Viscount bicycles!!

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
busaste
Posts: 369
Joined: 1 Mar 2008, 10:18pm

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by busaste »

ScubaScott8177 wrote:Good way to clean up bare metal rims: S.O.S pads.. Same as what you use to use on pots and pans..
Before;
http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/r54 ... 4B2776.jpg

After;
http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/r54 ... C499A8.jpg


Wow! That is impressive :D . Are SOS Pads the USA equivalent of Brillo Pads? Here are Brillo Pads: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brillo_Pad
ScubaScott8177
Posts: 51
Joined: 10 Dec 2012, 5:32pm

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by ScubaScott8177 »

busaste wrote:
Wow! That is impressive :D . Are SOS Pads the USA equivalent of Brillo Pads? Here are Brillo Pads: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brillo_Pad


Yup, by definition that's what I used. Also works great on old chrome.. My dad does a lot with restoration Harley Davidson's and my he would always give me a box of these pads and a pile of 60+ year old chrome parts to clean up.. Cleans rust up too.

Hey Busaste, I was curious about the equipment on the bike those wheels go to.. I know you're the guru of viscount/ lambert knowledge.. F you could double check my previous listing and let me know what you think that'd be aswesome! I got all excited when I saw your reply to my post
ScubaScott8177
Posts: 51
Joined: 10 Dec 2012, 5:32pm

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by ScubaScott8177 »

Original post:
1976ish Lambert Grand Prix blue with white accents original paint.
I got this from my dad a few months ago with what he says is all the original equipment. But my curiosity to this is most all of them come with mavic rims, simplex rear derailier and lambert branded front. Mine however has the original lambert hubs mounted to Milremo rims, a campagnolo Nuevo record rear derailier, and a campagnolo front. And weinmann brakes and levers, and campagnolo shifters. PLUS, get this: no serial number, not stamped and hasn't been filed off.. I'm resoring it to its original condition and having it resprayed and new decals made by a local sign company. But my question would be has anyone heard of a Grand Prix coming equipped like this?

Also looking for a type 3 fork with a 7.5" steerer
Brucey
Posts: 44521
Joined: 4 Jan 2012, 6:25pm

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by Brucey »

ScubaScott8177 wrote:Original post:
1976ish Lambert Grand Prix blue with white accents original paint.
I got this from my dad a few months ago with what he says is all the original equipment. But my curiosity to this is most all of them come with mavic rims, simplex rear derailier and lambert branded front. Mine however has the original lambert hubs mounted to Milremo rims, a campagnolo Nuevo record rear derailier, and a campagnolo front. And weinmann brakes and levers, and campagnolo shifters. PLUS, get this: no serial number, not stamped and hasn't been filed off.. I'm resoring it to its original condition and having it resprayed and new decals made by a local sign company. But my question would be has anyone heard of a Grand Prix coming equipped like this?

Also looking for a type 3 fork with a 7.5" steerer


a friend bought a viscount in ~1978 and it came with shimano mechs, viscount branded centre-pull brake calipers, shimano levers, shimano large-flange hubs, Milremo 27" rims (with ribbed braking surfaces). I remember the wheels very well, since I bought them from him.

cheers
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ScubaScott8177
Posts: 51
Joined: 10 Dec 2012, 5:32pm

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by ScubaScott8177 »

Brucey wrote:
ScubaScott8177 wrote:Original post:
1976ish Lambert Grand Prix blue with white accents original paint.
I got this from my dad a few months ago with what he says is all the original equipment. But my curiosity to this is most all of them come with mavic rims, simplex rear derailier and lambert branded front. Mine however has the original lambert hubs mounted to Milremo rims, a campagnolo Nuevo record rear derailier, and a campagnolo front. And weinmann brakes and levers, and campagnolo shifters. PLUS, get this: no serial number, not stamped and hasn't been filed off.. I'm resoring it to its original condition and having it resprayed and new decals made by a local sign company. But my question would be has anyone heard of a Grand Prix coming equipped like this?

