Rose DX CROSS-3100 Di2 Review & Pictures
RuthinRoadWarrior
Posts: 25
I purchased a Rose DX CROSS-3100 Di2 last month and it arrived earlier this month.
In this post I'll make comparisons with my Canyon Inflite AL 9.0 which I purchased in December 2014. The Canyon was the first bike I ever purchased off the internet. I bought it "blind" without ever sitting on one. Same with the Rose.
I've bought the Rose for a holiday home I have in Wales. It will be used all year round not just as a winter bike. No plans to sell the Canyon yet.
The Rose is Di2. Apart from that, the spec is very similar to the Canyon.
The Rose cost me £2,100. The Canyon cost £1,400.
A more direct comparison would be the Ultegra mechanical based DX CROSS-3000 which currently costs £1,655. However I'm not going to compare the gears. Mostly the frame and build.
Sizing & components
Horizontal top tube on the 56cm Rose is 542mm.
On my 54cm BMC GF01 it's 542mm as well. I use a 110mm stem on the BMC.
On my medium Canyon top tube is 553mm. With 100mm stem it's perfect for me.
Now Rose claim the reach is 385mm. My Canyon is 383mm. BMC reach is 375mm.
So I ordered with the 100mm stem based on the reach. For my measurements that I inputted on Rose's web site, that is what they recommend anyway.
Gone with 172.5mm cranks and 42cm bars.
Specced Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 700x32c tyres (£14), Ritchey WCS Streem II bars (£5) and 11-32 cassette (£5 for longer GS rear mech to handle it).
Canyon
Like:
Don't Like:
Don't get me wrong here. The Canyon is not a bad bike at all. Quite the opposite. It rides really well. It just does not compare to the Rose. For the price, it is still a really good deal.
Rose
Like:
Don't like:
Love the shape of the Streem bars.
These are the standard spacers. I believe the bottom 2 screw into the headtube, but I have not tried removing them.
The new Shimano flat mount brakes are very clean.
Delivery
Ordered on 3rd October.
Shipped from Germany on 27th October.
The parcel tracking link showed DHL was handling the delivery.
Great, because DHL deliver to my work address around 3 times per week.
Not so fast.
Parcelfarce are actually contracted to handle the UK side of the delivery.
Delivery was attempted on 30th October. However the delivery driver could not find my address.
To be fair(ish) the delivery address was badly inputted at Rose's side.
However, there was still plenty of info in the address to find me.
After various calls to Parcelfarce (including asking them to re-deliver 3 times) delivery took place one week later on 6th November.
There was a substantial hole in the box, caused by the rear wheel skewer.
The skewer suffered some cosmetic damage, but it's not broken.
Rose need to address this in the packaging.
First impressions
Rode the bike at work in the warehouse. First impression: 100mm stem is just too short.
On the Canyon it is perfect. On the Rose it is too short.
To get my bar position (relative to the saddle) I needed to put the saddle all the way back on it's rails. I don't like that riding position.
I really think Rose have the reach listed incorrectly for the 56cm model.
I should have gone with my instinct based on the horizontal top tube.
Bear this in mind when ordering.
Swapped the stem to a 3T one I have spare in 110mm. Size is now spot on. So I did order the correct frame. I can live with the stem swap.
I love the attention to detail on this bike. The build feels like it was not thrown together. It's been assembled properly.
The new Shimano flat-mount disc brakes are very tidy. Front hose goes through the fork. Rear hose is inside the downtube. 160mm front rotor, 140mm rear rotor.
The hose lengths are spot on. On my Canyon they were miles too long and I needed to cut them down and rebleed each brake.
The overall design is really clean.
For those of you thinking the thru axles make taking the wheels off slower, think about this.
With a standard release on the front wheel, you undo the skewer. Then you unscrew the bolt to get past the "lawyers lips". The when putting the wheel back on again, you tighten the bolt again, check it, tighten a bit more, check it then finally get it right. You could simply file off the lips but nobody does this because it will probably void the fork warranty. The thru axle is just much quicker in this regard. It's just a much better solution regardless of whether disc brakes are installed or not.
On the rear, a standard quick release is a bit faster. But there's nothing in it to worry about.
Frame
High quality alu frame. Based on the welds and the anodising, it looks like it was made by the same manufacturer as the Canyon, in China or Taiwan.
The downtube is carbon size huge where it meets the bottom bracket.
