Pinarello Gan K Disc Ultegra Complete Road Bike 2017

Though its innovative climbing frames have now spent dozens of years at the top of the GT leaderboard, Pinarello's endurance machines have received no less RD attention. The Gan K Disc Ultegra Complete Road Bike proves this point by also proving that the venerable Italian firm has no interest in leaving the long distance cyclist in the lurch. The Gan K Disc's racing pedigree surfaces in the precise carbon fiber construction and Shimano Ultegra drivetrain including the Ultegra 68000 crankset no third party slop here and Ultegra grade hydraulic disc brakes. The endurance aspect is apparent in the frame's all terrain geometry and the inclusion of hydraulic disc brakes. When these attributes are combined, the result is a bike that loves to go fast all day. Though it's a stiff beast, the Gan K's as focused on comfort as it is on efficiency, a fact that manifests in its geometry. Compared to the Gan S, the Gan K has slacker seat and head tubes, longer chainstays, comfort oriented FlexStay seatstays, a shorter reach, and a taller stack. These variations are all subtle manifesting as millimeters or even fractions of millimeters but the net result is a longer, more stable wheelbase and a cockpit that situates the rider in a more upright position. The Gan S is largely modeled on the Dogma F8, so it's a race bike, through and through the changes to the Gan K mean it's less of an unforgiving missile and more of smooth rouleur, a bike built for laying down miles of tempo across rolling terrain rather than punching the afterburners out of every corner and into every ascent. The Gan K doesn't twitch violently at every rider input rather, it flows through corners and across rough roads, holding lines as though it's self guided. These tendencies are reinforced by the front and rear thru axles, which reinforce the wheelframe interface, an area that's traditionally guilty of sacrificing handling and power transfer through flex. For all that comfort and stability, the...