Over the past few years, the best electric bicycles have become established in the marketplace. By day, commuting and delivery riders appear to be using dedicated eclectic bicycles or home-built options with e-bike conversion kits. Meanwhile, high-end, high-performance electric road bikes are also on the rise, aiming to mimic the feel of an unassisted road bike as much as possible, instead of focusing on maximum power and practicality. The new Pinarello Nitro E series falls into that very category, prioritizing low weight and handling. [There is also a gravel model and an all-road flat bar version that shares the same geometry as the gravel model.

At the heart of the road, gravel, and all-road bikes is a new mid-drive motor: a TQ-HPR50 unit (catchy name, right?) combined with a 360Wh battery. In return, you get 50Nm of torque and 300 watts of boost. The motor is designed to be as small as possible as well as lightweight to maintain the Q-factor as much as possible to better mimic the feel of riding a standard road or gravel bike.

Furthermore, the motor is designed to be quiet. While the bike's shape, larger downtube, and integrated LED display may give away that it is equipped with power assist, you would never know by the sound of the motor. At 11.4 kg, the road model is comparable to some touring bikes, though not to high-end road bikes, and is the lightest electric bike of its kind on the market.

The road model in particular is clearly inspired by and shares design features with the Dogma F and the new Pinarello F that we recently tested. Same visuals, same cable integration and cockpit, asymmetrical design to better accommodate the forces of braking and power transfer (which seems to be even more important with 300W of boost).

With the motor on the bottom bracket and the battery on the downtube, aerodynamics may not seem like much of a concern, but the more slippery the bike (and rider), the less power assist is needed and the greater the range. e- road models use Dogma seatposts, while E-gravel offers a round option that opens up options for dropper posts and more suspension-oriented seatposts.

The headline act is the Nitro E road, which comes in three varieties (E9, E7, and E5). All are equipped with Shimano electronic control groupset followed by Dura-Ace, Ultegra, and 105. Only the E7 is available in two colors, while the E5 and E9 are only available in one color. Both can be equipped with 32mm tires, and wheelsets range from top-end Princeton Grit to 105-level Fulcrum Racing 800.

Featuring different geometry and room for 50mm tires, the gravel models all use 1x Sram group sets; the E9 is red, the E7 is Force, and the E5 is Rival, with similar wheelsets ranging from Princeton to Fulcrum's Rapid Red. There is also a Nitro Allroad with the same geometry as the Nitro Gravel but with flat bars, mudguards, pannier racks, and 11sp Deore drivetrain.