Pinarello Bolide F HR 3D Frameset

The Pinarello Bolide F HR 3D Frameset is the production version of the frame Filippo Ganna rode to a UCI Hour Record of 56.792 km at the Grenchen velodrome. It is a track bike frameset, and it is also an unusual object: a frame 3D-printed from Scalmalloy, an aluminum, scandium and magnesium alloy, rather than laid up from carbon fiber. Pinarello developed it with Metron Advanced Equipment, and it describes the Bolide F HR 3D as the first high-performance 3D-printed bike.

Printing changes what a frame designer can do. Pinarello builds the frame in five sections, then bonds them together with aerospace-grade epoxy. Because the metal is deposited layer by layer, internal reinforcement can be placed only where the loads are highest instead of being spread evenly through every tube. That is how the company approaches weight and stiffness on this frame: material where it works, and none where it doesn't.

The shape is where the printing shows. The surface carries what Pinarello calls AeroNodes, small bumps inspired by the tubercles on a humpback whale's flipper. The geometry is tuned for a one-hour effort too. Pinarello reduced the bottom bracket area from 70mm to 54mm and narrowed the hubs to match, the kind of detail that matters to a rider holding a fixed position at a steady, flat-out pace.

The fit is aggressive and deliberate. The frameset comes in three sizes: 45cm, 52.5cm and 55cm. All three share a 77-degree seat tube angle and a 390mm chainstay, with head tube angles of 72 or 73 degrees. Stack runs from 469mm to 508mm and reach from 377mm to 430mm, a low, long position built around a TT bar setup. The frame uses 700c wheels, an integrated headset, a Bolide HR custom fork and seatpost, and a custom Most TT bar and stem.

The finish is Hour Black. This is not a frame you buy off the shelf, either. Pinarello builds it to order, typically after a consultation and a Dynamic Body Analysis, and it takes a deposit and months to arrive. If you track race, chase records, or collect the most significant bikes of the era, the Bolide F HR 3D is a rare chance to own one. It is a very specialized, very expensive tool, built for one job on the track.