Pinarello Dogma AK61 Magnesium (2004)

Alloy bikes wave goodbye to the peloton

Pinarello’s Dogma has been a regular sight at the front of bike races for a number of years. However this magnesium version of Alessandro Petacchi fame represents its final metal-framed incarnation. Even as it was being overtaken by carbon, this bike and its maker were pushing what could be accomplished with alloy.

‘A lot of aluminium innovation started with Gary Klein,’ says Anderson. ‘A decade later you can see how much has been achieved through processes like hydroforming, using massive liquid pressure inside the tubes to shape them.’

Enjoying a comparatively short time in the sun, aluminium and later magnesium provided many excellent qualities. ‘This magnesium frame was incredibly stiff,’ says Anderson. ‘But the uniqueness of magnesium is its ability to absorb vibration.’

That was often a weak point for oversized aluminium bikes, however the downside was how brittle magnesium proved to be.

‘It was notoriously challenging to work with and weld.

As a result it’s very difficult to find an AK61 Dogma that hasn’t cracked.’

This Fassa Bortolo team model is a rare intact example, and as such it is one of the few bikes that Anderson doesn’t let his hotel guests ride.