Viscount bicycles!!

[busaste]

Are you in the North West whippet? This looks lovely to me, although you'd have to have top flight bartering skills to get that price down: http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/mens- ... e/92289556

I tried to get the price down but he would not go below £120 which is too much for me. Still the bike is 100% original 1978 vintage Aerospace Sport. A RARE find!

[PW]

Re- that dropout with no gear hanger, I had a late model without one. 12speed "sports" frame I picked up from a mate for a winter iron, cheap lugs, paintwork was blue with an underlying silver metalflake and there was a sticker on the downtube near the gearlevers proclaiming "Triple Champions 1983" or something of the kind. Bottom bracket was a splined Shimano, ISIS/Octalink type.

[Whippet]

Thanks for the heads up Goldie. Looks like a great example. I'm in South so not ideal.

[busaste]

Re- that dropout with no gear hanger, I had a late model without one. 12speed "sports" frame I picked up from a mate for a winter iron, cheap lugs, paintwork was blue with an underlying silver metalflake and there was a sticker on the downtube near the gearlevers proclaiming "Triple Champions 1983" or something of the kind. Bottom bracket was a splined Shimano, ISIS/Octalink type.

The later - post 1978 - 'Sports' lost the lugless fillet brazed frames in favour of lugged ones. When production moved to Potters Bar Trusty Viscount no longer had anyone with the skills to do low temperature fillet brazing. The fact that lugless frames are cheaper to make may have been a good motivator to switch to this type of construction too! Initially the lugless frames came from Taiwan before frame building was done in house at Potters Bar.

[busaste]

Anyone heard of a company called Velo Orange? Do have a look at their website because they make products that are of great use for Viscount fans.
http://velo-orange.com/

First, they do a threadless bottom bracket for stripped shells. The really good thing about this one - apart from the good build quality and reasonable price - is that you do not need to chamfer or face the shell (unlike the Mavic or JST ones) so you could revert back to the OEM sealed bearing method if you wanted to. You would still need to ream out the seat and down tubes where they protrude into the BB shell. Velo Orange do the threadless BB with the all important 122mm spindle length so no problems with the OEM chainline. Just checked stock availability - the 122mm is out of stock.

Here is the link to the product on the Velo Orange website:
http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/ ... ckets.html

The distinctive 52 tooth 'porthole' chainring that was fitted to the 1970's Aerospace Pro, GP and GPM (strictly USA only for this model) is tough and long lived. This was not always the case for the TA copy cranks though which do not always take kindly to being removed/refitted. Again Velo Orange can help out here as they make 50.4mm BCD cranks which fit the distinctive chainring (and the 42 toother that goes with it)and old TA chainrings which are still out there but getting harder to find. Quality of the Velo Orange cranks is superb. They are even mirror polished too (nothing wrong with a bit of bling is there?) and in my opinion the price is a bargain. The only potential fly in the ointment is that the cranks have a JIS taper. IF your Viscount BB spindle has 2 circlip grooves only then you will have no problems. That spindle has a JIS taper. If you have an earlier 3 circlip groove Viscount BB spindle then you have a bit more of a challenge. The taper on this spindle is unique to Viscount. You can persuade the Velo Orange crank to fit it but you will struggle to get it to sit square on the spindle and risk damaging the crank's tapers (err, I've done that in the past with Shimano 600 cranks). To be on the safeside either use a JIS taper Klein or Phil Wood 125mm spindle with 6003 sealed bearings or Velo Orange's BB referred to above.

Here is a weblink to the cranks:
http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/ ... -arms.html

What great products to put on your Christmas prezzie list!!!

