stealthfixr

I've been riding my Trek Pilot 5.2 (6600 Ultegra) for the past 10 years and have well over 25k miles on it. I try to ride about 100 miles a week, mostly for fun and fitness. I just love road biking, don't race, value fit & comfort highly, and I do try to ride in 1-2 centuries a year. I am 44 years old and have no real health issues (back, etc).

I made the mistake of walking into a lbs last weekend and saw a 2014 Pinarello Rokh on sale for $2999, in my size. Just my opinion, but it is a stunning bike--just beautiful satin/matte black/red paint. It has the Ultegra 6800 components and Fulcrum 5 wheels. I am not thrilled with the wheels, as I've been riding tubeless for the past 2+ years and greatly prefer that over normal clinchers/tubes.

I don't *need* a new bike, as my Trek Pilot works fine. But, newer components and a lighter bike seems compelling at the moment. I would keep my Trek as a second bike/commuter. OBTW, I am planning a century ride here in Las Vegas on 27 Sept, and a nice, new ride sure would be nice.

There's not much in the way of reviews for the 2014 Rokh, except for the Bicycling Magazine choosing it as a Editors Choice this year. I've searched the web and this forum high and low, reading everything I could find. There just is not a lot out there for the 2014 model.

I am curious what those of you who have ridden one think. How would you compare it to other bikes you've ridden? Would it be a significant improvement over my 2005 Trek Pilot? I do plan to test ride the bike this Saturday or sooner (as well as a Domane for comparison, perhaps), but any 2014 Pinarello Rokh feedback greatly appreciated.

Axiom

For a couple hundred bucks more you could get the new Emonda, which weighs in at 16.2lbs (over a pound less than the Pinarello). The reviews for the Emonda seem fantastic. Outside of those two bikes you could probably get way more bike for that kind of cash. Although the Pinarello is sweet.

profjmb

Get the Rokh. You're due. You want it. It's excellent. More unusual than a Trek.

stealthfixr

Bump--No one here has ridden one?

Jaeger99

Yep, I rode one. Rode just about everything out there between $2k and $4k over a period of several weeks. Including the Emonda. Bought the Rokh.

I was looking for an "endurance" road bike that would cmfortably carry speed over distance - though I did try some more race-oriented bikes as well, and a couple aero-bikes for good measure. Of all the bikes I tried (too many to remember them all, but Domane, Synapse, Z5, Defy, Emonda, R3 etc.) there wasn't a dog in the bunch. The Emonda and Z5 were the other standouts in a very good feld. But the Rokh was the bike that seemed to dominate my thoughts when reflecting upon the contenders. It was definitely the one that had me glancing over my shoulder the most as I walked out of the bike store. It is balanced, smooth, stable, forgiving. Did I mention smooth? Upgrading from the standard rubber to the superb Vittoria Open Pave CGs was like topping an ince cream sundae with a large chocolate cake.

And unlike a great many competitors that look pretty much exactly the same but for the paint scheme, the Rokh looks like a Pinarello and not like a Trekiantizedadale.

Like you, I stumbled into a heck of a deal on a 2014 and that pushed me right over the edge. Ride the competition. Ride the Rokh. Buy the bike that really speaks to you. But don't take forever because I think you may end up kicking yourself hard if you miss out on that deal.

ljp3

Yes I tested a few bikes in this class including the Rokh. It is an excellent bike and came in third, and its faults were strictly preference.
- I didn't feel connected to the bike just felt like a rider sitting on top of a bike.
- Performance wise I think it was as good as any endurance bike I tried.
- At the time it was the most expensive bike I tried ($3400+)
- The paint was black with the bright orange. I like that look now, but in two years it would probably wear on me.

List of bikes I tried
1. 2014 Synapse Hi-Mod 3 (purchased)
2. 2014 Trek Domane (I tried a few versions but I think it was the 4.7 I liked)
3. 2014 Pinarello ROKH
4. 2013 Specialized Tarmac SL4 Pro
-----No Particular Ranking------------
5. 2014 Giant Defy Advanced
6. 2014 Giant TCR Advanced
7. 2014 Trek Madone (again tried several models)

gsa103

That's not really fair....Cannondale generally has sharp looking paint jobs.

Darth Steele

dude, stop embarrassing the "41" .. talk about the Dogma F8 or not at all

DOGMA F8 ? CICLI PINARELLO S.p.A.

this is the 41 everyone is a "Cat6 going pro"

Jaeger99

I'm not sure that fairness really enters into a subjective perception, but more significantly, I think you quite missed my point. I did not suggest that the Rokh has either better quality or better looking paint. I suggested that the overall design is more visually distinctive and unique to the brand than some other competitors which are more similar looking in design but for the different paint schemes. All IMO, naturally. What you find sharp-looking may be different than what I find sharp-looking.

gsa103

Sorry, I actually agreed. Just that I find Canonndale paint/frames quite attractive compared with the Trek/Specialized paint jobs which are tend to be very bland.

Jaeger99

Understood - thanks.

