Ultimate Bike Thread....

[jyl]

Robert Millar, the great British climber.



Robert Millar's bike. Not the exact one, but effectively identical. On eBay.



Yeah, it is a 30 year old bike and a new midrange road bike is stiffer, shifts better, etc.

But this vintage racer can do the job - it was good enough for Robert Millar to wear polka dots on. And in another 30 years it will be a precious heirloom piece of cycling history. The other one - not sure. Will it be in videos like

Robert Millar - Tour de France 1984 Stage 11.mpg - YouTube

?

[look 171]

Or this guy who's known to break a few of them during a race http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/7417/seankellyvitusak2.jpg with these legs http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_n7F3kDkuYbM/TUBR7YxuHBI/AAAAAAAAB5w/pNlRclv1w2c/s1600/Sean+Kelly+Legs.jpg

[jyl]

The hero of Vitus fans everywhere!

[Jim Bremner]

Originally Posted by jyl

Robert Millar, the great British climber.



Robert Millar's bike. Not the exact one, but effectively identical. On eBay.



Yeah, it is a 30 year old bike and a new midrange road bike is stiffer, shifts better, etc.

But this vintage racer can do the job - it was good enough for Robert Millar to wear polka dots on. And in another 30 years it will be a precious heirloom piece of cycling history. The other one - not sure. Will it be in videos like

Robert Millar - Tour de France 1984 Stage 11.mpg - YouTube

?

I may have or may not have crushed a few of these

[look 171]

Oh yeah, my hero(kelly) for sure back in the days.

[Joeaksa]

Originally Posted by Jim Bremner

I may have or may not have crushed a few of these

Hope you as well took a few of them home!

[jyl]

I've seen them with notches cut in the downtube. I assume that was another way of making them unsalable.

[ZLP]

I have my dad's old Peugeot, it like most of them are unrideable. I wouldn't buy one with the hopes that you can ride it everyday. It will break and replacement parts will be NLA.

Edit: $1,750 on ebay is a lot to pay for a 1984 bike.

[jyl]

Every single component on that bike can be found in a couple of weeks on eBay, in excellent to NOS condition. No reason why the bike can't be rideable.

The main concern with a bonded frame is that the adhesives may degrade and the tubes loosen in the lugs. They can be re-glued and today's adhesives are much better than the ones available back when. But if the joints have been kept dry and un-corroded, they don't tend to separate.

That seller keeps re-listing that bike at $100 lower each time. Stupid really, he should just start at a low initial bid and use a high reserve to protect himself. I think around $1K he'll get it sold. Those frames in excellent condition go for about $350, they come up about 3X year. Those complete bikes go for $700-$1000, this one is tout Mavic which adds value. Vintage Mavic components have gotten more expensive in the last few years.

[ZLP]

jyl,

We are from Berkeley too and this sticker is still on my dad's old bike:

[look 171]

There a guy down here who is certify by Vitus to fix those bonded frames. I forgotten which, the Vitus or Alans from Italy that had a pin in there to keep them from coming apart. They flex lots. I had a Look KG 171 bonded carbon frame I raced and trained on back in the early or mid 90s. They were very comfortable and snaps back at you when you are off the saddle, but for a big rider, they were a flex-o-rama type frame. They were a lot stiffer then the Vitus I was told by people who had both. I beat the heck out of that look frame for a few years, and it held up very well with the exception of a slight surface paint cracks on the head tube lugs. It even survived a few major crashes on our training rides. Thankfully I did too. On those Vitus frames, about 50% of the people I talked to has issues with it, and many of them have no issues at all. IMO, I think it depends how hard you ride it. How much do you slow down or stay off the saddle when you hit that giant pot hole? Getting out of the saddle, flexing that poor frame every time coming out of a turn will shorten the lift span on that epoxy I suppose.

Oh, I forgot to mention, according to Steve, the Vitus man, the new epoxy is good for a very time. They do not come apart any longer.

[jyl]

Originally Posted by ZLP

jyl,

We are from Berkeley too and this sticker is still on my dad's old bike:

Very cool!

Looks like a lower-end '70s Peugeot? Steel cranks?

[ZLP]

Originally Posted by jyl

Very cool!

Looks like a lower-end '70s Peugeot? Steel cranks?

Steel everything, weighs as much as my wife's beach cruiser lol.

[jyl]

Originally Posted by look 171

There a guy down here who is certify by Vitus to fix those bonded frames. I forgotten which, the Vitus or Alans from Italy that had a pin in there to keep them from coming apart. They flex lots. I had a Look KG 171 bonded carbon frame I raced and trained on back in the early to late 90s. They were very comfortable and snaps back at you when you are off the saddle, but for a big rider, they were a flex-o-rama type frame. They were a lot stiffer then the Vitus I was told by people who had both. I beat the heck out of that look frame for a few years, and it held up very well with the exception of a slight surface paint cracks on the head tube lugs. It even survived a few major crashes on our training rides. Thankfully I did too. On those Vitus frames, about 50% of the people I talked to has issues with it, and many of them have no issues at all. IMO, I think it depends how hard you ride it. How much do you slow down or stay off the saddle when you hit that giant pot hole? Getting out of the saddle, flexing that poor frame every time coming out of a turn will shorten the lift span on that epoxy I suppose.

The ALAN tubes were screwed and glued into the lugs. I don't hear much about them coming loose. The Vitus tubes were pressed and glued. Some were pinned, AFAIK that wasn't a factory thing, but a modification. When you buy a Vitus 979 or 992, or any bonded tube frame, avoid the ones with corrosion at the junction.

[jyl]

Originally Posted by ZLP

Steel everything, weighs as much as my wife's beach cruiser lol.

28 lb my guess.

Here is a $100 UO-8 made into a town bike for my daughter, with porteur rack and fenders. Probably weighs 34 lb. But it is a comfy ride. Sort of presses the bumps flat.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by jyl

The ALAN tubes were screwed and glued into the lugs. I don't hear much about them coming loose. The Vitus tubes were pressed and glued. Some were pinned, AFAIK that wasn't a factory thing, but a modification. When you buy a Vitus 979 or 992, or any bonded tube frame, avoid the ones with corrosion at the junction.

No thanks, no used carbon frames for me. My skin is too valuable. My fat ass can't take any more road rash. I had enough to last two life times. Plus, I don't think I would buy any of the early bonded frames.

[Joe Bob]

This one hurt and took time to heal....

[creaturecat]

That's nothing.
Don't make me bring out the de glove pics.
: )

[Scooter]

Originally Posted by jyl

28 lb my guess.

Here is a $100 UO-8 made into a town bike for my daughter, with porteur rack and fenders. Probably weighs 34 lb. But it is a comfy ride. Sort of presses the bumps flat.

The hammered fenders (VO/Honjo) are worth worth more than the whole bike.

Nice vintage....I would ride that.

[Joe Bob]

Those were and still are a good solid ride....

BTW, WTF is up with CL sellers, SF and shipping? EVERY freaking asshat in SF with an ad will absolutely NOT ship a freakin' thing....

Doesn't matter if it's a bike or Porsche part.....geeez....does the post office give you the virus?