RBA Review: De Rosa King 3 RS
De Rosa bikes have an appropriate historical aura around them. The story of Ugo De Rosa creates the tone: Born in 1934 in Milan, De Rosa watched Coppi and Bartali’s epic duels, and at age 13, Ugo apprenticed with Filippo Facci and learned about bicycles and framebuilding. At age 18, Ugo De Rosa opened up his own business and quickly became a sought-after framebuilder, getting his big break when in 1958, Raphael Geminiani asked him to build a bike for the upcoming Giro d’Italia. Then in 1973, De Rosa became the framebuilder and mechanic for the Merckx-led Molteni team, and the rest is history.
The De Rosa name still carries with it the history of innovation: First in steel in the 1950s, the bike of the Faema team in the 1960s, then titanium frames (De Rosa Titaniu) in the early 1990s, aluminum next in 1996 and finally into carbon ten years ago. Now, the striking De Rosa King 3 RS continues that racing history and innovation as the bike of choice for the up-and-coming Fly V Australia team.
THE PARTS
The innovative King 3 RS frame is constructed with Mizuno T-700SC carbon fiber, features an integrated seatpost, compact geometry in ten sizes and internal cable routing. Weighing almost ten-percent less than the popular King 3 frame, our King 3 RS came equipped with a Campagnolo 11-Speed Record group, an FSA stem and K-Force bars, Campagnolo Eurus 2-Way Fit wheels with Vittoria Open Corsa EVO XC tires and a Selle San Marco Aspide saddle.
THE RIDE
While the reality of writing about bicycles for a living puts the RBA test crew outside of hanging out in Monaco and driving Porsche 911’s to brunch and back, the consistent comments from our test crew were that the bike handled, rode and performed like a small and fast sports car. The compact geometry, tight lines and Ugo De Rosa race geometry made the King 3 RS spunky, quick and super fast. With every move we made, the bike responded quickly and with purpose. This is a race bike for riders who appreciate performance, not for a rider looking for a casual bike to ride in endurance events. It’s expensive, fast, expertly made and designed for top-end performance.
INFO: www.trialtir-usa.com
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