(Photo/Pinarello)

But first, let us set the record straight: the new Pinarello X is not a gravel bike, nor is it the sharpest race bike in the Pinarello catalog. It sits in the brand’s endurance road family: more stack, shorter reach, bigger tires, a calmer fit, etc. Plus, it has enough frame tech to keep it from feeling like a softened road bike with a premium paint job.

(Photo/Pinarello)

The updated range runs from X1 through X9, with builds starting at Shimano 105 mechanical and climbing to Dura-Ace Di2. The frame updates all support a more comfortable ride: 40mm tire clearance, X-Stays 2.0, a redesigned E-TiCR front end, an Adaptive Seatpost, SRAM UDH, and a hidden downtube storage port with a dedicated tool bag.

It is still very much a road bike. It just has room for the way a lot of people (including myself) actually ride road bikes now.

(Photo/Jordan Villella)

What’s New? Pinarello X-Series 

The X-Series is Pinarello’s road bike for long rides, rough pavement, and riders who want speed without a full aero race fit.

I wouldn’t call it a watered-down Dogma. It is more like the Pinarello road bike for riders who want an enjoyable ride, with a responsive chassis. One that can take more than smooth tarmac and route choices with some bad road surface/gravel.

(Photo/Jordan Villella)

The endurance fit is a big deal. Some bikes look fast until the position stops working. That usually happens around hour 3-4 on a weekend ride. The back starts going, the hands go numb, and the “look cool” fit goes out the window. Now you’re bargaining with the cycling gods for 20mm rise and a 30mm short stem. Fits matter, and the wrong one will certainly bring issues out at the worst time.

(Photo/Jordan Villella)

Endurance+ Geometry

The X opens the fit window without giving up the Pinarello shape. Pinarello calls the fit Endurance+ Geometry. In normal terms, that means a higher stack, shorter reach, and a more upright cockpit position than its race bikes. The goal is less pressure on the hands, wrists, and shoulders, with a position that is easier to hold once the ride gets long and the pavement gets rough. The X-Series gives those riders a more forgiving fit while keeping the bike tied to Pinarello’s road DNA.

The Pinarello X Series comes in nine frame sizes. Reach runs from 340mm to 388.1mm, while stack runs from 532.5mm to 640.4mm. A middle 500/530 size comes in at 372.5mm reach and 575.8mm stack, with 425mm chainstays.

(Photo/Pinarello)

What does this mean? These numbers point to a bike that should feel stable and supported, not nervous. Endurance bikes are not just about comfort while pedaling straight. They need to descend well, hold a line on bad pavement, and stay composed when the rider is tired. More on this in the ride review.

(Photo/Jordan Villella)

More Room for Activities

The headline is the tire clearance: 40mm. People just love reading about more tire clearance, and here it is. That number moves the X-Series beyond the usual endurance-road box. A fast road setup on 30s or 32s still makes sense. A 35mm tire feels like the everyday sweet spot. A 38 or 40mm tire gives the bike real rough-road range without pushing it fully into gravel territory.

(Photo/Jordan Villella)

Don’t call it a gravel bike. That is Grevil (reviewed here) territory, and Pinarello is clear about the separation. The X-Series is still road-focused, but the extra tire room makes the endurance label feel current. Yes – you can ride it on gravel, but just don’t get mad when it’s not the exact tool for the job.

(Photo/Jordan Villella)

X-Stays 2.0 and the Adaptive Seatpost

The rear of the bike gets X-Stays 2.0, with a lower attachment point and revised geometry. The four-point, double-arm top-stay layout is meant to move vibration through the frame more efficiently, while the lower linkage helps reduce rebound for a smoother, more controlled ride.

Any endurance frame can be made softer. The harder trick is taking the sting out of the road without making the bike vague under power or lazy through corners.

(Photo/Jordan Villella)

The Adaptive Seatpost is another major piece of the comfort package. Pinarello says the post shape and tube section were developed to balance stiffness, aerodynamics, and vibration absorption. It is also meant to help the rider stay in position on uneven roads, making it easier to keep steady pressure on the pedals.

Together, the stays and seatpost aim to filter high-frequency chatter while preserving lateral stiffness. Less buzz, less bounce, less wasted energy.

(Photo/Jordan Villella)

E-TiCR Front End

Up front, Pinarello reshaped the head tube around its E-TiCR layout. The system uses an elliptical head tube shape and differentiated headset bearings, wider at the bottom and narrower at the top.

