I’m now the proud owner of a 1986 De Rosa Professional frame. There have been a couple of full bikes I’ve looked at in the past but there has always been something which has put me off – usually the high asking price! By getting the frame it lets me build up the group I want slowly but surely over time.

I’ve already made a good start and deals with [MENTION=365306]nesteel[/MENTION] and [MENTION=96605]smontanaro[/MENTION] who have sorted me out with Record brakes and a Record wheelset respectively. I also have a mini pat.72 Nuovo group – but it isn’t braze on so it has me thinking I might do something else there. I also worry it’s too old for the frame, and have seen a similar bike with and a patent 84 super record group which looked great – so I would be interested in what people thought here?

The bike originally had a full 50th anniversary set-up on it, but that was sold off by the previous owner. So, while I won’t be able to match up to that for a while, this bike is obviously used to the finer things in life!

I'll try and keep this updated with more pictures as i progress, but any advice along the way is very much appreciated.

JIANG...your bike's back

I'd probably put an ergo gruppo on it, or 7700. My reasoning is that the c-rcord stuff is mehhhh, and $$$. DA would be fine, but most people think Japanese and de rosa are bleach and amonia. I am not one of those people. I hate old gruppos on newer bikes most of the time.

Another vote for a nice 9 or 10 speed Campagnolo group on the bike. My De Rosa Professional has 2x9 Chorus and it looks and performs beautifully.

I'll be curious to see what path you take on this. My De Rosa get's dropped off tomorrow for it's rebuild. Had got a nice 9 Speed Chorus setup for it but then decided to go all modern and have a brand new Chorus 11 speed setup to be put on it. Since mine is TSX and a 54 CM frame I'm hoping to wind up with a fairly light, stiff bike that will be fun to climb with.

I personally would install Campagnolo Athena 10 speed aluminum with brifters group, look classic and contemporary for the De Rosa! Over the years of buying and selling, I've had about 10 De Rosa's, but none fit me, so I made some money instead of collecting. That is a pretty De Rosa!

Agreed on 9-10 speed campy..it looks and works. I also have C record 8 both drop shift and ergolever and while it looks stunning its heavy and clunky.

I think I'm going to stick with 7 speed to avoid any issues with the rear spacing. I'm also in Chicago at the minute so hills are not an issue! If I return to Sydney, or end up back in Yorkshire, I will need a little more range, but that's for another day.

I have an '87 DeRosa --- had the rear professionally spaced to 130, then installed a 10 speed Campy build kit .
That said , if you could get a nice dt shift C-Record groupset - it would look very very nice

Consider Campy 8 ergos with 7 speed freewheel/cassette. Works great and no messing with rear spacing.

I have 8 speed Campy on my 126 spaced Merckx - no problems. Takes just a little extra effort to get the rear wheel in.

Last generation Super Record all the way. I have some odd date-correct SR bits if you decide to go that route.

There is a Chicago area C&V group ride coming up. Maybe it will be ready by then? I sure would like to see that in person.


Inaugural and Likely Only Greater Chicagoland Falling Leaves Classic & Vintage Ride

+1 on last gen Super Record. Rolls Saddle. They were the Gucci bikes of the time. Should be a touch gaudy.

You can't really make a bad choice. Just depends on what you want.

I'd personally build it with downtube shifters. Move to modern, down the road if you like Ergo.

Mine feels total racer.

Wow. I was ready to push the buy button on that frame but was sweating how I would explain buying a second frame this month to my wife. When I decided to buy it 5 minutes later, it was gone. Good for you!!! You Don't come across those often at all.

Haha, yes. You don't know how many laps of the house I did before I was able to push the buy button for a similar reason! But, as you say, you don't see them every day and the price seemed fair.

I think last gen SR is the way I will go, but might take a while to get the full group together (@jeirvine I will give you a shout). For now I will work with what I've got.

I really like the white San Marco supercorsa saddles. But, at this stage, it's a bit of an extravagance so can wait!

Nice frameset.

If it were mine, I would search for a nice alloy 10 speed Chorus groupset.

SR is ok to look at, but I'd put a 7400 groupset on that frameset before I'd go SR.

I never really cared for SR......

Another vote for DA 7700.

Any group would be fine, but DT shifters are a must. Nice, congrats.

Simplex retro friction shifters all the way...

frndlyfire, if you want some inspiration (or just another opinion to ignore) here's what I have had on my Nuovo Classico for the best part of 10 years - Chorus 10spd alloy. It rides more sweetly as any bike I've had and that's quite a few. IMHO to make it a 'riding' bike you want to go with ergo shifters. It'll be the difference between enjoying the bike to look at or enjoying it to look AND ride!!

86 could still be considered the tailmost end of Campagnolo transitioning out of the SR era. Can't go wrong with SR/mid 80's frame build! Delta/C Record is pretty much late 87+ timeline the earliest.. it would have been the first Gruppo update for the bike, but frankly, the functionality (under developed indexing and iffy brake performance, plus the weight gain, compared to SR) of the later gruppo might dissapoint.