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Post by thechatterboxman on Jun 24, 2017 4:06:22 GMT
Hello to all, I just bought a 15-speed, blue and white, 1972 Reg Harris Lambert Grand Prix on the usual auction site here in the States. The bike was sold by the original owner who bought it new in 1972. The bike has a Suntour rear derailleur on it now, but the seller included the original rear derailleur which is a type I haven't seen before. There is no name on the original derailleur that I could find with a quick look. The bike only has a couple of small issues that I know of at this time. One pedal is missing its outer bearing race cover cap with the "L," logo and the "L" logo on the rear wheel skewer is missing. I asked the seller about the rear skewer, and he said that he has no memory of the rear skewer ever having a Lambert logo. Who knows? Lambert may have been out of "branded" skewers on the day this bike was built. I have a spare Lambert rear skewer that I may put on the bike. I also have a complete Lambert pedal to put on the bike until I can find a donor pedal or two. The original Lambert toe clips and Lambert straps were included, and they appear to be unused. The bike was not listed as a Reg Harris bike, but I thought it might be. I couldn't read the extra decals in the pictures, and I have never actually seen a Phil Harris bike in person before, so I wasn't sure. I said nothing about it. The bike IS a Phil Harris bike, and it still has its original tires which appear to be in unusually good shape. I am replacing the original tires, but I will keep the old ones. I tried to post a few pictures of the bike, but a message said this site has used up all of its "picture space." I tried to post links to flickr. I have never done this, so here's hoping it works. This bike will join my Lambert 10-speed Grand Prix and my Viscount Aerospace Pro in the stable. Thanks for looking. Randy www.flickr.com/photos/148460456@N07/35497040895/in/dateposted-public/www.flickr.com/photos/148460456@N07/35457565726/in/dateposted-public/www.flickr.com/photos/148460456@N07/35457569136/in/dateposted-public/www.flickr.com/photos/148460456@N07/35457578896/in/dateposted-public/www.flickr.com/photos/148460456@N07/35457573986/in/dateposted-public/ |
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Post by cusqueno on Jun 24, 2017 13:07:13 GMT
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Post by kickstandman on Jun 24, 2017 14:01:14 GMT
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Post by thechatterboxman on Jun 24, 2017 18:44:48 GMT
Hello,
The "mystery derailleur" is just like the ones in the pictures posted. I didn't ask the seller why he replaced the derailleur. The black plastic cog wheels in the derailleur were stiff, but some penetrating oil freed them up. Do the original derailleurs work satisfactorily if they are in good condition? It is a shame to have the wrong derailleur on a bike that is so close to being entirely original,down to the handlebar tape.
That gold Lambert is a prize! I have never seen one, except in pictures.
Thank you for the kind comments. I am excited to get the bike. I've wanted an early Lambert for a while. I bought a Viscount Aerospace G.P. new in 1975 I believe. I rode that bike everywhere for a long time. Then, I got married, and we moved to a much busier, more dangerous city for cyclists. The Viscount Aerospace G.P. sat around for a few years, until I finally agreed to sell it to a guy who promptly let it get stolen. I've regretted letting go of that bike ever since. I bought my wife a Viscount Sebring new, and that was a pretty nice bike too. I think the Sebring was $139 new. Try matching that today, even with inflation taken into account.
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Post by roser024 on Jul 4, 2017 6:19:36 GMT
Hii..
The Lambert Bicycle Co. was, on one hand, a brave attempt of modern cycling to self-manufacture an affordable and high performance bicycle. On the other hand, Lambert-which-became-Viscount was a financial failure that ruined a number of ownership groups... Whatever history's final verdict, they were fascinating bicycles.
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Post by thechatterboxman on Jul 7, 2017 21:25:00 GMT
Hello all,
I have replaced the original tires on the Reg Harris Lambert with new gum-wall tires. The original tires looked okay for static display use, but I didn't have nerve enough to try to inflate them. Old tires can be quite loud when they blow. I was able to refurbish the original brake hoods by using small amounts of super glue in the cracks at the tops of the hoods and using silicone caulking on all of the hoods' exposed surfaces to seal the pores in the rubber. The original handlebar tape seems to be fine after I clipped off a few stray threads. The rest of the tape seems to be in good condition, though I am pondering whether or not I should use some sort of sealer or varnish to protect it. I don't want to make the tape shiny. I just want to protect it from fraying.
