Originally Posted by
Bikedued
The shifter mounts are fine too, and oddly enough this is probably the only frame I can use my retrofriction shifters on. I've shifted to a 60s or 70s stable as of late, and every frame I own but this one uses clamp on shifters.,,,,BD
Simplex clamp on Retrofriction levers are out there but mostly the old style with the Campy looking levers.
Treatise on converting Simplex Retrofriction levers to clamp ons.... Click on the pictures to read the details.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/282672...7627163433202/
BTW, Vitus 888 tubing had 0.8mm wall thickness main tubes. It was just about as light as the standard Reynolds 531 main tubes used on most continental production bikes: 1.0mm thick in the butted ends with the rest of the tubes 0.7mm thick.
At some point Vitus started using a chrome-moly alloy steel in some of their tubes - early 80? Even it it isn't chrome-moly, the original Vitus 172 was just about as strong as the higher alloy steel tubes.
It should be a smooth riding bike.
verktyg
Chas.