Pinarello Prince Carbon Road Bike

Product Description

The 2008 Prince Carbon is identical in every last detail to the 2009 edition. The paint schemes are different, but other than that detail, they are equals in every last way. Every way, that is, except price. By choosing a 2008 paint scheme you save $1,500. Just like '09, the '08 version is built from carbon fiber sourced strictly from Japanese textile giant Toray, a supplier to virtually every aerospace company worldwide. Pinarello raves how Toray's quality control and testing protocols are as intensive as you'll find anywhere in the composites industry. Pinarello chooses 50HM1K carbon for the Prince Carbon -- a high-modulus carbon that has a tensile strength of 50 tons per square cm (50HM), and an exterior weave of 1000 weaves per crossing (1K). This allows Pinarello to use substantially less material while still maintaining optimum strength and rigidity. Sprint in a 53x12 or launch an out-of-the-saddle attack on a climb and the last thing you'll feel will be frame flex. Higher quality carbon also allowed Pinarello to build their lightest-ever frameset: The unpainted weight of a Prince Carbon is sub-900g. And as you'd expect from such high-end carbon, the Prince Carbon has remarkable smoothness at high speed. Pinarello explains that in their development of the Prince Carbon they gained a new level of insight on how tension and compression forces affect a bike under power. A frame manufacturer has to exactly identify tension and compression zones in a frame in order to optimize the orientation of the carbon fibers. Beyond fiber orientation alone, Pinarello structurally ribs the walls (not unlike what you originally saw in the Paris Carbon) to further enhance performance and ride quality. Pinarello used extensive computer modeling to ensure that the ribbing properly follows areas of compression in the head tube, fork, seat stays, plus portions of the seat tube and the BB. Unlike any previous Pinarello, you'll feel stability, resistance to flex, and an absorption of road shock.The Prince Carbon is built with an Onda FPX fork. Unlike the standard Onda fork, Pinarello built a second "wave" into the "S" shape of the FPX. This redesigned shaping serves to further reduce vibrations and increase comfort on any road surface. In addition, the FPX is also completely built from 50HM1K carbon to reduce weight. The Prince Carbon also comes with a Pinarello integrated headset and a Pinarello carbon fiber seatpost. It requires the use of a 35.0mm front derailleur and an Italian BB.