Also looking for a type 3 fork with a 7.5" steerer


a friend bought a viscount in ~1978 and it came with shimano mechs, viscount branded centre-pull brake calipers, shimano levers, shimano large-flange hubs, Milremo 27" rims (with ribbed braking surfaces). I remember the wheels very well, since I bought them from him.

cheers


Okay so the milramo rims sound accurate.. As for the campy stuff? And what still gets me is the lack of a serial number anywhere on the frame..
busaste
Posts: 369
Joined: 1 Mar 2008, 10:18pm

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by busaste »

ScubaScott8177 wrote:
busaste wrote:
Wow! That is impressive :D . Are SOS Pads the USA equivalent of Brillo Pads? Here are Brillo Pads: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brillo_Pad


Yup, by definition that's what I used. Also works great on old chrome.. My dad does a lot with restoration Harley Davidson's and my he would always give me a box of these pads and a pile of 60+ year old chrome parts to clean up.. Cleans rust up too.

Hey Busaste, I was curious about the equipment on the bike those wheels go to.. I know you're the guru of viscount/ lambert knowledge.. F you could double check my previous listing and let me know what you think that'd be aswesome! I got all excited when I saw your reply to my post


Hi

Having looked at your pictures, I am confident that the chainset, bars, bar stem, headset, hubs and wheelrims are all OEM parts. The freewheel, brakes and levers/hoods are not. Ditto for the Campag stuff (which looks very nice by the way!). The absence of a frame number intrigues me and suggests it may be a prototype, press bike or a one off built to a specific customer spcification. Is the number anywhere else on the frame? Lambert were not averse to moving things around.

The Lambert Grand prix originally came with a Lambert rear derailleur (made by Cyclo) known within the trade as the 'flying flea' because of its ability to self destruct due to poor design and appalling build quality :lol: . It was soon withdrawn after going into production being replaced by this Simplex jobbie:

http://velobase.com/ViewComponent.aspx? ... &AbsPos=26

There is an old rumour that Lambert's rear derailleur was withdrawn due to threats of legal action by SunTour over the use of their patented slant parallelogram. This causes much mirth amongst former Lambert employees! One of them said to me, "what a great way of burying a lousy product!" :wink: .

I have seen some of the 15 speed Lamberts fitted with a SunTour VGT rear derailleur but I do not know whether this was simply an owner modification in response to the failure of yet another flying flea or an OEM part.

I am sure you will know this but just in case, I would advise against riding on a Lambert cast alloy fork! You have the infamously fragile 'mark 1' fork. The Viscount 'mark 3' fork is the one to have. This one is easy to spot. Look underneath the fork crown and you will see a hole filled by a steel insert.

The red/white Lambert at your LBS is A MUST BUY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Apart from the saddle, rear wheel quick release, toe straps and bar 'foam' everything seems to be original. Obviuosly I cannot confirm the originality of the freewheel, FD and RD but they look suspiciously like OEM parts. The lugged frame indicates that it is one of the very early Lamberts (1972). Red and white paint is genuine too.

Buy it now before the LBS realises what a great piece of cycling history they have got!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'd offer $70 as a starter.
lebekster
Posts: 9
Joined: 20 Dec 2012, 5:01pm

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by lebekster »

Have just registered on this forum & it seems a wealth of knowledge.
Sorry in advance if I've posted in the wrong place but I've recently acquired/bought a Viscount aerospace SE, having had my other bike stolen.
I've been riding it happily for a few months & then suddenly read here about the 'Death Forks'. I know very little about bikes, but fell in love with the viscount as soon as I saw it, & although it's an old bike it's got so much character & is a joy to ride.
The model SE seems to be forgotten about & I can find very little about it, except for some pics that were posted a few years back by the originator (Busaste) of this thread who was asking the same thing.
The death fork subject, which is probably exhausted by now, seems to be a bit of a worry, but have checked the bike for cracks & it seems to be pretty solid-But I guess you can't tell easily?
The other thing is the model itself-SE. Has anyone found out the year of make, or anything about it? It's a fascinating thread & I've been absorbed for the past few hours reading it.
Any info would be much appreciated.
I can post a pic of the bike if anyone is interested..many thanks,
Brian
ScubaScott8177
Posts: 51
Joined: 10 Dec 2012, 5:32pm

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by ScubaScott8177 »

Ill have to see what he's willing to do on it.. I think I might have enough extra stuff to put it back to original.. Girlfriend keeps getting mad at all the bike stuff so I think I might see about hiding this one
Sooper8
Posts: 866
Joined: 20 Aug 2012, 7:53am

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by Sooper8 »

ScubaScott8177 wrote:Ill have to see what he's willing to do on it.. I think I might have enough extra stuff to put it back to original.. Girlfriend keeps getting mad at all the bike stuff so I think I might see about hiding this one


