Pinarello

Razha Shimano 105 Complete Road Bike - 2015

The bikes you see the pros rolling around on are pretty incredible, indeed, but they're also pretty unattainable, being several orders of magnitude more expensive than the vast majority of us can afford. Luckily, Pinarello is on your side. It knows you might not be able to afford it's top-dog Dogma or new F8 framesets, so it trickles down the technology employed in stunners like those and crafts machines like the 2015 Pinarello Razha 105 Complete Road Bike you see here.

Carrying over many of the same features found within its flagship road bikes, the Razha was designed more for racers and cyclists who aren't necessarily pedaling a bicycle for a paycheck, yet who still appreciate the way a great bike performs. To start, the bike wears much of the asymmetrical shaping of its Dogma big brother. The tube shapes found on the Razha are strikingly similar, seeing as the research and development that went into creating the first and second edition Dogmas produced outstanding real-world race results.

With this much attention to the asymmetrical design aspects of the Razha, you could easily overlook it from a distance. Only when you're close enough to touch it will you really be able to discern the subtle differences. The left and right sides of the bike bear different tube shapes, as well as general section sizes. You're able to see these differences in the top tube, the fork legs, and in both the seatstays and chainstays. During the two years in which the original Dogma sat atop the Pinarello family of frames, Pinarello studied and restudied the forces in action as a rider sprints on the pedals, pulls on the handlebars, and muscles the bike through corners. FEA (finite element analysis) confirmed that the Dogma's asymmetrical design was beneficial in leveling the variances in frame deflection from one side to the other.

In addition to this, Pinarello addressed another area for potential improvement with the second iteration of the Dogma, which has also trickled into the Razha — the aerodynamics and stiffness of the front end of the bike. The Razha received a 1.5in lower headset bearing. This allows a larger diameter steerer tube at the fork crown. The resulting benefit for you is a boost in front end stiffness to give you more predictable braking and a more precise steering feel. Another part of the fork design includes smooth, aerodynamic fork legs and a sculpted crown that integrates seamlessly into the down tube.

The Razha relies on an advanced carbon material called 24HMUD — meaning that it's built to withstand 24 tons of pressure per square centimeter. While not quite as light and stiff as the carbon used in the Dogma line, 24HMUD is still exceptionally rigid, low in weight, and provides a smooth ride quality. Strong carbon, of course, allows for the use of less material as a whole, which results in keeping the overall weight as low as possible.

For the build of the Razha, Pinarello complemented its PressFit30 bottom bracket with a full Shimano 105 10-speed groupset. The machine includes Shimano's compact 50/34t crankset and a 11-25t cassette. At the cockpit, the build features a MOst Xylon PG handlebar and MOst 4B (four-bolt) stem, with a MOst Bobcat saddle perched atop the MOst C-Alu seatpost. In terms of wheels, the Razha rolls on a pair of the reliable Shimano WH-R501 clinchers that have been wrapped with Vittoria's Zaffiro tires.

The Pinarello Razha 105 Complete Road Bike is available in the sizes 44, 46.5, 50, 51.5, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57.5, and 59.5cm and in the colors White/black and Black/red.