Viscount bicycles!!

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
sebinho
Posts: 1
Joined: 17 Jun 2022, 2:26pm

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by sebinho »

Hello,

I'm considering buying a Viscount Aerospace Pro. The bike is advertised as being from 1976. It has the unusual solid looking 52T chain wheel and those aluminium forks as well as Campagnolo 5-speed rear derailleur. It's missing the small chain wheel and I wonder if anyone can tell me if it would be hard to find a replacement that fits? Also missing the front derailleur and the corresponding gear change leaver. This last part is I understand Shimano and I think it would probably be easy to replace and a Shimano front derailler should be easy to find too. Wheels are size 27. Where I live it's hard to find tyres for this size that aren't really basic and 1 1/4" wide. I'm not sure exactly what would be involved in converting to 700. Any ideas there? The wheels are listed as "Mavic 27x1¼". Stem is an italian 3ttt and pedals are Campagnolo.

I've just joined the forum so hopefully I can post photos at the end of the message. If anyone has any opinions on the bike or advice, please reply.

If the photos show, can anyone judge the size? I'm 187cm tall (6ft 1 something) with long legs (90cm inseam by my estimate) and I currently ride a size 59 road bike with comfort.

Thanks, all the best,

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drossall
Posts: 6106
Joined: 5 Jan 2007, 10:01pm
Location: North Hertfordshire

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by drossall »

Nothing to do with me, but just posting for those interested about a Viscount in For Sale. Nothing exceptional I think though.
a.twiddler
Posts: 343
Joined: 4 Jun 2009, 12:17am

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by a.twiddler »

Somewhere in the 186 odd pages of this thread this has probably already been covered, but when I refurbished my Viscount Aerospace Sport in 1983 I fitted 700C wheels and the brakes I used were Mafac "racers" which were plenty long enough to do the job. More effective long reach brakes are now probably available, maybe dual pivot, so it shouldn't be difficult to sort some out if you do go for 700C wheels. Depending on how original you want to keep it, it's possible to fit wider hubs for a an upgrade from the 5 speed original block if you get the rear dropouts "cold set" to the appropriate width.
Barrowman
Posts: 441
Joined: 8 Jan 2022, 6:35pm

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by Barrowman »

May have already been mentioned, that is a standard Lambert (Viscount original name) / Viscount chainset and chainwheel. Fits to an early roller bearing bottom bracket (which I think are unique to Viscount, an unusual Taper if memory serves, and perhaps unthreaded too but memory of this us fading . Gear Mech is older than the bike ( and a 'collectible') , I would make an offer for it (gear Mech) to put on my Bates.
Most of the Viscount I recall (they were made close to where I live and there were a couple of my racing club mates who had them had Shimano Mechs, Crane's I think or Dura Ace on the top end bikes. Although they did have their own gear Mech, quite an old fashioned looking thing , flat plates,similar to Huret Alivio . Not sure if that fitted on a fork end with an integral hanger. Pedals look to be Viscount which were a very nicely made item, let down by the fact the end caps merely pushed in rather than screwed in and often dropped out.
It has the classic Alloy Viscount Fork, you may occasionally hear of a 'death fork' ,believe this refers to the earlier Lambert history that had some quality control issues.
This is referring to the grey bike pictured above. The white one in the ad seems to be one of of Viscount lower end machines (and not an Aerospace)
pwa
Posts: 17357
Joined: 2 Oct 2011, 8:55pm

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by pwa »

sebinho wrote: 17 Jun 2022, 3:44pm Hello,

I'm considering buying a Viscount Aerospace Pro. The bike is advertised as being from 1976. It has the unusual solid looking 52T chain wheel and those aluminium forks as well as Campagnolo 5-speed rear derailleur. It's missing the small chain wheel and I wonder if anyone can tell me if it would be hard to find a replacement that fits? Also missing the front derailleur and the corresponding gear change leaver. This last part is I understand Shimano and I think it would probably be easy to replace and a Shimano front derailler should be easy to find too. Wheels are size 27. Where I live it's hard to find tyres for this size that aren't really basic and 1 1/4" wide. I'm not sure exactly what would be involved in converting to 700. Any ideas there? The wheels are listed as "Mavic 27x1¼". Stem is an italian 3ttt and pedals are Campagnolo.

I've just joined the forum so hopefully I can post photos at the end of the message. If anyone has any opinions on the bike or advice, please reply.

If the photos show, can anyone judge the size? I'm 187cm tall (6ft 1 something) with long legs (90cm inseam by my estimate) and I currently ride a size 59 road bike with comfort.

Thanks, all the best,

Image

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Are you sure it isn't just a five speed bike, which were common in those times. Maybe it never did have another chain ring or front mech.
sprockit
Posts: 38
Joined: 30 May 2013, 8:58pm

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by sprockit »

It was originally a 10-speed machine, and one of the models with an Aerospace frame - Phoenix 1027 tubing, low temperature fillet-brazed (not held together with lugs), has a Death Fork (which model I don't know), and has the distinctive porthole chainwheel. All those little holes were for the Allen bolts that held the small chainwheel on, and the down tube mounted shifter is double-sided, but without the second lever.

I have a Viscount Aerospace 400 that I run as a 5-speed - loads less gear changing to do!
Sooper8
Posts: 864
Joined: 20 Aug 2012, 7:53am

Re: Viscount bicycles!!

Post by Sooper8 »

Hi Viscount enthusiasts!
I am selling a couple of Viscount bikes and bits off. One listed on here in the 'For Sale' section, and then a link to the viscount forum, if you are interested in another , rare one . If you take both, then there's a bonus item that will knock your socks off if you like Viscounts.

Here's a link for the Viscount forum thread - contact me there or here

https://viscountandlambert.boards.net/t ... ount-bikes
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