Hide it at my house and I'll look after it! :lol:
Brucey
Posts: 44521
Joined: 4 Jan 2012, 6:25pm

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by Brucey »

lebekster wrote: The other thing is the model itself-SE. Has anyone found out the year of make, or anything about it? It's a fascinating thread & I've been absorbed for the past few hours reading it.


if there are original shimano or suntour parts fitted, they will normally have a two-letter code on them. This indicates the date of component manufacture (differently for each maker). There are crib sheets on 'velobase' IIRC.

hth

cheers
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
triitout
Posts: 120
Joined: 22 Dec 2009, 8:12pm

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by triitout »

lebekster wrote:Have just registered on this forum & it seems a wealth of knowledge.
Sorry in advance if I've posted in the wrong place but I've recently acquired/bought a Viscount aerospace SE, having had my other bike stolen.
I've been riding it happily for a few months & then suddenly read here about the 'Death Forks'. I know very little about bikes, but fell in love with the viscount as soon as I saw it, & although it's an old bike it's got so much character & is a joy to ride.
The model SE seems to be forgotten about & I can find very little about it, except for some pics that were posted a few years back by the originator (Busaste) of this thread who was asking the same thing.
The death fork subject, which is probably exhausted by now, seems to be a bit of a worry, but have checked the bike for cracks & it seems to be pretty solid-But I guess you can't tell easily?
The other thing is the model itself-SE. Has anyone found out the year of make, or anything about it? It's a fascinating thread & I've been absorbed for the past few hours reading it.
Any info would be much appreciated.
I can post a pic of the bike if anyone is interested..many thanks,
Brian

Hi Brian, Welcome aboard. I understand your concern about the "Death Forks". There are posts that show the 3 variations of the fork, the third and latest one is regarded as the safe fork. Unfortunately, who really knows since there is limited if any documentation if these have had problems. I am just about finished with a rebuild on an Aerospace Pro with the newest aluminum fork and I've ridden about 100+ miles on it. Every so often, the thought crosses my mind, "What if the fork goes?". I really enjoy the bike and I think the ride is amazingly comparable to my newer road bikes. I will probably be switching to a steel fork for the upcoming season strictly for peace of mind. Amazingly I've had 2 alloy seat posts crack due to LBS error the second of which resulted in a bad crash/concussion. You place your bets, you takes your chances on any bicycle at any time!

I would love to get a feel from forum members on what you've done with your fork selection. Are you riding the aluminum version 3 without worry or do bad thoughts mess with your head when riding them. If you've switched is it to steel or possibly another aluminum type? I'm looking forward to feedback from all you hardcore Viscount riders!

I'll post pics of my "new " tub Pro when its ready.
lebekster
Posts: 9
Joined: 20 Dec 2012, 5:01pm

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by lebekster »

Brucey wrote:
lebekster wrote: The other thing is the model itself-SE. Has anyone found out the year of make, or anything about it? It's a fascinating thread & I've been absorbed for the past few hours reading it.


if there are original shimano or suntour parts fitted, they will normally have a two-letter code on them. This indicates the date of component manufacture (differently for each maker). There are crib sheets on 'velobase' IIRC.

hth

cheers

Thank you for your reply and pointing me in the right direction. I'll check the parts so that I can get a better idea. I'm sure the bike hasn't had any parts replaced, as the gears etc all look to be originals-i.e Old..I'll post back.
Brian
lebekster
Posts: 9
Joined: 20 Dec 2012, 5:01pm

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by lebekster »

triitout wrote:
lebekster wrote:Have just registered on this forum & it seems a wealth of knowledge.
Sorry in advance if I've posted in the wrong place but I've recently acquired/bought a Viscount aerospace SE, having had my other bike stolen.
I've been riding it happily for a few months & then suddenly read here about the 'Death Forks'. I know very little about bikes, but fell in love with the viscount as soon as I saw it, & although it's an old bike it's got so much character & is a joy to ride.
The model SE seems to be forgotten about & I can find very little about it, except for some pics that were posted a few years back by the originator (Busaste) of this thread who was asking the same thing.
The death fork subject, which is probably exhausted by now, seems to be a bit of a worry, but have checked the bike for cracks & it seems to be pretty solid-But I guess you can't tell easily?
The other thing is the model itself-SE. Has anyone found out the year of make, or anything about it? It's a fascinating thread & I've been absorbed for the past few hours reading it.
Any info would be much appreciated.
I can post a pic of the bike if anyone is interested..many thanks,
Brian

