Viscount bicycles!!

[Bendo]

Wheel stories... I could tell a few (heheh!).

Interestingly my Shimano hubs are cactus. The bearings were tightened down for too long and now the races are really pitted. They came with the Victor and look exactly the same to the naked eye as Viscount hubs, apart from the brand stamped on them and the fact that they are loose bearing as opposed to sealed bearing. My Viscount hubs OTOH are going great guns. They've got CR18 rims on them, laced by the same mechanic who is doing the Sport resto. Touch wood they've been doing fine.

They are now the permanent wheels on Victor because I bought some NOS first gen DA hugh flange hubs and the same mechanic is lacing another pair of wheels (CR18s again). But he found that they are 120mm width (as opposed to 130mm for Viscount hubs), so he has changed the rear stay clearance on the Sport to match. Lets hope these are as bulletproof as your Shimanos Busaste. Don't want to be doing this too often!

Knowing enough to second-guess the metallurgy of 35 year old hubs from a dead company is probably stretching the boundaries of human knowledge. But you've dug up some amazing info so far B. Keep the stories and bits of info coming.

b

[quiksilver]

Cheers for the transfers Bendo. As soon as i get them on a Tee I will post a photo.

[quiksilver]

Bored so I thought I would add this Doh its too big

[Bendo]

Here's a couple of pics of the Sport frame. Still in the shop.
Pretty nice work though. More pics on my blog.



Not nearly the same colour...



the Dura Ace BB with spacers.



the headtube with reinforcing sleeve



DA headset



NSFW b

[Bendo]

And it's a bit off topic but...

GO CUDDLES! It's been a long time coming since Phil Anderson's first stage win in 1981.

b

[busaste]

Hi dudes.
Check out this Viscount on fleabay UK:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayISAPI. ... SS:GB:1123

I thought I had seen every thing over the years but this one defies belief. The bike is badged as an 'International' from the Viscount range but it has an Aerospace frame. The 'International' range were all lugged framed lower priced/spec'd models e.g. 'Sebring', 'Colorado'. The ebay bike has a full Aerospace Pro spec. and Aerospace frame. To add further confusion the forks are not of the 'death' variety being conventional steel with a box crown.

This bike never officially existed. One off factory job built to order? Prototype? One off show bike?

Shame I am skint as to a Viscount fan like me, this bike is extraordinary. Please, someone buy this unique piece of history or it will probably end up as a hack or get broken for a 'fixie' - aaaaaaaaarrrrrgggghhhhh!

By the way bendo, your freshly painted frame/DA parts look fantastic!

[Bendo]

I feel your pain Busaste. It's a bit like all the cheap Viscounts I see on ebay.co.uk or ebay.com or c-list that I can't have...

BTW anyone got a decent pair of Viscount chromoly forks they want to sell? My forks got fried by the electroplaters and now the steerer tube is about 0.5mm narrower than it was, meaning they're now useless. b

[busaste]

Great post this by Bendo on his blog - a MUST read:

http://feelofsteel.blogspot.com/2011/06 ... -fork.html

The funny thing about the Viscount death fork is that the later version is actually very strong. There are loads of them out there still going strong after 30+ years. It seems that it is decidedly un death like!

[Bendo]

Thanks for the promo!

Well my fork saga continues. I found a lovely pair of Viscount cast aluminium forks (mark III) at my lbs and paid almost nothing for them. Getting them home it took me until I was photographing them next to the old chromoly forks to see that the steerer tube was too short. Must have been from a smaller frame than mine. Major downer!

So does anyone out there have a mark III fork in good nick, with a steerer tube of 195mm or longer? I can trade for one with a 160mm long steerer...

b

[Goldie]

I've just spent about five minutes admiring those pictures of your powder coated frame Bendo. That is going to build up into an absolutely beautiful bike - make sue you keep the pictures coming. Your Victor looks smashing with its new 'guards too...

[Spudh]

Hi Guys,

Newbie here, just bought a Grand Sport off ebay after doing a fair bit of research here and the rest of the web. Haven't received it yet (the bikes in England and I'm in Ireland so it'll take a few more days) but here's a photo from the fleabay add. Paid a bit more than I meant to (£85 + courier) but ebay has been breaking me up lately by not letting me bid on items unless the seller has ticked international postage. I missed out on a near idenentical one which went for £50 last week as the seller wasn't able to allow me bid :doh:

I was originally hankering after a Raleigh Scirocco or one of the other reynolds framed golden oldies but the fixie fad has driven the price of these through the roof. Read a review on some thread where a guy reckoned his Viscount was better anyway and that brought me here. Looking forward to getting the bike

[quiksilver]

or it will probably end up as a hack or get broken for a 'fixie' - aaaaaaaaarrrrrgggghhhhh!

Mmmmm, I must convert all old racers to fixed gear, I must free them from being weighed down by superflous parts. Convert, Convert, Convert!

[Goldie]

Spudh - I was watching that! Purely out of greed... It's good to know it went to a good home. I'm sure you'll love it - I do my Aerospace Pro.

It'd be good to see some Lambert pictures on here - does anyone have one tucked away? I've been ogling the bikes on Classic Rendezvous a fair bit of late:

[Bendo]

Love the aluminium fork and the TA-like Lambert crankset!

Speaking of surfing Viscounts, found this user on Flickr. Hasn't been added to the Viscount group. Anyone know who the guy is? Got some nice bikes!

The one in the front in this pic without a saddle might also be a Lambert...? Although it looks fillet brazed. Were any Lamberts built that way?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/37496719@N07/3449696489/

b

EDIT: just saw one of his pics with an invite to the Viscount group from Cusuqueno.

[Goldie]

I'm going to have a crack at the British Heart Foundation's Manchester - Blackpool night time bike ride on 17th - 18th September:

http://www.bhf.org.uk/get-involved/even ... night.aspx

My Aerospace Pro will (fingers crossed) be bearing me up the A6 to a well earned breakfast in the mighty Blackpool. This'll literally be the biggest sustained stretch of physical activity in my entire life, and I'd be incredibly grateful if any of you chaps could send a bit of sponsorship my way. I'll be taking my camera with me so that I can stick a picture of a knackered Goldie plus Viscount on the seafront. Hopefully this should be a link to the inevitable "Just Giving" page...

http://www.justgiving.com/Luke-Dolby

If you fancy coming along for the ride, I think there are still places available - it'd be good to see another Viscount or two along the way.