Tom Pidcock’s fight back from a puncture and last lap inside line move to take the Gold medal was surely one of the highlights of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games so far. Up there with Remco Evenepoel’s last gasp bike swap in the Olympic Road Race and Noah Lyles sprint from behind in the 100m final. But Pidcock couldn’t have done it without his bike, so what are the secret tricks and marginal equipment gains that helped him to his second Olympic Gold medal? Paul Brett from our sister site BikePerfect spoke exclusively to Pidcock’s mechanic, Cal Wyllie, about what it takes to prepare an Olympic-winning cross-country race bike.

ELANCOURT, FRANCE – JULY 29: Thomas Pidcock of Team Great Britain competes during the Men’s Cross-Country on day three of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Elancourt Hill on July 29, 2024 in Elancourt, France. (Photo by Alex Broadway/Getty Images)

Pidcock’s Pinarello Dogma XC

When MBR’s highly experienced bike tester, Guy Kesteven, reviewed the Pinarello Dogma XC earlier this year, he said “even on relatively mellow singletrack the Dogma is an intense experience to pilot, requiring cat-like reflexes and mm-perfect line choice”. A bike that takes no prisoners then, and a true racing thoroughbred that needs treating with respect. Which makes Pidcock’s win even more impressive, and his underlying talent all the more clear.

Despite being developed specifically for Pidcock and teammate, and fellow Olympic Champion, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, the Pinarello Dogma XC is carrying a weight penalty compared to its competitors, the mere thought of which is something that will bring most XC racers out in a rash. At 1,749g for the frame in size small (Pidcock’s size) its around 250g heavier than the Specialized S-Works Epic World Cup ridden by Viktor Koretzky to the silver medal. That’s a chunk of change to give up where bike brands fight tooth and nail to shave off as little as 10g. However, Pidcock’s bike may not adhere to that weight, as Wyllie wouldn’t reveal the actual weight of the frame. It’s certainly possible that Pinarello has made a limited run of frames using a lighter layup with a different grade of carbon to save weight. Particularly since Pidcock only weighs 58kg and the bike only needs to survive a 90-minute race. But that is mere speculation. Another weight saving trick missed by Pinarello was to paint their Olympic bikes mostly white. While it provides a great billboard for branding, the white paint needs more layers than a darker colour, making it the heaviest colour you can choose. It’s why most F1 cars use a mostly dark colour scheme now.

ELANCOURT, FRANCE – JULY 28: Pauline Ferrand Prevot of Team France celebrates at finish line as race winner during the Women’s Cross-Country Cycling Mountain Bike Gold Medal race on day two of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Elancourt Hill on July 28, 2024 in Elancourt, France. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

The Ineos Grenadiers, of which both Pidcock and Ferrand-Prévot are teammates, give their riders the choice of the Pinarello Dogma XC full-suspension bike or the hardtail version. Ferrand-Prévot chose the latter, just as she did last summer at the World Championships in Glentress, but according to Wyllie, Pidcock chose the full-sus version during the recce laps to deal with the larger features on the course and the expected high pace. Which is somewhat in conflict with his pre-race comments that the course was “too bland”.

Pinarello Dogma XC race bike

There are two travel settings for the Dogma XC, and Pidcock chose the shorter option, which sets maximum travel at 90mm. This is paired up front with a 100mm travel fork. In both cases the suspension is supplied by SR Suntour, in the shape of its TACT electronic damping control system. This uses a sensor on the fork to detect impacts, feeding in further data from other sensors about the angle of the bike, and whether it’s in the air or on the ground, to determine the best setting for the low-speed compression damping. Effectively it’s trying to ensure the suspension is firm for climbing and sprinting, and free to move on bumps and impacts.

You can read Guy’s first ride review of the production Pinarello Dogma XC here.

France’s Victor Koretzky (L) and Britain’s Thomas Pidcock (R) compete in the men’s cross-country mountain biking event during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Elancourt Hill venue in Elancourt, on July 29, 2024. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP) (Photo by JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images)

Carbon wheels with polymer cord spokes

One of the trickest elements on Pidcock’s bike is the custom P1 Race Technologies Singularis M30 wheel set. They use a rim built by Princeton CarbonWorks with a wavy profile and a claimed weight of just 419g. These are laced together using innovative Berd PolyLight cord spokes weighing just 156g for 64 (DT Swiss Race spokes typically weigh 300g for 64). These flexible spokes are not only light and strong, they are claimed to provide a ride sensation that’s akin to floating on water. A set of these wheels with the Berd spokes will set you back around $2,400, depending on spec.

Pidcock shoes these wheels with Continental’s 29×2.4in Race King tyres. Of course, they are moulded with a special secret rubber blend that hasn’t yet been released to the public, and Wyllie has to trim all the little mould ‘hairs’ off every knob to reduce the weight and noise. Yep, every single one.

ELANCOURT, FRANCE – JULY 29: Thomas Pidcock of Team Great Britain celebrates at finish line as gold medal winner during the Men’s Cross-Country on day three of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Elancourt Hill on July 29, 2024 in Elancourt, France. (Photo by Alex Broadway/Getty Images)

Shimano XTR group set, with a difference

Pidcock and Ineos are sponsored by Shimano, and his Dogma XC runs the top XTR drivetrain and brakes with mechanical shifting. Pidcock’s mechanics trim the brake hoses and gear cable as short as possible, as well as removing any superfluous rubber parts – such as the covers for the hose connectors at the brake lever – all in the name of weight reduction.

Components chosen with an eye on weight

A Vertical Helium dropper post with 90mm of drop is one of the lightest on the market thanks to a carbon outer sleeve and titanium hardware. The weight is as little at 296g for the post depending on length and diameter. This post is topped with a Prologo Scratch NDR saddle weighing just 159g. Up front, Pidcock uses Pinarello’s in-house Most component brand for the one-piece carbon bar and stem, with foam ESI grips.

Hopefully that’s not the last time we’ll see Pidcock on a mountain bike this year. With the World Championships taking place in his home of Andorra at the end of the month, we wouldn’t be surprised to see him line-up to try and retain his rainbow stripes to complete his domination of XC racing in 2024.