Viscount bicycles!!

[MrNouveau]

Hello from California. Great information on this forum.

I just picked up a Viscount frame and fork for a project, to use up a bunch of spare parts I've accumulated. The seller had removed everything that could come off, so it's going to be a build from scratch proposition.

Since the set seems to have a few anomalies, I thought I'd share it - in case the information is useful. The frame seems to be a standard aerospace frame, except that the bottom bracket is threaded. transfers are generic Viscounts, with no model markings, and instead of the usual tubing information, it has a Shimano Dura Ace sticker at the top of the seat tube. The threading on the bottom bracket looks old - a previous owner re-drilled the brake bridge and fork crown to take recessed brake bolts, these holes are quite bright. The bottom bracket threading looks like you would expect it to on an old bike, slight rust and accumulated grease.

The forks are Tange chromed steel, with a "V" transfer at the top of each blade. The "V" transfers make me think that the forks may be original. There are double eyelets on the fork dropouts. Also, the interior of the stearer tube seems to be tight. My rough measurement looks like 22mm. A standard 22.2 quill sticks after about an inch.

I don't have any pictures yet, but for now the US E-Bay listing is still up: http://www.ebay.com/itm/270979280462?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_500wt_1413

Hope this is more gist for the mill.

[dnrc]

Hi all, does anyone here want to buy my viscount wheels?

I'm changing my bike about a bit and won't need them.

They are viscount ones from 1976 and have viscount hubs and q/r skewers. One rim has been changed at some point however.

They are In pretty good condition, run smooth and true. Complete with 6-speed freewheel, tyres (michelin world tour) and tubes.

If no interest here they will be on ebay soon, just thought someone here may be interested.

Please contact me if interested.

[jfmqs]

I have been thinking about updating my Viscount bike. It is a siver and black model. The "death fork" was replaced when the factory sent a replacement for the defective origional. My objective is to replace the tube shifters with a como break/shifter set-up. Can this be done?

[Bendo]

Brifters might be a problem as they are indexed to be used with 8-10 speed rear cassettes, and your Viscount frame won't have frame clearance for a rear wheel that uses such cassettes. Typically you would need a 135mm rear spacing between the chain stays, and a Viscount Aerospace frame usually has around 126mm gap, which was standard for 5-6 speed rear freewheels.

You would be better getting some decent Suntour bar-end shifters instead, which were indexed for 5 or 6 speed freewheels. Or buy a brand new bike if you really want brifters.

b

[busaste]

Brifters might be a problem as they are indexed to be used with 8-10 speed rear cassettes, and your Viscount frame won't have frame clearance for a rear wheel that uses such cassettes. Typically you would need a 135mm rear spacing between the chain stays, and a Viscount Aerospace frame usually has around 126mm gap, which was standard for 5-6 speed rear freewheels.

You would be better getting some decent Suntour bar-end shifters instead, which were indexed for 5 or 6 speed freewheels. Or buy a brand new bike if you really want brifters.

b

Top advice that - I couldn't agree more. The Aerospace frames are 5 - 6 speed only.

[bluerst]

Hi All,

my dad has a Viscount Aerospace Deore 18AX which I saw mentioned many (many!) pages back.

He uses it little these days, but it would be nice to see it go to a nice home.

I'm thinking about putting it on ebay, but wondered if anybody here might be interested, or might have an idea about it's value. It's patently not in the first flush of youth, but is in decent order, though you'll see it could do with clean.

[Bendo]

Nice looking bike. Interesting headset, looks like Shimano 600 Arabesque.

Some pertinent questions to help gauge value:

What brand & model are the components (rims, hubs, derailleurs front & rear, crankset, brake levers and calipers, headset)

What kind of tubing is it made from? What do the seat tube stickers say?

Do the hubs* run freely? Do the bars turn freely? Does the bottom bracket turn freely? And by that I mean without any rumbling, grinding or vibration.

* The only way to gauge this is to take a wheel off, hold an end of the axle in each hand and spin the wheel.

Things I'm much less interested in than most eBay sellers seem to think I should be:

Whether the tyres hold air, or even whether they are new.

What kind of saddle it is (unless its a Rolls, Brooks or Ideale!). Yes, even if it says "Viscount"!

What kind of stem and handlebars it has.

Best thing is close up pictures of all the things I've listed and then the buyer can make up their own minds.

b

[amberhollie]

heres my viscount international... how do u put pictures on here?

