Buying Vitus 979 - what to look for?

[Ugo51]

Hi guys,

I'm considering buying a Vitus 979.
I've seen one in real life a couple of weeks ago and really liked it (although it wasn;t as light as I had imagined, but obviously that depends on the accessories).
Do you have any advice on what to look for, advice on weak spots or things I might want to check before buying?

I know the seatpost can get stuck and the one I saw had a damaged headset, which seems very easily fixable though.

Thanks!

 

[hamster]

Cracking of tube ends and failure of bonding into the lugs are the main concerns around the 979 compared to any other frame (crash damage, corrosion etc).

Lovely frames, I hope yours is a good'un.

 

[Jonny69]

Early ones had a pinch clamp with a bolt to secure the seat post. These can crack.

Big frames are very flexy - this is normal.

They get chain rash easily because the alloy is soft. That's more of a cosmetic concern though.

I loved mine - would have another.

 

[Ugo51]

Thanks!
I'll keep an eye for the things you listed

Out of curiosity, the 979 are all spaced 126mm at the rear, right? I see that some people have squeezed a 8speed cassette (or freewheel), but maybe they just stretched the dropouts to 130mm

 

[hamster]

I can't say I like that idea. My preference would be a 7-speed freehub wheel correctly built to 126mm. You can then fit an '8 from 9' or '9 from 10' cassette onto it if you really want the extra gears.

 

[Jonny69]

Yes they're all 126mm. I made a narrow 9-speed like that ^ by taking one gear off a Tiagra 10-speed cassette and setting the derailleur stops so that the shifter couldn't pull onto the 10th click. Easiest one to take off is the biggest one, or if you want to take the little 11T off you can make a little spacer up to go in the lock ring groove.

I'll happily stretch most frames one size up or down, but I'm not keen on doing it to cast alloy dropouts.

 

[Ugo51]

I share your concerns.
The one I saw has 8 speeds (well, 16 in total), and Dura Ace derailleur.
I definitely don't need the extra speeds, but I do like the fact it has integrated shifters...

I looked around and there is no such thing as a 8 speed hub with a 126mm spacing, is that right?
I'm still hoping that, somehow, that 8 speed conversion is legitimate (i.e. without frame stretching)

 

[hamster]

You can do it by shortening an 8 speed freehub, removing the spacers on the LHS and taking 4mm off the axle. The dish in the wheel will be horrible, although perhaps no worse than many Campag wheels.

So use an 8 from 9: run 9 speed shifters, 9 speed cassette and chain. It will work fine on a 7 speed chainset. Discard the largest or smallest cog (it's worth a bit of experimentation), and you will need a couple of the 1mm spacers from an old cassette.

 

[Ugo51]

Re:

Thanks for the tip.
I would need to have a cassette in my hands to understand what you are talking about.
in principle I get that by removing a cog from a 9 speed cassette I can make it shorter (duh...), but I don't have enough hands-on experience with cassettes to actually visualize what it would look like. For example, why I would need those 1mm spacers.

Anyway, when I do go buy the Vitus I saw, I better bring a ruler with me and have a look at the rear dropouts spacing. Maybe the previous owner already did the shortening of the freehub. In that case I definitely would revert back to a freewheel. I don't fancy riding around with such an extreme dish :facepalm:

 

[pigman]

Re:

Aren't the big cogs on a 9 speed cassette built onto a carrier of 3, meaning you can't just discard the biggest cog. Mine is, but it's ultegra quality, maybe cheapos are individual cogs ??