Once I’d decided on a red De Rosa Neo Primato I had to actually go out and buy the frame. It was available on a few websites, but all the forks had non-threaded steerers and I wanted a traditional threaded steerer tube. The threadless steerer is the modern standard. It extends above the bearing, or headset, that allows the front fork to rotate, and is held in place by a bolt that screws into a star nut inside the head tube. A modern “A-Head” stem then clamps to the steerer. This is lighter than the traditional threaded steerer set up, but it gives the stem a “chunky” look and also limits the amount of height adjustment possible. With a threaded steerer the headset threads onto the steerer and the stem looks like a backwards figure seven and slips inside the steerer tube to be secured by an expanding wedge.
Several emails to the web stores that sold the Neo Primato got replies that said “can’t get it with a threaded stem”. So I went to my local De Rosa dealer to see if one could be special ordered. The dealer said it should be possible and put me on a bike fit machine to confirm that a 54cm frame was the right one for me. It felt good so I left the store with the dealer promising to check on the availability of the frame……….
Fast forward a few days and I got a disappointing email from the dealer saying that the US distributor could not get the frame with a threaded steerer. Well that was just my cue to step up my search. I’d seen a really nice Neo Primato build on Cyclofiend with a threaded stem http://www.cyclofiend.com/cc/2007/cc415-vincentkluwe1207.html and a quick email to the owner in Berlin, Dr. Vincent Kluew, got an almost immediate response. He thanked me and said that he’d got his frame from Doriano De Rosa, the son of the founder Ugo De Rosa, and that it was definitely possible to get a threaded steerer. Then he offered to call Doriano and make sure that I got the frame the way I wanted it. That was very kind and sure enough I received an email from Milan soon after saying that I could have the threaded stem and just had to include a note about it on the order. Now that’s service. Thanks Vincent and Doriano and Cristiano.
I forwarded the factory email to the dealer and went round the next day to put a 50% deposit down on a red 54cm Neo Primato frame with a 1″ threader steerer. Now all I have to do is wait six weeks for it to be delivered!
Filed under: De Rosa Neo Primato Build, Wrenching Tagged: | Neo Primato
