Viscount bicycles!!

[Sooper8]

Hi All,

Really enjoying this Viscount (Lambert/Trusty) thread. I joined the forum just because of this one item but the rest looks great too!

I used to ride a lot and have some knowledge of bikes but it's all but gone know, so forgive my dumb questions I'm going to ask at the end of this post.

I had a Viscount Indy 500 back in about '79/'80 or around that time. Rode it for years and loved it. It was my first proper bike. My local bike shop were selling them at around about £95 with an option to have them on credit for a year.

My friend had a Viscount too but I can't recall the model, but it was a touring style with long mud guards and a rear panier frame. I'll ask him when I see him.

Anyway, fast forward 30 odd years and my son buys a bike off eBay yesterday. Didn't have much to go on but it was local and cheap. It had been listed as Trusty of England, which I'd never heard of and after reading this thread it all makes sense now but at the time could have been a 'made up' name as far as I knew.

Well, the bike is ultra light and so smooth , its just so sweet to ride. I've attached some pics

I was really surprised and pleased that it had this link to the Viscounts. It seem kind of strange that we had almost the same bike almost 30 years apart.
I can't remember mine being lugless though...? Pretty sure it wasn't...

From reading this thread I'm sure it's the type 3 forks...it has a steel piece up in the centre at the top (see pic)
I really like the Trusty sticker that 'bigs up' its aerospace tube credentials with reference to the military grade spec!

I was wondering if you guys could give some advice and tips?
Which model would this have been? From what I am reading here, it seems most of the parts, if not all, are original? Was it from circa '74?

What is the best thing for cleaning rusty spokes and then sealing against more corrosion?
What are a good winter tyre for such thin rims?
Does anyone know where to get decals for this that might have been on the original ? My son is looking to get it as close to original as he can.
And finally, can anyone help with the seat post? It is baffling me- I can't figure out how to change the angle etc. What looks like allen key slots are not at all. And are the 3 holes for different distance settings? Do I need to get a small headed spanner under the seat to do anything at all with it?

Thanks in advance for any answers, and I hope you enjoy the pictures!

UPDATE- my friend had a Viscount model called Colorado bit of a tourer type set up, maybe about 1980

[Bendo]

Wow. That's a great find. It looks to me like an Aerospace Pro, pretty much the top spec bike of Viscount's range.

Let's see what's original: forks (of course), wheels and hubs, seatpost (original micro-adjust? not sure. Busaste will have to answer that one), front and rear mech, pedals (maybe, can't see he make), brakes, sealed bottom bracket and spindle (most likely).

Non original: none of the cockpit (ugh! splash-tape! evidence a hipster did the last resto on this bike) — bars, stem and brake levers all new(ish), saddle, plastic cable clips on the top tube.

The crankset looks like lovely TA Criterium set which I believe were offered as an option by Viscount (they are certainly period-correct) and are similar to the 50.4bcd Viscount crankset, just without the famous Viscount 'porthole' chainrings.

So you've got a pretty original bike it what looks like extra-ordinary condition! How much did your son pay for it?

The curious thing is the Viscount tube spec decals, printed the wrong way around. Not to mention using one in place of a headtube badge. This is non-original. Viscount used to put one of these, printed so you could read it, near the top of the seat tube.

Rims might be sprints with sew-up tyres. You'll have to investigate that a bit further. If so, they're out of my realm of knowledge so I can't advise on winter tyres. Does such a thing exist in tubular tyres?

As for decals, you can try Lloyds in the UK, or there seems to be a new crowd in France making repro Viscount decals. They're not too hard to find with some patience.

Thanks so much for the great pics. Your son has impeccable taste for a young 'un!

b

[Sooper8]

Wow. That's a great find. It looks to me like an Aerospace Pro, pretty much the top spec bike of Viscount's range.

Let's see what's original: forks (of course), wheels and hubs, seatpost (original micro-adjust? not sure. Busaste will have to answer that one), front and rear mech, pedals (maybe, can't see he make), brakes, sealed bottom bracket and spindle (most likely).

