[CR]Vitus Aluminum Bikes

(Example: Production Builders:Cinelli:Laser)

Date: Fri, 24 Oct 2003 10:49:10 -0700 (PDT)
From: Donald Gillies <gillies@cs.ubc.ca>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: [CR]Vitus Aluminum Bikes

If you are thinking about buying a Vitus, I might suggest that you should instead consider an ALAN aluminum-framed bicycle. There are three reasons to prefer these bikes over vitus.

1. ALANs were the FIRST bonded aluminum bike. The Vitus was a cheap french imitation. A Vitus bike is just bonded (glued). An ALAN bike is glued _and_ screwed together. The ALAN bikes are much more durable. I was on a ride recently (on my ALAN) and a friend said that his Vitus 979 fork came apart when he was polishing it. Yech!

2. The ALAN bike is STILL being made. I think you should buy one and put a brooks saddle on it. These are about the only 2 pieces of bicycle equipment that haven't changed in 30 years.

3. Some people think that highly polished stainless steel lugs look cool. Well, the lugs of an alan bike aren't anodized, and if you polish them they would put a Kirk Pacenti or Henry James lugs to shame !!! (no offense kirk & henry). The ALAN has cool engraving on the head tube that I think a Vitus bike lacks. And the ALAN tubes are typically anodized in really cool colors!

http://www.alan-bikeframes.com/ http://www.alan-bikeframes.com/english/303aluls.html

- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA