Viscount bicycles!!

[StellaLdn.]

Ohh! I hope it wasn't stolen!?

It's always tricky if you buy a bike second hand. The guy who sold it to me said he gets his stuff from a scrape yard. I think he's decent and has this shop as he's been there for years.

I'll get in touch with the person you mention. Thank you.

[Spudh]

Sorry, didn't mean anything by abrupt post

Welcome to the forum, you're definitely in the right place, there are some extremly knowledgeable people passing through here all the time who are really helpful. Its worth a trawl through the pages as there are many descriptions of fixes for the various foibles and eccentricities of the Viscount.

See you around
Cormac

[StellaLdn.]

Hello, Cormac. Thank you for the welcome.

Dnrc messaged me back, saying he still has his bike. So I'm very VERY relieved. I was already wondering what he did with that bike that the frame looks like it's been in a few accidents. Scratched and almost all of the stickers are gone, plus the wheels are far from original.
Paid (far too much) for it. 125, the guy wanted 135, but I haggled a bit.

I take it Busaste's identification of said bike back then fits mine, too? 1976 Aerospace Sport.

It's at the bike shop right now (broken spoke and the chain needs cutting). I'm planning to restore it, slowly but with love and your knowledge. I've been through the thread sporadically and found a lot of information already. Seriously great resource. Just that I have troubles to understand everything. I have no knowledge of bikes. I ride them. But what I don't know I can learn, right?

It's great to see that the Viscount bikes have such a solid fan base, they're beautiful (the bikes), and pretty enjoyable to ride.

[aartdouglass]

Greetings from Michigan (USA)!

I recently purchased an Aerospace G.P. through Craigslist.com ($100) since I wanted a steel frame road bike. My usual ride is all aluminum and can be fairly jarring. I had no idea what Viscount was when I got it, but I stumbled upon this forum while looking it up and have been hooked! I've been reading through the thread like a novel; I'm around page 45 right now. It has been an incredible source of information, so thank you all.

I haven't cleaned it up yet, but here's a few pics:

I think most of the bike is still standard (including a 3rd gen aluminum fork which I intend to use with reckless abandon!). The seat and pedals (some Schwinn approved jobbies) appear to be the only non-standard, non-consumable components. The hubs, brake levers, and skewers all have Lambert on them, so I'm guessing this bike is one of the earlier models, though old enough not to have a 1st or 2nd gen fork.

I'm fixing it up. I have some 27x1" Panaracers, a brown Brooks B17N saddle, new spokes, new nickel-plated chain, new seat post (I'm a tall guy and this seat post is incredibly short!), white cloth bar tape, and white cable housing (w/ cables) all on the way. Unfortunately, I'm leaving for Minneapolis this weekend so I'll be thinking all about the restoration all week!

[Spudh]

Hello, Cormac. Thank you for the welcome.

Dnrc messaged me back, saying he still has his bike. So I'm very VERY relieved. I was already wondering what he did with that bike that the frame looks like it's been in a few accidents. Scratched and almost all of the stickers are gone, plus the wheels are far from original.
Paid (far too much) for it. 125, the guy wanted 135, but I haggled a bit.

I take it Busaste's identification of said bike back then fits mine, too? 1976 Aerospace Sport.

It's at the bike shop right now (broken spoke and the chain needs cutting). I'm planning to restore it, slowly but with love and your knowledge. I've been through the thread sporadically and found a lot of information already. Seriously great resource. Just that I have troubles to understand everything. I have no knowledge of bikes. I ride them. But what I don't know I can learn, right?

It's great to see that the Viscount bikes have such a solid fan base, they're beautiful (the bikes), and pretty enjoyable to ride.

Sorry about that, I got mixed up flicking over and back between photos across threads. At least you got a good identification for your bike form my mistake so alls well that ends well

[Sooper8]

Hello, Cormac. Thank you for the welcome.
they're beautiful (the bikes), and pretty enjoyable to ride.

Welcome to the Viscount Owners Club!
I wouldn't worry about what you paid, that isn't too bad in my opinion. Look at it like this ....You'll get £100 worth out of it just riding it this summer, so after that it's all bonus! Also, what else can you get for that price?
And if it 'just feels right' as you say, then that is priceless. I read threads all the time on here where people pay 1000's of £'s on new bikes and aren't happy with the feel or fit, then spend an arm and a leg on replacement parts and upgrades etc
The sun is shining, you have a classic bike with great pedigree, it feels great and there are so many people here who can advise and help to get it back to stunning beauty!
And don't forget to put 6th July in your diary!!!!
Best wishes

[StellaLdn.]

Sorry about that, I got mixed up flicking over and back between photos across threads. At least you got a good identification for your bike form my mistake so alls well that ends well [/quote]

Don't worry. I half-expect someone stopping me in the streets and claiming it back. Although I think the guy I bought it from is decent, you never know.
I always suspected it's an Aerospace Sport (thanks to this thread and other fora elsewhere), but I'm not 100% sure if all the parts I listed are original. It looks like they are, so probably a later model as a few things are a bit thrown together, like the Maface brake.

Oh, just listen to me. I sound like someone who knows her business. I don't know a thing.

[StellaLdn.]

Hello, Cormac. Thank you for the welcome.
they're beautiful (the bikes), and pretty enjoyable to ride.

