Della Santa Website Updated!

[amg]

photos have been added! View with caution! Your wallet may get lighter! :D

www.dellasanta.com

Antonio :banana:

[e-RICHIE]

i'm surprised that there are no replies to this posting;
roland makes such nice frames. is amg the only guy
here (besides me) clicking through the link?!

e-RICHIE

ps

:crap: :crap: :crap:
:crap: :crap: :crap:
:crap: :crap: :crap:

[jpw]

Sorry, ugly.

[e-RICHIE]

"Sorry, ugly."


wow.
i'm speechless!

e-RICHIE

ps

:argue: :argue: :argue:
:argue: :argue: :argue:
:argue: :argue: :argue:

[jpw]

I said i was sorry...in advance... to lessen the blow.

It's just a personal taste thing. Perhaps i don't have any. Still ugly, to me.

Why? The lines are not 'clean', if you understand my meaning. I'm not old school.

[sw3759]

Roland's frames are very impressive.....had a lot of interest in a Richard Sachs frameset....but he won't return my e-mails.has more than enough work as it is, i suppose:confused:

[Ahneida Ride]

Not the best paint Jobs !
Better porn at, Kirk, Bohemian, Moon, Vanilla, Sachs,
Rivendell, Dbrk's Basement

[e-RICHIE]

for me, it's an emotional thing. i saw my first DS
before i ever heard of lemond. i thought roland
was cool. i liked his approach. he's a straight-up
guy. he might even be on the down-low. either
way, i like his work and i consider the man and his
palmares to be inseperable from the frames he builds.
i think it's because i have alot of ovum.

e-RICHIE

ps

:beer: :beer: :beer:
:beer: :beer: :beer:
:beer: :beer: :beer:

[e-RICHIE]

"but he won't return my e-mails."


scott.
if that's your name, all my replies to you have
continued to bounce for months. send me a PM
so i can discern if u r the same guy i think u r.

sorry for using this board 4 dis.

e-RICHIE

ps

:confused: :confused: :confused:
:confused: :confused: :confused:
:confused: :confused: :confused:

[csb]

oh i looked alright

[victoryfactory]

SW3759;

Maybe Mr Sachs would have time to make you a frame if he wasn't hangin' around all morning in some stupid message board.

VF

Sorry, couldn't resist. The snow has made me crazy (er)

[flydhest]

e-richie,

Going way out on a limb (yeah, right) I'm going to agree with you about bikes.

I really like the flat, double plate crown on the Pearl White. Now that is my type of bike.

Anybody know the vintage of the Campy components on the Orange bike?

The lugwork on all the bikes definitely appeals to my aesthetic. Some detail, but simple. Not Columbine-esque, nor even Rivendell-ian.

Anyone know about how much one of those babies would set you back?

My Legend is, for me, the perfect Ti frame. I want a lugged steel to go along with it.

[FlaRider]

As soon as Roland's home page went up about a month ago, I placed my order for a Della Santa. Roland's super nice to deal with and is still as fascinated today by road racing as he was in his racing days. I don't think he rides much any more, however. His frame prices, I believe, begin at $1,450, which is a bargain considering you get a beautiful custom lugged steel frame from one of America's master framebuilders.

Antonio, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that the paint quality of DS frames is actually quite good. His painter is Jim Allen, whom I understand was involved with California Masi and paints all of the Torelli frames. It's probably not comparable to JB, but then again it's hard to approach JB quality.

[BigMac]

I've never heard of Jim Allen or his association with Masi California. I was only aware of Jim Cunningham, Brian Bayliss (who trained JB, fwiw) and Ron Smith. I suppose there could have been more painters, but these 3 were the most reknowned. I've seen many of Roland's frames over the years, the finish work is top shelf. The paint is very fine as well. Roland prefers a more old world Italy approach where less is more. Nicely tapered lug points, clean lines and nothing ornate.

I'm with Fly, that pearl white is a gorgeous bike. The Campy gruppo on the orange bike looks like the 50th anniversary Record gruppo from '83 but lacks the gold highlights. The Campagnolo script engraving on crank arm and chainring is the most obvious sign. Now if the white pearl frame had the same BB as the orange bike that features traditional over-the-shell cast-in cable guides, that would be the PERFECT frame...ok I would have used black or dark platinum highlights in lieu of the red. Either way, beautifully handcrafted frames, as are Serotta's, Sachs...

Ride on!

