sprockit wrote:I've only seen the Viscount fork crown detailing on a couple of pictures here and there, likewise with the slotted BB shell. These two features, along with the rear derailleur mounting loop, the rear axle adjusters and the seat tube sticker denoting 'chrome molybdenum' tubing, are all that differ from my Sprint frame, the sticker on which reads 'high tensile' tubing.
The later, lugged, Aerospace frames are often distinguished by having the legend 'Viscount' in capital letters, stamped on the chamfer at the top of the seat stays.
Componentry varied on the same model of bike, and I know of a case where someone collected their bike, showed it to a friend, who ordered an identical one which arrived a week or two later - one had half-chromed forks whilst the other had fully painted ones.
The serial number on your frame is unusual. The Potters Bar factory numbers from 1978 to 1983 seem to be in the range 138??? to about 200??? and are all numerals, so why your frame number differs is a mystery. The 'Team '82' frame a couple of pages ago will have a number around 190??? to 195???, and, like yours, was made in the last couple of years before Viscount went bust in 1983.
Hey ! Sorry for the late reply, I didn't received the email notifications as expected. Thanks a lot for your answer, I guess at that time standardisation was not so common, maybe it's a custom build or a small special batch from the factory, who knows !
I finished building the bike lately, knowing a little about the frame and based on a similar frame a guy on facebook had, I decided to build it with full shimano 600 Arabesque. The bike is a so smooth and run like a dream ! I've included some pictures here: