How do I tell if my bike is carbon or Ally? Classic Vitus.
Discussion
I recently bought a bit of an oddball bike, very cheap, I actually bought it as my girlfriends first racing bike but a combination of me realising it is very light indeed, plus it's a tiny bit large for her means she will be getting my classic ciocc and I will keep this.
The bike was finished in a local bike builders colours and stickers, no hint as to a manufacturer of frame, so I assumed it was probably a cheapo chinese Alloy frame till I rang him up and he remembered the bike.
Turns out it is a classic Vitus frame.
The big question is how do I tell if this is one of the alloy framed Vitus bikes or one of the Carbon framed ones, my plan is to repaint it eventually and if it is carbon I want to laquer the bare carbon and polish the alloy blocks, if it is alloy I will probably just paint it Met black to go with the gold wheels I have planned for the future.
I have tapped the tubes and to be honest it's a bit non committal. The sound is closer to a hollow thud than a ping as expected off a steel frame, the problem being both alloy and carbon tend to thud, there is the faintest ring when you tap the frame on the main triangle but it really is faint, a carbon tube could emit the same ring, the rear triangle makes no ring at all it really is a dull sound, ditto the forks.
I suspect it is just an alloy 979 frame, but if there is a non destructive method (I want to ride the bike this summer so don't want to scrape paint off) to finding out it may help me achieve my goal of a laquered carbon bike.
The bike was finished in a local bike builders colours and stickers, no hint as to a manufacturer of frame, so I assumed it was probably a cheapo chinese Alloy frame till I rang him up and he remembered the bike.
Turns out it is a classic Vitus frame.
The big question is how do I tell if this is one of the alloy framed Vitus bikes or one of the Carbon framed ones, my plan is to repaint it eventually and if it is carbon I want to laquer the bare carbon and polish the alloy blocks, if it is alloy I will probably just paint it Met black to go with the gold wheels I have planned for the future.
I have tapped the tubes and to be honest it's a bit non committal. The sound is closer to a hollow thud than a ping as expected off a steel frame, the problem being both alloy and carbon tend to thud, there is the faintest ring when you tap the frame on the main triangle but it really is faint, a carbon tube could emit the same ring, the rear triangle makes no ring at all it really is a dull sound, ditto the forks.
I suspect it is just an alloy 979 frame, but if there is a non destructive method (I want to ride the bike this summer so don't want to scrape paint off) to finding out it may help me achieve my goal of a laquered carbon bike.
I think it will be obvious what the main tubes are made from once the paint is stripped, the carbon version is much rarer with matt charcol tubes that will feel warmer to the touch than the alloy parts of the frame.
The 979 Vitus used to be criticized by some for being a bit 'whippy' at the back, never stopped them winning loads of professional and amateur races though and I found mine one of the liveliest and most compliant frames I've ever raced.
Personally I think it's a shame to paint over the really nice anodized/polished finish. The anodizing came in silver, bronze, blue, green, red, violet, black and light 'Kelly' blue (mine). Post a pic!
The 979 Vitus used to be criticized by some for being a bit 'whippy' at the back, never stopped them winning loads of professional and amateur races though and I found mine one of the liveliest and most compliant frames I've ever raced.
Personally I think it's a shame to paint over the really nice anodized/polished finish. The anodizing came in silver, bronze, blue, green, red, violet, black and light 'Kelly' blue (mine). Post a pic!
Which genius said magnet 
The look down the seatpost is a winning tip, these frames are all "glued" together regardless of material which causes the issue I'm having!
It actually doesn't matter what material it is, if it's alloy I hope they haven't damaged the anodising and if it's carbon I hope they haven't damaged the clearcoat!
The look down the seatpost is a winning tip, these frames are all "glued" together regardless of material which causes the issue I'm having!
It actually doesn't matter what material it is, if it's alloy I hope they haven't damaged the anodising and if it's carbon I hope they haven't damaged the clearcoat!
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