Originally Posted by
Chombi
Damitol!!
I'm Touting cash up the wazoo these past couple of weeks because I've caught a bad case of Mavic treasure hunt fever
! I might end up with a Mavic gruppo that's more expensive than the Vitus frame I am currently restoring to it's former glory....
So who driving up the price for these compnents?? did I hear correctly that the Japanese collectors have recently taken a big liking to anything "Velo Franciase"??!!
Someone please tell them that the Italian stuff's kinda nice too so I can find a SSC Erector RD and FD for a good price!
Chombi
84 Peugeot PSV
85(?) Vitus Carbone 7 Plus
Chombi, be careful with that Vitus frame...
We can thank the Vitus for probably more than half the supply of Mavic SSC kit out there. For those obsessed with being period correct, or having the appropriate canvas for their Mavic kit the Vitus is the bike.
Maybe a more modern Vitus would a safer acceptable alternative?
From old threads on Vitus bonded aluminum bikes I gleaned that Guywires Cyclery in Vancouver, BC can repair 'em using the original materials if one of the Tubes on a Vitus 979 comes loose (which they do). I'm still looking for information as to how often Sean Kelley's frames were replaced, as to whether this was daily, weekly, or if he really subjected the same frame to the rigors of an entire gran tour.
Bonded tubes aside, flex and aluminum are NEVER good bedfellows. Aluminum has a finite number of fatigue cycles before failure. The Vitus bikes were lively and springy, but they should definitely be understood to have a limited useable safe life due to the flex and the resulting fatigue, then when you consider the issues with the bonding...
The old tech editor for Bicycling (Jim Langley) and CyclArt restoration expert Jim Cunningham both advise against riding a vintage/classic Vitus:
Vitus Restoration Saga - Maynard Hershon
The perfect way to showcase Mavic SSC, but take seriously the dangers of such a vintage bike. If you have little kiddies is it really worth it to ride such a bike 3 feet away from the asphalt monsters screaming along? Is it really?
