Vitus frames in aluminium: wie in de jaren 80 van vorige eeuw het wielrennen volgde herinnert zich zeker en vast nog Sean Kelly die bij de Kas ploeg op zijn Vitus 979 de successen aaneenrijgde. Ook bij verzamelaars van vintage racefietsen zijn ze al enkele jaren een gegeerd verzamelobject. Zelf heb ik na lang zoeken een exemplaar in mijn maat kunnen vinden maar éénvoudig was het niet aangezien het aanbod steeds schaarser wordt.
Sean Kelly in 1986 op zijn Vitus 979 – “Sean Kelly & Patrice Esnault ´86” by Numerius is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
Origin of the Vitus brand
Het Franse merk Vitus werd voor het eerst geëxploiteerd als hoogwaardige stalen buizenset in 1930 door Petit Tube de Précision, een bedrijf gevestigd in Maisons Alfort but was soon taken over by the French steel manufacturer Ateliers de la Rive who already produced the steel pipes Durifort and Rubis.
Because the Vitus tubes were of better quality and lighter, they were used for the better frames. The British Reynolds and the Italian Columbus thus got a direct competitor.
Many French bicycle manufacturers such as Peugeot, Mercier, Motobecane, Bertin, … used Vitus tubes. Ateliers de la Rive systematically improved the quality of their steel tubes, resulting in the high-quality series Vitus 171, 172, Super Vitus 971, Durifort Rubis 888, Super Vitus 980, 181, 788, etc.
Vitus 979 Duralinox frame
However, the real success came with the takeover in 1978 by the company Bador, which researched the assembly of pipes by gluing. This resulted in 1979 in the Vitus 979 Duralinox, the first glued aluminum frame.
Unlike their closest competitor, the Italian Alan who was the first to introduce a glued frame, all tubes in the lugs and bottom bracket were glued and no glue and screws were used. Compared to the usual tubular steel, the aluminum frames were much lighter and could be assembled faster. It was an immediate success and the Vitus brand made international name recognition.
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This innovation was the result of a collaboration between Bador, which assembles and glues; CLB, which produces glued aluminum fittings, and Ateliers de la Rive, which produces the pipes.
The 80's and Sean Kelly
In de jaren 80 begonnen steeds meer bekende fietsproducenten Vitus 979 frames aan te kopen om vervolgens hun eigen merknaam erop te plaatsen. Niet alleen in Frankrijk maar ook in de lage landen (Gazelle, Jan Janssen), Italië (Willier), enz. zag je overal de typische kenmerken van aluminium Vitus 979 frames opduiken.
Catalog of Jan Janssen from 1986 with the Vitus frame
Peugeot PX10DU with Vitus 979 frame
An important part of this success was the Irish cyclist Sean Kelly who was one of the first to ride a Vitus 979 Duralinox frame and also took victories in numerous Classics as well as in the 1988 Vuelta. Kelly rode with Vitus for almost 10 years racing bikes.
More and more cycling teams in professional cycling started riding with a Vitus 979 frame. At one point there were even 6. Aluminum frames had the advantage of being lighter than steel frames and more or less retaining the stiffness of steel.
Besides Sean Kelly, the most famous riders who rode a Vitus 979 frame are Luis Herrera, Phil Anderson, Alan Peiper and Stephen Roche.
Vitus Carbon Kevlar, Vitus 992 and Vitus ZX1
In 1984, Vitus again launched a new technological advancement with a Vitus 979 assembled with carbon tubes: the Vitus Plus Carbon, Vitus Carbon Kevlar, Vitus Carbon 3, 7 and 9.
Vitus Plus Carbone
In the 90s Vitus, just like their competitors, also started experimenting with frames built from 1 piece of carbon, the so-called monocoque frames. This resulted in the ZX1 which had a futuristic look and was used by Laurent Fignon in the Tour de France.
Vitus ZX1 – foto website vitus.com
Omdat in de beginjaren van carbon de meeste wielrenners en ploegen carbon nog niet vertrouwden werden in de jaren 90 nog steeds stalen en aluminium frames gemaakt. Vitus bracht in 1992 de Vitus 992 uit waarbij de balhoofdset gedeeltelijk werd geïntegreerd. De Belgische wielerploeg Lotto reed in 1995 met Vitus 992 racefietsen.
Have a look here at my Vitus Ovoid 992 Competition
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End of an era
In the late 1990s, a difficult period started for the company with the rise of the Taiwanese market as well as the boom of the mountain bike industry. As a result, Vitus came into the hands of various owners, including Look and Time. Due to the declining production, Vitus closed its doors in 2008, but was fortunately bought in 2009 by the Irish internet giant Chainreactioncycles, where Sean Kelly has been appointed as ambassador.
Finally: watch out for micro-cracks
Pay close attention when you buy a vintage Vitus racing bike because the bikes often have a tendency to show small sheds in the lugs. Even though it happened more than once that glue came loose causing the tube to become loose in the lug.
Vitus frame with cracks in the saddle lug