[ACM911]

Hi All,

my dad has a Viscount Aerospace Deore 18AX which I saw mentioned many (many!) pages back.

He uses it little these days, but it would be nice to see it go to a nice home.

I'm thinking about putting it on ebay, but wondered if anybody here might be interested, or might have an idea about it's value.

You may have seen I asked a similar question a few weeks ago. It took two attempts to sell mine on ebay but it eventually went for £102 in a run-off between just two bidders.

[busaste]

Hi All,

my dad has a Viscount Aerospace Deore 18AX which I saw mentioned many (many!) pages back.

He uses it little these days, but it would be nice to see it go to a nice home.

I'm thinking about putting it on ebay, but wondered if anybody here might be interested, or might have an idea about it's value. It's patently not in the first flush of youth, but is in decent order, though you'll see it could do with clean.

2012-06-23 17.46.14.jpg

2012-06-23 17.46.37.jpg

2012-06-23 17.47.05.jpg

2012-06-23 17.47.10.jpg

2012-06-23 17.52.15.jpg

2012-06-23 17.52.15.jpg

The Deore 18AX was the only true touring bike Viscount ever made. Its RRP in 1982 was £275. Fantastic bike built with Phoenix frame tubing. Virtually an entire Deore groupset was fitted. What more could you want (please don't say a Dawes!!!)? If it had a bigger frame (24.5") I would have bought it

[Bendo]

heres my viscount international... how do u put pictures on here?

I think you need ten posts. Easiest way is to host them somewhere like Picasaweb, then copy and past the embed link (make sure what you paste ends in a ".jpg"). Then highlight the file name and click the Img button above the posting window. It will put these things around it... [img]yourimageblahblah.jpg[/img]

b

[Goldie]

I love your dad's Viscount bluerst - I've wanted to see one of those for ever. It looks in great shape and with those racks, ready to ride across Europe. Whereabouts is your dad based?

As a kind of belated sequel to spudh and bendo's posts on the previous page, I've finally got my act together and joined a club, and my Aerospace is doing a fine job of mixing it with much more modern machinery. There's a French lad called Daniel who rides a Vitus 979 which he's just treated to 10 speed Campagnolo, and his is the only other bike that even looks anything like mine. I was out the other Sunday, pacing a Madone 3.5 and thinking, this really is a cracking bike - nearly forty years old and knocking a 40 mile club run on the head like it was new yesterday. I really want to finish that set of sprint wheels and give it a try with those.

[bluerst]

Thanks for the comments and advice.

All the components seem to be deore; gears, changers, chainset. Rims are mavic module 3. hubs look deore aswell, but harder to see logo (and I haven't checked how they run yet). The headset is Shimano 600. (I've got piccies of all the "bits").

The stem is sturmey archer with sakae bars, and the carriers are showa. The brakes are Shimano Tourney.

The tubes are chrome molybdenum.

The bottom bracket, headset, and wheels all spin smoothly.

Bike is NW based.

[Bendo]

I love your dad's Viscount bluerst - I've wanted to see one of those for ever. It looks in great shape and with those racks, ready to ride across Europe. Whereabouts is your dad based?

As a kind of belated sequel to spudh and bendo's posts on the previous page, I've finally got my act together and joined a club, and my Aerospace is doing a fine job of mixing it with much more modern machinery. There's a French lad called Daniel who rides a Vitus 979 which he's just treated to 10 speed Campagnolo, and his is the only other bike that even looks anything like mine. I was out the other Sunday, pacing a Madone 3.5 and thinking, this really is a cracking bike - nearly forty years old and knocking a 40 mile club run on the head like it was new yesterday. I really want to finish that set of sprint wheels and give it a try with those.

I had a similar experience on a paceline ride a few weeks ago. A Viscount frame, with really good hand-built wheels and good bearings, can really fly, easily keeping up with bikes almost half the weight. In my case the only weak link was the engine! And like you Goldie, I've been fantasising about sprints. Unlike you I haven't done anything about it yet. Can you even get good sew-ups in 27" any more?

b

[UofMWolverines]

OK-- if you guys remember, I posted 2 pics of my dads Viscount that I wanted to repaint/finish-- it's on page 36 if you want to see the old pics. Anyways, I finally finished-- decided NOT to paint and am very glad I didn't. Everything turned out great-- I pretty much went over the whole thing with a toothbrush-- but I absolutely love riding it. Here's a few pics for you-- one with our VW bus in the background-- figured most of you would appreciate that!