De Rosa SK Pininfarina vs Bianchi Oltre XR4

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Moderator: robbosmans

Next Bike: De Rosa SK Pininfarina or Bianchi Oltre XR4

Poll ended at Fri Feb 17, 2017 2:00 am

De Rosa SK Pininfarina
21
29%
Bianchi Oltre XR4
52
71%
 
Total votes: 73

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

by Lafolie

yeah...he loves riding a noddle. In fact....it's a specific requirement of his !

Self appointed bike critic......don't you just love them. I have owned both for over one year...............I think I can safely give an honest and in-depth review.

Also...I have owned many other' top flight frames ' which I can compare.

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zappafile123
Posts: 655
Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 8:24 am

by zappafile123

Lafolie wrote:yeah...he loves riding a noddle. In fact....it's a specific requirement of his !

Self appointed bike critic......don't you just love them. I have owned both for over one year...............I think I can safely give an honest and in-depth review.

Also...I have owned many other' top flight frames ' which I can compare.


If you've ridden all these other great bikes, you could have used them as point for argumentation. Yet all you've done is deny my position by providing weak or irrelevant arguments. Owning the bikes you are in a much better position to provide detailed feedback than I am, so friggen do it!

Clearly you're suffering a hard core case of ownership bias. You need to be rude so you can defend and justify your investment. We all suffer this to a greater or lesser extent. I can see how its annoying when someone says your pride and joy aint so good. But the whole point of WW is for people to provide unsolicited opinions - so I am happy in my position as self-appointed critic because I know my shit and I have heaps of experience. If you dont like it, be diplomatic about it or go somewhere else.
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

by Weenie


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

by Lafolie

owners bias................please don't make me laugh. You slag off your fellow bike tester because he apparently doesn't know. You argument is completely floored as per other people reviews etc along with long term owners. Please Mr bike god guru.............I think you have done RIDE a complete dis-service. Just going back on your last, I agree with opinions, but just loo at what you have stated. SK, Protos and King XS. Poor old Ugo......he had no idea his bikes were so 'noodle' like. I'm pleased you have put him straight.

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zappafile123
Posts: 655
Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 8:24 am

by zappafile123

Here's a rough pass at my argument broken down. You can be clear about which premise you disagree with.

1. The King XS is modestly comfortable, but does not accelerate that fast or is that stiff through the BB (relative to P2)
2. The Protos is significantly stiffer and accelerates faster than the King XS, but is not comfortable.
2a. Therefore, the Protos is a better racing bike than the King XS
3. Other bikes (e.g. Madone 9.9 H1) are just as stiff and accelerate as fast as the Protos, but are comfortable
C. Neither the King XS or the Protos are the best frames on the market
C2. Its likely that given that 2 flagship models from De Rosa arent close to the best, the SK won't be either

To clarify, I said 'apparently' the SK is a noodle. Thats not the same thing as saying [its fact that] the SK 'is' a noodle.
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

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

by Lafolie

I have never said the King, SK or the Protos are the best frames on the market. That indeed would be a tough call to make. Riding is very subjective and what might appeal to one, may not appeal to another. I would agree, the Protos is a stiffer bike over the King and a tad more urgent. But as we all know, it's the engine driving the bike . Also, throw into the mix wheels, that can have a significant bearing on the performance.

You may find this of interest https://tempocyclist.wordpress.com/2015 ... -dura-ace/


To be honest, I have never bought any bike on a journalist or bike blog recommendation. Because there are just too many factors to take into consideration. But it all depends what you are looking for. The King XS and Protos are exceptional frames in my book and there are some very positive reviews on both models.

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thestedmans82
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Jan 21, 2017 1:07 am

by thestedmans82

De rosa's are like alfas - you either fall in love with them and stay loyal against all logic or don't get them - I'm in the former camp


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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zappafile123
Posts: 655
Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 8:24 am

by zappafile123

Lafolie wrote:I have never said the King, SK or the Protos are the best frames on the market.

To be honest, I have never bought any bike on a journalist or bike blog recommendation. The King XS and Protos are exceptional frames in my book and there are some very positive reviews on both models.


Totally agree with you. I probably should have been clearer about what I was gunning for from the get go. As you say, theres only so much you can gain from a first impressions ride. I think it takes at least 2000km to get a good feel for a bike to make a proper judgement.