[BigDaddySmooth]

As a recent owner of a Della Santa, well, the term "ugly" is about 180 degrees off. The paint on my blue w/yellow panels is simply spectacular. I have another frameset painted by the same painter Dave Kirk uses and the quality and appearance (in person, not looking at a website) are about equal but I'd stil pick the DS due to the panels. The personal touches Roland used for my frame separate it from an off-the-peg frame in a big way. Sure, I'm not a faster rider because of it but what I can say is this...the frame is stiff out of the saddle and going up a hill while at the same time it is comfortable, stable and smooth as silk. With Record 10 and nothing fancy, it tips the scale at 18# (54 cm).

It is nice to see a highly reputable US builder (e-Richie) pay the respect due to another great US builder.

[Legend_1970]

I think this thread is actually in direct violation of the forum rules, advertising another company...

[amg]

FlaRider,

Yes, Jim Allen in California paints all of Roland's frames and according to Roland Jim worked at Masi USA. I don't know too much about Masi USA because I wasn't really into cycling then; I was still in diapers. :D

Jim's paint work is very nice, though not as nice as JB or Brian Bayliss, but as you said, few are. Judging from the photos on the website and recalling by old DS :( , I'd say that Jim's work has gotten better! Also, I noticed that Roland is now putting little round cut-outs in his lugs - nice touch! Personally, I think Roland's frames are super nice and I look forward to one day (soon, if my horse comes in today, baby! :D ) getting another one.

Antonio :beer:

[jpw]

I wasn't really talking of the paint when i uglied the frames. It's the lines of the construction that hurt my eyes.

Nice paint can hide many evils of frame construction.

I once owned a Cannondale (no, don't laugh) and the paint began to peel away...to expose a very 'odd' looking chainstay tube. Odd because it looked more like plastic than alloy. I'm to this day not sure what the material was. Looked nothing like any metal finish i've ever seen. A mystery.

[amg]

Legend_1970:

I am not associated with, employed by, nor have any interest in Roland Della Santa cycles. I am simply an enthusiast of fine bicycles of all types and brands. I believe in order for this thread to be in violation of forum rules, it would have to have been originated by Roland Della Santa himself, since he is the only employee at his own company. Now I'm not a lawyer, so I'll leave this kind of stuff up to them.

Antonio

[BigMac]

Legend:

I'm sure if Serotta held firm and fast to said "rules", we'd likely see lots of heavy handed moderator interference. This is part of the beauty of this site, Serotta willingness to allow contributors to voice their respective opinions as long as it does not get too out of hand like we had experienced in former forum. To me this benefits Serotta and we the consumer. We get to have a relatively unfettered free exchange of ideas and philosophies. Serotta gets a direct window into the minds, wishes and even complaints of its customer base...or at least a small percentage of them.

Honestly, Roland produces so few frames compared to Serotta that "advertising" his website hardly seems contrarian to Serotta bikes and philosphies. On the other hand, perhaps the positive comments here about the DS, Spectrums and/or Sachs frames may inspire Serotta reaffirm its committment to CSi and maybe other lugged steel frames. The white pearl DS with twin plate fork crown and beautifully integrated fender fittings at both stay bridges would be a wonderful offering from Serotta. Given the popularity of Rivendell's production bikes of similar design, there is certainly a viable market for such all-purpose, all-weather frames, no? I'm certain Serotta is watching this thread, are they listening and considering is my question. Heck, if it meant they outsourced the construction but maintained their own Colorado Concept tubing and engineering philosophy, that too would be fine. I just cannot get over how much I like that white DS; beautiful clean lugs, twin plate crown, fender fittings and thin ovalized long cs's, what more could a cyclist ask for?

Ride on!

[Ahneida Ride]

Ben need not worry about the competition. His product
is exemplary and unique. The more people that gravitate
here for information, the more product he will sell.

The open and honest comments and opinions expressed
within was a major factor in my decision to purchase a Serotta.

Serotta has nothing to hide.

Thanks for sponsering the Forum Serotta.

[Ahneida Ride]

Tell em Big Mac !

[JackL]

Like Roman statues versus the earlier Greek ones, Roland's frames may have just enough human imperfection to have "soul". I can stand in awe of perfection, but I can't interact with it. Rolands frames retain the mark of the artisan, and possibly are the better for it.

That leaves us with the problem with craftsmanship in general and framebuilding in particular; differentiating between indifferent workmanship and "humanizing" imperfections.

