Why do De Rosa bikes seem to be underappreciated?

[rlanger]

I know they don't make the lightest frames, and they lack the distribution of the bigger manufacturers, but damn they make fine bikes.

Here in Japan, they are a popular brand, but I had never even heard of them before I moved here 5 years ago from Canada. Maybe now that they are back in the pro peloton they will get a little more love (although Cofidis and Corona probably won't help them much).

Personally, I absolutely adore my 5-year old Idol. With no real WW parts, it sits at 6.9kg and it rides like an absolute dream. Both stiff and comfy. The BB386 evo pressfit bottom bracket is a monster and it has never creaked once.

Curious to hear the opinion of others.

[wheelbuilder]

I love the aesthetic of De Rosa King, Protos, etc. They have a mystique to them and panache that cannot be denied. That said, for me at least, they lose some points by not having a very established history or experience with carbon.

[sychen]

I love the aesthetic of De Rosa King, Protos, etc. They have a mystique to them and panache that cannot be denied. That said, for me at least, they lose some points by not having a very established history or experience with carbon.

Mate of mine loves his super king.. Even got crashed and hit side on by 2 guys.. Survived with just some scratches.. Certainly tough as well.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[patchsurfer]

I've come across a couple of de rosas that took big hits and walked away, too. Nice rugged frames it'd be a pleasure to own. I had a pinarello back when the frames were metal, and you could get yours resprayed / repaired by pinarello in-house. De Rosa strike me as still having that kind of philosophy. I'd love a nuevo classico...but getting one in NZ however...

[rlanger]

I love the aesthetic of De Rosa King, Protos, etc. They have a mystique to them and panache that cannot be denied. That said, for me at least, they lose some points by not having a very established history or experience with carbon.

Mate of mine loves his super king.. Even got crashed and hit side on by 2 guys.. Survived with just some scratches.. Certainly tough as well.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Yes, I can believe that. I've only taken one tumble on mine and it survived relatively unscathed. Just a few scratches here and there.

[rlanger]

I'd love a nuevo classico...but getting one in NZ however...

That's funny. I live in Japan where you can get them anywhere, but I got mine from an online store in NZ for about a third the price of what they go for here.

[sychen]

For awhile I was seeing super cheap knock off DeRosas which probably did harm to their sales.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[Squashednuts]

I'd love a nuevo classico...but getting one in NZ however...

That's funny. I live in Japan where you can get them anywhere, but I got mine from an online store in NZ for about a third the price of what they go for here.

Which online store?

[rlanger]

I'd love a nuevo classico...but getting one in NZ however...

That's funny. I live in Japan where you can get them anywhere, but I got mine from an online store in NZ for about a third the price of what they go for here.

Which online store?

It was this one:

https://www.torpedo7.co.nz/

They don't seem to carry De Rosa anymore.

I bought the last frame that just happened to be in my size. They don't ship to Japan, but I was lucky enough to have a contact there who received and shipped it for me.

[LewisK]

Yep, i'm a fan. Heavily underrated IMO. I have to say, the paint scheme on the Cofidis bikes this year is stunning!

[NickJHP]

My wife still rides her lugged SLX DeRosa that she bought in the late 1980s. She also has a couple of CF road bikes that are much lighter - neither of them a DeRosa - but she reckons that the DeRosa is definitely the nicest to ride. I tend to agree with her - every time I get on one of my lugged steel bikes after a week or two on a CF or aluminium frame machine, my first thought as I roll down the road is how nice the road feel is compared to the other machines.

[hannawald]

I wanted Pinninfarina SK, but then I saw they use proprietary seatpost with some extreme offset, maybe 25mm or 30mm.

[Ringo]

If I crashed my bike right now and I had only 1500€ I would buy one right now since they sell them with heavy discount. That’s a really good price for a superbike frameset.
I saw sk Pininfarina disc, almost at 1500€ a month ago on EU store!
If had 5000€ gift card though it will never be in my top 10 brands. I don’t like the design, there are no any signs of innovation or uniqueness and the heart logo is cheesy..
Basso is more underappreciated and has really good bikes imho

[MyM3Coupe]

DeRosa are just Chinese cookie cutter bikes with a now ugly decal. I think they are also all "dork discs" too. Nothing to appreciate.

[kgt]

The decal is not ugly and the 2020 De Rosa are among the most beautiful contemporry frames. Everyone that appreciates nice design will certainly appreciate their beauty.
And I am not a 'Chinese cookie butter' fan but 95% of manufacturers are outsource their production in China nowadays.