gitaneusa.com Forum Index » Vintage Gitane » Aerotub 102 or Vitus 172    View previous topic :: View next topic  Aerotub 102 or Vitus 172   Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2013 5:50 am saminfrance Joined: 08 Mar 2013 Posts: 7 Location: France Hi again, I've just acquired a Vitus 172 frame from the early 70s; at the moment I have a Gitane from the early 80s with an Aerotub 102 frame. Just wondering if the Vitus would be a better option for No. 1 bike rather than the Aerotub. Admittedly the Vitus is not a Gitane - it's a M@!"b£$%^e. I have 3 bikes now (the third is a modern aluminium) so the next question - how many bikes make a collection. Sam Re: Aerotub 102 or Vitus 172   Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2013 11:56 pm verktyg Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Posts: 2814 Location: SF Bay Area saminfrance wrote: I've just acquired a Vitus 172 frame from the early 70s; at the moment I have a Gitane from the early 80s with an Aerotub 102 frame. Just wondering if the Vitus would be a better option for No. 1 bike rather than the Aerotub. Admittedly the Vitus is not a Gitane - it's a M@!"b£$%^e. In the mid 80s the big 3 French bike makers started giving names to their standard plain carbon steel tubing - a marketing ploy. Aerotub 102 was Gitane's name, Peugeot called theirs Carbolite 103 and Motobecane's was Motolite (also 2040). Some folks called this "gas pipe" tubing. The wall thickness on the main tubes was 1.3mm to 1.5mm. Even with light alloy components, these bikes weighed around 25-26 lbs. depending on size. These tubes were lighter than a lot of tubing used in other makes of entry level and lower priced models. Moto started using French made Vitus 172 tubing on their mid range bikes about 1975-76 in place of British made Reynolds 531. The 3 main tubes of Vitus 172 were butted. It was made of a low alloy high strength steel, almost as strong as Reynolds 531, Columbus and 4130 tubing. These brands of tubing were at least 1/3 stronger than plain carbon steel tubes which allowed them to have thinner wall thicknesses, thus making lighter, more resilient frames. Only the 3 main tubes and the steerer are butted - the top and down tubes were double butted while the seat tubes and steerers were single butted. Vitus 172 main tubes were 1.0mm thick in the butted ends and 0.7mm thick in the thin sections. These bikes weighed 24-24 lbs. Some models only had the 3 main tubes made of Vitus 172 (or Reynolds 531 & Columbus too). Which bike to keep as your No. 1? Best thing is to compare the ride and handling to see which one you like best. On larger size frames 60cm (23") and up, heavier gage tubing is smoother riding than on smaller sized frames. saminfrance wrote: I have 3 bikes now (the third is a modern aluminium) so the next question - how many bikes make a collection. Sam How many wives can you afford? When I hit about 20 bikes, my riding buddy said it was a sickness... but he wanted the keys to my house (just in case). _________________ Chas. SF Bay Area, CA USA ============== 1984 Criterium 1969 TdF 1971 TdF 1974 TdF 1984 TdF x 2 Bikes 1970 SC 1971 SC 1972 SC 1984 SC 1984 Team Pro 1985 Professional 1990s Team Replica   Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:42 pm saminfrance Joined: 08 Mar 2013 Posts: 7 Location: France Thanks, Chas. A very concise and comprehensive answer - one could learn a lot from forums like these. With regard to the wife, I had to get rid of an old Geminiani before I could get the Moto. I was using it as what I think you would call a beater, and bought the Moto (cost €12.99) to replace it, hence my dilemma. I wasn't too sad as I never really bonded with it (the Geminiani, not the wife). I had a choice of the Moto or a Peugeot (Reynolds 531, campy, same price) but it was a bit too big for me. BTW, the Gitane cost all of €5.99 about a year ago. - Sam   Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:43 pm saminfrance Joined: 08 Mar 2013 Posts: 7 Location: France Thanks, Chas. A very concise and comprehensive answer - one could learn a lot from forums like these. With regard to the wife, I had to get rid of an old Geminiani before I could get the Moto. I was using it as what I think you would call a beater, and bought the Moto (cost €12.99) to replace it, hence my dilemma. I wasn't too sad as I never really bonded with it (the Geminiani, not the wife). I had a choice of the Moto or a Peugeot (Reynolds 531, campy, same price) but it was a bit too big for me. BTW, the Gitane cost all of €5.99 about a year ago. - Sam   Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2013 12:15 am verktyg Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Posts: 2814 Location: SF Bay Area saminfrance wrote: I wasn't too sad as I never really bonded with it (the Geminiani, not the wife) _________________ Chas. SF Bay Area, CA USA ============== 1984 Criterium 1969 TdF 1971 TdF 1974 TdF 1984 TdF x 2 Bikes 1970 SC 1971 SC 1972 SC 1984 SC 1984 Team Pro 1985 Professional 1990s Team Replica Aerotub 102 or Vitus 172     gitaneusa.com Forum Index » Vintage Gitane You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum All times are GMT - 8 Hours   Page 1 of 1   All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First  Select a forum Gitane USA----------------Vintage GitaneGitane RacingModern GitanePro Racing - Classics/Giro/Tour....Owner Gallery   Powered by phpBB © 2001-2004 phpBB Group Designed for Trushkin.net | Themes Database.