Non original: none of the cockpit (ugh! splash-tape! evidence a hipster did the last resto on this bike) — bars, stem and brake levers all new(ish), saddle, plastic cable clips on the top tube.

The crankset looks like lovely TA Criterium set which I believe were offered as an option by Viscount (they are certainly period-correct) and are similar to the 50.4bcd Viscount crankset, just without the famous Viscount 'porthole' chainrings.

So you've got a pretty original bike it what looks like extra-ordinary condition! How much did your son pay for it?

The curious thing is the Viscount tube spec decals, printed the wrong way around. Not to mention using one in place of a headtube badge. This is non-original. Viscount used to put one of these, printed so you could read it, near the top of the seat tube.

Rims might be sprints with sew-up tyres. You'll have to investigate that a bit further. If so, they're out of my realm of knowledge so I can't advise on winter tyres. Does such a thing exist in tubular tyres?

As for decals, you can try Lloyds in the UK, or there seems to be a new crowd in France making repro Viscount decals. They're not too hard to find with some patience.

Thanks so much for the great pics. Your son has impeccable taste for a young 'un!

b

Hey, thanks for reply!

Futher info - pedals are 'olympic 64' with Christophe clips. How is that sounding?
Yes, the seat and the bar tape has to go!

It does have that same tube spec decal near the top of the seat tube too. But even to the untrained eye, it's just wrong at the front where the Viscount badge should go.

He paid £102 for it and is very happy. If I could find another then I would buy it without hesitation. Had a go last night and was blown away.

I'll post some more pics up when he's cleaned it and done it up a bit, with a new seat and bar tape!

Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate your reply!

ps thanks for that tip to look at Lloyds. They have a few Viscount Aerospace decals.

[busaste]

Hi All,

Really enjoying this Viscount (Lambert/Trusty) thread. I joined the forum just because of this one item but the rest looks great too!

I used to ride a lot and have some knowledge of bikes but it's all but gone know, so forgive my dumb questions I'm going to ask at the end of this post.

I had a Viscount Indy 500 back in about '79/'80 or around that time. Rode it for years and loved it. It was my first proper bike. My local bike shop were selling them at around about £95 with an option to have them on credit for a year.

My friend had a Viscount too but I can't recall the model, but it was a touring style with long mud guards and a rear panier frame. I'll ask him when I see him.

Anyway, fast forward 30 odd years and my son buys a bike off eBay yesterday. Didn't have much to go on but it was local and cheap. It had been listed as Trusty of England, which I'd never heard of and after reading this thread it all makes sense now but at the time could have been a 'made up' name as far as I knew.

Well, the bike is ultra light and so smooth , its just so sweet to ride. I've attached some pics

I was really surprised and pleased that it had this link to the Viscounts. It seem kind of strange that we had almost the same bike almost 30 years apart.
I can't remember mine being lugless though...? Pretty sure it wasn't...

From reading this thread I'm sure it's the type 3 forks...it has a steel piece up in the centre at the top (see pic)
I really like the Trusty sticker that 'bigs up' its aerospace tube credentials with reference to the military grade spec!

I was wondering if you guys could give some advice and tips?
Which model would this have been? From what I am reading here, it seems most of the parts, if not all, are original? Was it from circa '74?

What is the best thing for cleaning rusty spokes and then sealing against more corrosion?
What are a good winter tyre for such thin rims?
Does anyone know where to get decals for this that might have been on the original ? My son is looking to get it as close to original as he can.
And finally, can anyone help with the seat post? It is baffling me- I can't figure out how to change the angle etc. What looks like allen key slots are not at all. And are the 3 holes for different distance settings? Do I need to get a small headed spanner under the seat to do anything at all with it?

Thanks in advance for any answers, and I hope you enjoy the pictures!

