Here is my new bike that i picked up today.
It is a Bertin ( French )and the frame is made from Vitus 999 ( Is this good? )
It has....
shimano 600 crank
Shimano exage derailleurs
Shimano rx100 brake levers
Campagnolo brakes
So a bit of a mixed bag of components really.
I have added new tyres and new bar tape ( cost me the same as the bike! )
Took it for a test ride and it is superb to ride.

Love the blue white fade. Looks like a great Frankenbike. I tend to lean toward - if it all works, ride the heck out of it.

Nice score Daveyates! I don't know what bar tape runs in your neck of the woods but I'm pretty sure you got a good deal!


PS - I have read elsewhere that Vitus 999 was a plain gauge Chromoly.

It is a big difference going from my too small PX10 52-53cm to this bike which is my size 57cm. It feels so much better to ride!
Well ,the bike was 55 euros and two new tyres two new inner tubes one puncture repair kit and set of bar tape was the exact same amount.

Next week my new bike arrives and i can't wait!

Vitus 999 was the circa 1990 replacement for the Vitus 888 tubeset. It came in two versions, Vitus 999 and Vitus 999 Alpine. Both tubesets were plain gauge, like their predecessor. Near as I can tell, 999 was the imperial version of the 888 tubeset, as both used the same wall thicknesses (0.8mm main tubes, 1.0mm stays and 1.2 blades) but 999 used standard/imperial outer diameters. 999 Alpine used the same stays but 0.25mm thicker tubes and the thicker, optional, 1.5mm stays from the old 888 tubeset. It would be considered comparable to Columbus Gara.

Thanks for the info T-Mar!

Some additional information on Vitus tubing. Ateliers de la Rive was the French tubing maker that produced Durifort, Vitus and Super Vitus tubing. Durifort was first introduced in the mid 1930s. It was made from a low alloy medium strength carbon steel and was used to build lighter frames than standard "gas pipe" tubing used on average bikes of the day.

At some point back then Ateliers de la Rive started making Vitus tubing which was stronger and lighter than Durifort and designed to compete against the British made Reynold 531 tubing.

During the late 1960s through the 1970s they made 3 series of tubing: Durifort, Vitus 172 and Super Vitus 971. The main tubes were butted on all of these tubes.

Only the top and down tubes are "double butted" on most tube sets. The seat tubes were only butted at the bottom end, thus single butted. The rest of the tubes except to the steerers were not butted.



Durifort and Vitus 172 had about the same wall thickness as Columbus SP and the heavy gage Reynolds 531 tubing used in many production bikes. The 3 main tubes had wall thicknesses of 1.0mm at the butted ends and 0.7mm in the thinner sections.

Durifort had about 2/3rds the strength of the alloy steels like Columbus, Reynolds 531 and ChromeMoly 4130. Vitus 172 was almost as strong as the alloy steels.

Super Vitus 971 was lighter with 0.9mm x 0.6mm wall thickness in the main tubes. This was the same as Columbus SL and some of the lighter Reynolds 531 sets (Reynolds made main tubes as thin as 0.3mm and as thick as 1.2mm). It had the same strength as the other premium brands of alloy steel tubing.

Ateliers de la Rive made another type of tubing in the 60s and 70s, Rubis 888. This was only available as 3 tube sets for the main tubes. I was made for the French market to produce lighter weight low end bikes. Rubis 888 used the same steel as Durifort. It was cold drawn straight gage tubing with a wall thickness of 0.8mm thus "888".

In the late 70s Durifort 888 appeared. I suspect that it was initially standard Durifort forks ans stays with Rubis 888 main tubes. During the next few years there were a bunch of flavors of Durifort and Vitus with 888, 988, 999 designations. My guess is that "9" means 0.9mm wall thickness???

Straight gage 0.8mm and 0.9mm main tube could be as light or even lighter than some of the heavier butted tubes that were 1.0mm x 0.7mm thick.

There was also Vitus 171, 172, 181, 182???

Vitus 181 and Super Vitus 983 were made with some kind of chrome molybdenum alloy steel.

One other thing, Reynolds 531 and Columbus tubing used the same alloy steels for decades (531 was a manganese molybdenum steel while Columbus used 4130 chrome molybdenum steel in SL, SP, PL, & PS tubing).

Ateliers de la Rive was continually changed their alloys from the late 70s on. Up until the 1980s they used mostly high strength low alloy steels with controlled heat treatment to increase the strength.

Back in the day Durifort was in direct competition with Reynolds "A" Quality tubing which was also made from a low alloy steel. Reynolds also made "B" Quality tubing which was lower quality. Reynolds discontinued those tubes in the 1960s.

Many top quality French bikes from the 1950s through the mid 1970s had Reynolds 531 for the 3 main tubes with Durifort forks and stays. Spanish made Zeus used that combo until the mid 70s.

Chas. verktyg

I know this post is old, but thanks verktyg, your information is very helpful.

Bit of a thread hijack but I just found this:



Seat pin is 26.4. 999 tubes and a fade paint job... what do you think?