15mm thru axle on fork, 12mm thru axle on rear, press fit BB and mounting points for mudguards.
Standard 1 1/8 steerer and aheadset.
Everything is standard. Nothing proprietary to Rose.
In the UK it is traditional to use the left lever to control the front brake.
Rose defaults to the European way (front lever controls rear brake) but they allow you to change it, which I did. This seems to be a better path anyway for the hoses.
Right/front brake hose going into the fork. Left/rear brake hose into the down tube.
Rose should come up with a better solution here to keep mud out.
Di2
The firmware on each component is bang up to date. Nothing to update.
The Di2 was also setup correctly.
The same could not be said of my BMC GF01 which was out of date and the Di2 not setup correctly. Needed to setup correctly myself. Evans does absolutely no checking of it's bikes before you collect.
Wheels
DT Swiss R23db. The same as my Canyon.
They are "tubeless ready" and come with tubeless valves.
I could swear the wheels on my Canyon are not tubeless despite being the same model. Canyon did not supply any valves. Maybe a revision by DT Swiss for this year?
I installed Continental Cyclocross Speed Folding CX in 35mm. These will be used until the spring.
Mudguards
I did not realise Rose sold mudguards with this bike until the bike was delivered.
I would have ordered mudguards with the bike if I knew.
Rose use the SKS Bluemels. I purchased a set from Wiggle for £22, in 45mm wide.
This is what it looks like fitted.
I needed to cut the rods down here.
You need to drill a hole in the mudguard here as the allen bolt goes into the bridge from inside the mudguard.
First ride
21st November. No time due to work before then.
Temperature had dropped sharply overnight. It had snowed overnight as well.
The bike is quiet. No clicking or creaking.
First real test of climbing is a very steep section which reaches 30.5% for a very short section.
Yes you read that right - over 30%. Strava lists the gradient at 45.6% for some reason.
I need to generate a minimum of 440w just to get through this section.
The bike climbs well here. My heart rate was through the roof.
At the top of this hill - which passes Werneth Low golf course - the was a lot of ice on the road.
The cyclocross tyres really inspire confidence on the icy surface.
Brakes are absolutely first class. Goodbye rim brakes. Good riddance.
On the way home I decided to take a "shortcut" through here:
It gets better:
No problem riding through there. Bike needed a good wash.
Summary
This type of bike is going to be very successful. A bike you can ride all year round. Put 28mm tyres on it in the summer. Put 35mm tyres plus mudguards on it in the winter. Brilliant for training, sportives or just plain riding.
I think most people who buy this bike will use it for road and not cyclocross.
However the weak link in the chain of the Rose business model is the Parcelfarce delivery.
I use my work address for deliveries. If you have the bike delivered to your home, and you need to take a day off work, I can see this being a problem, as Parcelfarce are just not reliable.
Definitely something Rose needs to address. Maybe arrange pickup locations instead? After all, if you buy from your LBS you need to collect the bike.
Would I buy another Rose? 100% yes. They would be top of my list and the only reason I would not buy another one is if they don't sell the exact spec I'm after.
If you thinking of buying one of these, stop thinking, and pull the trigger.
You won't regret it.
In this post I'll make comparisons with my Canyon Inflite AL 9.0 which I purchased in December 2014. The Canyon was the first bike I ever purchased off the internet. I bought it "blind" without ever sitting on one. Same with the Rose.
I've bought the Rose for a holiday home I have in Wales. It will be used all year round not just as a winter bike. No plans to sell the Canyon yet.
The Rose is Di2. Apart from that, the spec is very similar to the Canyon.
The Rose cost me £2,100. The Canyon cost £1,400.
A more direct comparison would be the Ultegra mechanical based DX CROSS-3000 which currently costs £1,655. However I'm not going to compare the gears. Mostly the frame and build.
Sizing & components
Horizontal top tube on the 56cm Rose is 542mm.
On my 54cm BMC GF01 it's 542mm as well. I use a 110mm stem on the BMC.
On my medium Canyon top tube is 553mm. With 100mm stem it's perfect for me.
Now Rose claim the reach is 385mm. My Canyon is 383mm. BMC reach is 375mm.
So I ordered with the 100mm stem based on the reach. For my measurements that I inputted on Rose's web site, that is what they recommend anyway.
Gone with 172.5mm cranks and 42cm bars.
Specced Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 700x32c tyres (£14), Ritchey WCS Streem II bars (£5) and 11-32 cassette (£5 for longer GS rear mech to handle it).
