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De Rosa reveals the new Protos

The 63-year-old company presents its latest refined race machine at Italian factory

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De Rosa has updated one of its top-line race machines. The Protos, along with the aero Pininfarina and the ultra-light King XS, make up the backbone of the Italian company’s elegant and refined race bikes. The new Protos uses an updated carbon fibre layup to reduce weight while maintaining the ride’s rigidity.

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“I have always believed that the best possible bicycle is the one we haven’t conceived of or created – yet,” said company founder Ugo De Rosa on the updated Protos. “I have instilled that concept into the minds and hearts of all the members of my family as well as our entire staff; our goal must continue to be to uncover the most innovative solution to the question, ‘how can we create the perfect bicycle for our customers?’ Our duty is, and must always be, to offer what our customers have not yet dared to desire – meeting their needs, exceeding their expectations and igniting their aspirations.”

The updated Protos is 20 per cent lighter than its predecessor using a carbon layup that uses four grades of carbon to maintain stiffness. De Rosa calls the carbon fibre CM63 and say that it is light, stiff and designed for top-level racers. The bike is designed to meet the needs to professional racers but also features the elegance and style that recreational athletes and cycling enthusiasts appreciate from De Rosa bikes.

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Equipped with Campagnolo mechanical or electronic shifting, the bike offers the precision and Italian heritage synonymous with De Rosa bikes.

“The New Protos is the evolutionary result of years of research, innovation, design and collaboration layered onto the knowledge and instinct absorbed and accumulated over 60 plus years of bicycle development,” said Cristiano De Rosa. “Projecting that into the future, in order to remain true to our family’s vision of producing the perfect bike for each customer.”

There will also be a special edition running of the bike built specifically for the racing needs of a UCI pro continental team. The De Rosa Protos Nippo Fantini 2017 equipped with Campagnolo Super Record EPS V3, Campagnolo wheels, FSA Attack handlebars and a saddle by Selle Italia.

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“I know the Protos well from the prior seasons and have always been incredibly happy with its performance,” said said veteran Italian race Damiano Cunego. “Just as the members of our team strive to continually improve, De Rosa has somehow found a way to improve what was already an incredible racing bicycle. I, along with each of my teammates, am eagerly anticipating training on the new Protos.”