Robvolz 

There is a first year edition Alan (1972, under the Alan brand) in Santa Barbara a gent wants me to trade for.

At the same time, the co-op I help out at just got yet another Vitus 979 in this time, my size. 1979 me thinks.

I have enough proper components to build either.

I've never owned a non steel-lugged bike. OK, that was a lie. I have an orange Stumpjumper Sport without lugs.

(Try again Robert)

I've never owned an aluminum bike. All other things being equal, which would you rather have and why?

billytwosheds 

We all knows that's not true. Wear, maintenance, storage conditions all apply here.

Have a local in SB check it out and give you more info.

top506

Different bikes.
The Alan will be stiffer and less susceptible to high speed wobble. The Vitus will have a plusher ride and be a little flexy in the larger sizes. Fast descents on the Vitus can get.......interesting.
And yes, I own and ride both.

Top

nomadmax 

error post

gearbasher

I believe the 979 is French threading. I had an Alan that was Italian threading. Easier to find parts for the Alan. That said, I owned a mid '80s Alan and hated it. My friend had a 979 (no idea of the year) that had a bottom bracket creak that he couldn't get rid of. Well, he eventually got rid of it when he got rid of the frame.

Kontact

My Vitus was English threaded. It was a nicely made bike.

Andy Antipas 

I own both and I ride 54m center frames center to top. They are both nice riding bikes and I haven't experienced the high speed wobble, creeks, or issues noted by other responders. My 979 has British threaded and the Alan Italian. Both bikes ride on quality tubulars and I would give a slight advantage in ride quality to the Vitus 979. I think purchase decision comes down to condition and price. Good luck!

gearbasher

I could have sworn my friend's Vitus was French threading. So, I did a search and it looks like they came in both English and French. I guess the OP will have to look into what threading the frame available to him has.

Steel Charlie

I've had both. I regret selling the Alan. Not so much with the 979.

rando_couche

No. I've ridden both and was underwhelmed. But then I'm 6'3" and 200 lb.

Manny66 

The big question is which one of them comes with a seat post .

gearbasher

My Alan used a 27.2 seat post. Yet all the other ones I've seen required the 25.0. I bought mine new, so it's not like the P.O. went nuts with a reamer.

PhilFo 

My old Vitus 979 came with a post and I used it as a training bike and bragging bike (regarding it's light weight) when I was in college and riding with the Temple U team. I built that thing up really light and it was a pound or so under 20lbs. All the guys on carbon bikes hated that my used old all-metal bike was so light.
As for Alan vs Vitus, I'd choose Vitus only because I have seen more cracked and un-bonded Alans than I have Vitus. That's my own observation though, so take it with a grain of salt.

Robvolz 

The virus comes with a 25 campy super record post

Manny66 

I have a Vitus aluminum and a Vitus Carbone 3 hanging up in the garage . Neither one has a seatpost and the Carbone 3 takes a 23mm so I dont see a Vitus build coming up anytime soon ,unless a find a seatpost that will fit and that is fairly cheap.

Good Luck with your build ,

easyupbug 

Exactly my experience.

Chuckk

I've seen dozens of Vitus for every Alan,
Don't know if it is related to distribution or longevity.

Chombi1 

Be careful not to overtighten the seatpost clamp on the seat lug of the early Vitus 979. The ears of the clamp had been known to crack away from the seat lug if overtightened. Vitus solved the problem with a revised seatpost clamping system on thrir later 979s which did not use clamping ears. I don't think there was a problem with Alan's seatpost clamp though. The ALANs tended to get cracks on the head tube lugs, because of the pressed in wreath or "ALAN" pantograhing they had. The cracking is easy to spot as it usually goes vertical on the front faces of the head tube lugs. I've also seen a few seat lug cracking at the top tube.

gearbasher

The seat lug on my Alan cracked. It happened on the back under the seatpost clamp. It started on the bottom of the lug and was slowly moving up to the hole at the bottom of the slot for the post. I noticed it at about 30,000 miles and rode the frame until the crack reached the midway point, that occured at just over 45,000 miles. I gave the frame to a guy that claimed he could repair it. That's the last I saw of the frame.

Dave Mayer

I have owned two 979s. Plus I've ridden a Carbone 9. I would not buy a 979 in a size larger than a 56cm or if you are a masher or a Clyde. Or any combination of these. I would also not buy a 979 with the early ear-type seatpost clamp assembly. These cracked. The later grub screw attachment is an improvement.

gaucho777 

Screwed & glued (A.L.A.N) > glued (Vitus)

I’ve raced on both, more on the Vitus. I think the ride quality is similar. Vitus frames are more ubiquitous. My first race bike was a sky blue Vitus, and I was a Sean Kelly fanboy, so there’s some personal nostalgic cache. That said, I’ve had a bonded LOOk frame with alloy lugs come unglued, so I’d opt for the A.L.A.N. because they are both screwed & glued, if all else is equal.

Kontact

i had a pink Vitus. I liked the way it looked, but it actually felt like it was "slow" - ate some of my pedal energy. Dunno if it did.

I built up a blue anodized Vitus for a friend. It was such a beautiful color. She always got compliments on that bike.

The Vitus design is pretty damn reliable, all these years later, and more elegant than the Alan since it has an internal brake cable and simpler lugs. YMMV.

El Chaba

I will register another vote for the construction quality of the Vitus bikes. Anybody who has had the pleasure of building one no doubt experienced how all of the threaded fittings and machined interfaces were perfectly finished and faced which made everything fit easily and beautifully….and eliminated the need for any additional facing, cleaning of threads, etc. They were also perfectly aligned. I ride a 54 cm and raced at 143 lb back in the day, so the Vitus was perfect for me. The bigger the frame size and taller the rider, the less they seemed enamored of them. A few years back, I had occasion to talk to Jock Boyer who mentioned that the 979 was his favorite bike that he had ridden.

repechage

So much for his Confentes.

Steel Charlie

Stoopid steel bikes ! Who'd want one of those ?