Dear people,

I acquired a Vitus mountainbike frame recently:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b9...er/v34800h.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b9...ner/v28800.jpg

I already posted it at the more mountainbike orientated MTBR VRC forums. Click here if you wish to read more on this frame and to see many more pics: my Vitus MTB :)

Already know it is probably early nineties and it is called Vitus CL 1. I have been told it is a heavy frame due to longer inserts. Have also been told it provides a kind stretched limo like ride (with original fork). My frame doesn't have the original Vitus fork, but NOS Tange Switchblades.

Would be great to learn more on the Vitus brand and to compile a nice source with this thread. Currently I personally are not really familiar with the Vitus brand. Consider that most of the time when those Vitus ruled, I weren't even able to reach the pedals ;) I already got quite a lot information in MTBR thread and through using Google, but I am still left with questions. I hope you are willing to help me out and to cooperate on a helpfull source.

1) Through using the search function on this forum and Google I know of the excistance of at least 3 roadframes: 979, 992, 797. Are there more?

2) Some pics of the Nashbar site:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...ddy/9794ac.jpg
Pic 2
Pic 3
Pic 4

All pics have the desciption 979, but there van be clearly seen some frames differ. I see another seatlug for some for example. Which are indeed 979 and what frames are the other?

3) 992 Typical headtube:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/YoEddy/7922.jpg

Curved istead of plain. What are other details that could give a clue dealing with a 992 or not?

4) The below Jan Janssen is actually a Vitus 992. I also know of Peugeot and Rider labeled Vitus frames. Were there more brands putting their label on a finished Vitus frame?

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...dy/jjvitus.jpg

5) What does 979, 992 etc stands for?

6) The Vitus 787 cyclocross bike:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...y/Vitus787.jpg

Was it any popular or good? Where there more cyclocrossers by Vitus?

7) I saw a pic of a Vitus hybrid bike in a mag. Any information on a Vitus hybrid?

8) What about this Peugeot Vitus ZX1 Monocoque bike? Is it actually build in house with Vitus in France or is it maybe Taiwan import labelled Vitus and than labelled Peugeot (outsourcing outsourcing :D )?

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...y/vituszx1.jpg

9) Vitus BMX:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...y/vitusbmx.jpg
Vitus BMX on Oldschool BMX site

Anyone familiar with such a Vitus BMX?

10) Is there a connection with Alan?

11) I already know of the following links:
Vitus repair
Specs on '88 Vitus modells
www.seankelly - Sean Kelly who raced Vitus

You know more interesting Vitus related links? Please post!

Hope we will end up with a nice Vitus source. Thanks a lot!

..and if anyone has more information on my Vitus mountainbike I would be happy to learn!

Thanks spider-man!

Quick response! Nice brief covering on Vitus history focussing not solely on their frames, but also their tubing.

Nice put-together! 992's also have a single bolt seatpost fastening system, the bolt acting as a set screw. The 979 has internal toptube cable routing and, I think, is probably the most common of the lot - the earliest model has external toptube cable routing, the main difference between it and the 979. Some other early age clues - the fork is embossed with the vitus logo, and the early anodizing is amazingly crappy. Many, many manufacturers branded a Vitus with their marque - I have a late 70's frame/fork from motobecane, and you can just barely see "Prolight" in the anodizing (later they called 'em "Prolite"). This is marked as a 979, though. There is no connection with Alan...but I'm pretty sure that there must be a connection with the Japanese manufacturer SR, as the Litage looks very, very similar.

Ummm....you're missing the Vitus site, proper:

http://www.vitus.fr/

The company never went away, and there's a new line out this season, though it's not quite the same as the flexible frames we've come to know and love.

Luker and oopfoo, thank you for your contribution.

@oopfoo
By seeing those stays I conclude the new must be flexible too :D

great concept Vitus mountain bike. If it's anything like the early road frames, there's enough flex that you have a suspension bike without those bothersome springs

Luker sugested there could be a connection with SR litage. Did some googling:

http://tandem-fahren.de/Mitglieder/C...Timm/Sakae.jpg

seatlug detail

On this SR litage MTB: Techniques used on this bike seem to be pretty much similar to those on my Vitus MTB, nevertheless this particular frame does differ in many details.

Another bike on the web:

http://www004.upp.so-net.ne.jp/jq1xby/cyc/3rennf.jpg
More

On the site the discreption 3Rensho SR litage can been seen, but as my Japanese is not really good it remains a bit vague to me.