2009 Pinarello Montello FM1 - Competitive Cyclist

PINARELLO MONTELLO FM1

Few things in cycling are more intimidating than standing at the start line of a time trial. While road racing and crit racing carry a bit of tactical unpredictability to them, time trials are the exact opposite: It takes a strong mind to embrace their sustained spell of slow-drip agony. A friend of ours refers to it as "crawling into the pain cave", and he's exactly right -- it's a black, horrible place. Having the courage to show up is half the battle, and the other half is ignoring all the fantastic mid-race reasons (#1 "Bike racing is stupid, I should spend more time with my kids." #2 "Bike racing is stupid I should spend more time at work." #3 "Bike racing is stupid I should play golf instead", etc, etc, etc) to ease off. If you're strong enough to resist the temptation to blow off time trials and if you're strong enough to race it as flat-out as your body can bear -- well, then you're one hell of a manly man. And given that level of commitment, you owe it to yourself to race on one hell of a manly TT rig.

Pinarello Montello FM1 Detail Historically we only needed to acknowledge the existence of 2 TT bikes: One is the Cervélo P3 Carbon. Its race pedigree is 10 miles long. Every race -- World Championships, Grand Tour TT stages, ProTour TTT, and so forth -- has been won multiple times on a P3 Carbon. Cervélo says it's the fastest TT frameset in the world, and based on (a) the amount of time they spend in the wind tunnel and (b) the P3's palmares, who's to argue? The other option in our minds is the Pinarello Montello FP8. While Team CSC has had a wealth of success on the P3 Carbon over the last 3 years, no company has a longer track record of TT success than Pinarello. Banesto, then Team Telekom, then Fassa Bortolo, then Caisse d'Epargne: It's been literally 15 years of high-profile TT victories for Pinarellos.

Until recently, the apotheosis of Pinarello's commitment to TT technology was represented by their gorgeous Montello FP8. With their Montello FM1, Pinarello takes a page out of the Formula 1 handbook: They've tossed aside cost ramifications in trying to develop the sleekest machine money can buy. The FM1 is built in the same carbon fiber monocoque molds as the Montello FP8, but instead of the 3K carbon used on the FP8, the FM1 uses 1K carbon fiber. Like the FP8, their carbon is supplied by the Japanese textile giant Toray. But by choosing 50HM1K carbon for the FM1, Pinarello can make it nearly 200g lighter than the FP8 without sacrificing one whit of durability or stiffness. By "50HM", it means that Toray supplies them with a high-modulus carbon with a tensile strength of 50 tons per square cm (the same as the FP8). But it has a super-tight exterior weave of 1000 waves per crossing (1K). The strength of this weave allows Pinarello to use an absolute minimum of material, thereby saving substantial weight. And it shares all the aerodynamic qualities of the FP8. The quality of Toray's carbon fiber allows Pinarello to create narrow, windproof lines to reduce drag dramatically. Stand at the front of the bike and look from the headtube towards the rear of the bike, you'll be astounded by its supermodel-skinny profile. Other details like the curvature of the full rear wheel cutout further shed drag.

The FM1 is available in five sizes. It comes in the Red, White, and Black of Team Caisse d'Epargne. It includes two aero seatposts -- a zero degree post to create a 76.5 degree seat angle, plus a 2 degree seatpost that creates a 74.5 degree seat angle. It also comes with a Pinarello 1-1/8" integrated headset, and the ultra-aero Pinarello FP8 full carbon fiber fork. It requires an Italian BB and a braze-on front derailleur. It is completely compliant with all UCI regulations for time trial frames.

Share this Page