I only knew Doriano De Rosa’s hands. Every year at the Eurobike trade show, I would walk through the doors of hall A1, and into the sleek, shiny black, De Rosa booth. In there, the bikes are well lit and all look beautiful. But there’s always one bike that has taken my breath away; a bike that makes me itch with cravings like a junkie. The De Rosa Titanio.

I can’t pinpoint exactly what pulled me to this bike. It’s a simple frame with round tubes and no groundbreaking technological features. But I thought it was elegant and I liked that it was made in Italy, at De Rosa. I liked that it got its style from craftsmanship and that it was not crafted for style.

Doriano left De Rosa to build bikes in Italy, and pass on his craft
Matt Phillips
Doriano left De Rosa to build bikes in Italy, and pass on his craft

This was the work of Doriano’s De Rosa’s hands. The De Rosa Titanio was his masterpiece: every one bore his signature. Was, because he has left the company his father, Ugo De Rosa, started in 1953; the company where he had worked with his brothers Danilo and Cristiano, since about 1975.

Doriano De Rosa’s new company is BIXXIS, which he founded with his daughter Martina last year. When we spoke at the 2016 North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS), De Rosa was surprisingly frank about his motivations. He expressed frustration because he felt the family business was more interested in sticking the De Rosa name to carbon frames made overseas than making De Rosa frames at De Rosa.

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Doriano De Rosa wanted to build frames, and build them in Italy. He wanted to work with metal, employ and train frame builders, share his knowledge, and pass his craft on. In his voice, I could hear that he loves family, and that leaving De Rosa Bicycles was a difficult decision. But it is clear that he feels that leaving De Rosa to start BIXXIS was the right decision, and also necessary and important.

Italian bicycle for the 21st century
Matt Phillips
Italian bicycle for the 21st century

BIXXIS’ slogan is biciclette Italiane per il XXI secolo, which translates to “Italian bikes for the twenty-first century.” The company will offer steel (TIG-welded and maybe lugged also) and titanium frames. My excitement about a forthcoming BIXXIS titanium frame is boundless, but I'll need to wait because Doriano is starting with a TIG-welded steel frame appropriately named Prima.

The Prima is built from customized Columbus Spirit tubes with a straight 1-1/8” headtube with integrated headset cups, and an Italian threaded bottom bracket. The signature feature of the Prima is found in its chainstays.

The chainstays are set wide, with just enough clearance for the crankarms
Matt Phillips
The chainstays are set wide, with just enough clearance for the crankarms

They’re called X-Stays, and Doriano gave me a brief explanation, but I think much of the nuance was lost in translation. If my understanding is correct, the design is intended to improve bottom bracket stiffness and rider efficiency. This is achieved by pushing the chainstays as far outboard as possible, both by attaching them as close to the edge of the BB as possible, and having them as close to the crank arms as possible. And indeed, the crankarms pass shockingly close to the chainstays. Part of me says too close to accommodate bike-industry tolerance drift, but time will tell.

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In this BIXXIS, you can see shades of another famous Italian builder: Doriano’s friend Dario Pegoretti. The machined dropouts and large-diameter chainstays resemble Pegoretti’s frames, and Doriano’s fork of choice for his BIXXIS is the Pegoretti Falz: a carbon fork with flat crown and curved blades that recalls a vintage steel fork.

The Pegoretti Falz fork has a flat crown that recalls a steel fork
Matt Phillips
The Pegoretti Falz fork has a flat crown that recalls a steel fork

According to Doriano, the Prima will be offered in both stock and custom geometries, though the BIXXIS website seems to indicate that all are custom. Frameset prices are currently set at $2,300, and complete options are also available. A number of finish options drawn from a “classic palette” are offered.

Doriano and Martina are still ramping up their new business, but I hope to land a review bike in the near future. I can’t wait to feel what those hands can build.

BIXXIS down tube
Matt Phillips
BIXXIS machined dropout
Matt Phillips
BIXXIS X-Stays
Matt Phillips
BIXXIS headtube
Matt Phillips