Pinarello’s redesigned e-road bike is the “lightest in its class” and looks like a souped-up Dogma F

Pinarello has redesigned its Nytro e-bike, which it says “should work just like a traditional road bike”.

The flagship E9 is available in three road models and reportedly weighs just 11.4kg. This makes it the lightest assisted-assist mid-drive e-bike on the market. There are also E7 and E5 models. For comparison, the first generation Nytro, released in 2017, weighed around 13 kg.

The Nytro E range also includes three gravel bikes, dubbed the E9, E7 and E5, but these differ from the road offerings with their dedicated all-road geometry, generous tire clearance and use of SRAM’s 1x groupsets. There’s also a Flatbar Nytro geared toward commuters, which comes with fenders and lights.

In a desire to create an electric road bike that looks and rides like a regular “acoustic” offering, Pinarello has drawn heavily on its existing design philosophies. The result is not too dissimilar to the Dogma F ridden by the WorldTour level Ineos Grendiders and recently piloted by Tom Pidcock to victory at Strade Bianche. Aesthetically, the Italian brand’s curved tube shapes (albeit a bit more angular) remain, as does the asymmetric design philosophy, with the left side of the frame designed to compensate for the greater power of the right-side drivetrain.

There are also aerodynamic similarities due to the shape of the head tube, down tube and rear stays, as well as the use of Pinarello’s TiCr system, which integrates every hose and cable into the handlebars, helping to reduce drag. There’s also a redesigned seatpost clamp that appears to be lighter and more aerodynamic, and holds a Dogma F seatpost on the E-Road models (the E-Gravel range uses a traditional round post, providing the bike with a range of dropper post is compatible).

The geometry aims to deliver the responsiveness of its traditional road bikes but adds extra comfort. As you’d expect, this means a higher stack height and shorter reach, as well as slightly longer chainstays. On the gravel track, those numbers are emphasized, as is tire clearance, which grows from 32mm on the road bike to a roomy 50mm.

Pinarello’s choice of frame material also remains consistent. It uses Toray T900 and T700 carbon fiber layups like regular road and gravel bikes do. In the Nytro lineup, both road and gravel E9 and E7 models get the stiffer T900, while the E5s use T700.

Of course, the use of Toray carbon helps the Nytro achieve the “lightest in its class” label, but that’s not the whole story. Pinarello chose to design the new model around the TQ-HPR50 motor and battery (the previous edition used the bulkier Fazua Evation motor).

It’s not the first, Trek and BMC are using it on their new Domane and Roadmachine e-road bikes, for example, and given the performance advantages of the German system, it won’t be the last. In combination with the TQ motor, which delivers 50 Nm of torque and 300 watts of peak power, the 360 ​​Wh battery weighs just 3,900 g – and that includes the 2-inch display integrated into the Nytro’s top tube.

Lightweight and compact, Pinarello says the mid-drive TQ also allows for a 135mm Q-factor – further supporting the “real cycling” feel the brand is trying to emphasize with the Nytro. Similarly, the TQ has earned a reputation for being the quietest motor on the market, with noise easily drowned out by ambient wind noise. This is achieved through the patented harmonic Ping Ring transmission, which is also said to offer a smoother ride compared to gear or belt drive systems.

Pinarello likens it to “riding with a tailwind” and says the natural feel of the ride is partly due to the positioning of the motor, which sits around the bottom bracket. In contrast, rear hub motors can create a type of lag that creates that “forward drive” that feels alien to those used to pedaling under their will. The TQ system also uses a low gear ratio and sensors that accurately measure power draw to produce assist that feels like it’s coming from the rider’s legs rather than the motor.

All in all, it should be a bike that blends into its surroundings, whether it’s a Sunday club run or a solo assault on a long Alpine climb, rather than sticking out like the proverbial thumb.

As for battery life, Pinarello states a range of “up to 100km”, while a range extender can also be purchased to increase that figure to 140km. The 160Wh extender “chains” to the main battery to charge both at the same time, or can run the TQ motor independently but adds an additional 1kg to the overall bike weight.