Hi Brian, Welcome aboard. I understand your concern about the "Death Forks". There are posts that show the 3 variations of the fork, the third and latest one is regarded as the safe fork. Unfortunately, who really knows since there is limited if any documentation if these have had problems. I am just about finished with a rebuild on an Aerospace Pro with the newest aluminum fork and I've ridden about 100+ miles on it. Every so often, the thought crosses my mind, "What if the fork goes?". I really enjoy the bike and I think the ride is amazingly comparable to my newer road bikes. I will probably be switching to a steel fork for the upcoming season strictly for peace of mind. Amazingly I've had 2 alloy seat posts crack due to LBS error the second of which resulted in a bad crash/concussion. You place your bets, you takes your chances on any bicycle at any time!

I would love to get a feel from forum members on what you've done with your fork selection. Are you riding the aluminum version 3 without worry or do bad thoughts mess with your head when riding them. If you've switched is it to steel or possibly another aluminum type? I'm looking forward to feedback from all you hardcore Viscount riders!

I'll post pics of my "new " tub Pro when its ready.

Thanks you for your reply and yes, the thought of the bike collapsing under me does play in my head now that I've read this forum! However, I am a realist, I think, and not paranoid to the extent of it preventing me from riding this lovely bike. As you say, you take your chances on any bike on the roads..i will post a picture of it.
Many thanks
Brian
Bendo
Posts: 292
Joined: 3 Nov 2010, 10:10am

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by Bendo »

I ride with chromoly forks on both my Aerospaces. I have a type 3 aluminium fork ready to go on the Sport, but the main reason I haven't used it yet is because I can't attach my mudguards (Honjo) to it. But one little known advantage of these forks over steel is that they are the only way you can use a first gen Dura Ace side-pull brake caliper. On the steel fork there is too much clearance and they just don't reach. With the aluminium fork there is just enough reach.

Fair enough if you want to ride a steel fork, they are indeed more robust. But I don't think people should fret too much about the aluminium fork. They are comparable to new carbon forks (which have a well-documented habit of failing, and in greater percentages than the "Death Fork" ever did). One thing I would never do however is continue to use a Viscount aluminium fork that has been in a head on crash that has resulted in any change in the steerer/fork angle. I mention this only because I recently went into the back of a VW Golf who braked suddenly (me too close behind :oops: ). This was not on a Viscount but on my 650b rando. The lugged steel forks were a little bent, but have been professionally realigned with no probs. Only with steel...

b
triitout
Posts: 120
Joined: 22 Dec 2009, 8:12pm

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by triitout »

Bendo wrote:I ride with chromoly forks on both my Aerospaces. I have a type 3 aluminium fork ready to go on the Sport, but the main reason I haven't used it yet is because I can't attach my mudguards (Honjo) to it. But one little known advantage of these forks over steel is that they are the only way you can use a first gen Dura Ace side-pull brake caliper. On the steel fork there is too much clearance and they just don't reach. With the aluminium fork there is just enough reach.

Fair enough if you want to ride a steel fork, they are indeed more robust. But I don't think people should fret too much about the aluminium fork. They are comparable to new carbon forks (which have a well-documented habit of failing, and in greater percentages than the "Death Fork" ever did). One thing I would never do however is continue to use a Viscount aluminium fork that has been in a head on crash that has resulted in any change in the steerer/fork angle. I mention this only because I recently went into the back of a VW Golf who braked suddenly (me too close behind :oops: ). This was not on a Viscount but on my 650b rando. The lugged steel forks were a little bent, but have been professionally realigned with no probs. Only with steel...

b

Its nice to know that you are quite content with the chromoly forks on your bikes. Some of the aero style steel forks I've seen look quite similar to the type 3. I guess its a quest to balance originality with practicality that makes me think about these issues. I've put on a 44cm shallow drop handlebar which I find to be just better from a comfort/practicality standpoint and just screw the originality of those narrow deep drop bars it came with!

I couldn't help but notice that Busaste's Whippet bike project will be featuring the steel replacement fork and not the aluminum fork. Is this by design or lack of availability of a type 3? I'm curious to know!
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