My "New" Vitus 979 Duralinox
 

Hello,
I finally got luck on CL and found a great bike as opposed to a beater. The seller was very kind and was the original owner. He has kept the bike in great condition despite it's age. Here it is as I received it minus the bell and old cycling computer:

http://img532.imageshack.us/img532/1323/img0229t.jpg
http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/1863/img0227px.jpg
http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/8674/img0228.jpg

It also came with an extra pair of NOS Vittoria Formula Uno and NOS Continental Giro Tubulars (Price tag still on them haha) and a Primus Pump.

The components are:

DT Shifters: Campagnolo Record C-Record 1st gen (maybe?)
FD and RD: Campagnolo C-Record 1st gen
Brake Levers and Calipers: Campagnolo Super Record
Crankset: Campagnolo C-Record 1st gen
Headset: Campagnolo C-Record 1st gen
BB: Campagnolo C-Record 1st gen
Hubs Campagnolo Record
Seatpost: Vitus (?)
Stem and Bars: Cinelli Campione Del Mondo
Pedals: Old Look Clipless
Freewheel: Sachs 7 speed
Rims: Mavic Open Mach 2 CD2
Saddle: Contour Royal Leather

I think everything is original except for the pedals, freewheel, and the rims, but if I'm wrong let me know. If there is anything else interesting about this model I should know please chime in (the owner said it was the same model that Sean Kelly used, that was before my time). I have a feeling the bike shop removed the original decal on the headtube and replaced it with their cheesy and minuscule shop one haha.I will post pics of it all cleaned up, polished and ready to ride shortly. If you want more pics as is let me know as well. Cheers!

Enjoy your new flexible flyer. I have an old Alan and it's great fun to ride and very comfortable. Your new bike is beautiful congrats.

Thanks! I've always wanted to try out one of these bonded aluminum frames haha. Not sure why but they have a strange appeal to me, it may just be the simplicity of their appearance. No fancy paint job or decals, just some aluminum slapped together and turned into a frame haha.

Word of advice, be careful when tightening the seatpost binder bolt. They have a tendency towards cracking.

Haha alright, I'll be carefull about that. I hear these are not the most durable frames but I figured that I wouldn't pass if only because of the Campagnolo Record group

Score!!

And on THIS weekend the running of Paris-Roubaix!!

Early C-Record I think...

vjp

Oh, those look pedals were the new BIG DEAL in 86 or so, and you would spec the wheels you wanted built back then so the rims might be original although I believe the decals are from later models, no big deal they are a wear item.

vjp

I think you are right about the C-Record now that I look at the rear derailleur. There is definitely that sort of "aero" cage over the pullies. The decals look like they have been replaced over and older set at some point, I'm probably going to try and take them off and get new ones. I forget those wonderful sites that have them but I'm sure someone remembers. The pedals are quite funny looking but I am sure they work well enough...I wonder if they are compatible with modern look cleats... Is there any way to tell for sure if it is C-Record or Record components? Also, where would the date codes be stamped on these various parts, I have almost know experience with campy. Thanks for all the responses!

edit: almost definitely a c-record rear derailleur at the very least http://campagnolo.wikispaces.com/C-r...tion,+6+speed.. The hubs however do say "Record" on them and have an oil port and are low flange

you got it huh? i was about to take my kid to the park to fly his kite when i seen it online. was gonna fire off an email but figured it'd probably be gone by the time i got back. congrats.

Ya sorry! I got really lucky for once and it popped up right as I went for my daily CL fix haha. Take care

You can't use the latest Look Keo cleats, must use the older style Look cleats.
That's Campy C-Record drivetrain.
The hubs are older (Super) Record, and so are the brakes.
Congrats on your 'new' Vitus. They are cool conversation pieces from the 80s era. I enjoy mine, it's smooth and responsive and are fun for those relaxed pace rides.
The head tube has no decal, so go ahead and remove that shop's old one. ;)

Thanks WNG. I will remove that decal shortly, it really looks out of place haha. Take care.

Wow, my bike's twin! Nice find, especially with the C-Record bits. And I thought mine looked nice with DA 7400 all over.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...s/img_2077.jpg

I'm curious why these are reputed as flexy frames. Are they laterally compliant yet vertically stiff? I test rode one in 60cm size, and it felt incredibly harsh to me. It wasn't in great mechanical shape, however, so I didn't attempt any out of saddle sprints to test lateral stiffness.

BTW, nice catch OP! Take care of that C-Record stuff!

Hahah ya they really are twins, yours looks great btw, especially with intact decals. I'm taking what little is left of mine off and then going to have or make some new ones. The c-record was definitely a bonus I didn't expect as the ad originally said it was record.

Thanks! I will try my best and I am semi considering taking it off to preserve it's great condition. Despite its value the whole purpose is to ride it, isn't it? Maybe I should just ride it, enjoy it, and forget about values assigned by ebay's outrageous prices haha. It turns out that everything is C-Record 1st gen except for the seatpost, the brake calipers and levers which are super record, and the shifters which are possibly C-record as well. I've changed that above.

Thanks. The decals are a bit scratched, but not ruined enough for me to take off. Unfortunately, the blue anodization on mine is a lot more faded. Yours looks more like what mine looks like under the front derailleur clamp. :)

By the way, mine came with what I believe to be the original (yet trashed) rear wheel. It's a Mavic MA40 clincher, which looks pretty similar to the tubular rims on yours. Also had what appear to be the same Look pedals installed.

Mine is also a 60 cm, with a mish-mash of Campy, mostly Super Record. It does have a light, springy feel to it, not like steel, but I wouldn't characterize it as harsh. I would say it's vertically compliant- laterally it can ghost-shift if you tromp on it in too high a gear. Now the Alan I had, that was harsh

5cagm,

Love that color and can't say that I've ever seen that shade before. Beautiful.

Very nice. My very first "real" bike was a metallic powder blue Vitus 979 just like yours. (Except mine, and other 979s I've seen, did not have a head badge. Can you post a close up of that head badge please?) Looks to be in great shape, and a fine score on the C-record parts. Those MA40s are terrific, durable, all-purpose rims. I'm sure you will love it, even if it is not especially stiff.

EDIT: I didn't realize this post was several months old!

I think those Look pedals are exactly the same (except for paint color) as the ones re-labled by Mavic for their SSC line in the mid 80's. Quite heavy, but as most early Look clipless pedals were, pretty much indestructable.
As for the OEM decals, I don't think there were any worse decals made back then as these vitus ones seems to have started peeling and cracking off Vitus frames, minutes after they left the factory. Only bike that might have had quicker desintegrating decals were the ones on the smoke chromed AD frames.....
Anyway, Mike Fraysse at eBay has the correct decals for the 979 for auction all the time.
Don't worry about the bike falling apart as many of these are still being ridden around the world without problems. Heck!, if Sean Kelly's legs can't bust them up, I don't think any of us can without doing something stupid to forcibly make it fall apart (read "Jackass" stunts....)

Chombi

Nice find, looks much taller than the 979 I just picked up.

The more I find out about these bikes the more it seems their reputation for being fragile seems like a myth, an unfortunate myth because it's a beautiful bike and mine seems quite well built and solid.

I like my Vitus 979 but let it go a few years ago. Just to flexible for my big sun blocking body. I do, however, like my ALAN that I built up this summer. It is a keeper and a hoot to ride.

http://www.mytenspeeds.com/My_TenSpe...lSideRight.jpg