AlphaDogg

The 41 doesn't look kindly on your improper use of quotation marks

stealthfixr

Any other Rokh riders? Sounds like a good news story overall.

ol geezer

I just bought a 2013 ROKH about six weeks ago. It's a $3600 bike that the LBS let me have for $2650 so they could get it out of the store! I took it on a 35+ mile test ride before buying it and my reaction when I returned it to the store was ... holy crap! For me, anyway, it was like magic. If there's one thing I would change, it might be the SRAM Force groupset. Personally, I prefer Shimano but even with the SRAM I absolutely love the bike and for the price I wasn't going to walk away from it after the awesome test ride I had. It's very comfortable. It weighs about 17.5 lbs - 10 lbs less than my other bike. I get more power up hills. My overall speed has increased by about 0.75 - 1 mph on average. I feel less tapped out after a long ride (35-45+ miles) and because I tend to ride alone I tend to go pretty much balls-to-the-wall most of the time.

That said, it's not the right bike for everyone but if it fits you and you think the ride is great, you're probably not going to get a better deal on it that what your LBS is offering.

Germany_chris

For Asian carbon you could spend less but does it matter? You want the bike you want I like and want to ride steel no matter what the carbon folks say so good for the goose is good for the gander.

stealthfixr

Now scheduled for a test ride on Saturday...any last ride quality comments welcomed.

stealthfixr

Went to McGhie's in west Las Vegas and test rode the Rokh and a Domane 5.2 after a 30mile ride on my Trek Pilot 5.2. The Domane was actually kind of similar to my Pilot in the front end, meaning a little twitchy and quick. The rear end was a whole different story--smooth like a magic carpet, almost to a disconcerting degree. Almost no give at all when standing and pounding on the pedals, so nice, stiff bottom. A nice bike for sure, but one of the criticisms of my Pilot was the kinda twitchy front end, which the Domane shared.

I rode the Rokh first and honestly loved it within the first 100 feet on it. Smooth, responsive and stable. I could put in a century on this bike any day. Nice balance between the front and rear with confidence inspiring handling. Impressively stiff frame when standing, but still so very smooth when not. Not as compliant as the Domane, but also more feedback and 'connectedness' feeling, and easily comfortable enough for any long day in the saddle. Much more comfortable than my Pilot, and I thought that would be a hard thing to achieve. Fit & finish are nicest I have seen on a bike at this price range, and the satin black/red paint is just stunning.

I have been riding Trek's for 12+ years, but simply found the Rokh superior today--better overall ride, lower price, stunning looks. The bike shop gave me a thorough fitting session that I can revisit that as long as I own the bike--nice. First 30-mile ride tomorrow morning, and a lot of miles in the next couple months getting ready for the Pedal to the Medal 2014 century in a month!

RNAV

Congrats on the new bike! You'd better be posting pictures soon.

slowgo

I rode an FP Due about 4 days after I bought my Giant TCR (which I love) and it was a sweet riding bike. I wished I had ridden it earlier and was glad I didn't at the same time. I would have gone ahead and bought the pinarello, but was in the market for something a little different and ended up buying a Lynskey.

stealthfixr

First 30-mile ride done, and the bike is far better than I am--amazing. So far, very happy with this choice. The bike is definitely more responsive to pedal inputs than my Pilot, as well as just being faster overall. Even at 40 mph, the Rokh feels stable, smooth and confidence inspiring. Pictures to follow.

Seems funny to say, but it is actually true--this is the beginning of a wonderful relationship!

stealthfixr

As promised, a picture...


Picture above is just outside Lake Mead near Las Vegas (a nice climbing ride). Mapmyride calls this a Cat 4 climb, each way. Not very long, but has a few steep grades in it.

Now about 120 miles on the bike. The pedaling is a lot different from my Pilot with an Ultegra 6600 triple. Although I never used the Pilot's third chain ring, the mid-compact Ultegra 6800 seems to drive me towards a slower cadence on climbs--more sheer leg strength than faster & cardio based climbing. The Ultegra 6800 is really nice--crisp, quick and darn near electric is it's response. It makes my 6600 Ultegra on the Pilot seem like Tiagra or something much less.

The Rokh's ride & handling are far superior to the Pilot--a true joy to ride and confidence inspiring. The Selle Italia Bobcat saddle is better the more I ride it and the Fulcrum 5s surprisingly good for such comparatively low priced wheels. I will keep them. The bike climbs noticeably better in terms of power transfer...I just wish I had more power to transfer .

So far, I am extremely happy with the Rokh--very glad I took the chance on it! Since I've named my bike "Roxie" (get it), I am thinking she's now a part of the family...

NormanF

Sweet rig! I can see the other posters stampeding to the LBS to buy one... it looks hawt!

Like the girl dear old Dad married.

alexaschwanden

Nice new bike.

Spiduhman

Congrats!

The Rokh made my short list (earlier this year) for an "all day" bike - second bike.

I prefer SRAM, so the change to Ultegra was a problem for me ...that lead to realizing that I'd either have to order a "custom" or piece my new bike together myself to get what I wanted.


...ended up with the Wilier GTR, and put it together myself, hence the preferred SRAM Force, the wheels, pedals, bars, saddle etc. that I wanted.

The model has a shorter head tube than the other "grand fondo" type bikes. I have long arms, and these type bikes means, for me, getting a special stem to get fit.


To me, it pedals as well as the Rokh, steers/corners better, but perhaps isn't as cushy?


To the OP, yeah, I've ridden one - it's a goodie!


There were several others I liked, and will mention the BMC GF01, which I really liked, however, the Ultegra, wheels, and tall head tube, not so much (mucho dinero as well).

MikeD1

Absolutely beautiful bike. I bet you'll enjoy it for many years!