GCN goes looking for "Peak Bike" on a Pegoretti-built Pinarello

[exapkib]

Thought this video might be of interest to many here.

Si takes a ride on a Pinarello Dyna built by Dario Pegoretti for Jose Maria Himenez on team Banesto in 1995. He then compares the ride to his own Pinarello Dogma. Feels like a video that could have been generated by our community here--healthy dose of nostalgia, enthusiasm for both technical details and history, and beautiful handmade bikes.

I was drawn to the video since this is the same year that my Yamaguchi was built. Like the video, I often ride my Yamaguchi back-to-back with my carbon bike (an admittedly quite traditional beauty from Nick Crumpton) and wonder about the differences in ride quality between the two of them. Fact of the matter is, I love riding both, and Strava tells me that many of my PRs have actually been set on the older steel bike.

Carry on!

[weisan]

It proves yet again the human is the deciding factor, not the bike.

If we feel good on a bike, we tend to do better.

[Peter P.]

Affordable, easily customizable, a pleasure to maintain, simply constructed, beautiful to look at.

The Pegoretti/Pinarello checks all the boxes.

[robt57]

Not too sure about the affordability having been better in top end stuff in the 90s. More relative really IMO.

Also IMO, just next iteration mid/late 00s bring on 11s Campy and C40-50s, EPs to name one brand. These are a lot more closer today to being viable Peak competitive in my minds eye. I have a SLX Nago, and Early 90s CRL. I love rolling these, but especially going up or goupo fast riding the 11s Record Extreme Power Nago defines Peak at a larger percentage point, much larger. But I don't group ride and avoid upping.

That Pin really brings back the Hampsten-ish era steel lust for me to me sure.

[saab2000]

That’s a cool video. Still hard to take my eyes off the far-too-short shifter cables up front. But glad he got to ride, in anger, a real no-s**t TdF bicycle with the proper kit and make a comparison to a modern superbike from the same brand. Also great was his recognition that Dario Pegoretti was the builder of choice for so many pros back then.

[cgolvin]

I know which bike I'd rather own and ride.

[Mike V]

Here is a good look at the bike.

https://youtu.be/vleTb6UucJ0?si=24DYYqO5SOJ_5oFL

[helldriven]

Enjoyed the Video!! I still like the look of the traditional frames, simple and functional.

[tv_vt]

Nice video. And interesting in the head to head TT, the old steel bike was (spoiler alert!) 10 seconds slower than the new carbon bike, over a roughly 11 minute (660 second) TT. That's not much. Less than 1%, for sure.

[verticaldoug]

Originally Posted by tv_vt

Nice video. And interesting in the head to head TT, the old steel bike was (spoiler alert!) 10 seconds slower than the new carbon bike, over a roughly 11 minute (660 second) TT. That's not much. Less than 1%, for sure.

I think it is 1.5%. But he did ride the modern bike second, and considering the residual lactate acid and stuff he'd have in the system, you'd expect his effort to be slightly harder to maintain.

You have lots of little changes too like his cranks being longer on the Dario bike means he was probably slightly more efficient on the newer bike. Or maybe vice versa, can't really tell.

But truth be told, he could have just taken off the bottle cage, change his helmet, and he'd probably have been faster on the dario bike. Cost effective aero is a funny thing,

On a ride, you probably get more random comments on the Dario bike than the modern bike. But in London most of those will be concerned about how small the rear cogs are. Everyone likes pie plates here even though it is super flat.

[El Chaba]

If the Jimenez bike had fit him properly, (It was custom made for him) the tester would have been the same speed on it…or better. I find it funny that as the industry has come up with one “innovation” after another, each one “game changing” ….tubeless tires, electronic shifting, disc brakes, aero frames with internal cables, ad nauseum…that the cumulative effect of these is ……nothing. Well, nothing except how unserviceable, especially in the field, bikes have become and fairly noted in the video. One point that was not emphasized enough was the difference in the two eras of racing. In Jimenez’ day, the suppliers went to such lengths with custom geometry, etc to provide the riders they sponsored with the best possible equipment. Today so many pros are fit like a train wreck because they have to shoehorn themselves on whatever size/geometry their sponsor pops out of a mold in the Far East. Give me the Jimenez bike any day of the week.

[Baron Blubba]

https://www.bicyclebluebook.com/valu...arello%20Dyna/

If anyone has one in Good condition or better, I'll give you 1.5x the top private party price.

[m_sasso]

Originally Posted by Baron Blubba

https://www.bicyclebluebook.com/valu...arello%20Dyna/

If anyone has one in Good condition or better, I'll give you 1.5x the top private party price.

Now that is humerous!

[benb]

Originally Posted by El Chaba

If the Jimenez bike had fit him properly, (It was custom made for him) the tester would have been the same speed on it…or better. I find it funny that as the industry has come up with one “innovation” after another, each one “game changing” ….tubeless tires, electronic shifting, disc brakes, aero frames with internal cables, ad nauseum…that the cumulative effect of these is ……nothing. Well, nothing except how unserviceable, especially in the field, bikes have become and fairly noted in the video. One point that was not emphasized enough was the difference in the two eras of racing. In Jimenez’ day, the suppliers went to such lengths with custom geometry, etc to provide the riders they sponsored with the best possible equipment. Today so many pros are fit like a train wreck because they have to shoehorn themselves on whatever size/geometry their sponsor pops out of a mold in the Far East. Give me the Jimenez bike any day of the week.

Reminds me of the book I'm reading.. there was a passage about a Tour stage in 1971 I believe where Merckx and a handful of other guys attacked early and stayed away for almost 150 miles at an average speed slightly over 28mph. Apparently still one of the all time fastest stages.

That kind of bonkers speed on "old" bikes with no carbon, no aero, ten very tall gears, no electronics, no disc brakes, no cyclo-computers, no radios, no power meters, no modern nutrition, narrow (23c?) tubulars, etc.. should give people pause cause the # of people who are ever going to get anywhere close to ever riding that fast for that long in their life is vanishingly small. What they did very likely have is bikes that were perfectly fitted and custom to them!

I think it is easy to forget people being outrageously fast is not new.

[Mr steel]

Originally Posted by benb

Reminds me of the book I'm reading.. there was a passage about a Tour stage in 1971 I believe where Merckx and a handful of other guys attacked early and stayed away for almost 150 miles at an average speed slightly over 28mph. Apparently still one of the all time fastest stages.

That kind of bonkers speed on "old" bikes with no carbon, no aero, ten very tall gears, no electronics, no disc brakes, no cyclo-computers, no radios, no power meters, no modern nutrition, narrow (23c?) tubulars, etc.. should give people pause cause the # of people who are ever going to get anywhere close to ever riding that fast for that long in their life is vanishingly small. What they did very likely have is bikes that were perfectly fitted and custom to them!

I think it is easy to forget people being outrageously fast is not new.

They also had copious amounts of, erhm, let's call them performance enhancing stimulants