Congratulations on your latest bike purchase, a superb Viscount Aerospace Pro. This was the top of the range model and back in the '70s was used to win over 100 British cycling championships. The black paint indicates that your 'Pro was the clincher tyre model. Those with tubs always had blue paint over the silver on the seat and head tubes.

Regarding your questions I hope the following helps:

"Which model would this have been? From what I am reading here, it seems most of the parts, if not all, are original? Was it from circa '74?"
Most of your bike's parts are original. The most obvious none original parts are chainrings (made by TA), bar stem, brake levers/hoods, brake cable frame clips, pedals and saddle. The black and yellow frame stickers are also not original. The frame spec sticker on the head tube should not be there too. The wheels look like they have AVA rims for tubs. Normally the silver/black frame Aerospace Pros came with clincher rims made by Milremo or Nisi. Still, Viscount often had parts supply problems so it is quite possible that rim changes were made for the sake of keeping the production line moving. As for the age, the absence of a chromed clip at the top of the seat tube indicates that it is one of the earlier Viscounts, probably 1975. Unfortunately none of us Viscount fans have yet been able to get definitive information on the frame numbering system used by Viscount (or Lambert for that matter). So, model dating is done based on the parts fitted with reference to the sales brochures produced back in the day. Finally your frame's Viscount branded seat post adjustment pinch bolt is missing. Luckily, one is for sale on USA ebay for peanuts:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Viscount-Red- ... 1c2a4de620

Your fork is the Mark 3 'death fork'. This fork is the most robust of all those made by Lambert and Viscount. Only a handful of breakages were ever recorded in the UK and all these were due to misuse. More breakages were recorded in the USA - about 0.1%(!) of all forks sold - but I have not been able to get any information on why these forks broke and the bike's use history prior to the breakages. In addition, there are loads of Viscounts out there still being used with their Mark 3 forks. If you are worried why not take them off and have a look for any cracks or signs of crash damage. It should put your mind at rest one way or another. As for fork breakages, this is NOT unique to Viscount. Cervelo for example have had to recall many of their own 'death forks'.

"What is the best thing for cleaning rusty spokes and then sealing against more corrosion?"
Rusty spokes are a problem! Cleaning them up - all 72 of 'em - is finger busting work!!! If the chrome is flaking off then you have to accept that there is only so much you can do and the once shiny appearance will never be fully brought back. With this in mind try the following:

a) light surface rust only - rub over with crumpled foil dabbed in water.

b) heavy corrosion - rub over with Scotchbrite and Solvol Autosol. The grade you choose depends on the level of corrosion on the spokes.

As for sealing the shined up spokes I wouldn't bother as there is always the risk that rust will bubble up under any lacquer or paint that you apply, especially as you will not be shot blasting the spokes down to bare metal prior to applying a surface finish. If you intend to use the bike over winter I would brush on a thin coating of ACF50 to stop any more corrosion developing. ACF50 - developed for the aeropsace industry - is amazing stuff. I used it extensively on a motorbike which was kept outside all the time and never cleaned in 4 years. When I finally did clean the bike it was like new underneath - incredible!!!!!!! Okay ACF50 will hold grime making the spokes look grubby but in the spring it is easily washed off leaving your shiny spokes underneath.

"What are a good winter tyre for such thin rims?"
Try ones made by Scwalbe or Panaracer. These companies still make tyres to fit with amber or brown coloured side walls which is essential for any self respecting '70's bike!

"Does anyone know where to get decals for this that might have been on the original ? My son is looking to get it as close to original as he can."
Original frame tube stickers are impossible to find. I had a stash but they are all gone now. To get round this problem, about 3 years ago I approached a decal making company called The Image Works to make up various replica Viscount frame stickers. The results are very good! The Image Works have retained the original artwork so they can print off endless sets. Looking at your bike you need:

2 silver/white frame bands (for the seat tube - they would be in the same position as the yellow/black stickers you currently have)
1 big sticker with Viscount on both sides (for the down tube)
2 Viscount 'shield' stickers (note the ones with silver bands around the edge of the shield) - 1 for the seat tube and 1 for the head tube
2 'Aerospace Pro' stickers

The Image Works details are:
The Image Works
Block 4 Merlin Way
Quarry Hill Ind. Est.
Ilkeston
Derbyshire
DE7 4RA
England
Tel : 0115 944 3111
Fax: 0115 944 3222
http://www.the-image-works.co.uk
http://www.bike-stickers.com

Please ask for Graham. I have just spoken to him and he is happy to do them.