Welcome to the Viscount Owners Club!
I wouldn't worry about what you paid, that isn't too bad in my opinion. Look at it like this ....You'll get £100 worth out of it just riding it this summer, so after that it's all bonus! Also, what else can you get for that price?
And if it 'just feels right' as you say, then that is priceless. I read threads all the time on here where people pay 1000's of £'s on new bikes and aren't happy with the feel or fit, then spend an arm and a leg on replacement parts and upgrades etc
The sun is shining, you have a classic bike with great pedigree, it feels great and there are so many people here who can advise and help to get it back to stunning beauty!
And don't forget to put 6th July in your diary!!!!
Best wishes

Thank you for the welcome. I'm glad to be here. I'm not overly concerned about the price. I saw a Viscount on ebay for 500 dollars or so (think that's roughly 300 quid)and almost choked on my coffee. I'm glad that I had a great bike that makes me feel like flying when riding it. It was love at first sight and I'm going to ride it until it falls apart.
To me it's already priceless.

What's on on the 6th of July? Seems I have missed something when browsing.

[StellaLdn.]

Greetings from Michigan (USA)!

I recently purchased an Aerospace G.P. through Craigslist.com ($100) since I wanted a steel frame road bike. My usual ride is all aluminum and can be fairly jarring. I had no idea what Viscount was when I got it, but I stumbled upon this forum while looking it up and have been hooked! I've been reading through the thread like a novel; I'm around page 45 right now. It has been an incredible source of information, so thank you all.

I haven't cleaned it up yet, but here's a few pics:

before - side view.jpg

before - front drivetrain.jpg

before - rear derailleur.jpg

Before - Serial.jpg

I think most of the bike is still standard (including a 3rd gen aluminum fork which I intend to use with reckless abandon!). The seat and pedals (some Schwinn approved jobbies) appear to be the only non-standard, non-consumable components. The hubs, brake levers, and skewers all have Lambert on them, so I'm guessing this bike is one of the earlier models, though old enough not to have a 1st or 2nd gen fork.

I'm fixing it up. I have some 27x1" Panaracers, a brown Brooks B17N saddle, new spokes, new nickel-plated chain, new seat post (I'm a tall guy and this seat post is incredibly short!), white cloth bar tape, and white cable housing (w/ cables) all on the way. Unfortunately, I'm leaving for Minneapolis this weekend so I'll be thinking all about the restoration all week!

Hello from one newbie to another. Like you, I'm reading through the thread slowly. It's a lot to catch up.
Congratulations to your bike. I'm pretty jealous of the chain ring as I'm intending to get one, too. Your frame looks much better than mine.

[Sooper8]

What's on on the 6th of July? Seems I have missed something when browsing.

It is the first ever annual Viscount gathering and ride (Death Fork Rally).

Bustaste has organised it and it is an opportunity to meet up, trade ideas/tips ,trade Viscount items and go for a ride on these glorious classic bikes.

See the very last post on page 80 of this thread for more details

[StellaLdn.]

What's on on the 6th of July? Seems I have missed something when browsing.

It is the first ever annual Viscount gathering and ride (Death Fork Rally).

Bustaste has organised it and it is an opportunity to meet up, trade ideas/tips ,trade Viscount items and go for a ride on these glorious classic bikes.

See the very last post on page 80 of this thread for more details

Oh, that's a little far from London.

[dnrc]

Hi, that bike definately wasn't mine. When i got home mine was right where i left it in the spare room.

It's the same spec as mine by the look of things (if they had both been original when we got them) but mine was a fair bit bigger and my fork was horrible but that paint was reasonably good, yours appears to be the other way round.

Looks nice though, a full strip, clean and t-cutting that paint should bring it up good.


Mine has been through a few incarnations since i bought it, the first one turned out to be faintly ridiculous, the second ended up looking a bit like noddys bike but here it is now.

Purists won't like it but it's a nice ride and perfect for popping to the shops

[StellaLdn.]

Hi, that bike definately wasn't mine. When i got home mine was right where i left it in the spare room.

It's the same spec as mine by the look of things (if they had both been original when we got them) but mine was a fair bit bigger and my fork was horrible but that paint was reasonably good, yours appears to be the other way round.

Looks nice though, a full strip, clean and t-cutting that paint should bring it up good.


Mine has been through a few incarnations since i bought it, the first one turned out to be faintly ridiculous, the second ended up looking a bit like noddys bike but here it is now.

Purists won't like it but it's a nice ride and perfect for popping to the shops

Looking good, man. And I'm glad it's not yours, so it can stay mine. I'm pretty sure purists will hate me when I'm finished with my bike, too as I plan to get it red/white. It was made in England, so it's only fair to honour that. Plus it'll look smashing, I think. Then again, as I'm learning now, white handlebar tape and saddle is a bit of a nightmare. I've only had it a month (saddle and tape) and it looks grubby.

[aartdouglass]

Hello from one newbie to another. Like you, I'm reading through the thread slowly. It's a lot to catch up.
Congratulations to your bike. I'm pretty jealous of the chain ring as I'm intending to get one, too. Your frame looks much better than mine.

Thanks, Hello, and congrats to Shawn as well! I know what you mean about the chain ring. There were several bikes to choose from that day on Craigslist, but I thought the chain ring on the Viscount was by far the sexiest. It was actually one of the reasons I chose to get the Viscount.

[Lewisg]

I wish I had a Viscount chainring.....One day...one day...