My niece liked the look of my Vitus when she saw it in the autumn, and I promised to look out for one for her on eBay. Within a couple of weeks this one popped up in France, but we missed out in the auction.
Luckily it became available because the buyer didn't pay, so it's now being shipped over to The London Cycle Workshop.
The flat bar set up should be perfect and we both think it looks great with the matching Brooks saddle and bartape.
The French components also look rather cool, and the wheels are also pretty decent.
I'm hoping I might be able to 'look after' the bike while Laura's travelling in 2015!
After we missed out in the original auction I found a Vitus that was built up with a full vintage 7400 eight speed Dura Ace Groupset with the exception of modern Claris STI shifters.
We won the auction, so now we´ll try both bikes for size, and the one she doesnt want I´ll either hang on to, or sell, or hide. The usual.
The flat bar is a 55cm, which is a bit on the small side for me. This one is a 58cm which is much better...
I´m surprised how easy it still seems to be to find a Vitus 979 in good condition at reasonable prices considering the frame´s history (Sean Kelly et al), light weight and ride characteristics.
UPDATE:
Nice 58Km ride round Wimbledon and Richmond Park on the Dura-Ace/Claris Vitus. It rode pretty much like any of the modern road bikes I´ve ridden in the past. Loved it! The Dura-Ace/Claris combination is unusual to say the least, but it works really well!
Nice 58Km ride round Wimbledon and Richmond Park on the Dura-Ace/Claris Vitus. It rode pretty much like any of the modern road bikes I´ve ridden in the past. Loved it! The Dura-Ace/Claris combination is unusual to say the least, but it works really well!
UPDATE:
The drop bar Vitus was too big so Laura's gone for the flat bar.
FINAL UPDATE:
The Dura Ace Vitus has gone to a very good home in Amsterdam. It was collected by the new owner's friend Emma, herself a proper cyclist.
Very sad to see her go!
