Just three days into the Giro d'Italia race, Richard Calapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) has already been pushed to the back of the pack after a disappointing result in the stage 2 time trial. The Ecuadorian is currently in 15th place, 35 seconds behind race leader Simon Yates.

With Mount Etna looming and the next chapter of the GC contenders lighting up its slopes, Ineos Grenadiers unveiled the new, lightweight Pinarello Dogma F, Carapaz's latest weapon. But Pinarello, the team's bike sponsor, offered him a new, more subdued gold theme in an old-fashioned marginal gain tactic.

Instead of the entire top tube being covered in gold, the latest style is primarily black, with touches of gold used for the Pinarello, Dogma, Ineos, and Grenadier logos printed on the frame.

However, looking at the bike's specs, it is hard to believe that the primary goal was a common narrative of weight reduction to meet the UCI weight limit of 6.8 kg.

The difference in frame weight is unconfirmed, but it appears to be heavier, more aerodynamic, and allows for the continued use of tubeless wheels rather than tubulars while still meeting the 6.8 kg limit.

This adoption of tubeless technology and disc brakes is a refreshing change for the Ineos Grenadiers team, which has struggled to get the weight of its Pinarello bikes down to the weight limit and has stuck to lighter components. The development of the latest Pinarello Dogma F to replace the Dogma F12 seems to be a turning point for the team.

Photos released by the team show Shimano 50mm deep Dura-Ace R9200 C50 wheels and Continental GP5000 S TR tires in tubeless spec.

If weight were the primary consideration, it would make sense to install Shimano's lighter version of the same wheel, the 36mm-deep C36. However, this would almost certainly be less aerodynamic. Shimano also makes tubular versions of these two wheels, as well as the even more aerodynamic C60.

Besides these options, it is no secret that Ineos Grenadiers has a number of non-sponsor compliant wheelsets from Princeton Carbonworks and Lightweight. All of which should help reduce weight, but they have not opted for them. They appear to have struck a balance between weight, aerodynamics, and tubeless performance with their Shimano 50mm tubeless wheels.

However, something could change between now and the time the Avola is put into the start of stage 4.