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TECH NEWS
pinarello dogma k8-s 2017 3.jpgPinarello unveils Dogma K8-S with adjustable suspension for Team Sky to race Paris-Roubaix
Manufacturers are constantly seeking clever and whacky solutions to the challenge that is Paris-Roubaix and its punishing cobbled roads. Pinarello has developed a new version of its soft tail Dogma K8-S with an adjustable electronic rear damper.
Pinarello has partnered with a suspension company called HiRide to develop the uprated suspension damper for the K8-S, which comes two years after the bike was first launched at this race when Bradley Wiggins competed.
Key to the new suspension is the ability for its to automatically lock out when riding on smooth roads, but become active when riding over rough roads or cobbles. The new eDSS 2.0 (Electronic Dogma Suspension System) does this by using six axis accelerometers and gyroscopes that are able to take feedback from the road and adjust the damper unit accordingly. Pinarello says it can adapt the suspension to suit all types of road surface and terrain in milliseconds.
- Video: A detailed look at Pinarello’s new Dogma K8-S suspension road bike
Automatically adjusting suspension isn’t a new idea. Specialized uses a system called Brain on its Epic cross-country mountain bike. The suspension is able to detect when the riding is travelling over a smooth road and firm up, or lockout, the suspension, but when the wheel hits a bump the suspension opens up to absorb the impact. Though Specialized still uses it, it’s a concept that has never really caught on. Much more popular is a lockout option activated by a handlebar mounted lever.
Do pro riders even want suspension though? Since its introduction, the Dogma K8-S has rarely been used by Team Sky even at the cobbled races, with the non-suspension K8 getting more use. Maybe the adjustable suspension will win them over? The new bike has already been raced in the mid-week Scheldeprijs by Ian Stannard, and he’ll apparently use it in Paris-Roubaix this weekend.
- Pro Bikes: Ian Stannard’s Pinarello Dogma K8
“I am very happy with this new and ambitious project that PinarelloLab developed with the collaboration of HiRide. The introduction of an electro-hydraulic control system establishes an important step forward in the technological evolution of our bikes, improving performance and increasing safety,” commented Fausto Pinarello.
Carsten Jeppesen, Team Sky head of operation added: “eDDS2.0 is a fantastic innovation on our bikes, gives to our riders the best of both worlds: stiffness on normal road and comfort on the cobbles
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
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10 comments
@Artem "I had this on my Cannondale Scalpel 10 years ago" No, you had just a shock (i know i had one ). You could maybe? lock it for efficiency purpose on smooth terrain, but only manually (or on the cockpit).
There, by default the rear shock is locked; the un-lock is done electronically, very very fast under 1 millisecond when the front wheel detects a bump. When the bump is passed, it's locked again. So, for efficiency reasons it's the best of both worlds. It's energy efficient on smooth roads AND also on bumpy roads. Don't forget that, with a hardtail, you lose huge amounts of energy on bumps ...
By the way , please C-Dale, i want this on my future Slate ...
As someone said on another thread, the real driver here is for them to sell more bikes. Getting the Pro's to ride this will (they hope) help get more weathly types to part with their thousands. They in turn will sit on a very expensive bike and feel it run a bit smoother over the pot holed lanes of Chelsea.
After some iterations, this system will prove to be much more energy efficient, and then the pros will adopt this much faster than you think ... There's much much more to gain here than shaving some weight on a carbon handle bar ...
I had this on my Cannondale Scalpel 10 years ago
Lapierre pioneered that system on a MTB with student engineers from Ecole Centrale de Lyon; you sense the terrain with the front wheel and adjust the rear shock accordingly in milliseconds . So no loss of energy on a smooth road , in a climb in particular.
Problem solved.
It's call E:i Shock http://www.lapierre-bikes.co.uk/ei-shock-auto-revolution-shock
Just imagine if this little widget actually gave sky the edge soft over the bumps, hard on the smooth bits... nah... as if... Unless Stannard wins with it on Sunday, it'll be consigned to the depths of cycling sillyness until next year's 'innovation' comes along.
So this should smooth out the back end where the power get's put down, now all they need is the same for the front end , power is nothing without control.
Not sure it's fair to say Spesh's MTB Brain never caught on. I assume it's patented. It has an amazing ability to absorb bumps without moving under pedaling forces. Matched with the new gen headshock it would make an interesting setup for rugged gravel or jittery trails. Very smooth, fairly light, fairly efficient.
My car does this and it's genuinely useful. Hard suspension on the track, soft suspension on the roads. I'm open-minded about its use on a bike.
Normally I like innovation - but I cannot help but think Pina is flogging a dead horse on this one.