1987 De Rosa Professional. Finally!!!
06-04-18, 05:27 PM
#1
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1987 De Rosa Professional. Finally!!!
I have been looking for one of these in my size for years. The last two opportunities I hesitated and lost out. I was thinking to much about how to explain N+1 to the wife. This time I acted with reckless abandon! Anyhow, I took is out for a short shake-down ride today and am very excited about the bike. I had pieced together a c-record/record group but I think I will enjoy the Dura Ace for now. It shifts so nice. Came with tubulars which I have never used before but it's always good to learn something new
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2009 Cinelli Super Corsa
199? Masi Nuova Strada
1988 Centurion Ironman Expert
1987 De Rosa Professional
1987 Weinmann Merckx
1984 Ciocc Designer 84
1983 Guerciotti SL
1982 Guerciotti SL
1981 Gios Torino Super Record
2009 Cinelli Super Corsa
199? Masi Nuova Strada
1988 Centurion Ironman Expert
1987 De Rosa Professional
1987 Weinmann Merckx
1984 Ciocc Designer 84
1983 Guerciotti SL
1982 Guerciotti SL
1981 Gios Torino Super Record
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06-04-18, 05:46 PM
#2
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Welcome to the club.
Ride it tubularly!!! Nice ones.
I use Conti Sprinters 22mm, but will move to 23or24 next set.
Plush is not what this ride is about.
Ride it tubularly!!! Nice ones.
I use Conti Sprinters 22mm, but will move to 23or24 next set.
Plush is not what this ride is about.
06-04-18, 06:31 PM
#3
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Loving the red and De Rosa panto stem 
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1983 Basso Gap... 2013 Colnago CX1...2015 Bianchi Intenso
1983 Basso Gap... 2013 Colnago CX1...2015 Bianchi Intenso
06-04-18, 06:41 PM
#4
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You will love it !
I love mine --- i'm about to go "full purge" on my collection, but the DeRosa is staying !!
I love mine --- i'm about to go "full purge" on my collection, but the DeRosa is staying !!
06-04-18, 07:35 PM
#5
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Congrats and enjoy! You will not regret it. Looks to be in very nice shape!
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N = '96 Colnago C40, '04 Wilier Alpe D'Huez, '10 Colnago EPS, '85 Merckx Pro, '89 Merckx Century, '86 Tommasini Professional, '04 Teschner Aero FX Pro, '05 Alan Carbon Cross, '86 De Rosa Professional, '82 Colnago Super, '95 Gios Compact Pro, '95 Carrera Zeus, '84 Basso Gap, ‘89 Cinelli Supercorsa, ‘83 Bianchi Specialissima, ‘VO Randonneur, Ritchey Breakaway Steel, '84 Paletti Super Prestige, Heron Randonneur
N = '96 Colnago C40, '04 Wilier Alpe D'Huez, '10 Colnago EPS, '85 Merckx Pro, '89 Merckx Century, '86 Tommasini Professional, '04 Teschner Aero FX Pro, '05 Alan Carbon Cross, '86 De Rosa Professional, '82 Colnago Super, '95 Gios Compact Pro, '95 Carrera Zeus, '84 Basso Gap, ‘89 Cinelli Supercorsa, ‘83 Bianchi Specialissima, ‘VO Randonneur, Ritchey Breakaway Steel, '84 Paletti Super Prestige, Heron Randonneur
06-04-18, 09:06 PM
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Stunning! You’ll have to show us more pics if you decide to go with the c-record/record group.
06-04-18, 09:32 PM
#8
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Your crown is very nice. Cycle looks to be my size, 60cm.
06-05-18, 12:31 AM
#9
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It's a 57 cm. Tilt may make the HT look longer.
As for year I just picked the closest year after looking at all the confusing info available. Flat fork crown makes it no earlier than 86 though 86 catalog shows the crowns chromed. Vertical lettering points to 88/89 . However the brake bridge went from tubular to cast in 88/89. So 87/88 seams reasonable. I can't tell if mine has the diamante chainstays (gone in 88) or oval. The radius on the top and bottom look quite sharp to be an oval tube.
