'll find on any other Pinarello. The seat tube and head tube angles are relaxed; the headtube is taller; the chainstays are 0.7cm longer and the fork rake is extended to 48mm on all sizes. The result is a calmer-riding bike and a position where you'll be just a hint higher and further back on the bike, giving you added comfort and stability.
The KOBH's geometry, fork, and rear triangle are distinct from the Dogma Carbon. So what's the same between them? They're both built with the same asymmetrical design principles, and they use the same carbon fiber. Its Torayca 60HM1K carbon is built to withstand 60 tons per square cm, the strongest-ever carbon used by Pinarello. Stronger carbon, of course, allows for the use of less material as a whole, keeping the overall frame weight to a minimum.
The lightness is nice, but since this a bike made for the Classics, what about the durability to withstand the violence of the cobbles? 60HM1K carbon is made using Torayca's Nanoalloy technology. Alloy nano-particles are embedded into the carbon itself. Upon significant impact (read: when you plow into the Euskatel rider who inevitably crashes right in front of you) these particles "explode" -- in other words, they absorb the kinetic energy of impact forces so the carbon itself won't have to. According to Pinarello testing, the net result is that the KOBH is 23% more impact-resistant than previous generations of carbon Pinarello frames.
And like the Dogma Carbon, the KOBH is made by using Polystyrene for the form during the lay up phase. If Polystyrene sounds familiar, it should: It's what your helmet is made out of. According to Pinarello, the use of Polystyrene results in the most consistent wall-thicknesses possible, with less wrinkling or the other types of imperfections that could cause structural weak spots over time.
Given the unique geometry of the Pinarello KOBH, we recommend that you focus on the top tube length in order to determine your ideal frame size. And if you've already test-ridden the right-size Dogma, here's a quick guide:
| [h=4]KOBH[/h] | [h=4]DOGMA[/h] |
|---|---|
| 48 | 46.5, 50 |
| 51.5 | 51.5, 53 |
| 54 | 54, 55 |
| 56 | 56, 57.5 |
| 57 | 57.5 |
| 58 | 59.5 |
Price: $2099.99 (53% Off!)
Regularly: $4500.00
Buy Now
