The Idol has been in the De Rosa line-up since the late 90’s, back then it was an aluminium chassis with a big emphasis on racing. A stiff aggressive agile machine for shoulder-to-shoulder strength tests. The new carbon Idol however has changed from that original brief, with this latest Idol aimed more at the gran fondo market.
Spec overview
- Weight: 8.25kg (59.5cm)
- Gears: Campagnolo Chorus EPS (11-25, 52/36)
- Brakes: Campagnolo Chorus
- Wheels: Fulcrum Racing Quattro
- Finishing kit: Vittoria Rubino 25c tyres, FSA SL-K carbon post, Pro Logo Kappa Evo saddle, 3T ARXII Pro stem, 3T Ergonova Pro bar
Frame and equipment
That’s not to say it’s not an aggressive bike, with classic parallel 73-degree angles and a stack of 597mm and reach of 402mm (on our large 59.5cm sized test bike). This makes this De Rosa sharp machine, but not one that’s going to put you into a backbreaking position especially after plenty of hours in the saddle.
The frame shows plenty of classic Italian flair in its design, the downtube has a flat leading edge with a tapering triangulated back section, the top tube gently arcs and transforms from flattened to diamond shaped and back to flattened again before it meets the skinny arched seat stays.
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Down below the deep chainstays are asymmetric and the flat deeply bladed fork legs feature a channel that starts just below the crown and curves all the way to the drop outs. The effect is a devastatingly good-looking bike that mixes design flair with engineering nuance.
Ride impression
On the road the Idol feels resolutely solid, the power transfer through the pedals is impressive with no untoward flex or movement. This is balanced with a subtle smoothness when the road gets rough or heavy, the Idol does goes about the business of being ruthlessly efficient without feeding back any detrimental noise or vibrations.
On the hills the Idol is a very capable climber, thanks to a sorted ride position a smoothness in its running, no doubt helped by the wider Quattro LG rims shaping the 25c Vittoria tyres very well, providing plenty of suppleness.
Price and availability
To read the full review see issue 319 of Cycling Plus, which goes on sale 13 September 2016
You can read more at BikeRadar.com
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