tremolo1965

Hello,

This is one of my first posts - wanted to share some pics of my new approx. 1977 De Rosa / 58cm / pearl white. I still haven't figured out how to post the pics the right way..Gomango helped me with them on the De Rosa Time line thread. Here's a link:


https://www.flickr.com/photos/5114799...7629166902913/

I bought this from the original owner who even had info on the bike shop he bought it from in the late '70s, in Florence, Italy. He brought it to Seattle in '82. The bike had been ridden for a few years then hung up in the garage...


Cheers!
Chris

gomango

You know, this is something the mods could help newcomers with:

A "how to post pictures" thread.

Maybe someone knows if this already exists?

If not, maybe one should be started.

Tremelo, do you want me to post the pics again for now?

tremolo1965

Hey Gomango..sure. I am not 'getting' it.

Thank you!

Ecrevisse

Here they are from your flickr site. Nice bike. I love De Rosa's

tremolo1965

Thanks, Ecrevisse!

Ecrevisse

So, what size is it? And what are you going to do with it?

tremolo1965

Hello Ecrevisse,
It's a 58 cm measured from the center / bottom bracket to center top tube. I measured the top tube the other night and I think it was 58.5 cm.. Until recently, and for years, I haven't ridden much. During the '80s and early '90s I rode a lot..had a Colnago Mexico / NR bike that I really liked, and a Ferrari red De Rosa SLX (Super Record, Cobalto brakes with were really pretty) that I loved.., and rode all over Long Beach. I worked late and rode it home and sometimes kept going..I loved it. Lost my job as a mechanic at Douglas (MD-80s, C-17s) and sold the bike... Fast forward - my family and I moved up to West Seattle last year and I've started to ride my old green Schwinn Suburban all around the hills near our home..decided I wanted to add buy another Italian bike, preferably another De Rosa (keeping the Schwinn, though - it has fenders!). I found this one on Craigslist - there was almost no description in the ad, other than 'Imported by mi from Italia'. I called immediately and drove out to look at the bike. Being ignorant to the finer points of De Rosas (other than having put a few thousand miles in the saddle of one..), I was at first a bit discouraged that the bike didn't say SLX on the Columbus ID decal, but the bike FELT really good, rolled nice and stable, felt alive, pretty darn clean for a very obviously original 35-year-old bike covered in spider webs. So I bought it. It's as close to original as can be - I've had many conversations with the gentleman who sold it to me and it was one of the few things he brought with him when he moved here in 1980, rode it for a few more years then eventually hung it up in the garage. Anyways, the bike came with a bag from the shop in Scandicci where he bought the bike, some sprockets, water bottle from the same shop, some brand new Campagnolo brake hoods, a bunch of Regina Corsa freewheels, spokes, some tools, 3 useless spare tubulars and four good ones...need to sort them out because the front tire is in dire need of replacement!

Oh, to answer your question - I am going to ride this bike, maintain it..and hold on to it. I do plan to go through the bearings (BB, headset, hubs), wax the bike. The decals are subtly different than other late '70s bikes I've seen on the web... I love the bike.

Ecrevisse

Great story. I'm glad you will keep it and ride. It deserves it. Clean it up, keep it original, and don't refinish it. Others in the know about De Rosa's will be very envious.

wayoutwest

that bike looks awesome. very cool story.

jjhabbs 

Very pretty!

vjp

Nice!!

I do believe that it is an 80's not 70's bike, the decals, both De Rosa and Columbus point to that.

Rocket-Sauce 

+1
and cable guides, Super Record bits etc....

Very nice bike.

tremolo1965

Thanks for the input! Hmmm...I'm still not sure of the exact year. I'm fairly confident the bike is mid-to-late '70s, approximately...1977 but I am still researching and collecting details. I know the Super Record Group is fairly early, no lip on the front derailleur, early 2nd generation rear derailleur based on the hardware details; the brakes show the pre-CPSC tire guides, etc.. I think that puts the component group around 1977, certainly pre-1978. I'm still trying to nail down the date somewhat - the frame was constructed in the earlier style, with pressed lugs and looks to have been created during the same production run as the blue frame of the bike that Picchio Special had owned. That bike was discussed in an earlier thread I found, and had very similar features - the plug-end seat stays with the same engraving, brazed cable guides - bottom bracket cut-outs and details. Picchio - do you have a minute or two to chime in?

Ecrevisse

The decals indicate 70's. De Rosa make a few hundred replica bikes. They were modern frames with paint and decals for specific years, 57, 65, and 73. The decals on the replica 73 look like yours.

vjp

So his bike was built in '73? Unless it was re-finished at a later date and TT guides added, I doubt it.

vjp

The De Rosa replicas were all about significant victories/riders, the "'73" from what I can tell is a Molteni Orange Eddy tribute, so definitely not the same decals as this bike, unless there is another "73 Replica you are referencing?

serpentsthrone

I have this old De Rosa track bike I've had for a few years. At one point it was told to me it may be around a 1977 but I've never actually really spent the proper time to find out, so maybe it is maybe not? I actually recently was chatting with the 2nd owner who manages our velodrome out here but his memory of exact details was a little foggy. Love the bike though, and yours!

delicious

Those seat stay caps are foreign to me - is that a clue to dating it?

Very nice looking bike, in any case.

serpentsthrone

Here's a close up of the seatstay. Sorry don't have many photo's if it's my bike you're referring to in the first place...

CrankyFranky

Tremolo, you are one lucky fella...I hope you get to ride the bleep out of it!

tremolo1965

Bike looks beautiful, Serpentsthrone! It does share that unusual seat stay cap style..interesting.

tremolo1965

Hi VJP,
Thanks for your comments! It actually seemed to me that Ecrevisse was trying to point out that those decals were around in the '70s rather than trying to describe my bicycle as having been produced during a specific year.

With specific regard to the decals...I have seen some photos on the internet of mid-'70s De Rosa frames with 'half arc'-shaped world champion stripes on them, but my bicycle has a different version with an Italian flag in the middle. Each of them is a complete sticker, btw, with the world champion stripes as 'bookends' to the flag - never seen a picture of another bike with those decals... I am thinking my bike perhaps may have been one of the earlier ones with that particular head tube sticker which was phased in and remained through much of the '80s...so if you saw the picture of the head tube I can see why you would have perhaps identified the frame as having been an '80s model.

The frame, as well as the pre-1978 Super Record stuff, is (according to what I've read in my limited internet research) a mid-late '70s model - based on the fact that it is of pressed-lug construction rather than cast forged / IC production methods.

Based on the pre-CPSC Campagnolo stuff - my impression is that the bike was probably put together in 1977, but it's possible that the shop could have had a 1977 SR group they needed to get out the door...so perhaps '78, but that would be the latest. My understanding is that by around '79 De Rosa began to ramp-up production and assemblies..

I'm enjoying learning about the bicycle and look forward to learning more.

tremolo1965

VJP - I forgot to mention that some of the information that lead me to believe my bike was a 1977 model came from here (although the decals are another story altogether.)

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...light=timeline

https://www.flickr.com/photos/2358521...7618581982271/

vjp

You might be right about the '77 date, it seems to fit in a way. Though I have seen De Rosa that age that had cable clips, not guides.

The "flag" decals exactly like that are on Viners of that era. Does your bike have nutted brakes or allen nutted brakes?

vjp

Wow, looks like your bike.