Originally Posted by
gaucho777
Vitus 979. They made so many over such a long period of time (1979-early 90s?) and the models had few minor changes over that time. Not only were they raced at the highest levels, notably by Sean Kelly and his many victories, but they were also accessible to the masses. In my experience, it was hard to find a large group ride in the 80s without several Vitus riders. They were light, relatively affordable, and (subjectively) attractive with lots of different shades of anodized alum. My first race bike was a sky blue Vitus, so I'm biased.
I loved my Vitus 979. I got mine in 1987, and thought that nothing was better for a long road race- my favorite events. For lighter riders in medium or smaller frame sizes, they were dynamite. To this day, I have never ridden anything smoother. One aspect of the Vitus bikes that is rarely discussed is the precision with which they were built. They were always perfectly straight and all of the surfaces were faced perfectly parallel with clean threads. Fabulous bikes. I recall paying $450, which was quite a bargain.