Anyone ride a De Rosa Protos?
07-17-21, 05:34 PM
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Anyone ride a De Rosa Protos?
I can get a De Rosa Protos (made in Italy if that matters) direct mount rim brake with campy eps for the same price as an S-Works Tarmac disc. Anyone ride a Protos? Very few reviews out there, and I can't ride it until it's built and paid for.
07-17-21, 06:09 PM
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How bad could it be?
I'd look at it this way - you get to do the full Italiano wank without any of the me-tooism you'd be tainted with on a Pinarello. I like De Rosas, they're pretty cool. Couldn't tell you squat about the Protos, though.
But direct mount rim instead of disc, that's also pretty damn cool and not me-too at all. Wish my rim brakes were direct mount, at least the front.
...Hmmm...
I'd look at it this way - you get to do the full Italiano wank without any of the me-tooism you'd be tainted with on a Pinarello. I like De Rosas, they're pretty cool. Couldn't tell you squat about the Protos, though.
But direct mount rim instead of disc, that's also pretty damn cool and not me-too at all. Wish my rim brakes were direct mount, at least the front.
...Hmmm...
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07-18-21, 08:22 PM
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I was thinking the same thing but I do wonder if the big bike companies now have the resources, engineering, manufacturing etc to just build better bikes than the De Rosa's of the world...
07-18-21, 09:01 PM
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I wouldn't overthink it. Even the most sophisticated bicycle one can buy is trivial when compared to a cell phone or a car. I doubt there are any real trade secrets in bike making.
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07-19-21, 02:55 AM
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If you want the best bike, it's probably a Giant with Shimano, right? Those two companies probably have more engineers than half the rest of the industry.
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07-19-21, 08:31 AM
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What about the other components offered on each? Are they the same?
07-19-21, 08:55 AM
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They look nice.PROTOS 2.0 MUD – De Rosa North America
07-19-21, 10:58 AM
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For me, DeRosa > Specialized, because it's Italian. (Not just the name on a Taiwanese frame, but actually made in the mother country.)
The Tarmac is a pervasive, ordinary offering from Big S, one of millions produced every year.
Spesh certainly has their consistency and QC dialed in better, but that's not so say the DeRosa/Campy build will have problems, just that it's more likely to.
DeRosa has a heart in their name! Do you see a heart anywhere on the Tarmac? As others have sometimes noted, when is the last time you saw someone with a Shimano tattoo?
We could also look at the model names. Protos is Greek for "first." Tarmac means pavement. (More specifically, it's short for tarmacadam, the British term for a type of pavement called "asphalt" in the U.S.)
While I would much rather drive a Ferrari or Alfa Romeo, I’d prefer to own a Toyota or Mazda. But that's because I need reliable transportation. I don't need bikes; I want them.
The Tarmac is a pervasive, ordinary offering from Big S, one of millions produced every year.
Spesh certainly has their consistency and QC dialed in better, but that's not so say the DeRosa/Campy build will have problems, just that it's more likely to.
DeRosa has a heart in their name! Do you see a heart anywhere on the Tarmac? As others have sometimes noted, when is the last time you saw someone with a Shimano tattoo?
We could also look at the model names. Protos is Greek for "first." Tarmac means pavement. (More specifically, it's short for tarmacadam, the British term for a type of pavement called "asphalt" in the U.S.)
While I would much rather drive a Ferrari or Alfa Romeo, I’d prefer to own a Toyota or Mazda. But that's because I need reliable transportation. I don't need bikes; I want them.
Last edited by Broctoon; 07-21-21 at 08:56 AM.
07-20-21, 06:13 AM
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You know how some folks get wings on their back? I had an idea, kinda ripping off the Campy logo, to have aerospace-looking folded wings, 'secured' with QRs, to signify the bionic freedom of cycling... The QRs would be branded Dura-Ace.
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Sheldon Brown's bike info ~~~ Park Tools repair help
Half-step triple, using double gear ~~~ 6400 STI rebuild walkthrough ~~~ Want 8/9/10s @126mm OLD? OCR. ~~~ Shimano cassette body overhaul ~~~ Ergopower Escape wear repair ~~~ PSA: drivetrain wear
List of US/Canada bike co-ops ~~~ Global list
Sheldon Brown's bike info ~~~ Park Tools repair help
Half-step triple, using double gear ~~~ 6400 STI rebuild walkthrough ~~~ Want 8/9/10s @126mm OLD? OCR. ~~~ Shimano cassette body overhaul ~~~ Ergopower Escape wear repair ~~~ PSA: drivetrain wear
List of US/Canada bike co-ops ~~~ Global list
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