rylche

Hi guys,

A guys has offered me his bike at USD 394. The bike is fitted with Dura-Ace gear system, which I heard is not bad. The frame is something I worry about, he told me it is a Vitus Stainless Steel frame. Do you guys think this is worth it for my first foray into road biking?

Cheers!

ridethecliche

I'm not sure, post this on the classic and vintage forum too.

Those bars are track bars no? They look intense!

If the bike fits and you really like it, I think it might just be worth it if you like vintage bikes. If you're looking for something from the last decade, then that aint it.

Strong Bad

It is a classic, but is it really stainless steel?
Vitus was famous for making aluminum frames that look very much like that.
Even if it is alu, it is a very nice bike.

ridethecliche

It might actually be worth more than you're paying if you sell it on the vintage market. Not 100% sure.

Best to post this on the Classic and Vintage forum since those guys and gals know much more about these rides.

jfmckenna

Cool bike. Definitely ask the C and V folks.

rylche

It looks pretty new / not used. The guy replied me that the bike weighs about 18.5 lbs, which is really light !!

55/Rad

Is that a 979?

Vitus made lugged aluminum frames that some liked and others didn't. Good quality just early alu characteristics.

I don't know if they made steel frames or not.

Nice looking bike.

55/Rad

rylche

Alright. The guy has replied again that the frame is a steel. Is it a good value for the bike?

dcbikeguy

I'd buy it at that price. Looks like a really cool bike.

ridethecliche

+1

I'd totally go for it. It's a light frame, and it's probably a great ride.

gfrance

Certainly unique and pretty cool looking. Not sure of the value though, and as others have noted, Vitus is know for aluminum. Not 100% certain it's steel. Ask seller to verify that for you if he can. There are often marking on the seat tube stating materials used.

daneil

That's not steel. Vitus did make steel bikes, but they looked like other lugged and tigged steel bikes. That is most definitely a bonded aluminum bike.

That being said it does seem to be in very good shape. The only thing that I'd worry about is that looking at the components that are on the bike I'd be confident in saying that the rear spacing is 126 not the common modern (read 8/9/10 speed) 130. Normally on vintage bikes this isn't a problem when upgrading to a modern system as the rear stays can be spread. However, on this frame since it is bonded aluminum the rear stays cannot be spread at all. So you can't run more than 7 speeds in the back.

MarkSch

Agree with many of the others here...that looks like one of the Vitus ALUMINUM frames from a while back...aluminum tubes bonded (glued) together. Light for that era. I tried one back in the day and noted that it was more flexible than my steel bikes...didn't care for it. That said, Sean Kelly rode these for much of his career, and he seemed to win enough races...

I would expect it has friction rather than SIS shifters, which may be an issue for you...also would expect that it runs narrower rear spacing 126 rather than 130, making it harder for you to upgrade to newer wheelsets to accomadate a greater number of gears...may not be an issue.


Looks a well maintained older bike, and I'll bet it will continue to function well for some time...

rylche

daneil, what does 126 spacing entail for me in terms of upgrades? I might want to upgrade in the not so soon future if I do get the bike. I'm also afraid of reliability issues as I do not wish to burden myself with unnecessary costs such as upgrades of replacement of parts.

Does the frame really come apart like some do say they do?

Many thanks for the replies garnered so far, you guys have definitely been of major assistance to a neophyte.

daneil

Earlier 6 and 7 speed hubs were built with 126mm hub spacing and frames built at the time were built to accommodate that. Newer hubs for 8, 9 and 10 speed cassettes are wider and require 130mm spacing. For a short time there were frames built with 128mm rear spacing so that people could pick or choose easily (128mm rear spacing would require an adjustment of only 1mm per side and you could really just throw either a 126mm 6/7 speed hub or 130mm 8 speed hub in the dropouts). In terms of upgrading this means that you won't be able to go to newer 8/9/10 speed drivetrains. No STI or Ergo power, unless you use an early Shimano 7 speed STI lever or try and adjust an 8 or 9 speed lever to run only 7 gears (this is a possibility, but it's a PITA to set up and keep adjusted correctly if you're going to put a lot of miles on the bike).

If you like downtube shifters you'll be very happy with this bike. You could also go to bar ends, but regardless of that you won't be able to upgrade to more than a 7 speed cassette.

As far as the rest of the posts go there are some other issues to keep in mind with this particular frame.

1st is that the early Vitus bonded aluminum frames had problems with the glue failing and the tubes and lugs separating.

