Dedacciai’s mixed-material Temerario features a slew of ideas designed to create what they claim is a frameset with ‘class leading torsional stiffness’ – in other words it’s built to resist the frame twisting forces generated as your pedalling turns the rear wheel.
From the massive 3in deep down tube and huge oversized square shouldered top tube to the tapered (1-1/8 to 1-1/2in) headset, large bottom bracket junction, tight rear triangle and the largest box section chainstays we’ve ever seen, it certainly has plenty going on. Despite the emphasis on out-and-out rigidity, the titanium seatstays are a welcome nod to comfort.
The frame is made using Deda’s Anti-Wrinkle Process (AWP) where each frame is laid up in its mould by machine – each fibre cloth section exactly cut and placed. As the name suggests, this is claimed to eliminate any individual piece developing strength-reducing wrinkles when the resin is added.
With its ovalised legs and very broad-shouldered – but very shallow – crown, the EDG fork has a very different look to a standard carbon one. It’s full-carbon including the dropouts, and our uncut version weighed 360g. When you add 1,295g for the XL frame (57.5cm top tube and seat tube), you’re getting a very reasonable chassis weight. Deda claim 1035g weight for the medium frame (54cm).
On the road it’s quickly apparent that the frameset lives up to the claims. There’s an incredible directness to the handling, and the frame’s response to pedal input is instant, as if it pulses forward with each pedal stroke.
The fork looks like it’ll be incredibly rigid, and therefore uncomfortable, but the truth is almost the opposite: there’s very little lateral movement, but fore and aft flexibility over rough surfaces makes the front end handle sharply while also damping vibration. The rear end feels solid and planted and, like the front, does a reasonable job of cutting out sharp vibrations.
This is no comfort-biased machine but it won’t rattle your fillings out either. Where it really excels is on the limit; point the Temerario downhill through the twisty stuff and it comes alive, the solidity of the chassis allowing you to feel the limits of tyre grip and inspiring huge amounts of confidence.
Opinion was split over the Temerario’s distinctive looks: some hated its challenging shape while others liked the ‘aggressive’ styling. Those asymmetric chainstays are among the most overbuilt we’ve seen and, while they do a great job of keeping the rear end taut, we did get the occasional contact between heel and stay – nothing too disconcerting, but still there.
This is one of the finest handling frames we’ve tried. It’s not the lightest, it might not be the prettiest, but it certainly performs up to Dedacciai’s claims. If you’re in the market for a brutally fast, yet sublime handling race bike that won’t beat you up over the rough stuff, the Temerario is well worth considering.