Viscount bicycles!!

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
Bendo
Posts: 292
Joined: 3 Nov 2010, 10:10am

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by Bendo »

I was wondering (and I did trawl back through the thread to find it but couldn't) whether anyone knew what wall-thickness Aerospace tubing is/was? I know that it is straight-gauge chromoly, but how thick is it really? I've heard that 0.4mm is as thin as can be drawn down to make seamless tubing. Somewhere else I thought I heard that Aerospace tubing was 0.33mm thick. Can't find that reference now though. That's mighty thin tubing, but is not out of the question I suppose.

Brains trust? Anyone?

b
dnrc
Posts: 103
Joined: 22 Nov 2010, 12:06am

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by dnrc »

for any northerners on here check this out:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170790367489&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:GB:1123

it needs a strip and good clean but otherwise looks a pretty solid example
Bendo
Posts: 292
Joined: 3 Nov 2010, 10:10am

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by Bendo »

dnrc wrote:for any tall northerners on here check this out...


Fixed that for you. b
jdwertz
Posts: 7
Joined: 10 Sep 2010, 12:57am

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by jdwertz »

Can anyone please identify this bottom bracket on my Viscount Aerospace? I just ordered a 122mm VeloOrange replacement

Image
busaste
Posts: 369
Joined: 1 Mar 2008, 10:18pm

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by busaste »

jdwertz wrote:Can anyone please identify this bottom bracket on my Viscount Aerospace? I just ordered a 122mm VeloOrange replacement

Image


It is hard to be certain but it looks like a Mavic bottom bracket to me. The slightly greenish tint to the left hand lockring is very similar to one I used on one of my Viscounts. The Mavic bottom bracket was made for shells with a stripped thread just like the Velo Orange one. To get a good fit the edges of the shell were meant to be chamfered with a special facing tool. This was not always done of course! It will be interesting to see what the shell looks like when the bottom bracket is removed. The Aerospace frames always have the seat and down tubes protruding into the BB shell. To fit a Mavic BB unit (and the VO one too) requires removal of the offending metal so you can get it in the shell. Looks like someone has done that work for you! Any chance of posting some pictures of the shell when the existing BB is out? By the way the Mavic BB is really high quality rebuildable unit that fetches good money on ebay even when secondhand.

The frame number suggest to me that you have one of the earlier Viscount Aerospace frames made at the Bilston factory. This is good as the standard of joint finishing is superb.

I also note from your picture that the bottom bracket is too short which, assuming you have used the original Viscount rear wheel, will have messed up the chainline and pulled the old knees in to the frame (too much for my old creaking joints!). The 122mm Velo Orange bottom bracket is the right length. Be careful when you fit your Viscount cranks to the VO BB as they do not have a JIS taper (it is a mongrel taper!). Getting them to sit square on the BB spindle requires a bit of careful fiddling.
busaste
Posts: 369
Joined: 1 Mar 2008, 10:18pm

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by busaste »

Just finished restoring my 1978 Viscount Aerospace Sport. It is about 98% original. I love it! Who remembers the shortie mudguards?!

Pictures below:

DSCN26772.JPG

DSCN26872.JPG

DSCN26852.JPG

DSCN26812.JPG
Whippet
Posts: 458
Joined: 7 Dec 2011, 1:22pm
Location: Newbury

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by Whippet »

That looks superb. I remember shortie mudguards, not sure if they stopped much water being splashed onto my high waister patch pocket baggies though.
busaste
Posts: 369
Joined: 1 Mar 2008, 10:18pm

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by busaste »

Whippet wrote:That looks superb. I remember shortie mudguards, not sure if they stopped much water being splashed onto my high waister patch pocket baggies though.


Ahhhh, long hot sunny days, new Viscount glistening in the sun, Adidas 'Kick' trainers, Jethro Tull booming out of the hifi, high waister patch pocket baggies, no backache(!) - that'll be the 70s!

Because most people binned their shortie guards for Esge or Bluemells guards they are actually really hard to find now. Oh, and the fact that they were useless didn't help for their longevity either. I had to fit them to mine because that is what it came with.
jdwertz
Posts: 7
Joined: 10 Sep 2010, 12:57am

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by jdwertz »

It is hard to be certain but it looks like a Mavic bottom bracket to me. The slightly greenish tint to the left hand lockring is very similar to one I used on one of my Viscounts. The Mavic bottom bracket was made for shells with a stripped thread just like the Velo Orange one. To get a good fit the edges of the shell were meant to be chamfered with a special facing tool. This was not always done of course! It will be interesting to see what the shell looks like when the bottom bracket is removed. The Aerospace frames always have the seat and down tubes protruding into the BB shell. To fit a Mavic BB unit (and the VO one too) requires removal of the offending metal so you can get it in the shell. Looks like someone has done that work for you! Any chance of posting some pictures of the shell when the existing BB is out? By the way the Mavic BB is really high quality rebuildable unit that fetches good money on ebay even when secondhand.

The frame number suggest to me that you have one of the earlier Viscount Aerospace frames made at the Bilston factory. This is good as the standard of joint finishing is superb.

I also note from your picture that the bottom bracket is too short which, assuming you have used the original Viscount rear wheel, will have messed up the chainline and pulled the old knees in to the frame (too much for my old creaking joints!). The 122mm Velo Orange bottom bracket is the right length. Be careful when you fit your Viscount cranks to the VO BB as they do not have a JIS taper (it is a mongrel taper!). Getting them to sit square on the BB spindle requires a bit of careful fiddling.


