Highway to heaven, or hell – First ride review of the 2023 Pinarello GREVIL F!

For 2023, the Pinarello GREVIL F continues to plough ahead on the fine line between gravel rock’n’roll and dirt road to hell, promising “Full Gas Everywhere”. The question is: how much does the new Italian gravel bike really want to see you suffer by making you want to push yourself? Our first ride review has all the answers!

Bella macchina – Pinarello are amongst the famous Italian bicycle brands with the highest must-have factor. However, they used to focus solely on producing beautiful and fast road bikes.

Bella macchina – Pinarello are amongst the famous Italian bicycle brands with the highest must-have factor. However, they used to focus solely on producing beautiful and fast road bikes. And the Italians have proven time and again how well they’ve mastered this on the international stage with the current DOGMA F. But, as we found in our reader survey of over 11,000 participants, gravel is the fastest growing segment in cycling and Pinarello want their share in this, introducing the GREVIL to their portfolio in 2018. The design is based heavily on Pinarello’s corporate DNA, focusing on speed and performance, and the first generation of the GREVIL was unmistakably a Pinarello. Now they’ve released the latest version and we were lucky enough to test the 2023 GREVIL F before the official release. Read on to find out who it’s for and what makes it special.

The frame of the 2023 Pinarello GREVIL F doesn’t seem to have changed all that much, now featuring total integration, a new bend in the top tube and a revised, yet still asymmetrical rear end. However, that’s not to say the futuristic-looking gravel bike is any less exciting!

The Lamborghini Urus of gravel bikes – The 2023 Pinarello GREVIL F in detail

Visually, the GREVIL F makes quite the impact. With its blend of aggressive edges and streamlined curves, the aero looking frame is immediately recognisable as a Pinarello. That Italian style awareness is par excellence on the GREVIL F. The two-tone matt gold and black paint job also suits the aggressive look to a tee, rounding the design off with a matching matt gold seat post. Very cool! Combined with the curved rims of the Princeton wheels, the Forkflap on the ONDA fork and the D-shaped down tube, the Pinarello looks damn fast just standing there. The bend in the down tube, which is supposed to make the water bottle more aerodynamic, is nothing more than a logical consequence. At 8.54 kg, the GREVIL F is lighter than the average of the 19 bikes in our big gravel bike group test, which suits this gravel bike’s ambitions.

The two-piece cockpit is fully integrated, even with the mechanical Campagnolo EKAR groupset of the GREVIL F on test. Very neat and yet adjustable – hats off! The MOST Tiger stem suits the bike well with its aero look and the 455 mm wide MOST Jaguar handlebar is also supplied by Pinarello’s in-house brand, offering a comfortable position on the tops. Due to its width and the pleasantly flat top section, there’s less pressure on your hands and you’ve got plenty of room to position them where you want. The slightly flared drops make sense for the intended use, providing added confidence in rough terrain.

The 13-speed Campagnolo EKAR drivetrain offers a sufficiently wide gear range for hilly terrain, consisting of a 9–42 t cassette and 40 t chainring. While the small 1 tooth increments of the higher gears are especially appealing to the ambitious gravel fans amongst us, we would like to have a few more reserves in the easy gears for those particularly long and steep climbs. After our last experiences with the Campagnolo EKAR (review here), we’re looking forward to the builds that rely on other groupsets. The EKAR groupset is very sensitive and needs a lot of finetuning to function smoothly!

Mounting points are scarce on the GREVIL F, accommodating 2 bottle cages inside the front triangle and a third underneath the down tube. Unlike some other gravel bikes, the down tube of the GREVIL F doesn’t come with a frame protector. Further mounting points for frame bags or mudguards are sought in vain, too. But that doesn’t matter – you wouldn’t wear handmade Italian loafers in the rain either, would you? If you want to go bikepacking with the GREVIL F, you’ll simply have to use Velcro straps to attach your bags. If you still insist on taking the gravel racer on bikepacking adventures, we also recommend covering the frame in protective film to avoid damaging the matte, two-tone paint job.