Canyon
Like:
- Bars. Really nice shape. So much so, I found the equivalent Ritchey shape when ordering the Rose.
- Full Ultegra groupset. You don't get some random chainset. Everything is Ultegra.
- Price. Cheaper than anyone else for the spec.
Don't Like:
- Acros headset. A solution to a problem that does not exist.
- 1.25 inch steerer. Can only use Canyon or Syntace stems. Supplied stem length is spot on for me. But if it's not, it could be a problem for you.
- SKS mudguards are not standard. The metal supports are not straight like on the retail versions. They are custom made for the Canyon. Canyon is out of stock until Feb 2016. I should have bought some when I ordered the bike. I've been using Zefal guards, but I want the SKS.
- Exposed rear hose on the top tube. Very ugly and a pain for bike carriers that grip the top tube.
- 46/36 chainrings. I replaced the small ring with a 34. However, the 50t Ultegra rings - due to the chainring being hollow - are very expensive. Around £90. Forget it.
- The seatpost. It has a split in it. It flexes too much. You have to remove it to change the angle. It's a pain. Removed and replaced with a Ritchey one instead. Much better.
Don't get me wrong here. The Canyon is not a bad bike at all. Quite the opposite. It rides really well. It just does not compare to the Rose. For the price, it is still a really good deal.
Rose
Like:
- Rear thru axle: the wheel will never move in the dropout, which is a pet hate of mine.
- Standard headset and steerer: no Acros crap like on the Canyon. Use any stem you like.
- Hoses are hidden inside fork & downtube.
- Mudguards are standard retail SKS Bluemels. Only minor modification needed. See below.
- Proper 50/34 chainrings. Not 46/36 cyclocross despite the bikes name/market.
- General high attention to detail.
- Price. For the spec, cheaper than any UK suppliers.
Don't like:
- The inlets under the bottom bracket where mud can get in. Rose needs a solution for this.
- The holes on the left chainstay for a stand. Looks daft.
Love the shape of the Streem bars.
These are the standard spacers. I believe the bottom 2 screw into the headtube, but I have not tried removing them.
The new Shimano flat mount brakes are very clean.
Delivery
Ordered on 3rd October.
Shipped from Germany on 27th October.
The parcel tracking link showed DHL was handling the delivery.
Great, because DHL deliver to my work address around 3 times per week.
Not so fast.
Parcelfarce are actually contracted to handle the UK side of the delivery.
Delivery was attempted on 30th October. However the delivery driver could not find my address.
To be fair(ish) the delivery address was badly inputted at Rose's side.
However, there was still plenty of info in the address to find me.
After various calls to Parcelfarce (including asking them to re-deliver 3 times) delivery took place one week later on 6th November.
There was a substantial hole in the box, caused by the rear wheel skewer.
The skewer suffered some cosmetic damage, but it's not broken.
Rose need to address this in the packaging.
First impressions
Rode the bike at work in the warehouse. First impression: 100mm stem is just too short.
On the Canyon it is perfect. On the Rose it is too short.
To get my bar position (relative to the saddle) I needed to put the saddle all the way back on it's rails. I don't like that riding position.
I really think Rose have the reach listed incorrectly for the 56cm model.
I should have gone with my instinct based on the horizontal top tube.
Bear this in mind when ordering.
Swapped the stem to a 3T one I have spare in 110mm. Size is now spot on. So I did order the correct frame. I can live with the stem swap.
I love the attention to detail on this bike. The build feels like it was not thrown together. It's been assembled properly.
The new Shimano flat-mount disc brakes are very tidy. Front hose goes through the fork. Rear hose is inside the downtube. 160mm front rotor, 140mm rear rotor.
The hose lengths are spot on. On my Canyon they were miles too long and I needed to cut them down and rebleed each brake.
The overall design is really clean.
For those of you thinking the thru axles make taking the wheels off slower, think about this.
With a standard release on the front wheel, you undo the skewer. Then you unscrew the bolt to get past the "lawyers lips". The when putting the wheel back on again, you tighten the bolt again, check it, tighten a bit more, check it then finally get it right. You could simply file off the lips but nobody does this because it will probably void the fork warranty. The thru axle is just much quicker in this regard. It's just a much better solution regardless of whether disc brakes are installed or not.
On the rear, a standard quick release is a bit faster. But there's nothing in it to worry about.
