Classic and Vintage Bicycles: What's it Worth? Appraisals and Inquiries - Vitus Carbone 9 - 979?

While picking up another bike from a Craigslist listing yesterday, I got to talking to the seller... He came out of his basement with this... I think that I got a pretty good deal on it. Here's what I know about it:

Vitus Carbone 9 (not sure of year) - 20" frame bb to seat post
Campy crank
Campy Super Record rear brake (front brake was missing, but both handles are obviously there)
Campy Headset
Campy Seatpost
Turbomatic Saddle
Campy hubs
Tubular Wheels one is Mavic MP4 and the other is a Wolber (the tires are not glued at the moment, I just put them back on to take pics)
Rear der is Dura Ace (specific model unknown) - any help here would be great
Specialized Stem (not sure where that come from)

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ZPZxaFgL28I/T5xpvIr0KLI/AAAAAAAAG8U/3w7c2evoKM4/s610/Pictures+008.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-bEaYwPYY2kc/T5xpvaPHG5I/AAAAAAAAG8Y/tD0IXwpdFuI/s610/Pictures+009.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-31jpnDsObA4/T5xpvhgs4_I/AAAAAAAAG8k/q-GdM0IAzws/s610/Pictures+010.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-yU3SUoyj3fU/T5xpwRVfK4I/AAAAAAAAG80/tygwB-nQ9M8/s601/Pictures+012.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-rF--YcqRtpc/T5xpw84YzwI/AAAAAAAAG9E/Fgt2XQvCRvA/s610/Pictures+014.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-1NPmSwXHneM/T5xpxB8ivuI/AAAAAAAAG9I/yRS-HaQmeOE/s610/Pictures+015.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-wwEQb0XAB70/T5xpxW2_nnI/AAAAAAAAG9U/M_M7qdDs45E/s610/Pictures+016.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-PDvOFZfn84Y/T5xpx_VgRQI/AAAAAAAAG9c/PEcCLLU22OE/s610/Pictures+017.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jjIBnel_pIQ/T5xpynYJ3EI/AAAAAAAAG9o/8xYhw-dOHr8/s610/Pictures+019.jpg

Thanks to everyone in advance for your help in identifying and giving your opinions on value.

Kind of odd to see such a mix of Campy and DA on the same bike. Still, nice components for sure. How much did you pay? Very roughly, $100 would have been a great deal but $1000 would be too much. Somewhere in there :lol:

Rear derailer is from the 7400 series if I'm not mistaken. So, probably mid-late 1980s.

Pull out the tape measure again. That frame looks like a 23" or so. 20" would be way smaller.

Vitus carbon 979's in very nice shape go for around $200-250 frame and fork, judging by a year of watching eBay auctions. Complete bike - depends on the components. I think a mixed set would hurt value a bit, since the buyer will have to change almost all of the bits to get a consistent bike, to say nothing of a period-correct bike. I think that Vitus, cleaned up and photographed well, might bring $400-500 on eBay, less on Craigslist.

The mis-matched components will definitely lower the value of the bicycle. I sold my Vitus with a full matched Mavic SSC (http://www.mytenspeeds.com/My_TenSpeeds_1/Feature_Bicycles/Feature_Bicycles_France/Vitus_979/VITUS_979_1_Start.htm) group for $750 about six years ago to a fellow in Texas. He also had to pay shipping cost which was about a hundred dollars at the time, bringing his total to $850.00...

http://www.mytenspeeds.com/My_TenSpeeds_1/Bicycles_Table/French_Bicycles/Vitus_Bicycles/VitusBlueFullSideRight.jpg

The OP's bike is the carbon model which is more valuable, in my opinion but, again, the mis-matched component group will significantly lower the value.

The earliest Carbone 9's were actually identical to the Carbone 7. Why Vitus called them 9s were always a mystery to me. Maybe they just miscounted the tubes when they first badged the 7s as there are nine separate tubes on the bike and a CF fork was never offered. They must have figured that a higher number can attract more attention. Prices on these highly depends on condition. Matched components will help a lot too. It's hard to set a base price on these Carbones as they have been all over the place in the past couple of years, although I think I've seen a frame in nice condition sell at Ebay recently at near $800 Here's my personal take on a Carbone build. My 1985 Vitus Carbone 7:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y44/BeckVFR/DSC01853.jpg

Chombi

Part it when or if you sell it. Until then I would just ride it, mish mash group or no. The c record crank and hubset are worth a bit on their own. You have a nice high end Frankenbike there.

Kind of odd to see such a mix of Campy and DA on the same bike. Still, nice components for sure. How much did you pay? Very roughly, $100 would have been a great deal but $1000 would be too much. Somewhere in there :lol:

Rear derailer is from the 7400 series if I'm not mistaken. So, probably mid-late 1980s.

Pull out the tape measure again. That frame looks like a 23" or so. 20" would be way smaller.

thanks everyone for the info.

@FastJake I bought the bike for $200. I knew the components being what they were would fetch at least that. So I feel like I got a fairly good deal.

I'm still trying to figure out what to do with it. I had just bought a nice Super Vitus steel frame from th guy and he pulls this bike put of the basement. So I may part it, or try to put matching components on it.

Anyone have an idea of when the bike may have been made? I would think mid-80s but I really have no clue. It's like finding a needle Looking online for model info.

Thanks again all.

Well, as of 1984 there had been 50,000 979 frames made and the carbon version with just the main triangle in CF was being made.

http://www.kirikoo.net/images/7tchikiboum92-4-20111005-231358.jpg

As of 1986 the three CF tube version was still being made.

And in 1992 the 992 was introduced, and produced through about 1997/8.

So I'll guess the 9 CF tube version of the 979 dates from somewhere in the period 1987 through 1992.

Chombi probably knows.

As I previously noted, the Carbone Plus 7 was identical to the early Carbone Plus 9's. I tracked down the year of production of my Carbone 7 to about 1985. I suspect that Vitus made the model designation change to the frame to the Carbone 9 the next or two years later at the most because of the tubing "miscount", so I think the 9's came into existence by name as early as 1986 or 87.
Vitus did come up with a later design for the 9's by using a more patterned weave CF/Kevlar material that was shown off with a clear coating istead of the earlier satin black paint. I think the later clear coated versions were made starting at around 1988....maybe......

Geeze.....50,000 979 frames by 1984....I guess a few of them WILL end up with failed bonded joints!

Chombi