Having “reduced” my array of old bicycles from eight down to six (the two others sent to “more worthy” owners), I was looking for a new project. I've found that, while I can ride quickly enough on my own, when riding with a club and trying to keep up with the faster riders, I was struggling in the “paceline” at higher speeds. Yes, the median age of the group could be half mine and, yes, I could lose fifteen pounds, but I figured a faster bicycle was in order. But I could not bring myself to succumb to modern technology, especially carbon-fiber frames.

I had been watching a bike offered locally since last spring. Not having heard of them before, I read a bit and the Vitus 979 from France was interesting. It is from the later 1980’s, usually (the serial number might lead me to an actual date). It has a more traditional appearance and geometry, and looks like a “lugged” steel frame, but it is however made of aluminum; some riders report impressively low weights for a completed bike.

So, I contacted the seller and, today, went to collect the bike. It was located in downtown Washington D.C., where the seller owns a bar — there are various bikes on display there, he has quite an interesting collection. The Vitus passed a cursory inspection and, once I figured out how to make a PayPal purchase on my cellular telephone, I was on my way. There was no difficulty taking a bicycle on the Metro subway and the bike is light enough that it made the whole trip on my shoulder.

It won’t look like the photograph below for all that long… I have other plans. For one thing, I will explore removing the “anodized” satin finish from the aluminum frame, and then polish it — all of it — to as close to a mirror finish as I can manage. Then, I will select other components for the rest of the bike (also to be polished to the degree possible). The goal is keep the bicycle as French as possible, with a focus on low weight, and vintage parts (quite likely older than the bike itself*). The results will look rather monochromatic and the bike should end up light; according to my bathroom scale, it is 20.7 pounds as it sits and my goal of 19.0 pounds might be achievable.

I am looking forward to see how the Vitus performs once complete. It might take quite some time as I source parts that I want. I don’t have a habit of naming my bikes but this is an exception. This will be “Vieux Charles” after an old airplane (French, of course!) and I might even explore a custom head badge decal with that name on it.

*I’m actually considering a 50.4mm BCD crankset, described as light and I have not owned T/A before although I do own Stronglight and Nervar ones. For brakes, I am already wondering how to devise a rear hanger to run MAFACs. It’s a 2x7 so a 1x7 or 1x8 drivetrain seems viable; I was wondering about a Huret Jubilee or Mavic 801/850/whatever (I’d love a Nivex, but how to get the hunting bracket onto an aluminum frame?) for a rear derailleur. Well, you get the idea.