Another Vitus quirk: Some of the shifter bosses have the flats on the post
perpendicular to the downtube instead of parallel--makes installation of
some levers (DA index downtube, for instance) impossible. They are
replaceable without much work--Euro-Asia Imports used to sell replacement
bosses.
David Feldman
> Hi Greg,
>
> The Vitus 979 dates back to 1979 and I'd date yours to early 1980s since
> it is 120mm spacing and internal cable routing.
>
> The downtube shifter bosses are made for shifters with flat plates
> (70s/80s Campagnolo, Shimano, Simplex/Mavic etc). If your backing
> plates are contoured for the tube you just file them flat.
>
> The chamfered face of the bb shell will work for the Mavic bb or any cup
> and cone bb, no problem. Not an issue.
>
> The coolest thing to outfit your Vitus with would be all Mavic. The
> Mavic catalogs were always illustrated with Mavic parts on Vitus frames.
> The stuff shows up out here on the West Coast at swap meets with little
> or no collector interest so far. I have four bikes with full Mavic and
> two of them outfitted totally with swapmeet acquired Mavic parts for
> next to nothing.
>
> Good luck,
> Chuck Schmidt
> South Pasadena, Southern California
>
>
> Greg Achtem wrote:
> >
> > I just received a new to me Vitus 979 frame. I'm planning on building it
> > up slowly and am on the search for a few parts. A few things have me
> > stumped however. I know there's a few of you out there with Vitus
> > experience and I hope you can offer me some guidance.
> >
> > Does anybody know how to determine the age of Vitus frames? Here are the
> >
> > clues I came up with. The serial number stamped on the bb shell is
> > E116756. The rear dropout spacing is 120 mm. Yes, 120. I guess that
> > means a freewheel hub for this one. I was thinking maybe American
> > Classic, or a Phil if I can afford one. The frame came with a Shimano
> > 600 headset (cup n cone) but that is easily replaced/upgraded. Frame
> > also came with a Shimano 600 (EX? AX?) seatpost. The post is aero style
> > with a one bolt clamp and a tilt adjust screw in the front top of the
> > post. The post diametre is 25.0 This is probably original to the frame.
> > Attached to the right chainstay is a Shimano branded protector. Rear
> > brake cable routing is internal throught the toptube. The brake mounting
> >
> > holes on the frame and fork are for recessed bolts.
> >
> > I have found a few peculiarities withe the frame that I am sure are
> > going to cause me some headaches during the build. The first (and most
> > frustrating so far) are the downtube shifter mounts. Instead of the post
> >
> > sticking out of a curved tube, these mounts offer a flat surface to
> > attach the shifter to. The shifters will be nowhere near the downtube
> > once they are mounted. Okay, they'll be one or two mm away. The problem
> > is I have a set of Superbe Pro shifters that look like they'll ony mount
> >
> > on to a curved surface. I don't think I can leave off the last piece of
> > the shifter as there is some sort of integral stop as part of that part.
> >
> > The next potential problem is the bb shell. It looks like the ends were
> > chamfered at the factory. The only thing I can think of is it would be
> > for the Mavic bb. But it has been faced. Not very well, but it has been
> > done just the same. Is this cause for concern, putting a cup an cone bb
> > onto a shell where the ends have been thinned?
> >
> > Im looking for a bb cable guide. I hope someone has one to spare.
> >
> > That seems to be it for now. I'm sure more things will crop up as I
> > continue on the journey.
> >
> > Thanks.
> >
> > Greg
> _______________________________________________
>
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