De Rosa King XS v Colnago C60
Moderator: robbosmans
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Protos only cost a fraction more vs C60. C60 is in the same price range as King XS. Given that, I will go for the C60 anytime although I love De Rosa. The lugs of the C60 is a winner. On top of that, it is a highly regarded frame in all round performance too. Only problem is C60 like C59 are not reverse compatible (electronic and mech don't mix).
Protos is not that expensive. FYI the greek De Rosa dealer sells the King XS for around 3200 euros and Protos for 4000 (the same as C60). BTW King Xs and Protos are both made in Italy. Cheaper models are made in Taiwan.
- zappafile123
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Lafolie wrote:Be interested in peoples thoughts on both frames. Cheers
Hi,
I got to take the King XS for a short ride round the block for Ride magazine's round table review. That was over a month ago so my thoughts are pretty fuzzy on it.
I have to ask: what are you looking for in a frame? What kinds of qualities do you want accentuated?
For me, the King XS wasnt a particularly special frame. In fact, I would definitely not pay the $5000 price tag - you could easily get a stiffer, lighter, more comfortable frame for less money.
Fit: classic italian long an low fit. I felt rather stretched out, but my weight was evenly distributed so it still felt natural and comfortable.
Handling: pretty stable through the corners, felt nice and whippy - you could really throw it round without feeling nervous or sketchy.
BB stiffness: this is the real weakness of the frame. It felt relatively quick to get up and go, but under load or at speed it felt a bit soft. The way I felt was that it was nice and responsive between say 2-4 o'clock on the down-stroke. Then from say 4-7pm, the BB felt a bit mushy/not firmly pushing back against the pressure applied by your feet (these are just analogies to give you an idea). It just felt a bit vague in a very smooth way that only a carbon frame can provide. Up a a climb this makes the frame feel a bit sluggish and like its not really working with you to get up the climb.
Comfort: the road feel was rather muted out. This bike almost boarders on a semi-fondo feel. I know another reviewer for hte magazine felt that the bike was pretty harsh. But for me I found it smoothed out the road nicely. I reckon you could ride it for hours without feeling beaten up.
To sum up, its a nice coffee shop ride with its gorgeous paint job and frame curves, but not great for a racer who wants a faster more responsive frame.
For reference my current ride is a Bianchi Oltre XR2. I've ridden a lot of high end bikes.
FactorOne|SartoSeta|StorckF.3|Enigma EliteHSS|SworksSL6|ColnagoC60/V3Rs|DeRosa Protos|BianchiXR4/2|BMCSLR01 16|Cdale EvoHM|Focus IzMax|RidleyHe SL/SLX|BH Ulight|BassoDiamante|Scapin DyseysS8|TimeRXRS/ZXRS|TCR SL|RidleyNoah|Look585|CerveloS5/S3
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Coming from a c-59 the thing that concerns me about both is the massive downtube. Looks to me as if the bikes would be too stiff and built for 20 year old's racing with team sky. Can anyone comment on whether my point has validity. I have not ridden either, but for me the c-59 is a beautifully balanced bike.
Colnago C-59 (Dura Ace)
Firefly(Ultegra)
Colnago C-64 disc(ultegra) with Bora 35 wheels
Firefly(Ultegra)
Colnago C-64 disc(ultegra) with Bora 35 wheels
I think the C59 is a fine bike and for my tastes I like the dimensions of the tubing. The fact that the C60 and other bikes have what look like massive tubes does not really reflect on their ride qualities. The engineering that goes into the various lay ups is so much more sophisticated than the basic round tubes of yesteryear where the only variance in thickness was basically at the ends of the tubes. Today's technologies allow everything to be specified, not just the overall appearance of the tube shapes. But also the thickness at any part along the tube as well as the direction of the fibers as they get laid up in the moulds. The Trek Emonda I have for example has a huge down tube but it doesn't feel overly "stiff". Everything about that bike is designed as a complete "unit" as opposed to a bunch of tubes stuck together to make a bike frame. In other words, don't equate big tubes with a terribly stiff or harsh ride because they can be tuned to be whatever the manufacturers want to achieve.
Colnago C64 - The Naked Build; Colnago C60 - PR99; Trek Koppenberg - Where Emonda and Domane Meet;
Unlinked Builds (searchable): Colnago C59 - 5 Years Later; Trek Emonda SL Campagnolo SR; Special Colnago EPQ
Unlinked Builds (searchable): Colnago C59 - 5 Years Later; Trek Emonda SL Campagnolo SR; Special Colnago EPQ
Calnago wrote:I think the C59 is a fine bike and for my tastes I like the dimensions of the tubing. The fact that the C60 and other bikes have what look like massive tubes does not really reflect on their ride qualities. The engineering that goes into the various lay ups is so much more sophisticated than the basic round tubes of yesteryear where the only variance in thickness was basically at the ends of the tubes. Today's technologies allow everything to be specified, not just the overall appearance of the tube shapes. But also the thickness at any part along the tube as well as the direction of the fibers as they get laid up in the moulds. The Trek Emonda I have for example has a huge down tube but it doesn't feel overly "stiff". Everything about that bike is designed as a complete "unit" as opposed to a bunch of tubes stuck together to make a bike frame. In other words, don't equate big tubes with a terribly stiff or harsh ride because they can be tuned to be whatever the manufacturers want to achieve.
Indeed. Another thing I (sometimes) like about bigger tubes is that it offers a more aesthetically balanced look on larger frames. (This coming from a 192cm +/- rider, so I may be biased!) As to the OP, for me it'd be Colnago.
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- Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 6:12 pm
I would take a Protos over anything since they're so rare they will no doubt hold their value. Between the C60 and the XS King I would take the C60, but if the C60 and Protos were similar spec for the similar money the Protos hands down.
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bontie wrote:Wow, a Protos can be had from Belatti for quite a bit less.....
Thank you very much! I would not have built my F8 if I had seen this before but this will be my next bike this year.