roskowskim

All,

I have a Vitus 979 (recent pick-up) that is unfortunately just a bit too small for me. I recently posted this in the Classic bicycle section, so some of you may have already seen it.

I am in the middle of transitioning this bicycle from the triathlon set up it had when I purchased it into a more traditional road bicycle set up.

The handlebars are just placeholders so I could test drive it (have some Cinelli bars coming via Ebay.)
The Nitto Triathlon stem is being replaced with a Cinelli 1R stem and the handlebars are being replaced with Cinelli D'Italio bars.

According to the kind folk who responded to my last thread, this is an early Vitus 979 (as evidenced by the grub screw?) Bicycle is stamped 52/54 on the rear drop out.

Dura Ace derailleurs RD-7401 6s-7s
Modolo Brakes
Lyotard Pedals
Camp Brev Brake Calipers
Suntour Superbe 53 Crank set
Cinelli 1R Stem
Cinelli D'Italia bars
Araya Aero 4 Super Hard Anodized Rims (Mavic Hubs?)


I plan on replacing the seatpost and saddle, but I'm not sure how much I want to throw into this bicycle. I don't know if it would be better to let the buyer have a little bit to work with as far as outfitting the bike, or if I should just order an old Ideale seat and a seatpost?

Anyway, with the new Cinelli 1R black stem and Cinelli D'Italia drop bars, any estimates on what I could reasonably ask for this bicycle? I'm about an hour east of the Twin Cities, so I plan on listing it there.

As someone who isn't incredibly well versed in bicycles and their components, I did my best here. If anything else would help, let me know!

In advance, I appreciate your time and knowledge!
-Matt

Narhay

Keep the saddle but the seatpost is a bit wonky and will detract from the value. These were usually sold as framesets so there isn't really a lot of 'catalogue correct' that needs to go on. If anything I would have sold it on as-is unless the cost of the road parts will attract the right buyer.

In terms of price I see Vitus 979s going for $5-700 CDN on my local craigslist. You've got some nice parts but they don't have the same cachet as high end steel frames of the same era. To maximize value I would have disassembled everything and sold individually on ebay. This has a cost in terms of time and potential bad deals but the risk results in higher $ yields.

repechage

In Southern California, a $500 ask on CL. higher and they sit.

bargainguy

Looks like you've got the traditional seatpost binder bolt in your last pic. Better than the grub screw as far as resale value.

Some folks absolutely adore these frames, the smooth ride quality and the fact that Sean Kelly rode one. Others complain about frame tubes coming apart and the "wet noodle" ride quality, esp. in larger frame sizes - visible bottom bracket deflection upon hard pedaling. I had one in rose, but in my diminutive 48cm frame size, I couldn't scare up much deflection. Different ride quality than steel, hard to describe.

I agree with Narhay, your best bet is to part it out with the nice bits you've got there. I've seen these go anywhere between $250 and $450 with lesser parts. Part it out and you should get at least the $500 repechage says it's worth in SoCal.

exxongraftek

Agreed, your best bet is to part this out since it's not your size. These are nice parts, but too mismatched. The brake levers are Modolo Kronos but the calipers are not, for example, but those levers should go for decent $, as well as many of the other parts. My advice would be to leave the headset and seat post installed and sell them with the frame...

xiaoman1 

Sad but true, a nice mix of parts...lessens the overall price of the bike as a whole.

roskowskim

Thanks for all the advice!

As noted, I have really no idea about price points for these items, though I'm sure Ebay can provide some assistance. The idea of taking the bike and parting it out is far more daunting to me than selling it as a complete bicycle, but I suppose I need to learn sometime!