your bike had what was referred to as a 'kas' paint job; the reference is obvious... and the lugs you mention were dubois. e-RICHIE
On Tue, 24 Apr 2001 12:34:06 EDT OROBOYZ@aol.com writes:
> I have had three DeRosas over the years, the first being bike in a
> metallic
> gray w/gold head tube & seat panel.. Must have been about 1976-7?
> When Gita
> first started importing them, only "DeRosa" blue was available, Gita
> saying
> that was Ugo's favorite color and all he wanted to export to the
> USA..
> This grey & gold version was the first variation from that blue I
> had seen to
> that point. This particular bike had DuBois looking, not-investment
> cast lugs
> that had been sculpted and reshaped, Hearts cut in various spots,
> little
> points shaped at the droput/stay junctures.. (Richie Sachs still
> frequently
> does this!) This frame looked very hand made and was, in my mind, a
> top
> example of "Italian mannerist" bicycle frame styling.
> It's ride was very, very quick but very supple. Kind of an odd but
> nice
> marriage of a crit bike and a ride-all-day bike...
>
> My next DeRosa was maybe 5-6 years later, this time an unusual full
> chrome
> plated job. Now the bike had the full dose of special DeRosa
> investment cast
> lugs, etc. The bottom bracket had machined in or more likely, cast
> in grooves
> rather like a roto bbkt shell I have used in some of my own
> manufacture
> frames. It seemed (without side by side comparison being possible,
> as I had
> sold off the first bike... sigh) at least as quick but not as
> compliant.. a
> bit harsher and, while riding very nicely, not as balanced as the
> first bike.
> It was sold but Karen Rawls now has this bike now and showed it at
> last years
> Cirque.
>
> I had another more recent (early 1990s) bike briefly and I think it
> was again
> very nice but less distinguished , especially in craftsmanship, as
> it was
> simply a neat assembly of investment cast parts, with the "hand of
> the
> builder" barely discernible. DeRosa did retain the pointed edge
> filing
> details at the rear drops until recently....
>
> Dale Brown
> Greensboro, North Carolina