Updated De Rosa Merak is lighter and more stable at speed

De Rosa says that its new Merak is a ground-up update and the result of two years’ development. Changes include a bulked out fork and rear section to the frame, with larger cross-sections, with the latter claimed to increase the bike’s stability at speed.

According to Cristiano de Rosa: “I’ve spent the last few weeks riding this bike like a madman on descents. I’ve found myself reaching speeds I had never even come close to before, and what surprises me isn’t so much seeing that number on the bike computer, but feeling completely safe while getting there. The faster you go, the more you understand the work we’ve done on stability. That’s probably what impresses me most about the new Merak.”

De Rosa has pared back the Merak’s weight too, with a claimed frame weight of 700g and full builds from 6.9kg to 7.1kg. The standard spec includes a one-piece De Rosa branded Vision cockpit and a Selle Italia SLR Boost Carbon saddle.

The bike can be kitted out with the full range of Shimano, SRAM or Campagnolo electronic groupsets and there’s a range of wheels on offer.

De Rosa describes the frame graphics as ‘retrofuturism’ with a smaller downtube logo and the heart symbol removed from the head tube in favour of a De Rosa wordmark. De Rosa will offer three different finishes for the new Merak: Classic, Dynamic and Race, with slightly different prices for each.

De Rosa is leaning into its history with the new graphics. Like Colnago and Pinarello it’s a longstanding Italian bike brand. Founded in 1953, it made steel frames for Eddy Merckx, which were rebranded with his own name when he rode for Molteni and has had the Merak in its range for over 25 years.