Frame
High quality alu frame. Based on the welds and the anodising, it looks like it was made by the same manufacturer as the Canyon, in China or Taiwan.
The downtube is carbon size huge where it meets the bottom bracket.
15mm thru axle on fork, 12mm thru axle on rear, press fit BB and mounting points for mudguards.
Standard 1 1/8 steerer and aheadset.
Everything is standard. Nothing proprietary to Rose.
In the UK it is traditional to use the left lever to control the front brake.
Rose defaults to the European way (front lever controls rear brake) but they allow you to change it, which I did. This seems to be a better path anyway for the hoses.
Right/front brake hose going into the fork. Left/rear brake hose into the down tube.
Rose should come up with a better solution here to keep mud out.
Di2
The firmware on each component is bang up to date. Nothing to update.
The Di2 was also setup correctly.
The same could not be said of my BMC GF01 which was out of date and the Di2 not setup correctly. Needed to setup correctly myself. Evans does absolutely no checking of it's bikes before you collect.
Wheels
DT Swiss R23db. The same as my Canyon.
They are "tubeless ready" and come with tubeless valves.
I could swear the wheels on my Canyon are not tubeless despite being the same model. Canyon did not supply any valves. Maybe a revision by DT Swiss for this year?
I installed Continental Cyclocross Speed Folding CX in 35mm. These will be used until the spring.
Mudguards
I did not realise Rose sold mudguards with this bike until the bike was delivered.
I would have ordered mudguards with the bike if I knew.
Rose use the SKS Bluemels. I purchased a set from Wiggle for £22, in 45mm wide.
This is what it looks like fitted.
I needed to cut the rods down here.
You need to drill a hole in the mudguard here as the allen bolt goes into the bridge from inside the mudguard.
First ride
21st November. No time due to work before then.
Temperature had dropped sharply overnight. It had snowed overnight as well.
The bike is quiet. No clicking or creaking.
First real test of climbing is a very steep section which reaches 30.5% for a very short section.
Yes you read that right - over 30%. Strava lists the gradient at 45.6% for some reason.
I need to generate a minimum of 440w just to get through this section.
The bike climbs well here. My heart rate was through the roof.
At the top of this hill - which passes Werneth Low golf course - the was a lot of ice on the road.
The cyclocross tyres really inspire confidence on the icy surface.
Brakes are absolutely first class. Goodbye rim brakes. Good riddance.
On the way home I decided to take a "shortcut" through here:
It gets better:
No problem riding through there. Bike needed a good wash.
Summary
This type of bike is going to be very successful. A bike you can ride all year round. Put 28mm tyres on it in the summer. Put 35mm tyres plus mudguards on it in the winter. Brilliant for training, sportives or just plain riding.
I think most people who buy this bike will use it for road and not cyclocross.
However the weak link in the chain of the Rose business model is the Parcelfarce delivery.
I use my work address for deliveries. If you have the bike delivered to your home, and you need to take a day off work, I can see this being a problem, as Parcelfarce are just not reliable.
Definitely something Rose needs to address. Maybe arrange pickup locations instead? After all, if you buy from your LBS you need to collect the bike.
Would I buy another Rose? 100% yes. They would be top of my list and the only reason I would not buy another one is if they don't sell the exact spec I'm after.
If you thinking of buying one of these, stop thinking, and pull the trigger.
You won't regret it.
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Comments
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Great review and the Team DX Cross 2000 Hydraulic is definitely on my list of possible all-road bike.
Just one question - Is the rear axle definitely 12mm thru axle as the Rose website states 10mm??0 -
Great reviews, thanks.
I've been riding a Rose DX 2000 for three weeks now.
The bike is really good and I've been doing some gravel type riding (and some more hard core off road stuff, mainly by error) on the Saturdays and a group road ride on the Sunday of 90k ish. I started of on Racing Ralph tyres, changed to Sammy Slicks which i use for both types of ride. The Conti 4 season 28mm were a disaster. The Mavic crossride wheels are designed for 35mm and up and the thinner tyres just don't work.
going for manual discs was probably a false economy but at £950 it's a good deal cheaper than with hydraulics.
The bike was delivered with the front brake on the left despite asking three times for a right hand front brake.0 -
Just one question - Is the rear axle definitely 12mm thru axle as the Rose website states 10mm??
Yep. It is on the 3100 anyway.
I don't believe DT Swiss make a rear wheel in 10mm thu axle.