As for year I just picked the closest year after looking at all the confusing info available. Flat fork crown makes it no earlier than 86 though 86 catalog shows the crowns chromed. Vertical lettering points to 88/89 . However the brake bridge went from tubular to cast in 88/89. So 87/88 seams reasonable. I can't tell if mine has the diamante chainstays (gone in 88) or oval. The radius on the top and bottom look quite sharp to be an oval tube.
06-05-18, 05:15 AM
#10
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@Soylent - Great looking bike and congrats! I wish to have one too.
Could you take a pic of the chainstays to show what you have?
Could you take a pic of the chainstays to show what you have?
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06-05-18, 09:28 AM
#11
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Beautiful. Simply beautiful.
I agree that "plush" is not what this ride is about.
Riding good tubulars is fun. Gluing on tubulars is not particularly fun, but not that big a deal. Repairing tubulars sucks, pure and simple.
As for the the year, a clue is the "DeRosa" decal on the top tube. For a while in the mid-80s - up to 1986 or so, where yours says "DeRosa" they had the three-medallions decal (right side only - nothing on the left) celebrating Eddy Merckx's three Pernod Trophy wins in for, I, believe, 1973, 1974 and 1975 (not coincidentally the time when he was mostly riding DeRosas after having seriously pissed off Ernesto Colnago; see "Merckx Hour Record bike, Windsor stickers faux pas"). Other than that, my 1986 frame looked exactly like yours. Same flat fork crown. Same lettering on the crown and the seat stay caps. Same beautiful red. Same chromed seat stays. Same other graphics. So based on everything else, and based on that top tube decal, my guess is that your 1987-88 estimate is likely correct.
One word of caution: That bike will want to go fast. It will constantly encourage you to go faster. That got me into a spot of bother once or twice of the "entering a downhill corner too hot" variety. I survived, but scared the beejeezus out of myself until I learned to rein this thoroughbred in a little bit in such circumstances. You have been warned. Note: This is not a complaint. That DeRosa is a full-on road racing frame and was meant to help and encourage you to push the envelope, and all frames and bikes have their quirks and mannerisms (hey, it's why we want more and more and more bikes). My DeRosa had this one and I bet yours does, too. Not even remotely a bad one, but one to be aware of.
Great pick-up. Enjoy the heck out of it.
I agree that "plush" is not what this ride is about.
Riding good tubulars is fun. Gluing on tubulars is not particularly fun, but not that big a deal. Repairing tubulars sucks, pure and simple.
As for the the year, a clue is the "DeRosa" decal on the top tube. For a while in the mid-80s - up to 1986 or so, where yours says "DeRosa" they had the three-medallions decal (right side only - nothing on the left) celebrating Eddy Merckx's three Pernod Trophy wins in for, I, believe, 1973, 1974 and 1975 (not coincidentally the time when he was mostly riding DeRosas after having seriously pissed off Ernesto Colnago; see "Merckx Hour Record bike, Windsor stickers faux pas"). Other than that, my 1986 frame looked exactly like yours. Same flat fork crown. Same lettering on the crown and the seat stay caps. Same beautiful red. Same chromed seat stays. Same other graphics. So based on everything else, and based on that top tube decal, my guess is that your 1987-88 estimate is likely correct.
One word of caution: That bike will want to go fast. It will constantly encourage you to go faster. That got me into a spot of bother once or twice of the "entering a downhill corner too hot" variety. I survived, but scared the beejeezus out of myself until I learned to rein this thoroughbred in a little bit in such circumstances. You have been warned. Note: This is not a complaint. That DeRosa is a full-on road racing frame and was meant to help and encourage you to push the envelope, and all frames and bikes have their quirks and mannerisms (hey, it's why we want more and more and more bikes). My DeRosa had this one and I bet yours does, too. Not even remotely a bad one, but one to be aware of.
Great pick-up. Enjoy the heck out of it.
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"I'm in shape -- round is a shape." Andy Rooney
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06-05-18, 10:27 AM
#13
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Looking at this more closely, these may be the oval stays and not the Diamante stays as I don't see a sharp angle at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock on the tubes but just a smooth curve. What do you all think. Oval tubes would date it closer to 1988?
