De Rosa Idol - too racey or ok for sportives etc?

As a man in my mid 40s who does the odd sportive I thought that the sportive bikes might have been for me. That was until I had a bike fit last winter. Apparently my (slightly) proportionaly longer back and shorter legs coupled with reasonable flexibility I was encouraged towards more race orientated geometries even if I don't race. It was the right advice.

So now I know I am more Tarmac than Roubaix or Supersix than Synapse. 'Other bike brands are available'.

So if you are spending the kind of money you are thinking about it might be worth getting a bike fit. The guy that did mine gave me a recomended stack and reach which you may find narrows the options and helps inform decisions if nothing else.

Fitness and flexibility...

I’m 14 months of my fiftieth & have been riding a R838 for two years,
Whilst it’s a little stiff it handles supremely & is as fast as you can make it ever hope to go.
Will I ever race it, never, I don’t race never have never will & don’t care to either, simply is not my thing.

Last year amongst others I done my two longest sportive’ s to date - 144 miles & 132 miles
I cycled a week in Tenerife with one days climbing @ 12,000 ft. most days over 8000 ft.
all on the De Rosa R838 which is apparently a pure racers bike!

Whilst I may have got a tired back some of those days, I’d defy anyone not to have the same no matter what bike they ride
Quite simply my De Rosa is the most comfortable & best fitting bike (for my frame shape/size) I have ever owned & I dread
the day I need to change her out

My bike has quick release front and rear with hydraulic disc brakes. I weigh 95kg and don't notice flex. But then I have a cyclocross frame bike so might be more rigid

The DeRosa Idol is beautiful. Quite long top tubes, so racy geometries. Unless you've got back inflexibility/injury history, you should be fine on one of these. Plenty of steerer tube to play with! There are retailers around, although the online database is rarely accurate. Contact I-ride (the importer) for accurate info.

Kevin - where are you based? Sutton Runner in Sutton Coldfield stock a small range of De Rosas and their bike mechanic Al is a magician.

http://www.suttonrunner.com/shop/

BBB sell stem risers and a selection of steep angle brackets. Look at wiggle. You can make a racer into a comfy tourer with £25 outlay.

I wouldnt worry about it being too twitchy, i would rather have a bike that responds (especially when i am tired) than one which is a little bit sluggish, it might just be the difference between hitting a pothole/rider in front and missing it. Also, raising the bars has the effect of shortening the reach slightly which may help your 50 year old back a little!

Try one! If your worried about if you fit the bike because of age/fitness that's the only way of telling or by comparing any of your current bike geometry to your new purchase. Adding spacers and flipping bars is a solution but it will potentially affect the handling of the bike. sitting you upright shifts your weight reward which can get interesting on descents I know this from experience

Bang a few spacers under your stem, flip the stem so it points up or at the very worst buy a stem with slightly more lift and you have a sportive bike. There is no reason whatsoever why a race bike cant be used for sportives (apart from the marketing man's power of persuasion).