Viscount bicycles!!

[Bendo]

Good to see you were able to sort out some of your BB problems. I'm no fan of TT bars but that's the most stylish TT bar/stem set up I've seen. And a nice range of parts you've used too. I've got a soft spot for the old 3-pin Sugino Maxy crankset.

At least you didn't wrap the whole lot in fluro/camo pattern bartape. It's amazing what some people think looks good. b

[Goldie]

That looks grand. The forks have turned out really well. I'd guess that feels pretty swift when you're down on the tt bars.

There's a lad on the Cycle Chat forum with a massive Lambert which he's selling on ebay - I know even less about Lamberts than I do about Viscounts, but I wondered if anyone could shed any light on the model, original equipment? He's after an idea of value too if anyone feels inclined to weigh in. The lugs look a bit Nervex-ish.

Here's the thread:

http://www.cyclechat.net/topic/93573-my ... road-bike/
And here are some of the pictures:

[Bendo]

That looks like a worthy project... for a giant! Nice hubs. b

[Goldie]

How's your Sport coming on Bendo? It's binning it down in Manchester at the moment so my attention has naturally segued from riding myself to tinkering with my bikes - for about five minutes! - to wanting to read about other people tinkering with theirs!

[Bendo]

In a word? S-l-o-w-l-y. The refurbished forks are still with the electroplaters. Since then I found a pair of aluminium forks but the steere tube was not long enough for my frame. I will get them lengthened in the future (and polished, they'd look bloody amazing polished up I reckon), but I'm maxed out at the moment. My mechanic seems to take on too much work and doesn't have time to do admin, like ringing up his sub-contractors and going "what the f@ck's happening with those forks then ?"

Don't worry. As soon as it's home I'll be posting pics.

b

[Goldie]

There's a very nice looking blue Aerospace Victor on the ebay at the moment - lugged at the headtube but fillet brazed elsewhere, Positron loveliness included, Bob Jackson dealer sticker included and last but not least, one of Busaste's posts on this thread has been pilfered to provide the advert text! It's always easy to get carried away but it does look pretty good and very original. It's in Worksop, Notts.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-VISCO ... 2c5ff49953

[Spudh]

There's a very nice looking blue Aerospace Victor on the ebay at the moment - lugged at the headtube but fillet brazed elsewhere, Positron loveliness included, Bob Jackson dealer sticker included and last but not least, one of Busaste's posts on this thread has been pilfered to provide the advert text! It's always easy to get carried away but it does look pretty good and very original. It's in Worksop, Notts.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-VISCO ... 2c5ff49953

That one is gone but here is another that is finishing tomorrow

ebay item 170711307626

Looks nice with the lovely sloping crown forks and all. I'm not sure what model it is but if I was to guess I'd say a Grand Sport. Looks like a fillet welded frame anyway.

[Bendo]

Wow, it had already gone by the time I saw it. That's the first other Victor I've seen, other than a rough pic Busaste posted on about page 15 here.

I hope someone here bought it because at £29.60 it was a complete bargain! My Victor runs as beautifully as the Sport.

Similarities to mine: same handlbars, grips, stem and bakelite shifter, same Positron, same half chromed fork, same mudguards although more complete than mine.

Differences: Lugs! Totally different. Who would have thought a company would use different lugs on the same model of a production bike? Same HF hubs although mine Shimano not Suzue. This one has better crankset than mine too.

The Positron looks shot, but NOS ones come up for sale from time to time. I recently replaced mine with NOS and it shifts like a dream. Better, dare I say it, than the NOS Crane that I had on before.... (I feel like I just said "Jehovah"! :p)

A really nice bike. Much better than the Aerospace that I let go last week on eBay here.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/260867247360 ... 500wt_1158

b

[Eammno]

Just found this thread and enjoyed reading so much I joined the forum!
I used to have a red Viscount Aerospace Sport from between 75, and 77.
Originally my father owned the bike and I inherited it in the early 80's.
I recall it had full chrome forks and the 'missing tooth' big range gears.
As well as the BB bearings it also had sealed roller bearings in the wheels - mounted in the roughest finish hubs I've ever seen... in fact when my father noticed this he returned to the shop to see if this lack of finish was normal!
Once the original saddle was replaced it was a very comfy ride.
The centre pull brakes were always a worry as compared others they seemed very flexible - in fact you could pull the lever back to the bars! However I don't recall having any trouble stopping...
Another strange thing on this bike I've not seen mentioned was the paint. I'm not sure what it was but it seemed very thick, and in 30 years was never properly scratched through to the metal. I also found that the decals didn't stick properly to this paint and started to look scruffy with 'fracture' lines through them and a lot of movement between the decal pieces.
Well soon after taking posession I moved on to motorcycles, cars and the Viscount was lent to a couple of mates to ride to work on for several years, the last of which needed to replace the bottom bracket bearings, as well as the wheel bearings - all off the shelf in the local bearing stockist. In the end I let him keep the bike as he'd spent a lot of time and money renovating it, and as far as I know he's still got it!

