Vitus 979 - replacing internally routed rear brake cable

[Crampon]

I just picked up a Vitus 979 in decent condition off Craigslist - I fell down the Eroica rabbit hole, saw their FAQ said that Vitus bikes are allowed and one thing lead to another. I want to replace the brake cables+housing and I'm wondering about the approach for the internally routed rear brake cable. There's a metal tube that (based on other posts I've seen) goes all the way through the frame, so routing should be straightforward.

I'm wondering if I should use some kind of liner to keep the brake cable from making direct contact with that internal metal tube and possibly abrading it over time. If so, is this the right kind of product to use? Or, if it's possible to run the brake cable with the housing on through the tube, should I just do that? (not sure if the housing will fit through the frame, but it looks like it might.) Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[Crampon]

Bonus: I went to adjust the saddle height, assuming the seatpost would be seized up. Instead, when I backed off the set screw, the seatpost slid down into the seat tube without any pressure - like it's too small. I borrowed some calipers from our tool library and measured the outside diameter of the seatpost as 24.5 mm...how weird is that? Was that ever a standard size for a seatpost?

So I guess I'm in the market for a 25mm seatpost. At least it wasn't seized up, that would have been a much harder fix.

Also, I took a closer look at the existing rear brake cable and it does look like they ran the the housing through the internal tube, does that seem right? Looks like a very very tight fit, but also tidy if I can work it through.

 

[Jonny69]

You don’t use a liner on that internal tube. The ends are stepped and (from memory) you should be able to use a well-cut cable without ferrules. It looks like the plastic on your cable outer has got rucked up, that’s probably why it’s tight. I can’t remember if it’s better to strip back a bit of the outer on those, it might just depend on the brand of cable you use.

Seatpost is 25mm. You can buy them new. Don’t use that undersized one, especially if yours is an earlier frame with a pinch fixing instead of the grub screw

 

[bikeworkshop]

I think I've got a 25dead post vitus style in the post rack - although you might get a bargain from a private seller?
I can grub around tomorrow.

 

[jim haseltine]

A standard outer cable slides through the tube on my FCK9. Unlike the dural frames, the seat post is 23mm. Although stamped VITUS, I believe it's actually a Stronglight Delta post. I maybe picky about it, but whosoever made it, it isn't great - before I corrected it, the 'aero' section on mine was visibly on the piss and the seating of the saddle cradle bolts was so poor that the heads of the bolts had cut so deeply into the alloy of the pillar that the heads were close to being pulled through. I've Helicoiled the top brackets to use M6 instead of original M7 bolts and fitted them with with M6 conical and spherical washers to allow for saddle angle adjustment.

 

[Crampon]

I think I've got a 25dead post vitus style in the post rack - although you might get a bargain from a private seller?
I can grub around tomorrow.

Thanks! I do see a few new ones out there at Velo Orange and Modern Bike, but if you have an old one I'd be interested - I'm not too worried about staying period correct, but it's a bonus when it's possible. I poked around on eBay but there doesn't seem to be a good way to search on outside diameter there.

 

[Crampon]

You don’t use a liner on that internal tube. The ends are stepped and (from memory) you should be able to use a well-cut cable without ferrules. It looks like the plastic on your cable outer has got rucked up, that’s probably why it’s tight. I can’t remember if it’s better to strip back a bit of the outer on those, it might just depend on the brand of cable you use.

Seatpost is 25mm. You can buy them new. Don’t use that undersized one, especially if yours is an earlier frame with a pinch fixing instead of the grub screw

Thanks! I'm not sure what stepped ends means in this context, can you tell me a bit more?

Got it on the seatpost, the frame has the set screw / grub screw setup and that lug at the top of the seatpost looks fine, so no harm done yet, but I'll definitely get a properly-sized seatpost. (Side note: I've always heard this arrangement referred to as a set screw, but when I started looking into Vituses [Vitii?], everyone calls them grub screws. Go figure.).

The previous and original owner was a woman - she left town and asked her neighbor to sell the contents of her garage so we never met, but I'm guessing she was on the lighter side and (based on the age and condition of the saddle) didn't put a ton of miles on the bike, so I don't think the frame had much wear and tear.

 

[Crampon]

A standard outer cable slides through the tube on my FCK9. Unlike the dural frames, the seat post is 23mm. Although stamped VITUS, I believe it's actually a Stronglight Delta post. I maybe picky about it, but whosoever made it, it isn't great - before I corrected it, the 'aero' section on mine was visibly on the piss and the seating of the saddle cradle bolts was so poor that the heads of the bolts had cut so deeply into the alloy of the pillar that the heads were close to being pulled through. I've Helicoiled the top brackets to use M6 instead of original M7 bolts and fitted them with with M6 conical and spherical washers to allow for saddle angle adjustment.

Thank you! I'll give that a try. I'm a embarrassingly crap mechanic, but this seems like it's within my very limited skillset.

 

[Canuk]

Vitus 979 are truly great frames. I toured Italy on one with heavy bags and then tried to beat it to death over several winters. No joy, it kept on rolling. Like my old wise grandad said 'you'd need to take it out and shoot it!'
The seat tube popped out of the bottom bracket briefly in 2002 but I tapped it back in with a rubber mallet and some 3M superglue. Never a murmur since.

I actually prefer the 992, it's a nice elegant solution to the short comings of the 979 but nowhere near as sturdy. I've run the plastic inner from a regular brake cable through the top tube with great effect, nothing to worry about there. They really cannot be broken.

Much as I've tried! Long live the 979!

I'm running a 25mm Campagnolo Super Record seat post, they're nice and light. Can be picked up regularly on the Bay for 50-70 quids.

 

[Canuk]

25mm Record for cheap:

https://ebay.us/m/w5qlKn

Super Record:

https://ebay.us/m/yUFxOq