(Photo/Jordan Villella)

That is a very Pinarello solution to a familiar endurance-bike problem. Taller head tubes can get bulky fast. Here, the front end is taller for fit reasons, but still shaped to keep the bike visually sharp and cleaner through the wind.

(Photo/Jordan Villella)

Downtube Storage

The X-Series also gets internal frame storage. Pinarello calls it a Down Tube Port, with a hidden compartment inside the downtube. The matching tool bag slides into the frame and has dedicated space for a CO2 cartridge, tire levers, an inner tube or TPU tube, a MOST mini pump, and a CO2 valve.

(Photo/Jordan Villella)

That feature makes sense here. If the bike has 40mm clearance and is aimed at long, rougher road rides, riders will carry tools. Putting them in the frame is cleaner than loading every jersey pocket or hanging a stuffed saddle bag off a high-end Italian road bike.

It also helps separate the X-Series from a standard endurance bike. This is not just more tire clearance and a taller stack. It is a more self-contained road bike for longer days.

(Photo/Jordan Villella)

Let’s Talk Carbon

The model split is easy to follow. X9 and X7 use T900UD carbon, which sits on the lighter, more reactive side of the range while still delivering vibration damping. X5 and X3 use T700UD, focusing on reactivity, performance, and added damping.

That puts X9 and X7 on the performance side of the family, while X5 and X3 become the more attainable electronic-shift bikes. X1 sits below them as the entry point, with Shimano 105 mechanical and the lowest price in the range.

X-Series vs. Dogma X

The X-Series and Dogma X are close in concept, but they are not the same bike at different prices.

Dogma X also gets deeper aero work around the front of the bike, including an elliptical steering tube with integrated front cable routing, a wider, deeper head tube shape, and a narrower, tapered aero downtube. It is the more performance-facing endurance machine, with higher-grade carbon and more of the Dogma frame story.

(Photo/Jordan Villella)

The X-Series is more practical. It gets 40mm tire clearance, while Dogma X maxes out at 35mm clearance. It also gets the downtube storage system and dedicated tool bag, which push it toward longer, less predictable road rides.

So the split is clean. Dogma X is the premium option. The X-Series gives up some of that exotic frame language, but gains more tire clearance, built-in storage, and a wider model spread.

Dogma X is the fancy long-distance weapon. The X-Series is the one more riders are likely to buy, ride hard, stuff with tools, and point down roads they probably should have checked on the map first.

Pinarello X-Series Models and Pricing

Model	Euro	USD
X9* Tested	€11,000	$11,000
X7	€7,900	$8,200
X5	€5,000	$5,500
X3	€4,500	$4,750
X1	€3,200	$2,950

The Pinarello X-Series Lineup

(Photo/Pinarello)

The X1 is the most accessible model, with a T600 UD carbon frame, Shimano 105 mechanical 2×12, Shimano RS171 wheels, a Pinarello Aero seatpost, FSC frontal seat clamp, and MOST Tiger Aero Alu TiCR stem. It is a straightforward way into the platform: Pinarello shape, endurance fit, tire room, and mechanical shifting that is easy to service.

(Photo/Pinarello)

The X3 moves to T700 UD carbon and Shimano 105 Di2. This is likely the first model many riders will look at seriously: electronic shifting, hydraulic discs, the same endurance geometry, and a more reasonable price than the upper-tier builds.

(Photo/Pinarello)

The X5 keeps the T700 platform and adds MOST Fast 45 Carbon X wheels. That makes it feel more complete out of the box, especially for riders who do not want to buy a bike and immediately start shopping for wheels.

(Photo/Pinarello)

The X7 steps up to T900 carbon, with Shimano Ultegra Di2 or SRAM Force AXS (USA only) options and MOST Fast 45 Carbon X wheels. It is the premium workhorse of the range, and the one that starts looking much closer to a high-end road bike than a traditional endurance machine.

(Photo/Pinarello)

The X9 sits at the top of the standard X-Series line with T900 3K carbon and a flagship-level build, including Dura-Ace Di2. This is the high-end X before the jump to Dogma X.

(Photo/Pinarello)

First Impressions: Pinarello X9 with Shimano Dura-Ace

I spent a decent amount of time on the Pinarello X9 with SRAM Dura-Ace while visiting the Pinarello homeland in Terviso, Italy. The terrain surrounding Terviso was incredible and, arguably, the perfect course for the X-Series experience. The X-Series route had everything: excellent farm roads, gravel, long open stretches, steep climbs, and descents. To experience the X9 in its natural habitat was something special.