Thanks for all of the great info! I will be sure to post up some pictures of the shell and just what type of BB that was in there. And yes the one that is in there is too short and does cause some issues when I am riding it, the whole reason for the replacement. I have Mavic MA40 wheels, the gears still do seem to be a bit off. Not really sure how to adjust them as I am new to bike repair. Though as an engineer by trade I can probably figure it out. :mrgreen:

This bike seems to be something that someone built from a few different bikes. It has a tange fork, shimano stx rear derailleur, original Fillse front derailleur, though it is quite bent up, and a mess of original visount parts as well. It is nice to know however that the frame is a quality piece. I was quite suprised at how light it was for its age.

I know this may seem like heresy to most here but I am putting clipless pedals on the bike during the BB repair. Can't wait for the VO unit to come in, seems the shop I ordered it from won't respond to my fleabay messages :shock:
busaste
Posts: 369
Joined: 1 Mar 2008, 10:18pm

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by busaste »

jdwertz wrote:
It is hard to be certain but it looks like a Mavic bottom bracket to me. The slightly greenish tint to the left hand lockring is very similar to one I used on one of my Viscounts. The Mavic bottom bracket was made for shells with a stripped thread just like the Velo Orange one. To get a good fit the edges of the shell were meant to be chamfered with a special facing tool. This was not always done of course! It will be interesting to see what the shell looks like when the bottom bracket is removed. The Aerospace frames always have the seat and down tubes protruding into the BB shell. To fit a Mavic BB unit (and the VO one too) requires removal of the offending metal so you can get it in the shell. Looks like someone has done that work for you! Any chance of posting some pictures of the shell when the existing BB is out? By the way the Mavic BB is really high quality rebuildable unit that fetches good money on ebay even when secondhand.

The frame number suggest to me that you have one of the earlier Viscount Aerospace frames made at the Bilston factory. This is good as the standard of joint finishing is superb.

I also note from your picture that the bottom bracket is too short which, assuming you have used the original Viscount rear wheel, will have messed up the chainline and pulled the old knees in to the frame (too much for my old creaking joints!). The 122mm Velo Orange bottom bracket is the right length. Be careful when you fit your Viscount cranks to the VO BB as they do not have a JIS taper (it is a mongrel taper!). Getting them to sit square on the BB spindle requires a bit of careful fiddling.


Thanks for all of the great info! I will be sure to post up some pictures of the shell and just what type of BB that was in there. And yes the one that is in there is too short and does cause some issues when I am riding it, the whole reason for the replacement. I have Mavic MA40 wheels, the gears still do seem to be a bit off. Not really sure how to adjust them as I am new to bike repair. Though as an engineer by trade I can probably figure it out. :mrgreen:

This bike seems to be something that someone built from a few different bikes. It has a tange fork, shimano stx rear derailleur, original Fillse front derailleur, though it is quite bent up, and a mess of original visount parts as well. It is nice to know however that the frame is a quality piece. I was quite suprised at how light it was for its age.

I know this may seem like heresy to most here but I am putting clipless pedals on the bike during the BB repair. Can't wait for the VO unit to come in, seems the shop I ordered it from won't respond to my fleabay messages :shock:


This is all very promising - a Viscount being given a new lease of life! Fit any parts you want and use them with pride! It's still a Viscount at heart.

Look forwards to seeing the pictures. How about some of the whole bike?

Let us know how you get on with the chainline. Sheldon Brown's website has really useful stuff on chainlines,
Goldie
Posts: 77
Joined: 16 Jun 2010, 9:03pm

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by Goldie »

busaste wrote:Just finished restoring my 1978 Viscount Aerospace Sport. It is about 98% original. I love it! Who remembers the shortie mudguards?!


That looks smashing. Is that the one from Wythenshawe that was on Gumtree? Looks great in blue. :D
Gizmodo
Posts: 1
Joined: 3 Apr 2012, 6:45am

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by Gizmodo »

Goldie on the Retrobike forum pointed me in this direction. My brother has a Fred Williams bike that he bought when he was 16 (he's now 50) so we are talking about 1977 give or take a year. Neither of us are into retro bikes and it needs a bit of work to be resplendent again and we are trying to figure out how much it might be worth. Apart from the tires and saddle, everything else is original. Fred Williams is a local bike shop that still exists today in Wolverhampton, Goldie thinks the frame looks like a Viscount and suggested this thread to confirm it.

Image

More pictures here.http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/62/pict3229.jpg/

Any opinion on how much it might be worth in its current sad but ridable condition?
jdwertz
Posts: 7
Joined: 10 Sep 2010, 12:57am

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by jdwertz »


This is all very promising - a Viscount being given a new lease of life! Fit any parts you want and use them with pride! It's still a Viscount at heart.

Look forwards to seeing the pictures. How about some of the whole bike?

Let us know how you get on with the chainline. Sheldon Brown's website has really useful stuff on chainlines,


Image

seems someone engraved in their name :?:
Image

Image
jdwertz
Posts: 7
Joined: 10 Sep 2010, 12:57am

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by jdwertz »

Put in my new BB today. Looks like the previous owner did the hard work already.

Image

Looks like Mavic was correct!

Image

Image

Image

Fitted

Image

locking sleeves never locked in place it seems the PO had ground down the BB a bit on the outside. Sooo I needed to add some spacers. I ended up breaking a few plastic ones. But it is in for now, unless it falls apart then I will need to find some new spacers :shock:
busaste
Posts: 369
Joined: 1 Mar 2008, 10:18pm

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by busaste »

Goldie wrote:
busaste wrote:Just finished restoring my 1978 Viscount Aerospace Sport. It is about 98% original. I love it! Who remembers the shortie mudguards?!


That looks smashing. Is that the one from Wythenshawe that was on Gumtree? Looks great in blue. :D


Thanks for your comments. It is not the Wythenshaw bike which is STILL for sale. I got it off ebay a few years ago.
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