When you want to feel what pushing the envelope to the end is about, you must ride the Pinarello Dogma F8 XLight. This ultra-light, limited edition Pinarello is lighter and more rare than the standard F8 and what Chris Froome rode to win the 2016 Tour de France. The frame weighs 780g for a 53.

The frame comes out of the same molds as the standard Dogma F8, which itself was about making the Dogma better in all aspect than the previous iteration, the 65.1.

The F8 improved on the 65.1 by starting with the 65.1s foundation, the geometry. That was a proven winner over the years, being fast and stable and allowing racers to get into a fast, comfortable position they could ride all day. The geometry was unchanged.

What did change were the frame shapes. Jaguar, the auto company, helped design the tubes, finding what worked, and what worked better. Just about every frame tube was tweaked in some fashion. The fork legs splay out a bit wider for better aerodynamics. The fork crown helps smooth the airflow around the front brake. The head tube has a more pronounced nose, though still within the UCI’s 3:1 ratio. The top tube was flattened. The down tube and seat tube and seat post were changed to what Pinarello is calling a “FlatBack profile.” It’s a truncated airfoil that tricks the wind into thinking the tube is longer than it is. The seat stay attaches to the seat tube at a lower point, and the monostay top is shaped to shroud the rear brake. The seat post clamp was integrated into the frame and the fixing mechanism hidden from the wind. Even the enormously popular Onda wavy stays and fork have been refined to simpler, more aero curves. Bottle cage placement was even investigated. The result is 3Xair bolts on the seat tube. There are cage bolts. Use the middle and lower for better aerodynamics and better weight positioning. Use the upper and middle if you want to reach the bottle easier.

The shaping wasn’t the only change. The shapes have a second purpose; increasing rigidity to improve pedaling efficiency. In many cases, the new shapes meant less material and structures better able to resist torsional forces. The carbon lay-up had been modified as well. Highlighting the changes is Pinarello’s use of Torayca’s T1100 1K carbon, which helps reduce weight and increase stiffness further.

The improvements continue beyond the realm of the theoretical to the practical. Knowing that some riders utilizing electronic shifting like to slam their stems, the top of the head tube has been re shaped to better accommodate electronic junction boxes. The Think2 mechanical/electronic internal routing has been kept, with smoother refinement of the ports, including an exit port on the right rear dropout. If the bike is set up for electronics, the battery hides from the wind in the seat post. The front derailleur hanger is removable. This is both in case it gets damaged and for people looking to lighten their ride as much as possible if they’re setting up for a demanding hill climb.

The XLight is a further improvement on the Dogma F8 by being even lighter, while keeping most of the other properties the same. For example, the fork works as a sail in certain wind conditions. The frame and fork together have 47% less drag than the previous Dogma, and come close to Pinarello’s Bolide time trial frame. It’s also 16% more balanced. Balanced. Remember Pinarello’s embrace of asymmetry? It is still present, but more refined. As a result, the asymmetries they build in better counteract the pedaling forces on the frame. And out on the road, the bike provides a livelier ride.

Theres a catch to this super-light frame. You need to be in Froome form to ride it. They put a weight limit of 154lbs (70kg) on the frame. Froome races the Tour at 149lbs (67.5kg), so you can figure that he and the other ectomorph Sky climbers do not ride the XLight unless theyre at race weight.

As with earlier Dogma’s, the F8 comes with a tapered 1-1/8″ to 1-1/2″ steerer. Headset comes with. Aero headset top cap and spacers also come with. The bottom bracket is Italian-threaded. The included seat post is 300mm long and is secured via two 2.5mm Allen-head bolts behind the frame. It can be packed with Shimano’s Di2 internal battery, Campagnolo’s EPS V2 battery, or left empty (lighter). For the internal battery, youll need to purchase the seatpost insert separately. The dropouts are carbon-fiber for light weight.

Raced at the Giro, won at the Tour, a special occasion bike that can be ridden every day, the Pinarello Dogma F8 XLight is what halo bikes are all about.