Stephen, like many of us, would love to have a Pinarello bike but thinks that one will always be beyond his pocket. He has spotted the new Pinarello FP3 and wants to know if it is a good buy for the money? We Like Pinarello, so we don’t mind looking at them and giving our opinion
Question:
My dream bike is the Pinarello Prince, and with the frame set running a cool 5500.00 for the 09, I am afraid it’s going to remain a dream. For 2009 Pinarello has released the FP3, which mirrors the geometry and incredible looks of the Prince with a slightly cheaper and heavier carbon, but at a price point I can afford. My question is what will I be loosing in ride quality compared to the Prince. In this instance am I truly getting what you pay for or is this just a phenomenal deal from Pinarello?
Answer:
Hi Stephen,
The new Pinarello FP3 is based on the top of the range Pinarello Prince. For the FP3, they use 30HM12K as opposed to the Prince, they use 50HM1K, so there will be a difference in feel. It will be as strong, but the FP3 might be slightly more flexible, whether you will notice it is debatable.
The dimensions, the geometry, and the fit are the same as the Prince, Like the Prince FP, FP3 has a monocoque front triangle, bonded to a rear triangle with new wider fork blades for more stiffness & control, a one 1/8″-1 1/4″ integrated headset gives it a personalized look.
The Pinarello FP3 with Shimano 105 weighs in at just under 19 lbs, which is not too light, the FP3 built up with the Shimano Dura-Ace is a fair bit lighter at 17 and a half pounds and well under four thousand U.S. dollars it’s well worth it.
The frame is stiff, but yet still has that built-in comfort of carbon fiber and it has those Pinarello good looks with the advantage of a great price. If you want a Pinarello on a budget, the complete bike set up is hard to beat, they have a few different specifications available with Shimano Dura-Ace or Ultegra. The frame comes in 10 sizes and five different colors, there is something for everyone, and by saving money on the frame, you could upgrade on the components, go for Dura-Ace, go on spoil yourself!
