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Just in! Pinarello Dogma with Campagnolo EPS- Unboxed, weighed and first impressions

Pinarello Dogma2 Campagnolo EPS Limited Edition electronic group
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Pinarello Dogma2 Campagnolo EPS Limited Edition electronic groupFinally hitting the floor at bike shops around the country is the long awaited Campagnolo EPS group. This electronic group(attached to a very limited edition Pinarello Dogma2) just showed up at Freshbikes in Arlington, VA. Complete with a set of Campy Bora Ultra 2 wheels, this dream bike weighed in at a respectable 6.77kg(14.93lbs.) More pictures and some initial ride impressions after the break…

The Campagnolo EPS group has been covered a couple times in previous posts, but this is the first time we have seen production components in a shop for sale. Unfortunately, the intricacies of the complete bike build are still unknown, the Dogma2 showed up almost completely built (Ha! Labor required to get this rig from box-to-road was only a handlebar installation, wheelset installation, and a set of pedals. The stock build did come with a set of Campagnolo Shamal Ultra 2-way fit wheels, which were promptly removed for the far sexier Bora Ultra 2’s.

Campagnolo EPS shifter outside view Campagnolo EPS shifter inside view

The shifter shape is extremely comfortable. Very similar to the hood shape of Campagnolo Super Record 11 shifters, small details have been adjusted to improve comfort and efficiency. The most notable change is the waffle pattern visible on the outside of the hoods. This pressure relieving technology has been a part of the campy hood for a few years, but is significantly more prominent now that it resides externally. One of the largest changes we can easily feel is the new placement of the thumb button on the inside of the shifter. The shift button is longer than its mechanical counterpart, thus making it significantly easier to access from the drops.

Campagnolo EPS rear derailleur

The rear derailleur was surprisingly easy to set up. Just one limit adjustment, and it was ready to go. The derailleur itself looks significantly cleaner than the current setup provided by Shimano on the Di2 platform. One interesting aspect of this component we witnessed is the nuance of shift precision throughout different areas of the cassette. The Di2 rear derailleur has an “overshift” feature on each cog when shifting to a harder gear. The derailleur will move just a little bit more than needed to make sure the shift happens properly, and then re-centers itself on the proper cog. This overshift feature does not exist on Di2 when shifting to an easier gear. The Campy EPS system has a similar feature, but it is present when shifting to both easier and harder gears. There are however limits to this feature, as it is only activated on the sixth cog from the top down to the hardest gear.

Campagnolo EPS front derailleur

The EPS front derailleur was equally simple to set up. One thing we noticed is that there is no brace against the frame, unlike the Shimano Di2 front derailleur. Unfortunately, the front derailleur does not follow the same style formula as the rear derailleur, and looks a bit “bulky” in person. Contrary to earlier reports, the front derailleur does have an auto trim function that helps to keep the chain on the chainrings, and also helps to keep the chain off of the derailleur cage. The battery is also quite a bit larger than the version offered by Shimano, but the Campy battery does contain the electronic brain for the complete system.

FIRST RIDE IMPRESSIONS

Riding the Campy EPS group for the first time was pretty impressive. Unfortunately, It would be difficult for a test ride on a 2012 Pinarello Dogma2 with a set of Bora Ultra 2’s to not feel pretty amazing out of the gate. Shifting both on the front and rear derailleurs is extremely smooth, and seems to be fairly quiet. Although the Shimano Di2 hoods are significantly more comfortable than their mechanical counterparts, the ergonomic hood shape featured on the Campy EPS system is a bit more refined. Additional features offered by Campagnolo deal directly with shifter action. The tactile feel of each shift is significantly more pronounced than the very subtle feel of a Di2 shift. Also, Campy has engineered a way to move through all of the gears on the cassette by simply holding down either button on the rear shifter. The question is, does this offer a faster way to shift through the gears with the rear derailleur? Just depressing a shift button once, the shift happens almost instantly, without any lag time. When a button is held down for a desired multiple gear shift, there is noticeable lag before anything happens. IMO, it is faster to simply tap the shift button multiple times rather than holding it down for desired multiple gear shifts. During the first ride, shifting both the front and rear derailleur constantly through all of the gears, I was unable to drop the chain. We’ll have some long term test comments posted as soon as we are able to log some actual miles on this rig…weather permitting!

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23 Comments
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Hugh Jass
Hugh Jass
12 years ago

I hope if works better than it looks (because it looks ugly!)

Ray
Ray
12 years ago

Very intriguing.