Our initial rides in Terviso were on the Dogma X, and the parcours was more condensed. The terrain was short, sharp, and sometimes shocking (like my favorite Chaos UK album). You could feel the bike’s performance and versatility; it did almost everything well, with Pinarello style.

(Photo/Pinarello)

So on our second day, when I mounted the X series, my first thought was comfort over raw horsepower. The review route was longer and less condensed. On the ride, we enjoyed longer climbs and descents, plus mixed gravel terrain.

(Photo/Jordan Villella)

Pinarello Paint Job

Pinarello is known for striking paint jobs. Fausto Pinarello told our group how serious he takes the painting process and training. You can’t just walk into the Treviso HQ and start painting; it takes years to master it and earn the team’s trust.

Each frame goes through an hour-long hand-sanding process, just to achieve the perfect canvas. Then layers of paint, the logo, and then more paint go on to achieve that distinctive Pinarello look.

(Photo/Pinarello)

The X9 I piloted in Terviso had one of those eye-popping paint jobs. It’s a colorway Pinarello calls Shadow Violet and reminds me a lot of the Team Telekom Pinarello bikes from the Jan Ullrich era. It’s a beautiful color combo, and it sticks out in the best way possible.

(Photo/Pinarello)

To say the X-Series has a totally different personality than the Dogma X would be untrue. Both bikes are very versatile, comfortable, and (to me) very good-looking machines. On our rides, I felt the X9 was a tick more comfortable over all terrain, with less frame feedback. The shorter reach opened up a more playful fit, and the taller stack made things slightly more comfortable. It would be tough to notice, but after a long flight, I was very in tune with my body’s feedback.

(Photo/Pinarello)

On the road and in the group, the X9 felt surprising, like the Dogma X. I wasn’t eagle-eyeing my power, but it felt very responsive. The difference was mostly in the frame feedback and comfort. The Dogma is a comfortable race bike. The X9 is a comfortable bike that you can race on. I know I sound like I’m splitting hairs, but they are pretty similar, especially when you get down to the matching groupsets and builds.

(Photo/Pinarello)

The X9 has an ease about it, especially when descending. I felt very in control of the bike, like I could relax on the unfamiliar terrain and just let the bike “do its work”. That’s something that doesn’t happen often, especially when you’re ripping down a mountain on a bike you got handed to you.

(Photo/Pinarello)

Steady State > Race Pace

That’s the difference; on a race-focused bike, I would be more timid. Aggressive bikes are, for the most part, point-and-shoot machines designed for quick maneuvering at high speed. The Pinarello X9 felt like a race bike, but more forgiving. The steering wasn’t as super sharp as the Pinarello F Series (reviewed here) or the Dogma X. It’s predictable and stable; paired with the upright position, it’s a good combo.

(Photo/Jordan Villella)

As far as the frame goes, I could feel differences in stiffness, but I would be lying if I could tell where they came from: tubeshapes or carbon layup. Because the X is plenty stiff, and the T900 carbon is what you get on the F Series, and it’s stiff, especially paired with the oversized BB area.

(Photo/Jordan Villella)

On the long, winding descents, I could feel the stiffness in the headtube and chassis. Pushing hard into the pedals and bars, lining up corners, I felt powerful. The bike didn’t give a single noodle vibe; I felt locked and loaded.

(Photo/Jordan Villella)

Shimano Dura-Ace Build

SRAM RED fits the top model well. Adding Shimano Dura-Ace does not turn the X9 into a race bike, and that is fine. It makes the X9 feel like the best version of what this platform is supposed to be. The same goes for the wheels, cockpit, and bit. The X9 is the top-of-the-line build; after this, you’re in Dogma territory (and pricing).

(Photo/Jordan Villella)

So the real question is what one would you choose, the Dogma X or the X-Series X9?

It comes down to what you want your experience to be (and what your wallet can handle). The Dogma X is the flagship, rocket ship. It’s a fast machine that rewards watts and riders who are used to piloting a racer machine.

(Photo/Jordan Villella)

The X-Series (X9) is for the rider looking to go fast, but maybe longer than faster. The geometry is slightly more rider-friendly for those who don’t do mobility work daily. The frame and components won’t hold you back. The approachable handling and geometry will allow a larger pool of riders to truly express their riding style. Because it’s a whole lot easier to ride hard and push the limits of your fitness when you’re comfortable.

(Photo/Jordan Villella)

For most riders (and budgets), the X-Series is the overall winner of the grudge match. If you’re looking for a paint that will knock your socks off, maybe go the Dogma X route.

pinarello.com/usa/en