De Rosa Protos 'orangerosa'

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kenmical
Posts: 35
Joined: Thu Oct 02, 2014 3:25 am

by kenmical

Nice Protos! I almost ordered a King XS from Performance Cycle ;) De Rosa top of line bikes are all no nonsense functional bikes. However I find that the King RS (previous incarnation of XS) is already too stiff for my preference coming from a R838.

Hope to hear more from you on the Protos.

Permon
Posts: 637
Joined: Mon Jun 23, 2008 8:52 am

by Permon

I am pretty much sure, the bike looks 1000% better in reality. The pics never tell the reality:(
Please, post the pics with the correct bar position! :wink:

Please, let us know what the new SR is like when You have some valid impressions.
I ordered new SR last week, so I want to know, if I made a right decission :wink: (I was deciding between SR mechanical vs. Record EPS)

Thank you.

by Weenie


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theletterk
Posts: 161
Joined: Wed Sep 28, 2011 12:50 pm

by theletterk

this is how the bar looks like after it has been tilted downwards and the shifters moved a little higher up. this is how i normally set up my bikes.

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bringing it to try some a pretty short climb (this is the highest point we can ever go in Singapore :P - all of 90mtrs high)

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Now the bike has been reworked on (the first mechanic who installed it 'crossed' the cable inside the frame unknowingly and i felt the shifting for the front D was a little strange) by another mechanic who has since straightened the cable and adding a thin silicone sleeve to the cables under the BB cable guide. Shifting is now bam bam. fast and snappy.

RD seems to be able to do some pretty fast shifting under load while climbing so that is good as well.

I don't know if the faster shifting for the FD is due to the narrower cage (i.e = stronger?) but it feels quicker. The chainring is also a new design so that might help as well.

*handlebar angle and shifter height has been set to the the specs of my other bikes so it looks way better and of cos more comfortable now

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irongatsby
Posts: 404
Joined: Fri Jan 21, 2011 7:59 am
Location: Los Angeles

by irongatsby

What a beauty..

dofman
Posts: 36
Joined: Sat Jan 18, 2014 3:42 am
Location: Quebec

by dofman

I'm in love with your bike, stand out so much with what we usually see.

jordan00
Posts: 48
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2014 3:51 am

by jordan00

Outrages. Love how blacked out the components look next to the frame!

Permon
Posts: 637
Joined: Mon Jun 23, 2008 8:52 am

by Permon

Yeah, after handlebars/shifters settled it looks just RIGHT! :thumbup:
Great job! :up:

beepbeep
Posts: 46
Joined: Sat Feb 16, 2013 4:44 pm

by beepbeep

INSANE!!!!!
8) 8) :shock: 8) 8)

Lafolie
Posts: 662
Joined: Tue Sep 08, 2009 10:12 pm

by Lafolie

Stunning, I too have just bought a Protos in the Vini Fantini colourway. Fantastic to ride and looks so different. Enjoy your Protos!

Selmer
Posts: 36
Joined: Mon Jun 23, 2008 8:34 am

by Selmer

It's been a long time for me not been seeing a handsome bike like yours!!!
You got money and great taste, that's the way life should be !!!

theletterk
Posts: 161
Joined: Wed Sep 28, 2011 12:50 pm

by theletterk

Thanks everyone for the kind words.

Its been about 600km with this bike and i think i have already 'run in' the bike nicely so i think i can give a little more details about the bike if you all are still interested to know.

Shifting - huge huge improvement from the previous SR. Make no mistake. this is a real upgrade. Shifting for the FD is so quick that sometimes i don't even know if it actually moved. Very fast. I even tested it as fast as i could shift in 10 seconds...and its spot on without any problems. (WITH and without load). Rear D is also typical of campy.....shifters are smooth with each swing and the reaction from the D itself is good. v snappy without being too loud....only thing is that the FD cage is a little narrower (mechanic measured it) now so the tuning has to be v v precise now....but i guess that is how the shifting is quicker now.

Crank wise - some say they like. some say they don't. i like it personally - thats why i bought it. I am not high kw/ftp rider so there is no chance that i will ever come close to the optimum performance of what the new crank can offer.

Bike wise - Descents are very much quicker than my other bikes on the same course. steering can be said to be like a FWD car (i like the feedback it gives me)....i feel this bike provides a little more traction on the front. descending speed is quicker by 2-3km and it picks up speed very quickly as well off the saddle. Out of all the bikes that i've owned......only the TMR01 can come close to the power that the protos is giving me but the TMR01 doesn't climb or descend as well. Hard flats - i'll give it to TMR01. (TMR01 is such a speed machine). Protos will be be a very good machine if you do crits with sharp climbs as the response is very good.

The current combination will stay for now as everything seems to be set up for my club rides. I might be using this bike for my Triathlons (will then fit in my bora80) and if that happens i think the bike will excel as i think this bike is made for campy :P

cazone
Posts: 78
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2011 10:32 pm

by cazone

Just wow !

Hastur
Posts: 54
Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2014 9:45 am
Location: SWE

by Hastur

Thanks for the review and photos! A really nice bike!! :-)

KB
Posts: 3967
Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2004 12:32 pm
Location: HULL UK

by KB

Great looking bike. Love the frame colour and the way the components have been chosen. We don't see many orange bikes on here so it makes a pleasant change from the normal routine.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



theletterk
Posts: 161
Joined: Wed Sep 28, 2011 12:50 pm

by theletterk

After being a highlighter for about 3 months on the road......i have decided to go with a black bartape to just concentrate on the wonderful ride and concentrate on riding!

Should be in this colour scheme for a long time!

Also - is using degreaser the only way to clean up the frame after rides? the matte frame really needs some TLC to clean up and so far i have to wipe down with a degreaser and then wipe down again with a clean damp cloth! (normal way of cleaning doesn't remove the stains etc from the frame. oil/grime just sticks to it like crazy but i love the bike so much that it doesn't matter the 2X effort needed to clean up)

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