Ben Liaw
Ben Liaw
12 years ago

OMG…is there a tool kit included inside that battery housing? Maybe a cell phone? Sheez…

Brendan
Brendan
12 years ago

Does it still break if it gets wet?

snobster
snobster
12 years ago

I heard MOST is Italian for junk.

mattL
12 years ago

Thats a $20,000 bike! ($16500 with the shamals)

cardeas vist
cardeas vist
12 years ago

guys the battery lasts much longer than a shimano one, and system still weights less than it, as far as that battery goes i like it a lot more. It also handle its energy better that the shimano system too. Also the rear mech can be manually moved to get you home, should your system fail unlike shimano’s system too.
After market this may do very well, considering next Dura Ace you will need to buy new wheels to run it on.

I do agree that the overall look of the bike as whole is meh to say the least, campy looks best on more traditional looking frames.

Calvin
Calvin
12 years ago

The only Pinarello ive ever even remotely liked the look of, well done 🙂

Steve
12 years ago

You can get those frames from China for $500. I kid…I kid…

Steve M
Steve M
12 years ago

Where does one draw the line? We have taken the human motor skills out of shifting, so why not take them out of pedaling as well.

Element Cycles
12 years ago

We just got our Dogma2 EPS in Friday @ Element Cycles in Cincinnati, and I’d agree with this whole review. One thing that was left out in comparing it to Shimano Di2 is that the front derailleur motor is noticeably louder than the Shimano counterpart. Holding down a shift button for multiple shifts is pretty stellar, although not having the option to remove the battery for charging is a little bit of a pain in that you have to store your bike next to an outlet. Campy EPS vs Shimano Di2….both are great pick the one that you like. Oh, and one of the best features of all electric groups is that once they’re set up, you simply do not touch them.

emanuele
emanuele
12 years ago

Extraordinary frame, nothing like Specy or Giant or Cervelo. The weight is not all.

smoky mountain bike
12 years ago

Wow! Very cool

Cam
Cam
12 years ago

Its a bit porky, but I guess it is a Pinarello…

cardeas vist
cardeas vist
12 years ago

@Element Cycles
But you dont need to store it by an outlet all the time, unlike with shimano where you need to remember to take it with you if you charge it and you also need to remember to charge it more. The campy system needs to charge about 26 time a year for year round riding with DA Di2. Campy needs 5-7 to charges a year for a full season and then some. Besides, any one who owns a bike on that level likely would store it by an outlet anyways. It isn’t exactly a garage bike, electric shifting or not.

Mark W.
Mark W.
12 years ago

@steve m
What do you mean? the current electric still require the same skills to shift as cable systems, if you want to argue that your argument is about 20 years to late and should have been made when indexed shifting was taking over. The buttons push exactly the same as cabled campy, they just require you to push a shorted distance.

greg
greg
12 years ago

di2 needs to be charged 26 times a year… if you ride between 500 and a thousand miles A DAY.

greg
greg
12 years ago

math fail.
im an idiot.

Alessandro
Alessandro
12 years ago

Do I see here Campagnolo Bora one wheels with a Wilier zero 7 logo in a Pinarello?

Chad
Chad
12 years ago

You say that the Di2 rear has an “overshift” when going to a harder gear. So it over shifts when going from a larger cog to a smaller cog? That doesn’t make sense to me… I mean, I manually over shift when I go from a smaller to larger cog (harder to easier) on my mechanical group, but have never wished I could do that going from larger to smaller (easier to harder). In my experience, the chain is always easy to get down the cassette.

EVAN
EVAN
12 years ago

ummmmmm, yes please!!!

greg
greg
12 years ago

Chad,
you may not have “wished” it, but the shift could probably have benefitted from a slight overshift when going to a harder cog. certainly with Campy mechanical, and probably to some extent with other systems, one benefits overall from having “too low” a cable tension, erring to the harder gears. by too low, i mean when not shifting, the upper pulley would end up slightly to the right of the cog instead of directly under it.
on mechanical systems, it is not possible to slightly overshift when going to a harder cog. you either shift or dont shift. shifting easier, you can stop pushing the lever at all the gray areas between “clicks.
with electronic shifting, the built-in, perfectly precise overshift is there, and there are no half-shifts, 3/4 shifts, etc…

edison from belize
edison from belize
12 years ago

This is a nice machine, hands down, just a few questions, 1 can i ride it, 2 can it get wet, 3 whats the weight restrictions, 4 how do i explain to the wife that my bike cost more than my car, 5 where do i install the alarm, lmao this bike definately has to be treated like a virgin.. but i love it..

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