majmt 

Here’s mine. I picked up this ‘96 Primato (all Campy Record) almost ten years ago at a second-hand outdoor sporting goods store where it was hanging with a bunch of battered mountain bikes. I only had to do a light refresh - NOS Campy cables, new bar tape and hoods, new brake pads, new tires, swapped out the Saab seat (to save), and that’s about all.


















The bike rides extremely well with the Mavic rims that were on it but I still had to try different sets Italian of wheels. I guess I might have gone a bit overboard but each set yields something pleasantly different.

“The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom” - Blake.

These Campy Mexico rims are virtual twins to the original stock Moskva rims for the ‘96 Primato and make great all-day every-day wheels.


Tubulars on Ambrosia Nemesis rims. I was afraid a heavy duty rim might not be a good match but, out of the batch of wheels for this bike, these are the most fun (like a small roadster).


These semi-aero clinchers with 20c tires pumped to 150psi are the fastest set for this bike.

jamesdak 

Well since this is revived again....

Here's the new to me De Rosa in the house. Took in on trade as I downsize my stable. I actually took this out again today for a 43 mile jaunt that included about 1000 wimpy feet of climbing.


Even with a 700 x 22 on front and a 700 x 23 on the rear is still rides quite smoothly on the rough chipseal roads.

Flatforkcrown

very nice. I hadn’t even heard of them, but was given this set for free at the local co-op because they said they have no use for them. They ride nice and roll fast, but I’m thinking I need to find someone who can check them out… spoke tension seems low on the front wheel.

SJX426 

@majmt - liking those bottles!

P!N20

Were they factory clinchers or laced to a new rim? I thought those Rovals only came tubular. Really nice wheels, look even better polished.

styggno1

Here is some information that might help you - regarding spoke tension. Found at Classic Rendezvous. (edit - observe the distinction "new" - of course you can tension your front wheel if it seems to have wobbly spokes)



Factory original clinchers (also mentioned in the above instruction sheet) and with the same hidden spoke nipple feature as the tubular version.



I also have a set of the polished tubular version. Here with a lower spoke count front wheel mounted to the same bike (still a clincher at the rear).

Nuovo Record

1985 Professional with pantographed Campagnolo Super Record group and Syncro shifters.

Flatforkcrown

Here’s mine as of today… went to Sachs ergos and new success rear, shifting over a 7 speed santé freewheel. NOS de Rosa bar tape. Vetta SP saddle because the brooks always felt off. I need to just give in and pay for a good condition turbo… I love this bike.





I had the original Athena brakes on, but these feel better, and look thin and elegant beside the brutalist lines of the 1st gen Athena.

❤️

Lost the cinelli logo insert on a ride… does anyone make repros? Also, the Sachs ergos are nice. The shape is comfortable and doesn’t look out of place on a older steel bike.

Good stuff.

Even if I did a full campy build down to the rims, which I had until the rivals got sorted out, I’d still want my feet on these. Got a deal on them and they came with the alloy campy toe clips and binda straps.

This wheelset kept me from fully modernizing. Lightweight and good looking and smooth as glass… and threaded for freewheel at 126mm.

Flatforkcrown

After a trip to the co-op this weekend I finally have the saddle that I wanted for this bike, but didn’t want to pay eBay prices for. Also, they had some new in box speedplay x2 pedals, so decided to dip my toes into clipless

GraemeB

Beautiful!

QuikRick

Mid 90's Primato EL-OS, I picked this frameset up a few months ago and am just starting to build it up. The frame is actually pretty rough with a ton of rust bubbles under the paint and plenty of nicks and chips on the paint and paint peeling off the top of the head tube underneath the lug. There are no bends, dings, cracks or dents so here I go!
I had one pretty big problem with the internal brake top tube routing, when I received the frame the brake cable was in the top tube and it was STUCK. It would not come out. I tried everything. I told an aircraft mechanic about my problem and she recommended "Mouse Milk" (look it up) I let it soak in there for about a week and BOOM it came loose.

DMC707

Not sure about that story --- but sometimes you can get deals from peopel just wanting to get stuff out of the way

DMC707

Cant believe i missed this thread when i had a DeRosa !

Occasionally i will hit the 'Bay and do a half hearted search again but after a few rides on mine, i can say it really lived up to the hype --- Only problem with mine is i just couldnt get it comfortable enough as the top tube , even with the short stem, still felt a bit stretched. Most of my bikes are 53's and this one was a 54.5

Someone gave me an offer for the frameset so it went to its next home.

I joked when i built it with the modernish components and stem adapter that it was blasphemous, - but man, it was effective. The frameset responded so well with the resto mod parts, i just will never forget it ----- I dont know what i was thinking selling it, i guess i thought a 53 frameset would just fall into my lap soon enopugh when i had the right amount of $$ in my "play money" account.
And at the time i had some great bikes in the stable to include a very nice 53 c Superissima, and a couple of DeBErnardis, ----- but my mind keeps going back to this bike as one i should have kept even if it was a smidge big

I recently bid on a Neo Primato in the appropriate color for me (red) and capped my bid at $500 as it did not have a fork -- thinking if i could restomod a mid 80's Professional, i wouldnt lose much sleep putting a carbon front end on a Neo --- Alas the thing went for over $700. Thats big bucks without a fork




As i was mentioning - modernized cockpit with shallow slightly flared bars, and dual pivots

Flatforkcrown

Update on mine… new bars, stem, seatpost, and saddle.

P!N20

Not mine, but can anyone ID the model?



I thought, no way that's a De Rosa, then I saw this:

glenfong

upgraded from 6-speed freewheel to 8-speed cassette, Phil Wood bb, Ultegra pedals, Campag. Chorus brakes

darkmoon

Andrea Bonfanti self-published "CLASSIC DE ROSA", including this chart, and 9 classic De Rosa with fine pics,
written in Italian and English.


Cycles Yokoo, Ueno, Tokyo, is the first bike shop that introduced and imported De Rosa to Japan in 1972,
and imported this book twice, it was last year, I guess.
Both times, it sold out in an instant!
Luckily, I got the last one of the second delivery.

Caliwild

I guess I need to revive this thread so I can show off my new-to-me De Rosa

Brad L 

Here’s my 1987 Professional as received. I have a full C-Record group waiting for the build.

bikingshearer 

I moved the frame along four or five years ago. The photo is from 2010 or 2011. I still have fond memories of it. 1986, I think.