Another weekend of UCI World Cup track racing kicks off in Hong Kong, and the Italian national team is rolling a new aero carbon Pinarello Maat track bike in their Tokyo 2020 prep. Pinarello is no newcomer on the track with their Bolide HR having set Wiggo’s hour record back in 2015. But now they’re back with an all new Matt, said to be more integrated, thinner & more aero, as well as stiffer & more versatile for a wider range of riders and track disciplines…
2020 Pinarello Maat integrated aero carbon track bike
Like we saw with the new Hope HB.T, in order to qualify to race next summer at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, a new bike must be UCI-approved and then raced in this season’s World Cup. So, as technical partner of the Italian National Track Team Pinarello developed the new integrated Maat in time to get it into this weekend’s third of six rounds of the World Cup. (With the last round in late January, we wouldn’t be surprised to see a couple more new track bikes debut in the next several weeks.)
The new Pinarello is meant to be a more purpose-built & versatile track bike it seems, developed specifically to target Madison & Omnium racing (rather than the previous Bolide HR adapted from the TT bike.) But thanks to an overall stiffness boost, the team will benefit in Sprint races too. That focus gives the Maat geometry that almost sounds to come out of modern trail bikes – “longer toptube and short stems” in order to help athletes get their preferred aggressive forward position on the bikes, while staying within the strict UCI fit regulations.
Aerodynamic & integrated improvements
Integration is a hallmark of most modern aerodynamic bike design, and the Maat follows that mantra with extra fork-to-frame design integration.
The new Maat frame doesn’t look like a huge change from the Bolide HR, carrying over most all of the characteristically swoopy Pinarello shaping, although the previous external fork ‘fairing’ once again becomes a pair of the frame itself. The new track bike does get a revised toptube, that is now slightly sloping, quite uncommon on a modern aero-focused bike, also now with a hidden internal clamp for the proprietary aero seatpost.
Again Pinarello uses Think Asymmetric shaping to balance the stiffness needs of massively powerful track riders, with the real difference in aero needs on either side of the bike. Of course fluid carbon construction makes asymmetric design rather straightforward, so Pinarello started at a super stiff bottom bracket to driveside dropout connection to guarantee maximum power transfer with minimal deflection, and worked backwards from there.
The main carbon material Pinarello uses for the Maat to get that stiffness is hi-mod Torayca T1100 carbon in a 1K weave, much like their top road bikes, and was said to actually lower frameset weight over the Bolide HR.
The biggest overall shaping change for the frameset though is the new, deeper fork blades. Pinarello says the new fork is not only more aerodynamic. But since it shapes airflow over everything behind it, it now makes the rest of the bike frame and even the rider’s legs more aero too. The deep legs are a direct result of the opening up of UCI 3:1 rules, pushing up to the max allowable 75mm depth. The Maat fork also drops the external bulbous steerer element, returning that aero front end shaping back to the headtube, which Pinarello claims allows it to steer more like a regular road bike.
Integrated & adaptable cockpits
Integration shows up again in the Maat’s cockpit/handlebar setups, where dramatic aero shaping also combines with ergonomics & adjustability. The Maat bar gets compact 80mm reach & 125mm stack, 8.5° of bar flare, and a narrow 38cm outside overall drop width.
The bar features aerodynamic shaping & flat zones to comfortably fit the rider’s wrists in an aero tuck, ergonomic shaped ‘hoods’ for better grip, and a usable center section to offer good grip & control during Madison hand slings. The bar also integrates with the frame via versatile aero headset spacers to smooth airflow no matter the individual cockpit setup or stack height.
Maat – Tech details
The asymmetric & swoopy UCI-approved T1100 carbon Maat frame uses a standard 1 1/4″ to 1 1/” tapered steerer with a drop-in internal headset, and can be used with the integrated cockpit or conventional bar & stem combos. It gets an Italian threaded bottom bracket, uses track bolt-on axles, and was designed to fit up to a 66 tooth chain ring and up to a 23mm tire on spoked or disc wheels. Pinarello claims a raw, unpainted frame-only weight of 1350g, with no official numbers for the rest of the frame kit.
Availability
The new carbon Maat track bike is actually available now from your local Pinarello dealer. It comes in a frame kit only option including the standard integrated handlebar & seatpost. Five frame sizes are offered, as are three handlebar stem lengths, and in three different frame paint jobs.
