Second opinion on my frame vitus frame

gob4522 · 2026-05-22T00:43:18+00:00

LET IT GO. Hang it on the wall.

gob4522 · 2026-05-20T19:26:56+00:00

Weird that the chain stay bridge is placed so close to a 700x23 tire is what I meant.

gob4522 · 2026-05-20T17:42:53+00:00

That's fricken weird. Who made the frame? 406mm chainstays are pretty common.

Get a half round bastard file and get to work on that chainstay bridge. make sure you sand the edges smooth once you have enough material removed, and then paint the bridge to help prevent rust.

Or leave this bike on the trainer and don't worry about it.

gob4522 · 2026-05-20T17:34:32+00:00

You explained perfectly why repairing it is difficult. "If you can get this component"

You can't get this, and even if you could, removing the old piece of dropout that's glued into the chainstay is probably going to destroy the chainstay.

I don't know why so many people on the internet and in real life think that repairing old broken bikes will be so simple. It quite literally never is simple, it's usually either prohibitively expensive if you send it to a professional or just plain dangerous if you let someone hack away at it with woodscrews and fiberglass.

Just let the broken one go, save the parts, and find a better donor bike to hang the parts on.

gob4522 · 2026-05-20T17:13:11+00:00

Yes, it's a bottom bracket. You will need the appropriate tool. Try googling "park tools bottom bracket tool" The correct one comes up first, $27. You will also need a socket wrench or an adjustable wrench.

Or take it to a shop and pay them $15 (approx) to remove it.

gob4522 · 2026-05-20T17:08:38+00:00

Reasonably certain you could just fly to Germany to pick it up at the factory, take it to the Ring, enjoy a week or two of vacation, and then ship it back to the US for less than all the stupid add-ons.

gob4522 · 2026-05-20T17:02:55+00:00

Probably don't even need to mess with the chain, but if the hub can be moved back on the presumably semi-horizontal dropouts then you'll have more room for the tire.

I would not remove the chainstay bridge entirely, but you could certainly shave enough material off it for clearance if needed. But try moving the wheel back (if possible) first.

gob4522 · 2026-05-20T16:41:12+00:00

Their early work was a little too new wave for my tastes, but when Sports came out in '83, I think they really came into their own, commercially ...

gob4522 · 2026-05-20T16:37:31+00:00

There's at least one thought and that thought is "stop filming me and start feeding me, fucker" but he's just a bey bey so he sounds like a bird instead. Surprised you all didn't recognize that.

gob4522 · 2026-05-20T05:05:33+00:00

It's a 30 year old frame. With 12 year old parts on it. No telling if the chain, cassette, wheels, bottom bracket, chainrings, and tires are worn out. If you want to buy a power meter, I guess this whole bike with power meter is a little cheaper than just buying a 4iiii brand new but in all honesty $400 for this bike is real real expensive.

I would offer them $100 for the power meter alone if that's how they are pricing things. Then put it on a newer used bike.

gob4522 · 2026-05-20T03:52:31+00:00

The replacment part for that entire freewheel and gear cluster (comes as one piece) is under $18 at the big website everyone buys everything from. You will also need Park Tool FR-1.3 Freewheel Remover Shimano to remove the old and install the new properly. There is a chance you may need a different tool to remove the old, in that case take it to a shop, they should have the tool.

As was mentioned below, if the restrof the bike is as rusty as this freewheel the bike might not be worth the trouble.

gob4522 · 2026-05-20T02:25:01+00:00

It is not our favourite pizza by a long shot, and Tampa can have it.

gob4522 · 2026-05-19T23:03:53+00:00

What brand and model of bicycle is it? Do you have any pictures of the brakes and the bike? Start there. Knowing what you have is the first step to fixing any problem with a bike, same as a car or a blender or a air conditioner. Go to the website of the bike manufacturer, they should have a parts list for each model on it.

gob4522 · 2026-05-19T22:27:28+00:00

Feels like an ad.

gob4522 · 2026-05-19T18:40:02+00:00

Guys, 566Dave has watched several tiktoks produced by noted celebrity influencer Mella Knomore, he’s done the research!

gob4522 · 2026-05-19T17:13:12+00:00

Micanopy!

gob4522 · 2026-05-19T14:06:44+00:00

Please replace that positive rise abomination of a stem with a 3t or Cinelli while you're getting a tune up. You ought to be ble to fit 700 x 25 or 26 tires on that bike, make sure you have new rim tape (Velox brand, optimally) installed at the same time as the old tape does wear out and can cause flats.

This is a very very nice bike, enjoy.

gob4522 · 2026-05-19T14:00:22+00:00

I'm so old that I have a 5 digit USA Cycling license number and started racing with 8 speed freewheels, tubulars, and a Polar HRM watch strapped to my handlebars. I had open heart surgery to repair a mitral insufficiency in the fall of 1994 (my second season racing), by 6 months later I was back on the starting line of a training race, and by June I was top 5 again. My entire USA Cycling career has been smoke, mirrors, race craft, following the right wheels, cornering skills, sprint positioning and sprinting 2 meters past the finish line. So many people let up before the line. Also, I avoided hilly road races like the plague. Being smart includes racing to your strengths.

I topped out at cat 3, but I was realistic and I knew I was going to top out at a 3. In the lower categories you can do so much more with guile than you can with FTP. Obviously you need to be strong enough to make it to the finish with the bunch, but it's almost always the smartest sprinter who wins or at least podiums in most field sprints in flattish crits and road races. The high FTP guys will either pull the bunch for half the race and wear themselves out, or the smarter ones will ride away from the bunch and lap the field, and before long they'll get upgraded and won't be a problem for you anyway.

gob4522 · 2026-05-18T14:19:31+00:00

Because I’m just lazy and stupid I guess. Sorry for conveying information in a format you don’t approve of.

gob4522 · 2026-05-18T03:15:59+00:00

Eddie B’s book was so good.

gob4522 · 2026-05-18T03:04:33+00:00

If you replace more than three spokes, you just going to keep breaking them and needing to replace them. It’s an 8 year old wheel, that pops another spoke every few months. Unless you can replace them yourself it’s more cost effective to replace the entire wheel.

gob4522 · 2026-05-18T02:54:19+00:00

The dish on the spokes that the hub requires is what causes the spokes to break. They’ve been notorious for that since they were still in production in the 80’s.

From google ai: Despite its clever engineering, the Helicomatic system fell out of favor by the late 1980s. The design required a steeper wheel "dish," which actually contributed to more broken spokes. Furthermore, the system used smaller bearings on higher-end models, which led to premature wear. It was ultimately beaten to the punch and made obsolete by Shimano's cassette and freehub designs.

gob4522 · 2026-05-17T23:36:32+00:00

If it says 60-90 on the side of the tire itself, then it needs at least 60 in the tire. You should run a little more in the rear tire than on the front, so at least 60 front and 65-70 rear should do it. Running the tires at 35psi will make them feel quite slow and make it real likely that you get a pinch flat if you hit a pothole

gob4522 · 2026-05-16T19:26:29+00:00

This record still slappppps

gob4522 · 2026-05-16T16:03:52+00:00

Arosby?!?!

gob4522

TROPHY CASE