So is there anything special about a Vitus 979 frame?

Most guys here seem to dislike aluminum frames in general, but the Vitus seems to get more respect on the forums and they also seem to command a better price than most other aluminum frames.

Are these worth seeking out and paying more for?

Oh, and what does the #979 stand for?

My son rides a 979 and it's been great for him, they have somewhat of a reputation for the tubes and lugs coming unglued but my sons bike is rock solid so far.

Heavier riders report them to be a bit too flexible as well, they are beautiful frames though.

No clue what the 979 designates sorry.

Thanks for the info.

I ride an aluminum Miyata and I really like it and have had no problems coming unglued or anything remotely close to that happening either, but they don't seem to command as much attention or price as the Vitus, hence my question.

I do not like aluminum frames, however; both my Vitus 979 and my ALAN Super Record were wonderful rides. I do not, however, recommend either for anyone over 200 pounds.

All sorts of tales about 979s coming unglued in droves were circulated through the years and have been proven mostly as exagerations and folklore.
Lots of 979s from the 80's continue to roll on the roads today without any problems. Sure, there were some that did fall apart for some owner's but I suspect that they were caused by normal enough to expect manufacturing defects and rider abuse.
I never owned a 979, but I do ride a Vitus Carbone that has the same aluminum fork as the 979s, and I do not find the front end to be so much harsher than the one on my steel Peugeot of the same vintage. I think that in smaller sizes the whippyness experienced by some riders might cancel out a bit as the shorter tubes will make for a laterally stiffer bike. I also suspect that the small diameter tubing helps to keep the frames to be not so stiff and harsh riding as compared to a Cannondale, for instance, with it's uber stiff OS tubing and frame designs.

Chombi

Much of the caché is owed to the widely-adored Irish cyclist Sean Kelly, who rode Vitus 979 frames to many, many victories.

Most the criticism toward aluminum frames tend to be pointed at Cannondales, Kleins, and other large tubed alum. frames, which tend to give a stiff yet harsh ride. The opposite is true with Vitus frames. Due to their bonded alum. lugs and "normal" size tubes, they are more flexy than steel or other alum. frames. However, they were/are great riding frames. Not to mention very light.

I agree with Chombi re bonds coming unglued: mostly exaggerated.

By the way, I think the flexiness of the Vitus also gets a bad wrap. There's an interesting article from framebuilder David Kirk (HERE), from which I quote:
"When a rider pushes down on the pedal he also, for better or worse, pushes sideways. This is because the pedal is off to the side of the bike and is not in the bike's centerline. When the rider pushes down with the right foot the bottom bracket flexes to the left. The common belief is that the energy used to push the bottom bracket sideways is lost forever. I contend that it's not lost, but stored to be returned later. Our physics friends will remind us that energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can be converted to different forms such as heat or light, or it can be stored. In this case the majority of the energy that goes into flexing the frame is stored in the frame itself. When the bottom bracket is pushed to the side, it stays there until the force that was holding it there is released. So at the top of the pedal stroke the bottom bracket starts its sideways move and at the bottom of the stroke it returns to neutral. In returning to neutral it applies that returned energy to the drive train and then to the road. This flex and return smoothes out our power transmission to the ground, making acceleration smoother and optimizing traction."

(I do admit that excessive flex can result in ghost shifts and chain rub on the front derailleur during sprints, climbs, or even just hammering---obviously not a good thing.)

People like them because they ride nice and are lightweight. Vitus simply did it right from the get go....

My sub 17lb 979:

No ungluing here. I am a bit worried to hammer up hills though. Otherwise, it's a very zippy frame.

my girlfriend has one and despite it being somewhat bmx size for me (10 cm smaller) i've ridden it a couple of times when she first got it and it climbed absolutely beautifully!

The bonded aluminum frames of conventional dimensions from the late 70s to 80s, were the forebears of today's CF production frames. ALAN, and then VITUS 979 were frames designed that could be assembled factory production style, not needing hand craftsmanship and an artisan's touch. They were also the definition of the pursuit for lightweight bikes in that era. They won acceptance by proving themselves in professional competition. As mentioned, the Vitus was a team bike that the great Sean Kelly rode to numerous wins. Aluminum has its compromises when used as a frame material. The Vitus will not be as stiff as a Ti or steel frame. But the geometry of the frame makes it responsive and fun to ride. It's forgiving compared to big tubed Al bikes. And IMHO, the look is modern and sleek. Even nearly 30 years later. Whether it's worth a premium and desirable is subjective. But its stamp in professional cycling history is noteworthy.
I'm glad I still have mine from the 80s in my collection.

I have to admit I'm jealous of my sons 979, he got it for Christmas from us last year.

I'd love to find a large frame version for myself but I'm not holding my breath.

this is big talk lately in the jan heine world. he calls it "planing".

One special thing about the 979 is the seatpost size- it's an oddball 25.0, held with a grub screw. So when you get a frame, make sure you get a seatpost and the screw hole isn't stripped. I had one for a year or so, it was a comfortable and very pretty bike, but a bit big for me. It did ghost shift at peculiar times, which may have been my chain, not the frame. It was less harsh and twitchy than an Alan Super Record I rode for many years, and lighter, too. It doesn't have the solid feel of steel, though.

Vitus seem to like oddball seatpost sizes on their bikes. 25mm isn't really that hard to find. Try finding the 23mm seatpost that they used on the Carbones....yes BMX bikes used 23mm at one time, and there are still a lot of bare straight aluminum BMX posts available,.....but who would want to install a bmx seatpost on a Carbone?......
BTW, the grub screw seatpost anchor is also an oddball size not readily available in your local hardware. It's a humungous 10mm diameter item with coarse, metric threading. Replacements from eBay pops up once in a while from a particular (very good to deal with) C&V component seller from Belgium though ("Cassanova....."..something) for over 20 bucks a piece, but there's really no other source out there for them anymore. so grab them if you see them for sale again! Forget "Guywires" in Canada. They are pretty much gone at this point.

Chombi

thanks for the info guys.

I've learned alot about aluminum frames here. Like I said earlier, I have a Miyata 1400A and I can't say I feel much flex, if at all, and it rides pretty darn smooth to so I didn't really know what guys were talking about when they said that aluminum frames were to harsh. But now I see that seems to be on the fatter diameter tube bikes like the early Cannondales and such. I also love the look of the bonded frames, like the Miyata and Vitus. Very smooth, sleek and modern looking 20-30 years later.

Do you guys think the tradeoff of a somewhat flexier ride is worth the light weight and responsiveness of aluminum?

I just went to my local fastener shop. It's surprising how many are out there if you aren't stuck in the suburbs. They gave it to me, in stainless. It's not unusual at all, I had one but it was longer than I wanted (sutdck out) and was black.

P.S. I really like my Bertone 979's. Mine and my sons.

I measured the seat posts and they are about 24.85. What's with the 25mm designation? The 24.85 was very tight.