Unless the 2000 model uses a different wheelset in which case it could be 10mm.
But on the 3100 it is 12mm. 15mm on the front.
Edit:
Looks like DT Swiss supply 10/135mm endcaps for their 12/142mm rear wheels.0 -
Interesting review. I've just bought a Jamis Renegade Elite from Evans. The first one (to your point about checks) was ex-demo (may even have been the Road.cc review bike) and had to go back because of a cracked top tube (crushed in a workstand is my guess). Evans have been pretty good about it and given me a healthy discount off the 2016 model. I'm not too unhappy as for 2016 they've dropped the silly Pro Compact chainset for a regular compact and also put an 11-32 cassette on rather than a 28. This is a gravel/adventure bike after all. It seems a well thought-out bike with some very nice American Classic Argent TL wheels - much better wheels than you'd expect. Hydraulic Ultegra disc - will probably swap for Di2 in time as I'm a big fan. Should be great for my commute but I'm also interested in doing fire roads back in the Highlands - not to mention a few of Rapha's events.ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH0
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Interesting review. I've just bought a Jamis Renegade Elite from Evans.
I've seen the Jamis. But when I discovered they are only available in the UK from Evans, I though "nope".
My BMC GF01 cracked on the seatstay. Took Evans far too long to replace the frame. They had the frame for nearly 2 weeks before they even started work on swapping it. Only because I insisted with a conversation with the shop manager.0 -
Yes - Evans is a bit of a risk and it might be that their cock-up is my gain as I got a £350 discount on what is, already, a good value bike which seems well thought-out. I needed something different though because the muddy roads around here were killing my poor Foil's wheels (rim brakes are just so stupid).ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH0
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Nice, detailed review; thank you. Been prevaricating about a similar bike for a year now; that one can get a light, hydraulic disk-braked Di2 bike for just over £2K is impressive.
Did you set the height of the rear mudguards to match the spacing when fixed to the seat stay bridge? Looks quite high if you're not getting it truly muddy.Location: ciderspace0 -
Did you set the height of the rear mudguards to match the spacing when fixed to the seat stay bridge? Looks quite high if you're not getting it truly muddy.
Yeah. I don't need it any closer. No water is coming though. Totally dry.0 -
RRW- Really enjoyed the review... good job.0
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Correction: the rear axle is indeed 10mm and not 12mm.
Rose had previously told me it was 12mm in an e-mail. Maybe a recent revision.0 -
Good review. Nice photos. Well done.0
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Great review, thanks.
I've just ordered the same model as my new winter bike. I'm just wondering if you've got any other advice/comments since ownership? I'm expecting delivery in around 5 weeks.
Thanks
Mark0 -
Good Review - thanks for the work! Funny thing is, I also have a ROSE Team DX Cross (and love it!) and my wife just bought the Canyon Inflite
Concerning the ROSE Team DX: I ride the 4400 (SRAM Force) and couldn´t be happier! I have two wheelsets in use, 1) the standard DT-Swiss R23 Spline with Schwalbe X-One, and 2) a custom-built and very light (1325gr) one with Schwalbe Pro-One (23mm front, 25mm rear). Changing of wheels is done in three minutes and thanks to the Thru-Axle I never have to adjust the brakes/discs. This way I replaced two other bikes and the ROSE is now my only bike (apart from a nice little Bromptom
).
The ROSE is very comfy and perfect for my dual-purpose use. Of course it is not a 100% Race-Bike... but more than enough for me. While I have not yet used it I also love the possibility to add mudguards and baggage (even a Lowrider!) should you want to make longer tours and/or holidays. All in all the ROSE is super versatile, I feel safe in Off-Road use and fast while On-Road. Quality of the parts and finish is perfect and the service superb.
As for advice: I can´t think of how to make it even better! The only thing I really suggest is to give Tubeless a try. I run both wheelsets Tubeless and it is simply GREAT!!! @ Mark: should you think of going Tubeless you can ask ROSE to change the tire to a tubeless one (Racing Ralph is not!) - might save you some $.0 -
I put some 42mm wide tyres on the bike a couple of weeks ago, for an event I did today called the Peak District Pioneer.
These are Continental CrossRide. Paid just £16 each from Wiggle though they have gone up a bit since then.
They ride really well on tarmac.
The bike got very muddy but handled the terrain - a mix of on and off road - pretty well.
Zero issues with shifting in the really muddy sections.
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