Disclaimer here - I have no financial connection with the Image Works!!!!!!!

"And finally, can anyone help with the seat post? "
The seat post is a blatant Campagnolo copy. The angle of the seat is adjusted by two bolts (use a 10mm spanner) right at the very top of the seat post. These bolt into the "slots" that you refer to in your post. To adjust the angle simply loosen one and then tighten the other. This method allows for very fine 'micro adjustment' (as it was known at the time) of the seat angle. It is a bit of a fiddly job because space under the saddle is limited and as you turn the spanner it tends to hit the edge of the saddle! Patience and an acceptance that the odd knuckle may be skinned is recommended!! It is a much easier job with the original Viscount saddle in place. As luck would have it, a new old stock Viscount saddle is up for sale on ebay (not seen one of these like this for over 20 years!):
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/vintage-visco ... 337a862749

Hope all this helps. Please keep us all updated on how you get on.

Happy pedalling.

[busaste]

I've three options,
1) leave it alone and hope it holds together
2) replace bearings on the Viscount spindle
3) replace the bearings with the Klein spindle.

The engineer in me wants to take option 3 but I don't have a spare crank. The crank thats on it was misaligned before, as diagnosed by Busaste , so I'm concerned about putting that crank on a new spindle. If that goes wrong I'm sunk.

Any opinions?

Well, I went at it today, I ended up taking option 2. When I got the crank out I found that the Klein spindle was about 8mm longer than the Viscount one with longer tapered sections. With the crank having been misaligned before and I not having a spare crank, I decided to stick with the original spindle.

It all went pretty well. One of the BB bearings was indeed on the way out so thankfully I caught it in time. Its blowing a storm here so I couldn't take for much of a shakedown but it felt fine, herself will take it for a run tomorrow if the weathers better to be sure everthing is ok for the triathlon.

How long is your Klein spindle? I have ones which are 124mm long and are perfect for the Aerospace frame. I can get it centrally located in the BB shell and keep the Viscount chainline. No more asymmetric pedalling for me and the tapers are perfect on Klein spindles. SR, Shimano and Sugino cranks just glide onto the spindle and sit perfectly square. Lovely! I have an Aerospace Sport with a Klein spindle and NOS SR Apex chainset. When I compared the squareness of the cranks with those on a £5000+ Cervelo there was no measurable difference. What more could you want?

All my old OEM Viscount spindles have been around 121mm long which makes me wonder whether you have one of the longer Klein MTB spindles. Klein did them right up to 135mm if I remember correctly. As long as your Klein BB spindle is not more than 125mm long you should not have any problems putting it into an Aerospace frame.

I would not be too concerned about putting an old and slightly worn SR crank on a Klein spindle. The metal on Klein spindles is incredibly tough (if only Viscount's was like that); the crank will deform before the spindle. I am currently using a 20 year old Klein spindle that has seen all manner of dodgy and decent cranks. The thing is virtually unmarked and will still allow a good crank to sit perfectly square on it. I've read about Klein spindles passing 100,000 miles with ease!

With your wife really pushing the bike in races (which is great to see!) it might be worth considering how much life the OEM spindle - a highly stressed part - has left in it.

