Mike wrote:
"Were the De Rosa frames that came into Talbots for the USA market inferior to other De Rosas of the period? Were some frames for the pros much better built? Were some frames for the Italian consumer market better (or even worse?) built?"
I can't speak for the majority of DeRosas in the mid 70's, but I did spend an inordinate amount of time oogling the DeRosas at Talbots back then. Sometime in early '75 I spotted my first DeRosa hanging on the wall in Talbots. There were several actually. Both much like the bike recently sold with hearts cut in all three lugs and pantographed everywhere. I fell in love, gave up all thoughts of a Masi and regularly made the drive down from Santa Rosa to drool. Bit by bit I saved my pennies and that summer I had enough to go pick up a frame. But when I got there I was extremely disappointed at what I found. The pantographed parts were still there but there was now only one cutout in the lower headlug and much of the handwork was missing from the frame. In fact the frame was downright rough. Everyone I saw after that looked much the same and eventually I gave up on DeRosa, but always pined for those 3 hearts cut out of the lugs. The good news is that a few years later I had Brian Baylis build me a frame with those very cutouts and of course workmanship that DeRosa never had. That bike was last seen at Chuck's Pasadena event in the hands of it's new owner (sniff).
Bryant Bainbridge Portland, Orygun where monsoon rains have finally turned our 58 year record drought into situation normal.