# My De Rosa King 3 RS Custom



## Trevor!

Greetings fellow De Rosa fans. 

I've had my King 3 RS custom for a little over a month now and have managed about 60 hours of riding on it. 

I decided to go for the De Rosa because, first of all, I liked what I saw and, more importantly, could get what I liked in custom which was important because I always find it difficult to get that perfect fit on a stock bike. 










In terms of build, I had always ridden Shimano on my road bikes and SRAM on my mountain bikes and, to be different, I decided to try Campy. I got a great deal on 2010 Super Record 11 and really could not see a great reason to splurge on the 2011 version for a few grams of weight savings and a few minor differences. 



















So far, I really like Super Record. Initially, I found it a little difficult to fine tune the front and rear derailleur perfectly but I later decided I had been over shifting thinking on was on my old Dura Ace equipped bike with a worn drivetrain (old habits die hard). Shifting is very quick and particularly crisp. Aesthetically, it is pleasing and the ergonomics of the shifters suit my hands no matter where they are placed. 










I decided to try the FSA Plasma bars. Integrated bars are generally a little heaver than their stem/bar counterparts but the ergonomics are, in my view, far superior. The shallow drop is also a pleasing change from my previous PRO bars.










I spent a long time considering what wheels to purchase. I knew I'd ultimately go custom and ENVE seemed the only way to go. I chose a 65mm/45mm combination. It is the perfect compromise for mixed racing conditions. I am very very pleased with the wheels which were built up by Roland and Zen Cyclery (he is a regular at RBR, so check his page out: https://www.zencyclery.com/). The wheels are stiff, fast, and very light coming in at 1160 grams. Did I mention they are fast? They accelerate very very quickly and shine at speed. 

I also have a second wheelset namely, open pros laced to a powertap SL. Ideally, I'd love some Enve 45 clinchers to replace the open pros ...










My bike fits like a glove and is like nothing I've ridden before. It is stiff and very responsive. It is comfortable to ride. So far my longest ride has been 4.5 hours and I've gotten off the bike feeling like I could keep on riding which is a first for me. Summing up this bike I would describe it as follows: Responsive, smooth handling, agile and begs to be cornered aggressively. It's definitely a race bike. I won my first cat 2 race (my first race on road) on it as well. 

My only criticism thus far is that the saddle clamp is not suited to the SLR because of the shape of the carbon rails. Despite this, I've carefully torqued the saddle a little under spec. 

The Look Keo Blade 16nm are a BIG improvement on earlier models. 

Final specs: Enve 1.65/1.45 laced to Am Classic rear/Alchemy front with 24 Sapim CX Ray spokes, Tune Skewers, Conti GP400 tubulars, ; Campy Super Record 11, Selle Italia SLR Carbon , Look Keo Blade 16nm, Garmin Edge 800 and FSA Plasma integrated stem (100mm/42cm). 

I should point out, since taking the photos, I have had the steerer cut to spec (ie. removed the spacers). 

I hope you enjoy my pictures.

Regards, 
Trevor.


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## Mike Overly

Trevor: Beautiful, well-thought-out cycle. I love the paint, and especially the splash of lime. How is the SLR treating you?


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## ghostryder

Very nice bike and a beautiful color combination.. The enve wheels look great.


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## Trevor!

Mike Overly said:


> Trevor: Beautiful, well-thought-out cycle. I love the paint, and especially the splash of lime. How is the SLR treating you?


I've been riding SLR's for a good number of years but for whatever reason this one I tend to notice a little bit more than my Ti railed versions. I've not decided if I will swap it as I'm thinking it might need to be broken in some more.


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## jhamlin38

wow. that is outstanding.


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## fuzzalow

Bravo. A very nice build indeed. May she never come anywhere close to a crit except for behind the barricade.

What geometry specs where changed in going custom-build?


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## getch

Sweet ride, do you have any noises from your seat post? I'm still getting my RS dialed in and am getting some pinging from the drive train and the seat post...otherwise, one great ride!


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## Trevor!

getch said:


> Sweet ride, do you have any noises from your seat post? I'm still getting my RS dialed in and am getting some pinging from the drive train and the seat post...otherwise, one great ride!


No pinging or other noises from my seat post. Only thing I did to it was have the front bolt head dremelled in half as the shell of my SLR would flex down on to it (which made the SLR a PITA to sit on after a good few hours).


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## nicensleazy

Although I run a Colnago enthusiasts web site Colnago Con Brio - Home I have a big soft spot for De Rosa. The King 3 RS looks stunning!


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## FrenchNago

*The day*

tha day I had a new toy to the stable i'll be looking at De Rosa too.......beautiful bike:blush2:


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## Nhat Huy

It's so cool! I'm keeping my De Rosa Avant. Really think about a new change!


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## cyclingbear

Great machine!

What is diameter of seatpost ? I can use standard seatpost or only De Rosa ? and how about clamp ?

I ask about parts to this frame (no seatpost, no clamp): allegro.pl/rama-de-rosa-king-3-rs-custom-z-widelcem-i2581525995.html


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