What concerns me about fitting the BB spindle is that I rely on tapping the thing into place with a hammer. The amount of force delivered through each 'tap' does seem to vary depending on the tolerances of the spindle and bearings (often A LOT of force needs to be delivered with a Viscount spindle...). To me this seems a far from ideal way to do it. Klein made their own tool which PULLED the spindle through the bearings. When Viscounts were assembled at the factory, the BB spindles were put in place with a big press. I am going to make up a simple pulling tool - I'll keep the forum posted. Hopefully I can get it done cheaply and it actually works. My first attempt wasn't man enough!

[Bendo]

... As luck would have it, a new old stock Viscount saddle is up for sale on ebay (not seen one of these like this for over 20 years!):
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/vintage-visco ... 7a862749...

Wow, again. Never seen one of these. Ever. b

[Sooper8]

Busaste many thanks for all that info and the link. I appreciate your expertise!
Very interesting stuff!

I spent last couple of nights following the links and reading through this thread in detail. It's a great archive of information.

One question...when/where are the T shirts available ?

[Bendo]

If this was an actual forum devoted to Viscounts, then this would probably be a new thread. But since we are a minority still pining for a homeland... I ask it here: what search words do you use to keep an eye out for Viscount/Trusty/Lambert stuff? Apart from the obvious.

I was prompted by Sooper8's experience with a bike its seller called a "Trusty". This is not a search term I usually use. Also, my own two best finds on fleabay — Victor and Spacemaster — had non-obvious titles. Victor was simply listed as "Aerospace bike" (it was the first time I ever did a search for "Aerospace" without "Viscount" in the search) and Spacemaster I found because one day I decided I'd search for "vintage bicycles" within 100km of my postcode, and proceeded to scour about 30 pages of results: not something I do all that often. IOW both finds were utter flukes. The only thing I ever found and bought from eBay using "Viscount bike/bicycle" was some pedals.

What has your experience been? What works for you?

b

[Bendo]

...One question...when/where are the T shirts available ?

http://www.zazzle.co.uk/viscountshirts

b

[Sooper8]

If this was an actual forum devoted to Viscounts, then this would probably be a new thread. But since we are a minority still pining for a homeland... I ask it here: what search words do you use to keep an eye out for Viscount/Trusty/Lambert stuff? Apart from the obvious.

I was prompted by Sooper8's experience with a bike its seller called a "Trusty". This is not a search term I usually use. Also, my own two best finds on fleabay — Victor and Spacemaster — had non-obvious titles. Victor was simply listed as "Aerospace bike" (it was the first time I ever did a search for "Aerospace" without "Viscount" in the search) and Spacemaster I found because one day I decided I'd search for "vintage bicycles" within 100km of my postcode, and proceeded to scour about 30 pages of results: not something I do all that often. IOW both finds were utter flukes. The only thing I ever found and bought from eBay using "Viscount bike/bicycle" was some pedals.

What has your experience been? What works for you?

b

After my son found the Aerospace Pro on Sunday I've been searching for something similar. The only thing that the seller had to go on was the silver spec sticker with the words 'Trusty of England'. My guess is that without that sticker it would have been listed as 'old racing bike'. So there must be a few out there without any markings that are passing everyone by?
For search terms, I've tried 'trusty', 'aerospace' Viscount' 'Lambert', 'retro racing bike', 'lightweight bike', '70's racer' , and even 'old bike'. At the moment there is a nice Knight bike on eBay just listed as 'bike'

I just found one last night on eBay that is listed as a Raleigh Viscount. It had a BIN price of £60 last night but that has gone now as it is up to £50 with bids.
So, I guess there could be quite a few to be had if you are wiling to look hard enough at pictures.

But, I'd like to know what works for people too...

[busaste]

I always use the word 'Viscount' or 'Lambert' in my searches. Nothing more than that!

EVERY DAY I do a search with these words on the following sites (in addition to the usual ebay):

http://bike.jaxed.com/cgi-bin/bike.cgi? ... ubmit=+GO+

http://www.gumtree.com/search?q=viscoun ... tegory=all

I've found more Viscounts/Lamberts and their parts than I can possibly buy with these searches.