JackL

[BigDaddySmooth]

JPW,
Ugly lines. To each his own. I find the lines and silhouette of my frameset simply irresistible. As far as pretty paint hiding a poorly made frame, well...I know you're only kidding about that one.
BDS

[Climb01742]

that pearl white frame is a beauty. the only thing i find ugly on the frame is the logo. very subjective, i know. but frame is classically beautiful, to my eye.

to the guy who didn't get his e-mails answered by e-richie--count yourself as lucky. 'cause once he starts e-mailing you, he never stops! no wonder he has a 12 year wait list. he's e-mail crazy!!!!:beer:

[dbrk]

I hope to order a Della Santa in the next few years...{note to self: take a deep breath there, fella', there's plenty on the plate!} and these are just lovely examples. I'm not quite sure what the comment about the lines not being clean really means: there are nice shorelines, gentle curves, simple points, and an elegant look. As for Jim Allen, he is an excellent painter and I have owned two Masis (a GC and a 3V) that he was kind enough to identify as his work, and it is excellent paint: even, clean, no dust or sand or anything untoward, just very proper. What I like best about it is that it looks like "Italian paint" but has American quality, if that makes any sense. It sort of appears oldschool but has a good clearcoat and the right shine. I've been very happy with how it has held up over the years too.

The twin plate crown is a beautiful touch too. It's a shame we see so few of these nowadays since once upon a time they were not uncommon.

I'm with Richie on this: Della Santas rock.

dbrk

[djg]

black and white one. Arggh.

[Peter]

It was in Branford Bike in the early '80's, when the shop was in his mother's basement. I was already aware Roland had made some of LeMond's frames, but for some reason I still wasn't impressed. There was a Della Santa road frame with an American Flag paint scheme (red/white/blue), except the stars were those little gold stars your kindergarten teacher stuck on your paper to reward "good" work! I kid you not!

Despite that cheap little effect, the frame looked fine and the price was comparable to all the production frames for sale in the shop at the time. I get the impression a Della Santa frame would be very reasonable in price and certainly due to his long history in the business, his frames would be constructed straight and would last a long time. His paint schemes are a refreshing break from today's attempts at trying to be different-simple panels and simple decals. Notice the world champ stripes; congrats to him for earning the right to put them on his frames!

Now can someone explain to me what the deal is with the rear shift lever in the funky position?
http://www.dellasanta.com/index.php?do=photos&which=Misc&image=ds-side.jpg

I hope his site improves, offering more information.

[DonG]

Don't know about you guys but if I'm paying $$$$ bucks for a frame I'd want the threads in my bottom bracket to look a lot better than the ones in the pictures.

I've seen gas pipe with better looking threads.

Don

[Cranky]

A major problem with Della Santa's website is the poor digital quality of the images. If you can look past some paint choices that may not be to everyones taste, there is a very, classic and beautifully detailed bike.
It's very spoiling to look at the mouthwatering pictures on the Sachs, Kirk, Rivendell et al sites and compare the images to Della Santa. Someday, I would love to own a Della Santa.

[CarbonTi]

Now can someone explain to me what the deal is with the rear shift lever in the funky position?

There are no closeup pictures to see the shifter or the right rear dropout, but I'd guess Roland built this frame with a Campy Porta-Cantata (sp??). This was a mech that allowed shifting past the smallest cog on to a chain holder screwed into the droput to facilitate wheel changes. There was a small lever flipped on the rear shifter to allow more travel past the shifter stop to do this.

I have a Della Santa and was offered this dohickey but I use Campy retro-friction levers on this bike so I declined.

Roland builds a great frame, I'd pass on the plug-in seat stay cluster though. He may still have capped stay plugs from his Carlsbad stash, use those with a flat crown and that would be something.

[amg]

Roland has been building frames for almost 35 years and he has never had a brochure, it's all been word of mouth all these years. That fact that he has a website and is posting some photos on it is a quantum leap in marketing his business. Go easy on Roland, he's new to all this advertising stuff.

Antonio :beer:

[Ahneida Ride]

Paint is still sub optimal.

I'n not drooling like Tom Byrnes Vanilla or Dbrk's RS.

[Dr. Doofus]

The Doc lusts after Della Santas...paint shmaint...cripes...if Ugo DeRosa got off the couch and brazed a few dozen frames, some people would piss on them if they didn't have the lovely paint of a Klein.... 1450 (under the jerk's vaunted 1500 point...which, oddly enough, is also the Doc's el-cheapo point) for the work of a master...and you won't notice the paint if you're riding the thing hard enough....

[sw3759]

apologies to E-richie....e-mail issue straightend out.
Thank you Richard

:beer: