# Late 80s De Rosa ID



## INDECS

I'm about to buy a real nice late 80s De Rosa in fabulous condition. SLX tubing, Chorus equipped. Rear spacing is 130mm which might be helpfull to pinpoint it.

I noticed the seat stays are slighty fluted/hollowed, and have different engravings than the usual De Rosas. Those type of decals are also kind of a rare sight.

The frameset looks exactly like the bike in the first two pics (found on Flickr), only difference seems to be the fork crown. The last pic is of the actual bike.

Any info highly appreciated!


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## gomango

I saw a very similar bike last summer in Tuscany. It did not have Deltas and the paint was pretty rough. It did not stop the owner from asking for 750 Euros. The bike you are purchasing is an incredible looker. Is it in the United States?


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## INDECS

As I said, the top two pics aren't mine... they're from Flickr.
The last pic is of the actual bike, but it really doesn't do the bike justice. It looks great in person.
The bike is in Europe.


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## gomango

Try an ebay search for DeRosa "SLX" on ebay.de. We bid on a very similar bike last summer while visiting our family in Bayern. The bike, although red in color, had a very detailed description of its provenance. I seem to remember it topping out around 700 Euros. I don't recall any other details at the moment. Again, nice bike. Others will be along soon enough to fill in the blanks for you.


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## INDECS

Okay, thanks. Can you remember the date it was listed? If it's more than 90 days ago I'm afraid I can't find it anymore.

A similar looking frameset that sold on ebay.de earlier this month. But this one has the usual stays/engravings:


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## gomango

Sorry, it was more than 90 days. I will certainly keep my eyes open for a similar frameset, and will promptly pass on information to you. I'm fairly obsessive about DeRosas. We currently have three, two Primatos and a SLX. I do love these bikes, what a superb ride! Good luck with yours.


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## INDECS

The thing I'm a bit worried about is the authenticity of the frame... 
Have you seen more De Rosas with that type of seat cluster and decals?

Don't even know if there were fake De Rosas back then.


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## gomango

Hello again,

Not a fake necessarily, but there are two DeRosa brands/builders in Italy. Italian Cycling Journal discussed the "other" DeRosa on their blog. Here is a link:

http://italiancyclingjournal.blogspot.com/2009/11/other-de-rosa.html

I am not saying this is the other builder's bike. I just don't have a deep enough knowledge base to really help you more. I am not an expert or really even a collector. Just a rider and admirer of this fabulous Italian craftmen's bikes!

And yes I have seen this seat cluster before, as well as these decals. I'll do some digging and have the owner of my LBS take a look as well. He raced in Italy around the late eighties/early nineties.


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## bestT

*I think that decal style was around in 1989-1991...*

i have a 1988 59cm SLX, it's been repainted by CyclArt, but these are 1988 decals. My seatstays look like the red one...


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## gomango

Try this as well. Email Cristiano DeRosa directly with the serial number on your bike's bottom bracket at [email protected]. Also post here pics of the seat caps, bottom bracket, and the stays, as well as a full view when you receive the bike. You could send the pics to DeRosa while you are at it. This is the holiday season, and I have no idea if anyone is answering emails at the factory in Cusano Milanino. They will definitely get back to you though. They're maybe tired of my inquiries, but they graciously send a short reply with helpful information.


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## INDECS

Drove 400km over super rainy German autobahn to pick up the bike, but it's well worth it.
The previous owner told me he bought it second hand in '94 and the first owner told him it was about 10 years old back then. Makes it a mid '80s frame. Rear spacing is 126mm and the only number on the BB is "27". Very nice condition for a 25-year old frame, hardly any flaws in the paint. The Chorus parts also look like new.

The auction said the bike would come without pedals, but he included them after all, and for the same price! He was just so glad the bike went to a good home rather then seeing it turn into some fixed conversion.

Detailed pics will follow but here's a quick pic of the bike after wiping it when I got home yesterday:


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## gomango

Prima. Erste Klasse.


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## brewster

Well worth your efforts. That is classic all the way! That's the kind of survivor I look for. After a spit shine and detailing, you'll have a show room bike. The only mods I'd do if it were mine would be to add some skin-walled tires, change to a Rolls or Regal saddle and loose the bell and then ride the heck out of it.

brewster


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## gomango

Lack of bells and lights are ticketable offenses in Germany if that's where the bike's new home is located. Of course, in practice, you may not get a ticket. I've learned the hard way though riding in European countries. Different countries, different laws! Bell probably should stay.


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## zmudshark

Mid 80's would be my guess, given the SLX tubing and sloping fork crown. The graphics are older than my 87ish De Rosa, so I'd say 85-86.

I'm sure you will find it to be your favorite bike.


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## INDECS

The bike was collected in Germany, but I'm Dutch. So its new home will be the Netherlands.

I already removed the bell... never had any problems with the law for not having a bell. But I do run one on my modern aluminum bike. You just need one over here to warn the slow elderly people on the bikepaths.

The wheels are Edco hubs with Fir rims. But I'll be replacing them with matching Chorus wheelset. Indeed with some nice skinwall tires... Michelin or Veloflex. Those Contis are brandnew and always come in handy for the alu bike of commuter fixie.

A Regal or Turbo seat would look great, but if I'll be doing longer rides a Koobi or SQ-Lab would suit me better. 
And some Fizik or CicloLinea bartap to finish the bike off. The foamy bartape might be comfy but it looks terrible after a few rides.

Anyhow... it will be sweet!


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## Nielly

I'm not a familiar with De Rosa's but are the Chorus components original for the build? I believe those style cranks and brakes didn't appear unitl the early 90's. I suppose it could have been an NOS build with the frame pre-dating the parts or they could have been upgraded at some point though. Nice looking bike, and it will likely ride just as nicely.


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## INDECS

I suppose the bike was updated to Chorus by its first owner when the gruppo was introduced in 1987/88.


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## Nielly

INDECS said:


> I suppose the bike was updated to Chorus by its first owner when the gruppo was introduced in 1987/88.


It looks like you are correct on the 1987-88 date. I found an 88 Chorus catalog on-line and it is indeed the same group (couldn't find an 87). I though it was introduced later on.


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