Road Cycling - De Rosa

I have been looking around for a new road bike for a while know and have a found a make called De Rosa. unfortunately i haven't read a review on any of these makes and would like to know what they are like before buying one. The two models i am particular interested in is the De Rosa UD and De Rosa Merak.

Cheers

A well regarded old Italian company.You will not find many reaviews on the top end stuff from small foreign makers,because there is just not that many out there.

There are a few reviews here-
http://www.roadbikereview.com/De+Rosa/MCL_6716crx.aspx

The Derosa UD and Merak are very highly regarded bikes. Some people rate De Rosa higher than Colnago. I really don't think you can go wrong with a de Rosa.

I've never ridden one, but I've seen and touched a Merak. It is an amazingly beautiful piece of workmanship. The welds are ground so smooth that it looks like a single piece of aluminum. The fram could easily be built built up to sub-legal lightness.

very nice bikes. I don't know of anyone who has ever regretted owning a de Rosa.

Folks are right. De Rosa is a nice ride, and been around for a while. Many many, nice frames to choose from. Pick what is right for you, your budget and your ride style.

A De Rosa is certainly, top of the heap. If you wanna start there, go for it.

De Rosa's are beautiful! Love the Merak, it's got a fantastic paintjob- down to the little heart on the top tube! The soft paint is really something.
Doesn't hurt that they ride so well either!

The Merak has a weight limit- I think something like 180 pounds. It's a very light frame- I think it's just 2 pounds or something like that.

Hey

I recently bought a De Rosa Merak off of the internet from Total Cycling in Northern Ireland and had it shipped to the USA. I have had the bike for two weeks now, and I love the bike. I am really not the one to be able to make comparisons to other bikes though. My last bicycle was a 1983 Benotto with suntour components, and my 2002 Merak equipped with 2002 Campy Record components is a huge, huge upgrade. The forum members here were a great help to me in deciding which cassette size to buy, which gruppo, which wheelset, and even frame size. Thanks guys!!! If you are serious about getting a Merak, right now is probably a great time to buy because its the end of season. The American retailers who deal De Rosa are even starting to lower their prices. Still www.totalcycling.com is probably your best bet for price. If you can't find the size or color you want on their website I would suggest calling them by telephone. They MIGHT be able to hook you up. It cost me $30 to ship the frame/forks and I paid 3.9% duty which came to $55. I went to the Interbike Show yesterday to check out all the other brands, (and I may be biased now that I am a De Rosa owner, but IMHO De Rosa makes the best looking frames). I saw Eddy Merckx at his booth. His bikes are beautiful. Guess who built many of his frames for him when he was busy winning 5 Tour de Frances and his 3 World Championships??? You guessed it Ugo De Rosa. De Rosa also helped him set up his frame building factory in Belgium.

Scott, De Rosa's are exquisite works of art. You should THROW DOWN ASAP and get yourself a Sweet Sweet Ride.

Joey why don't you post a few pic's of your new RIDE!!!!!!!!

I'll bet joey is one of those RICH nerds who buys a top of the line bike only to sell it within a year because he either is bored, busy with other things (has other hobbies to blow his money on), or can't stand the fitness part of the ride. What size frame is your bike????? I'll do you a favor and give you half of what you paid for it right now!!!!!!

anybody know anything about the De Rosa Neo Pro?

Originally posted by cane
I'll bet joey is one of those RICH nerds who buys a top of the line bike only to sell it within a year because he either is bored, busy with other things (has other hobbies to blow his money on), or can't stand the fitness part of the ride. What size frame is your bike????? I'll do you a favor and give you half of what you paid for it right now!!!!!!
There is actually a bigger ass in this forum than pokey.

Originally posted by RacerX

There is actually a bigger ass in this forum than pokey. Actually,my ass is not that big.But it's good to know the forum has an assexpert. What color is your nose, and where do you practice proctology?

lets settle this out on the pavement guys!!

we'll meet out by the bike racks after school.

we'll race in pairs.

pokey - bring gumbi.
racer X - you bring speed racer or chim chim.
cane- you bring abel.

Am I really that bad????

Originally posted by RiPHRaPH
lets settle this out on the pavement guys!!

we'll meet out by the bike racks after school.

we'll race in pairs.

pokey - bring gumbi.
racer X - you bring speed racer or chim chim.
cane- you bring abel. No offense, but that was one corny-ass insult. Perceptive, but very corny.

And to bailey.scott: The Merak has a weight limit of 180, the UD has a weight limit lower than that. If you want durability from your De Rosa, look at the other models. U2 and V107 Al is used primarily for sort-time use (like racing) as their fatigue lives are a fraction of say 7005 Al, Ti, or steel. I have a friend who had a Titanio shipped over from Europe and from riding it a few time I can tell you...it's money. Look into to it if you like...

Originally posted by cane
Am I really that bad????

Not really. I think it's just that you posted in a forum where people are generally tolerant, polite, helpful and generally regard a cyclist positively no matter what they ride.

Here's another source of some information on De Rosa's:
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/derosa/ .

Although it is rather in the form of a sales pitch, it does have the geometries and a few pics.

If you get one, do post your experiences. I myself am looking into them.

By the way, the prices in Europe are a good 200-500 (€ or $) less than in the U.S., so if you can find a mail order place, that might be the way to go. Or if you have plans to come over, buy the bike here and get a chunk of tax taken off when you export it.

Cheers,
Jamie