2nd is that the larger frames were known for being noodles in terms of ride quality. Although Sean Kelley did race on a bonded frame and did very well for himself and always considered the frame to be very comfortable.

3rd would be the rear spacing issue as noted above.

All in all the Vitus is a nice bike and if it fits you and you have the ability to check the bike out in person I'd go for it. I personally wouldn't buy a Vitus on eBay or any other online source unless I was able to check out the frame in person first due to the unbonding issues. The price is good, especially considering the condition of the DA bits.

prendrefeu

the brake levers have speed holes!! go for it!!

rylche

I am going to check the bike out tomorrow as the seller does not live very far from it, and would probably ride the bike home. What are some likely syndromes of the unbonding issues? The seller repeatedly assures me that it is stainless steel, however I know I would be unable to tell the difference between a stainless steel and aluminum-bonded frame. I do know that the frame has a bit of flex in it but if it's comfortable, I couldn't care less.

I intend to use the bike for my daily commute distance of 17.5km and for the occasional race if permits. I am quite convinced this bike might fit the bill as it is indeed a light bike and (hopefully) a durable one. Anyone might like to provide further insight into this?

Much thanks once again for all help procured thus far and keep the replies and opinions coming!

redtires

I think that vitus did actually make a stainless tubeset a long long time ago, and from the looks of it, that may be SS. Fortunately, the seller took some really good quality up close photos and when they are magnified, those tubes do not appear to be anodized. They appear to have a nice brushed steel finish. Does not look like the "normal" 979's where any scratches did away with the anodizing and left you being able to see the bare aluminum underneath. One way you may be able to tell is if the frame has a "979 Dural" decal on it, it's aluminum, bummer thing is that the decal could be long gone. Stainless would have the malleability to do that type of bonding though, without cracking the tubes. You should have the advantage though of knowing some details about that dura-ace group... It's a VERY nice, VERY vintage group, one that a collector would love to have.

A couple of things though...the pedals for instance have a design that was that vintage Dura-Ace ONLY, and are an integral design part of the crankarms. If you ever wanted to used other pedals, you would have to scour the earth to find either some very rare adapters to mount a standard threaded pedal, or buy new cranks, a bottom bracket and pedals. Also, actual road bike shoes that will work with clipless pedals are becoming harder and harder to find, they're out there...but not in the numbers they used to be.

The wheels on the bike have sew-ups, or tubular, tires, which are glued to the rim with a specific type of glue. Apologies if your familiar with this, but just in case....this means that if you have a flat, you don't just patch or replace the tube, you have to put on a whole tire, which you'll have to be carrying by the way. Then when you get home, you'll find yourself most likely spending an hour or so doing some touch up gluing before heading out the door the next morning. So, if you want the "modern" convenience of clincher tires, you'll immediately be in the market for either a wheel build or another set of compatible wheels.

Looks like the shifting/upgrading questions have been answered.

If your looking to get into collecting vintage bikes, that vitus would certainly be an excellent start though!

Kelly.Fisher

Uhm.. unless I'm mistaken, a simple test for construction type is to bring a magnet with you. If the magnet sticks, it's steel/stainless.. if it doesn't, it's aluminum. Pretty simple and very conclusive test.

ridethecliche

I was JUST going to suggest this

Sprocket Man

It won't be conclusive. Not all stainless steel is magnetic.

However, if the magnet sticks, it definitely isn't aluminum.

Dural

#1 Does it fit you?

For riding (not display) I would replace the front brake caliper with a more modern dual pivot brake.
Those racing gears may be very tough on any hills, and discouraging for a new rider.
The price seems high to me, but I am a cheapskate, and like to find yard sale deals.

The bike won't shift as well as a modern bike. It has an old style DA rear derailleur, no ramped cogs or chainrings, and friction shifting (not indexed).
It lacks rubber brake hoods, and any decals the frame once had.
The quill stem may be newer than the bike (mid 80's?). The seat post looks new too.
That is the old style seat bolt. Check that area for cracks.
The rear brake bridge may be loose if the rear dropout has been spread at one time.
Likely had a 52t chainring as the front derailleur seems to have been moved up for the current 53t chainring.
I still think that this is the bonded aluminum frame, as many others have mentioned.

I really like my own Vitus bike. It has held up well for many years and thousands of miles. Frame flex has not been a problem when the cables under the bottom bracket are clean and well lubed.