Pinarello Gan K Review - First Impressions
If Pinarello Gan K Disc could be described in just one phrase, I would say, "It puts a smile on your face".
A big smile. First when you look at it. And the smile gets bigger when you ride it. And even bigger as you ride longer.
Pinarello Gan K gets going fast. There is no hesitation. It doesn't fight you. It doesn't make you put tons of effort in order to reward you with speed.
It feels like it shrinks the distance. I have a regular hilly ride that I have done at least 100 times on 11 different bikes -- from Specialized Roubaix to Trek Domane to Colnago CLX 2.0 to Bianchi Infinito CV. This bike is different. It glides. It slices through the air. It helps you go fast.
Pinarello Gan K Disc is extremely dialed in. It has has a nearly perfect combination of acceleration, handling, and ride quality.
Scorecard (based on 3 rides):
Acceleration: 9 out of 10. It accelerates very fast, like there is an electric motor in it. You still notice a little of extra weight associated with the disc brakes and heavier wheels to support them, but it is barely noticeable, especially for bigger riders, like me
Ride Quality: 8 out of 10. There is a little bounciness and vibration when you go on bad roads and broken surfaces. The ride is not as smooth as with the best endurance bikes, like Specialized Roubaix, Trek Domane, Bianchi Infinito CV. It is just a completely different feeling. You feel connected to the road. It feels much more dialed-in, faster, sportier that endurance bikes. In comparison with race bikes, it feels much smoother. The amazing thing about Gan K is that it makes you become one with it once you get going. You don't get tired. You want to go faster and longer.
Climbing. 7 out of 10. For a slightly heavier bike, it climbs really well. It doesn't fight you. Rolling hills are a breeze and fun. You don;t even notice them. Steeper climbs are fairly comfortable due to the frame stiffness and its geometry. I swapped the crank to compact 50x34 from the original 52x36 and the cassette to 11-32 from the original 12-28. The change made it easier to climb category 1-4 climbs by my house.
Descending. 10 out of 10. The handling is absolutely amazing. Geometry and design make it slice through the wind. Disc brakes add a lot of confidence and do a really good job. It is hard to ride a bike with non-disc brakes after descending on Gan K a few times.
Components. 9 out of 10. Shimano Ultegra 6800 is a great groupset. The stock wheels are pretty good and don't feel heavy. The saddle is highly individual taste matter. I thought it was uncomfortable, so I changed it to my usual Specialized Romin Pro Evo. There is really nothing that absolutely needs to be swapped on this bike. I changed the crank, cassette, and RD to make it easier to climb and put better and wider tires (28mm Continental Grand Prix 4 Seasons), which made a difference for me in terms of ride quality and speed.
To summarize, I absolutely love this bike. It is like no other bike I have ever owned or rented. It is stunningly beautiful, fast, comfortable, and fun to ride. It puts a smile on my face. I literally rode 20 miles with a smile yesterday. Wow!
Next are long rides and centuries!
UPGRADES:
- Tires: Went from 700x25 to 700x28 Continental Grand Prix 4 Seasons
- Saddle: Went from Fizik Aliante to Specialized Romin Evo Pro
- Rear Derailleur: Went from Shimano Ultegra 6800 Short Cage to Ultegra 8000 Long Cage
- Cassette: Went from Shimano Ultegra 6800 11-speed 12-28 to Ultegra 11-speed 11-32
#Pinarello #Gan #Specialized #Roubaix #Colnago #Bianchi
UPDATE: Check out Pinarello Gan K second impressions after 4 months of riding.
Nice review! I found your blog at CC website. What size bike did you got and do you know how much does it weight with the original build parts? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Marcel. Gan K runs really big. I usually get size 56 (Specialized) and Size 57 (Bianchi). I got size 53 with Gan K and it is a perfect fit. The weight was almost 19 lbs without pedals.
ReplyDeleteHello, May Inak you what is your height in centimeters? I wonder which size should I get.
ReplyDeleteMay I ask you *
DeleteSorry for that typo
Pinarello Gan K bikes run really big. I typically go with 56 for Specialized and 57 for Bianchi. I went with size 53 for this one and it is a great fit. I am 179 cm tall and inseam is 31.
DeleteHey, love your reviews. Can you do a comparison on geometry od Bianchi Infinito cv vs Pinarello gan k disc? Thank you and cheers from Croatia
ReplyDelete
DeleteHi there, I don't have the exact numbers, but Bianchi Infinito CV 57 was similar to Pinarello Gan K Disc 53. In terms of the overall geometry, Pinarello Gan K is much more aggressive that Infinito CV.