Pinnacle Dolomite Five

Pinnacle's Dolomite didn't receive a whole lot of love when we reviewed it back at the end of 2011 - thanks to an uncomfortable and uninspiring ride. Since then it's been tweaked by James Olsen (designer of Genesis' Equilibrium) for 2013 and it's clear this guy knows his onions as the new one is a belter.

Frame & Fork

At the heart is a double butted compact alloy frame made from 6061-T6, a material liked by many builders for its workability, high strength and good corrosion resistance. The frame itself is quite simple, no tapered headtube or oversize bottom bracket shells, just relying on decent geometry and the material to determine the ride characteristics. The down tube is oversized and with the small triangles created by the compact design you can tell the Dolomite is going to be stiff just by looking at it.

The top tube is ovalised but that's the only detraction from traditional round tubing. For that all year round convenience there are mudguard eyes and rack mounts plus the rear mech hanger is replaceable, meaning you won't have to bin the entire frame if you drop it.

Following the same model as Giant created for their TCR's back in the day there are only four sizes, S – XL, but tweaking seatposts and stem should see the majority of the population catered for. Our test model is a medium which comes with a 560mm effective top tube. We'll stick the geometry table down at the bottom so you can see which one fits you.

Painted to match are the carbon fibre legged forks with a 1 1/8' alloy steerer drilled for deep drop brakes and complete with mudguard eyes too. A rake of 45mm coupled with a 72° head angle provides toe clearance with guards.

Overall the finish is tidy, the welds are more functional than eye candy but that fits in well with the intended use of the Pinnacle – a get the job done kind of attitude. That bright orange paint gives a feel good factor though even when it's another crappy dark, wet, windy miserable day outside and you know you've got to get the miles in.

Finishing Kit

For your £900 you're getting some pretty decent kit. Shimano take care of the gears with the majority of a 105 groupset and the wheels are their RS10 models. These are shod with Kenda Kriterium 700x25c tyres and previous tests show while they aren't the fastest rolling out there they strike a good balance between performance and longevity.

As usual FSA are tasked with the chainset and the Dolomite is adorned with their Gossamer in compact guise, 50-34T rings. It looks a smart bit of kit and the matching in well with the other black components.

The brakes are Tektro's R539 with a deep drop of 57mm allowing for mudguard clearance. These performed well on the recent test of the Kinesis TK3 so hopefully we should be in for more of the same here.

Finishing things off are Pinnacle own branded bars, stem and seatpost are - all basic alloy jobbies but look the part.

The Dolomite 5 doesn't actually come equipped with mudguards but for the test period we fitted some SKS Chromoplastics which went on a doddle plus clearance was fine with the 25mm tyres. If you buy the bike at the moment Evans are actually throwing in £100 to spend on accessories so you can deck it out for wet weather there and then.

The Ride

Tyres to tarmac then and the instant feedback is one of stiffness as there isn't much give in the frame at all. The Dolomite feels like a proper old school alloy race bike, buzzing and bouncing across road imperfections but with such a sense of speed and responsiveness that you'll be grinning like a nutter. It's not as refined as the alloy frame of the Kinesis TK3 but boy is it fun.

Looking at the geometry table a 160mm headtube should normally give an inclination to a more sedate riding position but once in the saddle it doesn't feel anything like that. It's more of a race machine than a long distance mile muncher and could easily be used as an early season racer if the need arose.

As you'd expect, a frame this tight responds well to climbing efforts and it certainly belies the bike's all-up weight of 20.2lb (9.15kg). You'll be actively looking out for hills rather than planning routes around them. The eagerness of the frame responds well to out of the saddle efforts and it certainly felt the most efficient way to reach the summit. A 12-25 Tiagra cassette gives a good spread of gears along with the compact chainset and the KMC chain changed across the block even under high loads. 105 is where you really notice the performance difference in Shimano's line up; in fact the top three mechanical groupsets have very little difference in terms of feel and performance. The shifting is spot on every time and the movement at the lever is very smooth.

Once you are ready to come back down, the Dolomite changes direction and holds lines well. The Kenda tyres have a decent level of grip and you can get a fair amount of lean angle going before they start scrabbling about. Descending is the one place though that an unforgiving frame can become a bit of a burden. The slightest pothole or rough surface can see the Pinnacle bouncing about and being tramlined into a different direction to the one you require, which can get a bit bum twitchy if you're already on the limit.

The Tektro R539 brakes work well again, scrubbing off speed pretty sharpish. They lack the bite of standard Shimano 105 brakes but there is a degree of modulation there.

RS10 wheels are reasonable performers and the seals seem to be doing a decent job of keeping water and road muck out. They have stayed true over roughly fifty hours of riding round Wiltshire's back lanes which is testament to any set of wheels, but especially a minimal spoke set (16/20) like this on a stiff aluminium bike. While we're on the subject of wear and tear, the Kenda tyres have been hugely impressive in that department without a single puncture or cut - bearing in mind it's hedge cutting season.

Knocking the tyres back to say 100 -110psi provides a bit more comfort for a long run and the position on the Dolomite is very comfortable. About three hours was the max for me before road buzz started to affect my wrists and posterior on the solid feeling FWE saddle. Things like this can be overcome by say padded bar tape, a saddle change or swapping to a carbon seatpost - minimal tweaks that won't break the bank.

Handling is very predictable and as a whole the Dolomite is a very easy bike to ride. Whether you are in heavy traffic commuting or out in the lanes, direction changes are easily controlled by just a shift of body weight and it's all very relaxing.

Overall the Dolomite 5 is a good bike, really easy to ride, great value for money and above all - fun. The frame might not be as refined as others on the market but it does the job and to be fair that's reflected in the price once you take the kit level into account. As far as competition goes, it basically rides just like an Equilibrium but more aggressive and a bit edgier, a 'hot hatch' version if you like. Kinesis' TK3 shares the performance but has a suppler frame and is better for longer days in the saddle. You do pay for it though as the kit level is lower and it'll cost you another £170 for the privilege.

So in a nutshell, if all year performance on a budget is what you're after the Pinnacle Dolomite 5 needs to be near if not the top of your list. I for one don't really want to give it back.

Verdict

Rapid all weather performance machine that'll bring a grin to your face and a rattle to your fillings.