The GREVIL F doesn’t feature suspension innovations or other technical refinements. Rather than doing anything fancy, the Shimano Di2 port can be found at the bend in the down tube. The stuck-on silver foil protecting the chainstay behind the chainring is more for show, but at least they tried. In case the chain gets sucked in, the film will most likely only be able to protect the frame to a limited extent. The integrated axle levers are a good idea. However, they look so flimsy that we’d only use them when absolutely necessary since the axles can also be loosened with a 5 mm Allen key.

The Geometry of the Pinarello GREVIL F 2023

Thanks to 6 different sizes, almost everyone should find a suitable frame. Find all info regarding geometry and the available sizes in the geometry table below.

Size	47	50	53	55	57.5	60
Top tube	520 mm	535 mm	547 mm	560 mm	577 mm	597 mm
Seat tube	410 mm	445 mm	475 mm	500 mm	520 mm	550 mm
Head tube	120 mm	135 mm	155 mm	165 mm	180 mm	200 mm
Head angle	70.25°	70.5°	70.75°	71.75°	72°	72.25°
Seat angle	74.5°	74°	73.75°	73.5°	73°	72.5°
Chainstays	422 mm	422 mm	422 mm	425 mm	425 mm	425 mm
BB Drop	72 mm	72 mm	67 mm	67 mm	67 mm	67 mm
Stack	548.4 mm	563.5 mm	578.4 mm	593.5 mm	608.8 mm	628.8 mm
Reach	360.1 mm	367.8 mm	374.4 mm	382 mm	389.7 mm	398.5 mm

Going off-road in stilettos or style? The 2023 Pinarello GREVIL F in review

So, you’re done with work for the day, slip into your cycling shoes and head outdoor aboard the GREVIL F! But the 2023 Pinarello GREVIL F isn’t an adventure bike like the BMC URS LT ONE (review here). Instead, it’s an agile performance bike for gravel highways and winding tracks. The lack of mounting points for mudguards or bags is merely in line with the bike’s intended use. Thanks to the stiff frame, it accelerates quickly and manages to hold its pace almost effortlessly. According to Pinarello, the asymmetrical rear end is designed to offer increased efficiency, especially in terms of acceleration, because the chain only drives the right side of the wheel even though you’re pedalling on both sides. Your neighbourhood ankle-biter doesn’t stand a chance!

The Princeton Grit 4540 wheels harmonise seamlessly with the 38 mm wide MAXXIS Rambler tires (review here), which weren’t the fastest in our gravel tire group test (available here). In this case, faster tires from our test field could be even more fun and would probably be better suited to the character of the GREVIL F!

Tuning-Tipp: Vittoria Terreno Dry tires (review here) for even more speed as well as frame and chainstay protection.

That said, the frame works well in conjunction with the wheel/tire combination and the GREVIL F is surprisingly comfortable for a performance bike. Speaking of comfort, the new frame can accommodate up to 50 mm wide 700C tires, whereas the previous model was limited to 42 mm. The handling of the GREVIL F is responsive and precise through the corners without feeling nervous. The wide and comfortable handlebar instils you with confidence and the brakes are easy to modulate.

Thanks to the balanced ride feel and the predictable handling up front, the bike remains controllable even when you push its limits, allowing the Pinarello to perform just as well though long, fast corners on hardpack. Uphill, the GREVIL F benefits from its efficient acceleration, making the most of the stiff frame, which is a good thing because the gear range reaches its limits on steep inclines. All in all, you’ll quickly notice a familiar feeling set in on the first few metres, making you push yourself – so, this is Italian sportiness off-road! Bellissima!

Who is the new Pinarello gravel bike for?

Full Gas Everywhere – that’s the slogan of the new Pinarello GREVIL F, which is what the F stands for. Thanks to its agile, almost road bike-like handling, balanced comfort and good-natured front end, the 2023 Pinarello GREVIL F is a gravel bike that wants to see you suffer, encouraging you to push yourself. It’s the right choice for experienced gravel riders or roadies who want something different. And for all those who aren’t interested bikepacking and just want to go fast.

For more information about the Pinarello GREVIL F 2023, visit pinarello.com

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Words: Christoph Staudinger Photos: Peter Walker