There’s a 58 on evilbay atm too, not NOS though
i’ve been noticing a nice champagne coloured vitus regularly parked outside ngv/hamer hall, it definitely turned me onto them, looks to have all original parts and be a bit of a beater, in a nice patinated way.
Agreed… but the way he rode it, that flex got a lot less spring.
Having said that those early aluminium lugged frames do have a pretty bad reputation…
I’m very keen to hear of the “bad reptuation” you mention.
I’ve never had an issue, have owned a few and have known of many other riders who’ve been perfectly happy. There were some issues but by number these were simliar to most any other frames and by now most existing frames have been sorted if there was an issue. Even if it hasn’t been sorted it’s pretty easy to spot and epoxy isn’t rocket surgery.
I saying all that …
Any old frame can have issues and this stuff is something that needs an experienced eye to check over before building up to ride. Bicycle frames are super-structures and incredibly efficient designs. Where else would you see something that weighs 3 kg’s and is in places no thicker than an eggshell hold up 95kg’s for thousands of miles and many, many years. I read somewhere that if bicycle frames were over engineered like air planes they’d weigh twice as much. We are riding what amounts to Formula 1 machines on the road and with that it’s our own job to evaluate every bikes structural safety and understand the potential danger if it is compromised.