[busaste]

ps thanks for that tip to look at Lloyds. They have a few Viscount Aerospace decals.

I tried Lloyds Viscount stickers. Poor quality and the manager's attitude stinks. He was not that knowledgeable about Viscount stickers either.

[busaste]

If this was an actual forum devoted to Viscounts, then this would probably be a new thread. But since we are a minority still pining for a homeland... I ask it here: what search words do you use to keep an eye out for Viscount/Trusty/Lambert stuff? Apart from the obvious.

I was prompted by Sooper8's experience with a bike its seller called a "Trusty". This is not a search term I usually use. Also, my own two best finds on fleabay — Victor and Spacemaster — had non-obvious titles. Victor was simply listed as "Aerospace bike" (it was the first time I ever did a search for "Aerospace" without "Viscount" in the search) and Spacemaster I found because one day I decided I'd search for "vintage bicycles" within 100km of my postcode, and proceeded to scour about 30 pages of results: not something I do all that often. IOW both finds were utter flukes. The only thing I ever found and bought from eBay using "Viscount bike/bicycle" was some pedals.

What has your experience been? What works for you?

b

After my son found the Aerospace Pro on Sunday I've been searching for something similar. The only thing that the seller had to go on was the silver spec sticker with the words 'Trusty of England'. My guess is that without that sticker it would have been listed as 'old racing bike'. So there must be a few out there without any markings that are passing everyone by?
For search terms, I've tried 'trusty', 'aerospace' Viscount' 'Lambert', 'retro racing bike', 'lightweight bike', '70's racer' , and even 'old bike'. At the moment there is a nice Knight bike on eBay just listed as 'bike'

I just found one last night on eBay that is listed as a Raleigh Viscount. It had a BIN price of £60 last night but that has gone now as it is up to £50 with bids.
So, I guess there could be quite a few to be had if you are wiling to look hard enough at pictures.

But, I'd like to know what works for people too...

One of the early 80s Viscounts here:

http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/visco ... /108003007

I have all the genuine Viscount parts needed to finish this jolly nice Viscount Aerospace Pro off:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Trusty-of-Eng ... 43b2a3e776

And finally, this is NOT a Raleigh!!!!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Gents-Road-Ra ... 337b39bf2f

[Sooper8]

Thanks for links Busaste!

Yes, the 'Raleigh' Viscount one is interesting.

I'm a bit limited by distance at the moment, so anything 60 miles away may as well be 600miles away at the moment . (Long story but my car is worthless scrap metal now after burning itself out when the turbo started to consume oil and take me on a high speed journey on its own accord....)

I'm going to keep my eyes out for something that doesn't need a huge amount doing to it.

But, the hunt is always fun and I'm in no rush.

[timbertron]

Hi everyone,

I stumbled on this thread whilst trying to do some research on my Viscount bike and was wondering if anyone could help me. I've had a Viscount road bike for a couple of years and I am finally getting round to fixing it up, but I'm trying to work out what model it is? All the info I've found online makes no mention to a Viscount International, I might of missed it but I've been looking for quite some time. So if anyone has any ideas on the model, some background, year etc, I'd really appreciate it. I've included a couple of image links of the frame:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/timlawrence/7850093910/in/photostream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/timlawrence/7850094912/in/photostream

I'm currently trying to decide what to do with the frame, I think the bike itself is a mismash of original and "new" parts, the crank, and calipers are all viscount branded. But I'm guessing the stem (ITM), levers (Chang Star), fork (unbranded steel), wheels (unbranded), rear derailer (simplex) are aftermarket addons. I think the guy I bought it off said he had to build it up himself, which would explain the mix of brands. I'd like to respray the frame and keep the viscount branding, but I can't decide whether to stick with the orange or go for something more like the Aerospace models. I'm also debating whether to convert it in to a fixie or replace the drivetrain is looking pretty ropey.

Any advice/info that anyone can give me on the bike would be much appreciated, thanks.