PLEASE NOTE - I HAVE NO CONNECTION WHATSOEVER WITH VELO ORANGE

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL Keep those Viscounts running in 2012!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bendo]

Cool tips, thanks Busaste. It had crossed my mind the other day that those Viscount cranks might have been 50.4mm BCD (I don't own a set so that's why it's taken me so long to figure it out!). Velo Orange have a lot of great stuff for vintage riders. Between them, Dia Compe and MKS it's possible to do a lot. b

[dnrc]

First, they do a threadless bottom bracket for stripped shells. The really good thing about this one - apart from the good build quality and reasonable price - is that you do not need to chamfer or face the shell (unlike the Mavic or JST ones) so you could revert back to the OEM sealed bearing method if you wanted to. You would still need to ream out the seat and down tubes where they protrude into the BB shell. Velo Orange do the threadless BB with the all important 122mm spindle length so no problems with the OEM chainline. Just checked stock availability - the 122mm is out of stock.

re: the above, I fitted a YST threadless bottom bracket to mine (116mm on your recommendation) and didn't find it necessary to do anything with the shell. Obviously I had to ream the ends of the tubes but apart from that (and having to use a spacer on the drive side as the chain ring was just brushing the chainstay) I just tightened it up and all was well.

[Bendo]

Finally bit the bullet and put on some of the OEM decals that I bought from Busaste (thanks mate!). It's nerve-wracking knowing that if you stuff up, there are no more where they came from! The Viscount badges are not regulation for an Aerospace Sport, but I believe that the plain silver head tube and seat tube badges were used on the mythical "Supabike". I decided to cut them out rather than use them in their original square format. Top tube decal is a bit twisted... Nevermind. Overall I was lucky with alignment and no bubbles. b

[triitout]

Nice pics Bendo. While I don't know much about the "Supabike", I can report that the all silver head badges were standard issue on my aerospace Gran Touring models. I bought myself one of the last sets from H.Lloyd just in case I need a makeover on my originals.

Busaste, How do you like the shirts? I'm enjoying wearing my hoodie sweatshirt with the big Viscount logo this relatively mild winter.

http://zazzle.co.uk/viscountshirts

[Eammno]

Top tube decal is a bit twisted...

Don't worry - the same decal on my father's bike looked similar. I guess someone realised and tried to straighten it and stressed the decal somehow, as later the decal 'fractured' across it's width and looked worse.

[Bendo]

Thanks Eammo, that helps me feel a little less finicky about it.

Triitout: were your Gran Touring bikes' head and seat badges square or shield shaped?

Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time together, I give you: Victor and Sport! b

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/F0UCwMdoyP07MhqfAbaE1TCkDXQPo4YjKSMj8eNNzHM?feat=directlink

[Bendo]

and now for something completely different...

I've created an Anglo-French monster, another Concorde! b

[Eammno]

Top tube decal is a bit twisted...

Don't worry - the same decal on my father's bike looked similar. I guess someone realised and tried to straighten it and stressed the decal somehow, as later the decal 'fractured' across it's width and looked worse.

Pictures look brilliant!
I mentioned the decal thing to my father, who unusually, remembers a bit more than me
After the decal fractured he tried touching up the crack with a small brush and paint which then reacted badly with the decal and made the whole thing look a right mess

[busaste]

Thanks Eammo, that helps me feel a little less finicky about it.

Triitout: were your Gran Touring bikes' head and seat badges square or shield shaped?

Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time together, I give you: Victor and Sport! b

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/F0UCwMdoyP07MhqfAbaE1TCkDXQPo4YjKSMj8eNNzHM?feat=directlink

It IS nervewracking applying those decals! You have done a great job though. Don't worry about the slight twist on the 'Sport sticker. That is frequently how Viscounts came from the factory!Irregular spacing, twisted stickers, stickers touching the front derailleur: I've seen it all. You have simply replicated the factory look...

Your head and seat tube stickers were OEM for Viscount's 'Supabike' and 'Gran Touring' models.

Don't forget The Image Works do stickers for the seat tube bands (very good match) and frame materials spec. (good match).

[busaste]

Nice pics Bendo. While I don't know much about the "Supabike", I can report that the all silver head badges were standard issue on my aerospace Gran Touring models. I bought myself one of the last sets from H.Lloyd just in case I need a makeover on my originals.

Busaste, How do you like the shirts? I'm enjoying wearing my hoodie sweatshirt with the big Viscount logo this relatively mild winter.

http://zazzle.co.uk/viscountshirts

Love the shirts!! Great quality printing and shirt. I intend to wear them when I do sportives - on my Viscounts of course!