In the wake of this De Rosa thread I started, I was mulling over a frame I let go a couple of years ago. A molteni-orange De Rosa commemorative. Frame was made in the late 1990s. The frame style was right up to date for that period, but the graphics and paint were in the style of the early 1970s. It was a very nice thing, if you like that sort of thing. I couldn't love it enough to keep it, and I ended up selling it for quite a bit of money. It was NOS, which helped.
Just now I was regretting that frame, mildly, since few were made, and it was my size. But the actual frame itself was just a generic steel frame from the 90s, with De Rosa's cast lugs... discounting the nice orange paint and period graphics, my reaction continues to be "so what? yawn."
Then I thought, what if De Rosa had decided to make his lugs with heart cut-outs. Cast them in. He could have. Seems to me that one detail would have made all the difference. It would have marked those otherwise rather generic De Rosas from the 80s and 90s as something other than generic. I know this much: as shallow as it seems, if that molteni commemorative had had cast lugs with heart cut-outs in the style of the early 70s De Rosas, I never would have sold it, because it would have seemed special to me.
Weird, the details that make a difference. I'm sure to many, a detail like that would have been entirely trivial. But to me? A big difference.. And, of course, it would have been nice if De Rosa could have shaped those cast lugs a bit...not a lot, since they're very hard, and difficult to work, but a little careful application of file and sandpaper to shape the lugs a bit, would also have made a big difference to me.. but cast-in cutouts in the characteristic shape of the De Rosa heart of the early 70s..that would have been totally cool. Too bad he didn't do that.
I haven't ridden one yet, but a friend who has one tells me that SLX De Rosas of the 80s beat you up pretty good...maybe an SL frame would be a nicer ride. An SL from that time might have a higher value than an SLX, although I suppose it all depends on what you're after.
Charles Andrews
SoCal