JimmyJars

This is my bike, it is a Vitus Carbone 3:


I got this bike off of the Austin Craigslist in a big box of parts for about $100. Built it up as a fixed gear and to be honest it worked great as my going to the bar or running random errands bike for the last year and half. I recently had one of the crankarms fail and decided it was time to re-gear this bike and restore it to its former glory. Since I got it as frame/fork only I have no idea what originally came on it.


Does anyone have information on the release year of this frame or the original equipment that would have come on the bike? I imagine this frame was fairly high end for its time but I have no idea. Google has been less than helpful in locating any information on this bike other than it likes to fall apart. I realize I could build it up with just about anything but I feel it would be much more fun to have a full on classic bike.

wrk101

Those down tube shifters are the key to your question. What model are they? Ditto the headset. Chances are (if they are original), they matched the other components. Bike likely came with either Shimano 105 or more likely Shimano 600 components. There are many competitor versions of this bike: Giant, Centurion, Trek, Specialized and many others made carbon frames with aluminum lugs.

Look for date codes on any parts you think were original (from the box of parts you had).

I have a 1992 Giant Cadex which came with 600 components.

Myself, I would probably look for some Shimano 600 components. I would not worry about what exactly came on the bike originally. Frames are meant to be built, with the components of your choosing.

What is your budget?

randyjawa 

Not sure if this is any help but my Vitus was complete Mavic SSC "as found" You can learn more about it here, if you wish.

https://www.mytenspeeds.com/My_TenSpe...troduction.htm

I should add that the Vitus was a wonderful bike that had great ride quality. Sadly, at 230 lb, the frame set was flexing way too much and I feared damaging the bicycle. You might see it cruising around Texas one day.

paulkal

The Vitus Carbone frames were very high end when they were build. The price in 1986 was 3000 Dutch guilders, which is about 1500 euro.
I still have a leaflet of the Dutch importer (Jan Janssen) in 1986, the frame was sold loose but could be build up with Shimano 600 or Campagnolo Record.
For $100 you got a really good deal.

JimmyJars

@wrk101 Its got a campagnolo headset + cinelli handlebars/stem. The rest of the parts were from other bikes. I don't really have a budget, though it would be nice to stay under $500-600. I would like nicer stuff though. I've bought a dura ace 7402 front and rear derailleurs and these wheels:
https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...:X:RTQ:US:1123


@randyjawa Your site is great. I really enjoyed reading that.

@paulkal If you do not mind do you think you could scan that flyer? I'd be really interested to see it.

GrayJay

The carbon-3 frame was a less expensive version of the carbon-7 which also used a carbon rear triangle.
It would have come as a bare frame from Vitus. Regional distributer or a LBS may have offered them as pre-built bikes, but most probably were sold as bare frames for the purchaser to build-up however they wanted. If you want a represenative period example to pattern your re-build, look back through old winning magazines for the time and set it up to match a pro-team build. Anyone buying a frame this expensive would have used components more attractive than lowly shimano 105. In the later 1980's era of snobby high-end bikes, 105 was really looked down on even if it worked OK.

luker

woohoo! That era didn't end, or start, in the '80s. Just follow a few threads on the Road Forum, and you'll see that it is alive and well today. I would probably try to build it back using '80s vintage Mavic parts; they are unusual and make for a more interesting (and challenging, seein's how they are French) build. You have some expensive Campy parts, though, so maybe a full campy NR bike would be a little cheaper, and fully appropriate for this frame.

GrayJay

I mentioned 1980's in this context because the bike in question originated in the 1980's, not implying that bike snobbery started or ended then. In the specific case of shimano 105, I feel that it was particularly looked down upon during its first few years of production in the late 80's when nothing but a "sport" or basic entry racer model would be caught dead wearing 105. By the mid 1990's 105 was actually being spec'ed on some pretty decent bikes (carbon treks and specialized come to mind) and as the price for the higher end grouppos went through the roof, 105 actually became a somewhat acceptable option for amature racers. These days, I have noticed 105 on new bikes selling for upward of $2K and the technical improvements that have tricked down pretty much allow a modern 105 bike to outperform all the C&V grouppos (except when it comes to pinache).

RoboIsGod

That's quite a nice bike and I'm glad your deciding to bring it back to its original state.

There was just a thread about Chombi's same exact bike that he recently built up: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ighlight=vitus

He did a pretty good job, I'd say the closer you can get to him the better.

paulkal

Like RoboIsGod, I´m glad that you will bring it back to its original state, but I would not put 105 on this frame, it deserves better.

Here are the scans of the catalogues, they are in Dutch:

1986, with first generation C-Record


1987, frame only


And 1988 with Shimano Sante


I guess that in Holland french parts were not popular.

