Pinarello

Gan 105 Complete Road Bike - 2017

The cycling industry is a funny place. It's a world where the Gan 105 Complete Road Bike is considered entry-level in Pinarello's line of racing bikes. Pinarello calls it a "less extreme" version of the Dogma F8; we call it a far more extreme frame than the ones that were ridden to grand tour victory over most of the two decades. The grade of materials, stiffness-boosting layup, and even the Shimano 105 drivetrain spec'd on it are actually equal to or better than what guys like Sastre, Schleck, and Evans were riding during their respective Tour wins. So despite not being the current top of the heap, we think the Gan may be the best bet for the self-sponsored racer and the ambitious recreationalist alike. The way we see it, you can easily double the price of this bike without seeing much improvement in frame construction or drivetrain.

The Gan's frame stacks up so well against far pricier frames because it shares the design philosophy and many of the key structural features that define Pinarello's current super bike, the Dogma F10. The differences are that the frame's asymmetrical elements are slightly more subdued and the material used is of a lower grade—Instead of the Dogma's superlative T11001K carbon fiber, the Gan uses T600. This involves a small weight gain and a slight loss of stiffness, but it still represents a frame that the likes of Contador or Froome would've considered an upgrade during their early careers. There may be some cyclists who are strong and savvy enough to note the difference while hammering up an HC climb, but we suggest that they're few and far between. (We'd also assume that, like Froome, they're not paying for their own machines.)

The Dogma genotype manifests virtually unchanged in the Gan's FlatBack tube shaping, which was originally adapted from the 65.1 Dogma, updated for the F8 and F10, and then trickled down to the Gan line. FlatBack is the result of 70 possible frame configurations and 300 CFD analysis cycles spent finding the most versatile aerodynamic tube shape. A cross-section of FlatBack tubes reveals an ovalized face paired with an abruptly truncated trailing edge. Pinarello claims that this shape manages the detachment of turbulent lamina at multiple yaw angles, reducing the drag effect of dead air in the tubes' wake at the 5 - 20° angles that we typically ride and race in. All of the aerodynamics in the world mean nothing if they only benefit the rider in the wind tunnel, and FlatBack addresses many of the stability and drag issues pure NACA shapes encounter when set loose on the road.

In two final touches that demonstrate Pinarello's dedication to incorporating only the best frame design elements in its racing bikes, the Gan is finished with seamlessly ingegrated internal routing (though it doesn't feature the Dogma's Think2 routing) and a threaded Italian bottom bracket. It's hard to imagine anything but universal accord over the bottom bracket choice, as it eliminates the creaks and imperfect tolerances of the ubiquitous PressFit standard. Carbon manipulation has improved exponentially in the past several years, but it still can't match the precision and reliability of CNC-machining. A bike that feels this good under the pedal stroke should sound, good, too—and by "sound good," we mean nothing but the light whir of a well serviced drivetrain and the hum of tires on tarmac.