[busaste]

Just found this thread and enjoyed reading so much I joined the forum!
I used to have a red Viscount Aerospace Sport from between 75, and 77.
Originally my father owned the bike and I inherited it in the early 80's.
I recall it had full chrome forks and the 'missing tooth' big range gears.
As well as the BB bearings it also had sealed roller bearings in the wheels - mounted in the roughest finish hubs I've ever seen... in fact when my father noticed this he returned to the shop to see if this lack of finish was normal!
Once the original saddle was replaced it was a very comfy ride.
The centre pull brakes were always a worry as compared others they seemed very flexible - in fact you could pull the lever back to the bars! However I don't recall having any trouble stopping...
Another strange thing on this bike I've not seen mentioned was the paint. I'm not sure what it was but it seemed very thick, and in 30 years was never properly scratched through to the metal. I also found that the decals didn't stick properly to this paint and started to look scruffy with 'fracture' lines through them and a lot of movement between the decal pieces.
Well soon after taking posession I moved on to motorcycles, cars and the Viscount was lent to a couple of mates to ride to work on for several years, the last of which needed to replace the bottom bracket bearings, as well as the wheel bearings - all off the shelf in the local bearing stockist. In the end I let him keep the bike as he'd spent a lot of time and money renovating it, and as far as I know he's still got it!

Hi

Welcome to one of the best threads on the net!!!

I suppose I would say this but get the old bike back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Any chance you could post a picture of it?

As for the paint, Viscount Aerospace frames were powder coated at the factory. Only Viscount were doing this at the time. It was a thick tough finish that really did last helped no doubt by the clear lacquer that was applied to give the paint a nice gloss shine.

The 75 - 77 Viscount Aerospace Sport is my favourite Viscount and in my humble opinion one of the best bikes ever made at the price it was sold at. I know, Hetchins, Colnago, etc. fans will tell you they were rubbish but the Aerospace Sport weighed only a few pounds less than their bikes and cost as much to buy as a few of the components that were fitted to their bikes. You could commute, tour and even put up a good show at a local club race.

No bike has ever offered so much for so little. Oh, and they looked fab too (at least to my admittedly biased eye!). Here is one of mine:

[Eammno]

Yep, that's just like mine/my fathers!
I don't think there's much chance of getting it back as it's current owner has also realised what a brilliant bike the Sport is, and loves it! The bike is still currently used daily for riding to work.
The powder coat paint would make sense, as previously mentioned the paint was very hard wearing and sort of 'warm' to touch
I'll see if I have any pictures (in the loft ) and scan them.

[Goldie]

It started off as a drizzly mess of a day in Manchester, but it had turned fine and sunny by 11 - so I took the Viscount out for a run round north Cheshire, through High Legh, Stretton and Arley and then over to Warrington and back home on the Trans Pennine Trail. The countryside around there looked superb in the aumtumn sunshine and the bike was on top form, putting in a storming run up the rise to High Legh, where I was shamelessly giving it my best Tour de France impression chasing a couple of lads on a Cannondale and a Giant Defy... Here it is keeping some autumn leaves company on the way to Arley:

[Bendo]

Here's a t-shirt you need to own Goldie. b

[quiksilver]

I'd buy one

[busaste]

It started off as a drizzly mess of a day in Manchester, but it had turned fine and sunny by 11 - so I took the Viscount out for a run round north Cheshire, through High Legh, Stretton and Arley and then over to Warrington and back home on the Trans Pennine Trail. The countryside around there looked superb in the aumtumn sunshine and the bike was on top form, putting in a storming run up the rise to High Legh, where I was shamelessly giving it my best Tour de France impression chasing a couple of lads on a Cannondale and a Giant Defy... Here it is keeping some autumn leaves company on the way to Arley:

MEGA BIKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well done.