My strategy is to aggregate opinions and reviews and use that to help make a decision as to whether or not to purchase a frame. There's always one or two snippets of gold that can end up counting if you look hard enough e.g. Stang1 reckons the XR4 is not a good climber compared to a C59/60 or XR2.
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

td100
Posts: 46
Joined: Fri Feb 11, 2011 4:10 pm

by td100

Where in the original post does the submitter talk about needing a race bike? He may purely need a recreational ride, so all this talk about frame stiffness is irrelevant . As I have stated wheels and tyres (pressures) determine comfort more than the frame, the frame's main job is to transmit power to the wheels, so agreed bb and head flex is undesirable but i doubt any major brand flagship frames in 2017 will be bad in this department. If the 2 frames you mention produce the correct geometry fit for you then either try to get a test ride or choose on the aesthetics you prefer. Don't waste your time listening to self appointed bike critics who know shit all! Ask 50 people on this forum and you'll get 50 opinions.
Colnago C59 Italia
Fondriest TF2 1.0
Time Skylon

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zappafile123
Posts: 655
Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 8:24 am

by zappafile123

td100 wrote: Ask 50 people on this forum and you'll get 50 opinions.


If this is your opinion why are you wasting your time on the forum? You are falling prey to your own criticism. Clearly cause you think wheels = 95% of the comfort equation, you know shit all... like the rest of us.
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

td100
Posts: 46
Joined: Fri Feb 11, 2011 4:10 pm

by td100

From your response it seems you know shit all ! I know my stuff but I don't preach to people like you self appointed experts
Colnago C59 Italia
Fondriest TF2 1.0
Time Skylon

TwinSpokes21
Posts: 28
Joined: Sat Sep 10, 2016 4:25 am
Location: NoCA

by TwinSpokes21

td100 wrote:Where in the original post does the submitter talk about needing a race bike? He may purely need a recreational ride, so all this talk about frame stiffness is irrelevant . As I have stated wheels and tyres (pressures) determine comfort more than the frame, the frame's main job is to transmit power to the wheels, so agreed bb and head flex is undesirable but i doubt any major brand flagship frames in 2017 will be bad in this department. If the 2 frames you mention produce the correct geometry fit for you then either try to get a test ride or choose on the aesthetics you prefer. Don't waste your time listening to self appointed bike critics who know shit all! Ask 50 people on this forum and you'll get 50 opinions.


OP here...and yes, I do not need a 'race' bike. I ride in an club with experienced, strong riders (former Cat 1's, etc) and while we're not racing a lot these days, as you can imagine, and I assume not unlike a whole host of folks here, club rides are fast, everyone pushes each other, and recovery rides never end up being real recovery rides! So with that said, I much prefer bikes that are in the race/stiffer category than one that would sacrifice some of that stiffness to provide a more 'comfy' ride. I'm in the camp that I think most of the comfort that a rider like myself will want and need can be accomplished through a wheel/tire combo. I run a 2016 Tarmac now and with Zipp 303's/25mm Conti 4000IIs, I can go pretty hard all day on it. And I'm not taking into consideration geometry, saddle, etc to avoid complicating the original question. Just saying that a tarmac/Fact 11 is supposedly on the stiff side of the spectrum and I'm not beat up after a whole day on it.

mlok
Posts: 14
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2016 3:43 pm

by mlok

Just to share with you guys.

https://goo.gl/photos/xAjjMdovj7hzWKXt6

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

by Lafolie

so...what was the end purchase ?

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wheelsONfire
Posts: 6283
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2014 8:15 am
Location: NorthEU

by wheelsONfire

Does it even matter if you are a recreational rider or not?
Bikes:

Ax Lightness Vial EVO Race (2019.01.03)
Open *UP* (2016.04.14)
Paduano Racing Fidia (kind of shelved)


Ex bike; Vial EVO D, Vial EVO Ultra, Scott Foil, Paduano ti bike.

by Weenie


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guyc
Posts: 1742
Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2011 9:40 am
Location: Hampshire, England
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by guyc

They're both gorgeous.

Both are most likely better bikes than we are riders.

Get the one that raises your heartbeat.

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