Yup - bring it into any drug store, and hold it up to the nail polish rack. Pick the closest matching shade. It won't be perfect, but it will be passable and protect bare metal.

If you are planning on selling, leave the touch upto the new owner. I would prefer to buy an untouched bike, rather than one that wasn't touched up to my standards. I have had MUCH better luck touching up with real paint. I use Testors or Model Masters. You can combine colors to get a good match. I use a botle cap and drop the paint in a drop at a time with a toothpick. When you get a good match, it is easier to duplicate if you take note of how many drops you have used. If you are keeping it, go ahead and touch up, if selling, leave it alone.

Once again, if selling, just strip it and leave it to the new owner to choose the components. If keeping, I would start by putting a C-Record rear derailleur and shift levers on. The rest is fine. Not ideal, but perfectly acceptable.

If you intend to ride it, follow BigBossMan's suggestion, and equip it with modern Campagnolo 10 speed. You can purchase everything except the wheels for a little over $600 from various British retailers. A good wheelset will cost you around $300, give or take.

Are you planning on selling?

OFG you have convinced me to keep this. What would be ideal in your opinion. And thank you for sticking with me through this. I wish i would have caught on to the clydesdale thing sooner!

If it were me, I would buy a Centaur 10 speed group on it, and ride the hell out of it. One concern, is that the seat post seems high, and you have a long stem on it, with it up high. Does the bike fit you well?

The bars appear to be deep drop Cinelli, 66 model, 64 model have shallower drops, and may be more comfortable.

If the bike is too small for you, you will never be comfortable. I would guess that the bike is about a 55-56 cm frame, measured from the center of the bottom bracket bolt to the center of the top tube, along the seat tube. How tall are you? Long legs, short legs?

Where are you located? There may be one of us near you that would be willing to help, just to see the bike in person.

Funny you should ask. I am six feet. Always on high speed descents the bike would go into a wobble. I am located in NH. what is a centuar? I will measure it and post it. Time to go feed the Belgian.....

Campagnolo Centaur

well, first of all the bike is tooooo small for you. looks like you have most c record parts on it already. dont dont repaint it. i hate hate repaints. dont doit youll regret it. put it on ebay and see what happens. buy your self a 58 cm bike with the money you get from your de rosa. i think one grand is a good price if you can get it. de rosas of that era dont bring a heck of alot more. older ones, of course are a different story. remember dont repaint it and youll be better off. dont ride it either toooo small. -does this sound like ive been smoking something? sorry.

Yes, no need to apologize, Arnold says it's okay, or at least only $100 bad.

Well, I'll just have to buy it then.

Can someone post a picture of the centaur. How about stem, and bars. would they be original. Same with the Mavic tubular rims with the campy hubs?

My '97 Pinarello Vuelta with '09 Campy Centaur. I've had the bike equipped with this group since the summer of '08, and I love it:













At the time, I went with Centaur because it was the best Campy group available in an all-aluminum group. If I were doing it now, I would go with the new Campy Athena, it's available in all-aluminum, and it's eleven speed, so new parts will be available from Campy further into the future.

The Centaur and Veloce groups are still available in 10 speed, but aside from those two groups, Campy has gone eleven speed.

It's a great looking bike but I'll pick this nit just in case I learn something about the newer gear.

Isn't that rear derailleur cable more than a tad too long, like 50% too long?

Highly recommended UK seller Probikekit has, at the time of this post, this 2011 aluminum 10 spd Veloce kit for $556.24.

Looks like Coupon Code TDFUSA saves you another 10%. Free shipping to the USA, as well.

Wheels not included in kit.

https://www.probikekit.com/display.php?code=L0101

Yep, thanks for the reminder. I'll order this morning.

I am using Campy Veloce for my Handsome XOXO build this winter.

Going with WTB Dirt Drop bars versus Nittos though.

May end up with 10 speed bar ends later, so we'll see.

Also, nice Pinarello above. The loop could be a little shorter, but if the poster has ridden the bike that way for two years, I think he'll survive.

Be aware that Campagnolo has changed the shifting on the 2011 models. Only one cog shift on the thumb button. Last I checked, Ribble and Shinybikes still had 2009 Centaur available.

I'll double check on those.

The Handsome is going to be my new commuter/adventure bike.

So, a little off-road, paths, St. Paul potholes, slush, riding out to the cyclocross races, etc.

Veloce would probably work well on this bike, and I'd have zero guilt when I beat the living daylights out of it.

I will certainly be able to give a good report on its durability after a year or so, if there is anything left.

Hey Grady...A heads up...Shiny Bikes has (as of Friday) ALLOY 2009 Centaur Ergos listed as in stock (just back in). Even though I didn't want to to spend the $$$ with the Pound being up, and Shiny Bikes 25 quid shipping...I had to do it. Might as well take advantage of the flat rate shipping and add in some $32 GP40000s and cheap campy chains/cassettes while you're at it!

It's a little longer than it needs to be, but it certainly worked perfectly while I had it on there. I see a lot of bikes with rear shifting problems that are a result of too short a cable loop there, the curve is too sharp and it causes unnecessary friction. I later ditched the all-white look and went with black Campy housing. If you look closely in this pic you can see the pre-cut housing that Campy supplies, it's not that different from the white one above. I probably cut the white housing to 13", most pre-cut housings for that loop are 12" I think. So no, it's not 50% too long.

Done.

That was mighty nice of you.

Very good price as well.

I owe you a nice cold pop.

NP... Just keep me in mind when there's a 57-59cm DeRosa for sale!

I like the black a lot more than the white. Good move!

Thanks for the info aboout cable length. Cables that are too short are problematic, so are cables that are too long. If it were mine, I would make it as short as possible without causing trouble (friction, reliability,...).

The more current Campagnolo groups are really sensitive to the length of the housing at the rear der. and they suggest to keep it long. I agree it sucks in the looks dept. but I have found that it does work better.

Thanks. The black sure is a heckuva lot easier to keep looking good than the white!

This is true. People who tell you to go short likely have not had much experience with modern Campagnolo 10-11 speed systems.

For me, "not much" = zero

I learn new stuff every day. I hope you don't mind all the questions.