__________________
2009 Cinelli Super Corsa
199? Masi Nuova Strada
1988 Centurion Ironman Expert
1987 De Rosa Professional
1987 Weinmann Merckx
1984 Ciocc Designer 84
1983 Guerciotti SL
1982 Guerciotti SL
1981 Gios Torino Super Record
2009 Cinelli Super Corsa
199? Masi Nuova Strada
1988 Centurion Ironman Expert
1987 De Rosa Professional
1987 Weinmann Merckx
1984 Ciocc Designer 84
1983 Guerciotti SL
1982 Guerciotti SL
1981 Gios Torino Super Record
06-05-18, 11:00 AM
#14
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I don't know about the stays, but glad you got this bike.
Great rider. Everyone should have one. And I don't say that about a lot of bikes.
Great rider. Everyone should have one. And I don't say that about a lot of bikes.
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BLDMAMTAOLD
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BLDMAMTAOLD
06-05-18, 11:18 AM
#15
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06-05-18, 01:11 PM
#16
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06-05-18, 02:19 PM
#17
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Thread Starter
Thanks everyone. Wish I had the day off work
Bikingshearer- I noticed fairly quickly, and avoiding an embarrassing moment, that this bike is not one to sit back on and admire the scenery
Wildwood- I think they are the same year likely 87/88. Beautiful color. Those deltas look great. I was looking for a set but they seem to be going for astronomical prices these days.
Bikingshearer- I noticed fairly quickly, and avoiding an embarrassing moment, that this bike is not one to sit back on and admire the scenery
Wildwood- I think they are the same year likely 87/88. Beautiful color. Those deltas look great. I was looking for a set but they seem to be going for astronomical prices these days.
__________________
2009 Cinelli Super Corsa
199? Masi Nuova Strada
1988 Centurion Ironman Expert
1987 De Rosa Professional
1987 Weinmann Merckx
1984 Ciocc Designer 84
1983 Guerciotti SL
1982 Guerciotti SL
1981 Gios Torino Super Record
2009 Cinelli Super Corsa
199? Masi Nuova Strada
1988 Centurion Ironman Expert
1987 De Rosa Professional
1987 Weinmann Merckx
1984 Ciocc Designer 84
1983 Guerciotti SL
1982 Guerciotti SL
1981 Gios Torino Super Record
06-05-18, 08:17 PM
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Very nice bike you have there. Earlier this year I picked up a frameset from someone on one of the bike forums. I believe mine is an '86. I had been looking for quite a while. I had a Campy 7 speed groupset, a DA 8 speed groupset and a DA 9 speed groupset. I went with the 8 speed DA. I like DA and I think I made the right choice. I would keep yours as DA.
06-06-18, 12:20 AM
#21
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06-06-18, 02:41 AM
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beautiful.
02-02-23, 02:22 PM
#23
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87 Professional SLX
I know this is an old thread but it came up in my google search for an 87 catalog. Beautiful bike OP - hope you're still enjoying the ride.
I've wanted one of these for years also and today I got one. In '92 I bought an '87 Pinarello Montello on the advice of a friend with a De Rosa. I've been looking in earnest for one in my size for quite a while - red one with flat crown and some nice pantographing (if you can't ride fast you need to look good riding slow) - this one came along so I jumped on it (my wife was fairly tolerant as I unboxed it this morning) .My new frame looks to be identical to the OPs. At first I was concerned about the sharp-ish edges on the stays but now I see those are the diamante ones (kept reading about them but didn't know what that really meant from a design standpoint).
I've wanted one of these for years also and today I got one. In '92 I bought an '87 Pinarello Montello on the advice of a friend with a De Rosa. I've been looking in earnest for one in my size for quite a while - red one with flat crown and some nice pantographing (if you can't ride fast you need to look good riding slow) - this one came along so I jumped on it (my wife was fairly tolerant as I unboxed it this morning) .My new frame looks to be identical to the OPs. At first I was concerned about the sharp-ish edges on the stays but now I see those are the diamante ones (kept reading about them but didn't know what that really meant from a design standpoint).
02-03-23, 12:24 AM
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Very cool De Rosa and with Dura Ace7400,top notch choice