Chombi

I think your bike is an 85 like mine but the "3" version instead of the "7".
Here's the recipe of my recent restoration/re-build of my Carbone 7:

Frame: 1985 Vitus Carbone 7, 7 tubes carbon with 979 aluminum fork.
Shifters: Mavic/Simplex/Spidel Retrofriction shift levers.
Seatpost: 23mm Rubis/vitus aluminunm, two bolt clamp microadjust.
Bar: Mavic Model 350 "criterium" bend bars.
Bottom bracket: Stronglight JP1000 sealed bearing cartridge BB English thread, 118 spindle legnth.
Crankset: Mavic Model 630/SSC 53/41(by TA Specialites).
Pedals: Look Keo Classic.
Rear Derailleur: Mavic 851 SSC.
Front Derailleur Mavic 860 SSC.
Freewheel/cogset: Malliard 700 Super Compact, 7 speed, 13/19T: British Threading.
Hubs: Mavic 32H 500/550, 100/126mm spacing.
Spokes: DT stainless 14/15/14ga. Double butted, with brass nipples.
Rims:Mavic 32H GEL280 tubular rims.
Brakes: Spidel/Mafac LS sidepulls.
Headset: Stronglight A9 with new style sealed cartridge bearings.
Chain: Sedis SL Pro Narrow chain

Everything French so far except these:

Stem: "Vitus" engraved ITM, 100mm.
Saddle: White, perforated leather covered Selle Italia "turbo"
Bar tape: Cinelli Cork in white.
Tires: 700C x 22 Schwalbe "Milano" tubulars.
Water bottlecage: Blackburn Road/competition
Bottle: "Vitus" bottle by Specialized.

Almost all of the compnenets are French and period correct (Bar tape and pedals and tires are the only items not period correct, but I consider these as wear items/incidentals).
Took about 6 months to gather all the compnents together and restore the bike. to what you see in the pic.
See other detail pics of the bike in my "Recipe for "Tout French" Build-up???" thread I recently posted.
Our bikes are pretty much identical except for the rear triangle. If you have any technical questions on it, feel free to ask. I hope I can contribute to the forum's answers!

BTW, thank you for not cutting off the rear derailleur hanger and permanently "neutering" the Vitus frame. Glad you decided to try and bring her back to what she could have been in the past.

Chombi
84 Peugeot PSV
85 Vitus Plus Carbone 7

GrayJay

Chombi-
Nice build. Slight room for improvement to the theme if you added some wolber tires and some vintage look pedals!

JimmyJars

@paulkal Thanks for posting those. It really gave me an idea of how these were originally sold.
@roboisgod That build is beautiful. I think I'm going to give the bike a full Dura Ace 7401 7 speed buildup as that seems to be the most common.

New question: Does anyone still produce clincher 700x23c or x25c gumwall tires? I found some second hand ones on ebay but I was more curious if they were still made.

JimmyJars

@Chombi Your bike is amazing. Could you provide some more details on the bottom bracket? When I first got the bike the mechanic at the bikeshop mentioned the bike had an unusual cone style bottom bracket and told me to keep it in the event I restore the bike. It's got a generic shimano BB in there now; do you think it would be worth it to go back to original or a higher end BB?

Side note: It's quite amusing to find out this bike is an 85. It's older than me.

Chombi

"Cone style BB"?? I suspect that your bike might have had a Mavic sealed bottom bracket, which is indeed a special item because it does not thread into the BB shell but is anchored to the bike with two tapered (cone shaped??) lockrings on boths dies. This required the installer to use a special mavic BB shell tapering/shaping tool to install correctly. If the BB shell faces on your BB are indeed already faced with a 45 degree angle, you should really use the Mavic bottombracket on your bike. If you don't have the Mavic BB anymore, you can still get them from Ebay for OK prices because not everyone is willing to face their BB shell for it. I did not go for the Mavic because my bike had a full Shimao dura Ace Group on it and the shell faces are still straight/conventionally faced. Mavic BBs are supposed to have very smooth bearings like their hubs so they are definitely upmarket from most other BBs, and certainly above my Stronglught JP1000 in quaity.

Chombi

Chombi

Tried to look for Wolber tubulars, Couldn't really find them except for cyclocross tires. Couldn't wait anymore to find them, so I grabbed these Schwalbes from my LBS who was selling them for a great price. At least it has the correct period skinwalls on them. I can always add Wolbers or Hutchinsons on later if I come across them in the future. I do have period Look pedals I had on my PSV sice the 80's (first issue PP76s) ready to mount on.they're even the correct black and white color for the bike!, but this bike will be a rider (not a living room queen) and I would like to have Look's latest designed pedals for safety/performance when I'm riding the bike.
I'll post pics of the bike with the PP76s soon just to have a more complete period picture on record.
Thanks for the tips! I suspect as bike build=up projects go they are never really done till you give away or sell the bike.....which I suspect i will never do with this Carbone 7.

Chombi

Chombi

Actually it was very common back then to find Vitus frames built up with full Shimano component groups.
Most of the time the top models were built up with DA 7400 groups as my Vitus Carbone was and I think even the later issue of the Peugeot PY10FC was. It was pretty mich the twighlight of the full French compnent group, the mid 80's was.
Spidel and mavic were the last ones to try, but the competition from the Japanese companies was just too strong, specially with their newer indexed shifting technology starting to be accepted as the new standard. Add to that the very high quality of the Japanese components, it was not surprising that mavic and Spidel put up the white flag by the end of the 80s'
Never really liked the idea of a Vitus with a Shimano group on it, being so used to all French Peugeots in the 80's...thus my French build-up/resto project.

Chombi

JohnDThompson 

Many of those Vitus frames were sold bare, so feel free to build it up any way that suits you.

bikerosity57

Campy!! Record, Super Record, or any mix of whatever Campy you can come up with.

JimmyJars

If anyone cares I finished my rebuild with all the information in this thread. I appreciate everyones help and I did a full writeup of the rebuild on my blog:
https://highflange.com/2010/03/23/fro...-french-glory/