De Rosa Protos, 6,480g
Moderators: MrCurrieinahurry, maxim809, Moderator Team
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Fabianinduplo
- Posts: 73
- Joined: Fri Dec 05, 2014 1:00 pm
- Location: Munich, Germany
Thanks for the kind words. So people really don't like the FSA logos... I tend to agree that having them is a bit unnecessary but De Rosa just applied the original paint scheme to my parts and although I consider myself quite a perfectionist it doesn't bother me at all. At least not enough to go through the hassle of having the parts repainted...
I now put the first 100km into the bike and these are my impressions so far:
- Fit: no surprises with the geometry and proportions, bike fits like a glove as it should after carefully considering the geometry
- Stiffness: for my 68kg the bike is more than stiff enough. I believe head tube and BB are notably stiffer than the De Rosa King3 and my Bianchi 928 SL. Also slightly stiffer than the Time ZXRS, but none of those are stiffness monsters so that is a very relative statement. Suffice to say that the bike is more than sufficiently stiff and compliant for my weight and I'm happy with that
- Comfort: not really super comfy but you wouldn't expect that with those tubes and the Lightweights. My Bianchi and King3 are more comfy fur sure but they also have more forgiving wheelsets. So that is OK and if I require more comfort I just run lower pressure on my tubs
- Handling: this is where I had a smile on my face after the first descent. On the flats the bike is very stable despite its rather sharp steering. On the climbs you don't notice the difference unless you go hard out of the saddle where I think the Protos needs slightly more attention than other bikes. However, on the descents the handling makes a real difference: it might be purely based on feeling and not be very scientific, but the Protos corners a lot sharper / better than all other bikes I have ridden and I felt more comfortable to go around sharp corners at high speeds. Since I only climb for the descents that makes a real difference to me
Overall I'm quite pleased. I hope to put in many more miles and see if that sensation while descending holds. In contrast to many bikes being marketed as climber's bikes due to the low weight and all that I think this is really a descender's bike and that fits me perfectly.
I now put the first 100km into the bike and these are my impressions so far:
- Fit: no surprises with the geometry and proportions, bike fits like a glove as it should after carefully considering the geometry
- Stiffness: for my 68kg the bike is more than stiff enough. I believe head tube and BB are notably stiffer than the De Rosa King3 and my Bianchi 928 SL. Also slightly stiffer than the Time ZXRS, but none of those are stiffness monsters so that is a very relative statement. Suffice to say that the bike is more than sufficiently stiff and compliant for my weight and I'm happy with that
- Comfort: not really super comfy but you wouldn't expect that with those tubes and the Lightweights. My Bianchi and King3 are more comfy fur sure but they also have more forgiving wheelsets. So that is OK and if I require more comfort I just run lower pressure on my tubs
- Handling: this is where I had a smile on my face after the first descent. On the flats the bike is very stable despite its rather sharp steering. On the climbs you don't notice the difference unless you go hard out of the saddle where I think the Protos needs slightly more attention than other bikes. However, on the descents the handling makes a real difference: it might be purely based on feeling and not be very scientific, but the Protos corners a lot sharper / better than all other bikes I have ridden and I felt more comfortable to go around sharp corners at high speeds. Since I only climb for the descents that makes a real difference to me
Overall I'm quite pleased. I hope to put in many more miles and see if that sensation while descending holds. In contrast to many bikes being marketed as climber's bikes due to the low weight and all that I think this is really a descender's bike and that fits me perfectly.
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Beautiful bike!!
Ordered my protos 2 weeks ago and still not sure whether I shouldn't have chosen a black/fluo color combi as well.
Quick question: I ordered my frame to be EPS ready; will I still be able to put a mechanical gruppo on it?
Ordered my protos 2 weeks ago and still not sure whether I shouldn't have chosen a black/fluo color combi as well.
Quick question: I ordered my frame to be EPS ready; will I still be able to put a mechanical gruppo on it?
JanJ wrote:Beautiful bike!!
Ordered my protos 2 weeks ago and still not sure whether I shouldn't have chosen a black/fluo color combi as well.
Quick question: I ordered my frame to be EPS ready; will I still be able to put a mechanical gruppo on it?
So mate... which scheme did you choose？IMO, 14 edition looks like man show while 15 edition looks more energetic, just depends on your tasty
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Stolichnaya
- Posts: 2621
- Joined: Wed Oct 06, 2004 6:55 pm
- Location: Vienna, AUT
JanJ wrote:Quick question: I ordered my frame to be EPS ready; will I still be able to put a mechanical gruppo on it?
Probably a question to clarify before ordering... I would double check with your dealer about the 2015 model, but I recall it is set up to take both ME and EL.
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Fabianinduplo
- Posts: 73
- Joined: Fri Dec 05, 2014 1:00 pm
- Location: Munich, Germany
JanJ wrote:Beautiful bike!!
Ordered my protos 2 weeks ago and still not sure whether I shouldn't have chosen a black/fluo color combi as well.
Quick question: I ordered my frame to be EPS ready; will I still be able to put a mechanical gruppo on it?
I'm pretty sure you are but would also double check with your LBS. The cabling is done via small aluminium inserts that are screwed into the frame and can be swapped depending on whether you run electronic or mechanical shifting. At least my frame came with a slightly different set of inserts that have smaller holes for the smaller electronic cables. I didn't try electronic though so I can't comment on how it works exactly.
Color is Nero Lucido (black gloss).
Changed my mind many times before I decided. First wanted the vini fantini color, then the fluo giallo, but then thought the back gloss would stand the test of time better. I liked them all but had to choose at some point
.
Went back and forth between C60 and Protos for a while, but finally went with where the heart is (also, somehow, when I ride my King it just right; I have a colnago EPS too, but that bike never felt right).
Heard back from my dealer on the EPS/mechanical; the 2015 frame fits both.
Changed my mind many times before I decided. First wanted the vini fantini color, then the fluo giallo, but then thought the back gloss would stand the test of time better. I liked them all but had to choose at some point
.Went back and forth between C60 and Protos for a while, but finally went with where the heart is (also, somehow, when I ride my King it just right; I have a colnago EPS too, but that bike never felt right).
Heard back from my dealer on the EPS/mechanical; the 2015 frame fits both.
