It ain't a De Rosa, but........Finished (pics at the end!)

not-another-hillǃ

I fancied a change to my winter bike and I also fancied building a bike from bits I acquired through this and other forums, so I started the search for a cheap carbon frame and forks and through another BR forum member, I found this full carbon frame and forks , which I got for £100....



Which built up, used to look something like this...



This is a 2008 Pinnacle Aeos Team carbon frame, painted in the colours of the Plowman Craven racing team. A quick google search showed they did pretty well as a race team although they disbanded after a few years, morphing into the Madison team.

Anyway, I started to amass some bits and pieces for the build and started to think about a colour change. I researched decent frame sprayers near where I live and found some differing views on a guy in South London, Vaz Finishes, but as he was local and funds were "tight", I went to see Mario Vaz.

Loving all things Italian, I designed a simple clean look, sourced some decals from eBay and took the plan to Mario. He seemed a decent guy and a week later he called to say he was done.....this is what I picked up....



inner fork detail...


Chain stays....




I was blown away with the finish........I think it looks stunning...paint is really good, decals look smart, and my "risky" Italian flags on the inner forks work (in my opinion)....So, a rub down, prep, paint, decal application and lacquer for £100 seems like a right deal to me (Thanks Mario, will definitely recommend you to anyone who will listen !)

Anyway, have a loads of work to do now to build it up, but will keep posting pics as I go so you can see the finished bike.

I'm sure there will be haters out there who say "yeah,but its not a de Rosa" or whatever :roll: , but I've got one very expensive Italian bike already, this is just my winter hack. I think it looks awesome and cant wait to finish building it up - I have all the parts now and reckon the whole thing has cost under £550.....

dwanes

Fantastic job, don't see a problem with it myself.
With most frames coming out of a mould in the far east the paint finish and decals are just an appearance and marketing thing.

andytee87

As a De Rosa owner I say shame on you......

How much do you want for it? Looks great

RideOnTime

vergogna su di voi

vergogna su di voi

nice though....

FransJacques

Much much better than the Pinnacarello. Love the execution.

The Giro d'Italia sticker looks rank, doesn't fit in, why not cover it up with a chainstay protector?

If you had managed the cover the whole of the inside fork legs with an italian flag sticker, that would've been ace.

stacey007

I like it.

Even better at around £550 done thats a going to be a goo looking hack bike !!

Can I ask how much a spray job is these days? for the frame and forks


keep us updated when the bits start being added

not-another-hillǃ

Thanks for all the comments.

the Italian Flag decal was a tricky one....the fork legs taper so much it was impossible to find something that tapered accordingly, hence why it stops a little way before the serious rake kicks in...it was a bit of a gamble as to how it would look actually..

re the cost of spray job - as I say in post, for Mario to rub down, prep, respray, apply decals and then lacquer was £100...

FransJacques

Forgot to mention, the pinstriping on the TT is really nice and very well picked up from several styles they had over the years.

Can you give a close up pic of it pls?

johnnymcg259

Yep.......not bad at all. White though?......for a UK winter hack?........get used to cleaning it if you want it to stay looking as pretty.

rolf_f

johnnymcg259 wrote:

Yep.......not bad at all. White though?......for a UK winter hack?........get used to cleaning it if you want it to stay looking as pretty.

White is a damn site easier to keep clean than black. It's just down to whether you want your bike to actually be clean or just look clean. I'd go for the former every time.

Vandiesel

Very nice mate
Is Mario an Ashford sprayer

nweststeyn

Shall I be the first person to say I think it's a bit mental to put De Rosa branding on a frame that isn't?

I know you won't care though, and you shouldn't, so don't listen to my opinion.

not-another-hillǃ

VanDiesel.....no, Mario is based in Hither a Green, South London, near Catford....does mainly steel frames with lug lining etc....the forums say his work is hit and miss, but everything I've seen hanging up in his workshop looks very tidy indeed.
Plus, his brother, who is a frame builder, has just started building, repairing and restoring frames in the downstairs workshop.

Thoroughly nice bloke, very knowledgable, good at his job and cheap too

not-another-hillǃ

UPDATE - rolling chassis complete with Shimano RS80 C24 wheels fitted (tyres will be swapped to black when its finished), headset, Deda bars, Deda stem and Ultegra 6700 shifters fitted....




Ritchey Carbon Superlogic seatpost and Fizik Antares saddle fitted



Ultegra 6600 glossy grey brakes fitted



Just crankset, mechs, cabling and bartape to do.....think its coming along nicely

Should be all done by next weekend - will post pictures of finished bike then.....

nweststeyn

Despite saying I didnt like it, that's coming together pretty darn nicely. Only thing I'm not sure is the Giro D'italia lettering. The rest is sweet!

FransJacques

Wow thats nice. Please donate those tyres to the local youth club and get some Ultremos. Maybe even with a white stripe.

If I saw you on the road I would totally say: 'Nice bike'. The GdI sticker works better on the NDS so leave it.

Are your bars over-rotated?

not-another-hillǃ

Thanks

I think the bars are ok, its probably the angle of the picture....

re the Giro decals, I like them - I think they add a little bit of colour to what will be essentially a black and white bike...plus they pick up the Italian tricolore theme from the inner fork legs....re tyres, yes, I like Ultremo's but they can be a bit slippy in the winter so maybe get some Durano's instead (similar weight and Schwalbe reliability)...

We'll see once its all together, but i think it'll look pretty slick...

Graeme Jones

Looks Amazing!!!!

not-another-hillǃ

OK, so finally finished the new winter hack build!!!....heres some pictures...



Although I'd rather have had Campagnolo, I had to settle for full Ultegra 6700



Deda finishing kit...


the man's signature on the top tube...



personally, I'm really pleased with it......its gleaming at the moment, but when I hit that first muddy puddle...

diamonddog

Very bling for a 'hack'.

fleshtuxedo

Really nice. Can't see how you did this for £550 though - do tell!

not-another-hillǃ

It was done like this, over a couple of months.....

All parts from BR or eBay...
Pinnacle Aeos Frame and forks - £100 (BR)
Respray - £100 (Vaz)
Ultegra 6700 Crankset - £80 (BR)
Ultegra 6700 Shifters - £90 (BR)
Ultegra 6700 Front mech and rear mech - £50 (BR)
Ultegra 6600 F&R brake calipers - £40 (BR)
Look Keo Pedals - £20 (BR)
Ritchey Seatpost - £14 (Aliexpress)
Fizik Saddle - £40 (Ebay)
Shimano RS80 Wheels/tubes/tyres - already had on my old winter bike
Deda Bartape - £5 (ebay)
Deda Bars - £5 (eBay)
Deda Stem £10 (BR)
Jagwire Cables - £10 (eBay)
ITM Seatclamp, Lezyne bottle cage - £7 (BR)

Total spent - £571 ....ok, so I went a little over budget, but I also sold my Felt Z85 winter bike (minus wheels) for £240, so in essence, to replace my winter bike with this has cost me £331, which I think is pretty good. Plus I had the fun and satisfaction of sourcing all the parts and then building it....

not-another-hillǃ

Forgot another cost - the De Rosa sticker set from eBay - £6.47

Vandiesel

Nice work buddy