D
De Rosa838
road
01
Origin
The 838 debuted around 2020 as De Rosa's most accessible carbon road offering — the brand's deliberate attempt to welcome first-time or second-bike buyers into the Italian carbon family without watering down the house aesthetics. The name 838 references De Rosa's street address in Milan.
02
Specifications
- Frame
- Carbon fiber monocoque; sinuous downtube with elliptical polished BB area; integrated cable routing for clean headtube; ~900 g frame weight; 5 sizes (46, 50, 52, 54, 56 cm)
- Drivetrain
- Shimano 105 Di2 12-speed (complete build); frameset sold separately for custom builds; braze-on front derailleur
- Brakes
- Flat-mount hydraulic disc; 140-160 mm rotor compatible
- Wheels
- Fulcrum Soniq AL (complete build); 700c; thru-axle
03
The verdict
+Strengths
- Genuine Italian carbon frame with De Rosa aesthetics at the brand's most approachable price point
- Full disc, thru-axle, and 32 mm clearance give it a modern specification platform
- Integrated cable routing and polished BB shell punch above the entry-level class
−Weaknesses
- Only 5 sizes compared to 8-10 on higher models — fit range is limited
- Cockpit not included with frameset, adding to total build cost
- ~900 g frame weight is solid but noticeably heavier than the Merak and Idol above it
04
Tags
05
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