Weight Weenies

Does anyone know anything about the 2002 De Rosa UD frame? I did a search and couldn't find much info. Thanks

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CC ... DUCT.ID=97

larry -

The UD was one of the first generation of frames made with Dedacciai U2 ultra lightweight aluminium tubing. It was a very light frame - probably well under 1kg and was used by some of the pros in mountain stages of the major tours.

I owned a very similar Casati m:u2. Suspect that in both cases the companies got the tubing and then welded it to Deda's instructions. From memory it rides very well and as you'd expect, climbs and accelerates like a dream because of the lack of weight.

However, aluminium this thin (and u2 is paper thin) is extremely fragile. There was certainly a weight limit on my Casati (75kg?) and from memory there was on the UDs as well. Most companies seem to have stopped using u2 these days - which might not bode well.

rico

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I have been using the De Rosa UD Sloping up to the beginning of this year and did about 20k km on it, till it cracked in an accident this spring. Imho it has a weight limit of 75kg, but it has never ever been of any problem with my 60kg.
From my experience it is a very very decent bike with great looks, much more solid than several Bianchi road frames that I have been using before, not as stiff as my CR1 though, but it still has enough of reserves.

Forgot to say:
Claimed frame weight was 900grams, mine weighted in at 990grams w/o headset in size 48sloping (equivalent to 54 regular). The paint feels like rubber and is very durable.

Thanks for the information guys. I'm a little worried about the durability with UD. I only weight 70kg, so I should be okay there. I want to build a light weight bike that will be good in the mountains and the hills and also good for everyday training rides of up to 150k. I'm on a limited budget and the UD frameset is selling for $1,200 at competitivecyclist.com so I thought I would give it some consideration.

What about a 2003 De Rosa Merak? Any thoughts there? Looks like I can get that framset for $1,599.

As said I only weight 60kgs, but it really never has been of any issue with the UD. I always felt very secure on it and the ride felt nothing but really great - and I also have been using it for every day riding (and that is EVERY day) for rides up to 350km.
I definitely would choose it over the Merak any time, since the Merak is 300gr heavier and not to be said to be that much stiffer either (Dedacciai V107 imho). But perhaps your choice also a little bit depends on your frame size, since smaller sized frames are usually stiffer than large ones.