De Rosa R838 Athena

bianchi_tim

Exciting morning collecting my new De Rosa R838, here is the spec:

Frame:Lightweight Hi-Modulus Monocoque Carbon frame
Fork:Lightweight Hi-Modulus Monocoque Carbon Tapered Fork
Front Derailleur: Campagnolo Athena
Rear Derailleur:Campagnolo Athena
Shifters:Campagnolo Athena
Chainset:Campagnolo Athena Carbon Compact
Chainrings:50/34
Cassette:Campagnolo Athena 12-25 cassette
Front Brake:Campagnolo Athena
Rear Brake:Campagnolo Athena
Brake Levers:Campagnolo Athena carbon
Handlebars:FSA Wing Bar
Stem:FSA SLK Stem with Carbon faceplate
Headset:Integrated Tapered
Rims:Fulcrum Racing 5
Front Hub:Fulcrum Racing 5 white hubs
Rear Hub:Fulcrum Racing 5 white hubs
Front Tyre:Vittoria Rubino Pro Tyres
Rear Tyre:Vittoria Rubino Pro Tyres
Saddle:Selle Italia SLR Saddle
Seatpost:FSA K-Force Carbon De Rosa Post







Looking forward to getting out on the road this weekend

rokt

Very nice....enjoy while the suns out

bianchi_tim

Thanks, just been out for 25 mile blast over the hills - amazing! So different to my Bianchi Via Nirone, in a good way and I recommend the Speedplay zeros, really nice feel to them.

davehmercer

Looks fantastic!

Funnily enough I picked up a new R848 last week to replace my Via Nirone! Haven't had a chance to ride it yet though.

bianchi_tim

davehmercer wrote:

Looks fantastic!

Funnily enough I picked up a new R848 last week to replace my Via Nirone! Haven't had a chance to ride it yet though.

Excellent stuff, when you get to ride it you discover that just seeing that De Rosa badge whilst your riding is worth at least an extra 5mph

bianchi_tim

Up on the South Downs after my first climbing session on my new De Rosa. Absolutely loving this bike, it's way to good for me but it's inspiring me to ride more and improve my ability.

robadub

Can I ask how tall you are and what frame size you have please ?

Looking into a De Rosa but no stockists anywhere near me and not sure whether to risk a 48cm frame when im 5'8

arran77

robadub wrote:

Can I ask how tall you are and what frame size you have please ?

Looking into a De Rosa but no stockists anywhere near me and not sure whether to risk a 48cm frame when im 5'8

I'm 5'6" and ride a 45cm R838 so a 48cm probably sounds ok for you

bianchi_tim

robadub wrote:

Can I ask how tall you are and what frame size you have please ?

Looking into a De Rosa but no stockists anywhere near me and not sure whether to risk a 48cm frame when im 5'8

Sorry, only just spotted this!! I'm 5'10'' and and have a 50cm - fits like a glove and is so comfortable for longer rides.

Iamnot Wiggins

bianchi_tim wrote:

Up on the South Downs after my first climbing session on my new De Rosa. Absolutely loving this bike, it's way to good for me but it's inspiring me to ride more and improve my ability.

Are you up on Devils Dyke there?

bianchi_tim

Are you up on Devils Dyke there?[/quote]

No, not that far though - just climbed the Bostal climb from Steyning heading back to Worthing.

Iamnot Wiggins

I'm Brighton based. Once my frame has been replaced perhaps we could meet in the middle for a few rides? Need to explore the area a bit more!

samadam1986

I've been looking at buying a de rosa but can't decide between the merak or the r838 .is the merak really worth the extra money ?????

bianchi_tim

Hard to say really, I looked at the Merak but it was out of my budget - it looked beautiful and had a more racy feel to it. The R838 has a slightly more relaxed feel which is amazing on the longer rides but equally amazing for blasting up and down the hills, I have to say in the 15 or so years I've been riding I have never attacked corners at the speed I now do on the R838, really inspires confidence and feels planted to the road. There will be those that will say don't buy the R838, get the same frame etc from Ribble for half the price or less. That's ok for some but for me, owning a De Rosa regardless of what other companies use the same frame is a great feeling - it draws ALOT of attention, especially on the club runs.

So back to your original question, I guess it depends on the type of riding you do - racing or riding for pleasure/fitness. If it's the latter I'd save the extra and maybe upgrade the Fulcrum racing 5s to something a bit lighter.

bianchi_tim

Iamnot Wiggins wrote:

I'm Brighton based. Once my frame has been replaced perhaps we could meet in the middle for a few rides? Need to explore the area a bit more!

Sounds good, keep me posted.

mr_goo

Info for anyone thinking of buying the so called Ribble version of the R838. I have it on reasonably good authority (De Rosa dealer / De Rosa Rep) that the Ribble bike is not the same. It is however a De Rosa design. Apparently De Rosa sold the old tooling to Ribble. The carbon lay-ups etc, etc are not the same as those of the De Rosa brand.

samadam1986

Thanks for the info tim. To be honest with the 2014 models there's not a lot of difference between the merak evo pricing and the r838. The merak I'm considering comes with fulcrum 3 wheels on for and extra £250 and I'm hoping on a £3k + plus bike i should get that as discount. How do you find the campagnolo set up you have ?

napoleond

The R838 and Ribble stealth (same frame) are both made by Xpace. Whether the lay up is different we'll never know, as De Rosa will obv tell you it is...
That doesn't detract from the quality of the frame. The bike looks great!

bianchi_tim

samadam1986 wrote:

Thanks for the info tim. To be honest with the 2014 models there's not a lot of difference between the merak evo pricing and the r838. The merak I'm considering comes with fulcrum 3 wheels on for and extra £250 and I'm hoping on a £3k + plus bike i should get that as discount. How do you find the campagnolo set up you have ?

No probs, both bikes are great so it's a nice decision to have to make

I've always had Shimano, this is my first Campag set and I find it's ok. If anything I found Shimano to be a little quieter when changing up/down but my bike is still fairly new and I'm fine tuning here and there so things are still bedding in. I can't fault the quality though of the Athena carbon, really nice looking with the carbon cranks and shifters.