I would like to ride the bike, at least for a while, so I am not going to use the original pedals with their "Lambert" logos at this time. The original pedals are too small for my feet anyway. The pedals, the "Lambert" toe clips, and the "Lambert" straps have been removed and saved in a box. I plan to buy a nice set of sealed-bearing, road-bike pedals to use on the bike for now. I bought a set of XL Christophe leather-trimmed toe clips to use in place of the original "Lambert" toe clips, which appear to be unused.
I also removed and saved the original, "Lambert"-labeled brake cable clips. (I despise those screw-on clips, because of the damage they do to painted surfaces.) When I removed the cable clips, I saw that the white plastic housing for the rear brake cable was split in half under the retaining clip. I was able to find an NOS Lambert rear brake cable still in its Lambert bag online, and I ordered it to replace the damaged cable. Again, I am saving all of the original parts. The original parts will be labeled and stored.
One question for experienced "Lambert" restorers. The blue "Reg Harris," sticker at the front of the top tube has some damage from a brake cable clip. Has anyone ever to tried to find replacement stickers for those, or had new stickers made? The other decals are all good, but this one sticker, or decal does have some of the writing on it scraped off. If I could get a picture of an undamaged sticker, I might be able to have a new one made.
When I have the bike ready to ride, I will post more pictures. My doctors have told me not to ride any bikes for a few weeks, so I am using the time to gather parts for this bike and address its issues. I will post more pictures when the bike is ready to roll once more.
Thank you for the kind comments about the bike. I agree that Lambert and Viscount bikes are fascinating bikes which are fun to ride. Few people here in the U.S. know much about Lamberts and Viscounts, but that is part of their appeal. :>)
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Jul 12, 2017 16:30:18 GMT
I also removed and saved the original, "Lambert"-labeled brake cable clips. (I despise those screw-on clips, because of the damage they do to painted surfaces.) You can line the inside of the clip (sticky side towards clip) with electrical tape. Trim the tape to the edge of the clip with a razor blade. Cheers Jim |
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Post by thechatterboxman on Jul 14, 2017 0:13:32 GMT
I had thought of this idea, but I wasn't sure it would work. I was afraid of doing more damage. If this idea works for you, I will give it a try.
Thanks!
Randy
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Post by thechatterboxman on Aug 7, 2017 7:03:20 GMT
I found out that the rims on this bike are steel rims. The hubs are alloy Lambert hubs, but the rims are steel. Does anyone know if these early, lugged-framed Lamberts came originally with steel rims? I am contemplating having the wheels rebuilt with alloy rims, though suitable new alloy rims can be hard to find. Does anyone have suggestions about what rims would be suitable, especially if the steel rims are not original?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks and best wishes to all.
Randy
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Post by cusqueno on Aug 8, 2017 6:34:04 GMT
Some early Lamberts had stainless steel Schothorst rims (not totally sure of spelling I am ising my cell phone and it's a bit hard to manage a search window as well). But see the Classicrendezvous site - there's a picture there of a Lambert with ss rims.
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robt
Viscount
Posts: 558 
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Post by robt on Aug 8, 2017 17:58:25 GMT
Randy, I realise it might not be of much use to you in the US as shipping may be prohibitive, but we are able get hold of reasonably priced 27" chromed steel and alloy rims (also here) in the UK. I built a set of wheels using a pair of Rigida polished alloy rims laced to Viscount hubs that have, so far, survived two DFRs and two Eroica Britannias plus general domestic duties without mishap. In previous threads, the well-made and traditional-looking Sun Ringle CR18 rims have been well favoured, and appear to be available in the US from Niagara Cycles or via Amazon for an (almost) reasonable price for the Schrader valve version - for some reason the Presta valve version is $9 more. I have a pair of them waiting to be made up, and they look and feel very nice. Sun also appear to do a narrower version if you want to use (and can find) 27"x1" tyres. Edit - I just came across this from 2005. Apparently Rigida used to be Von Schothorst. It appears that they still make traditional 'dutch bike' steel rims under the VS brand, but none that I can see in 27"(630). They don't look to have much of a hook for the tyre bead to seat into, so very traditional, if a bit limiting on tyre pressures! Rob. |
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Post by thechatterboxman on Aug 10, 2017 6:51:50 GMT
Hello to all,
I appreciate the information and advice very much. You are a helpful group.
This issue of the rims came up, because it turned out that my bike had been wrecked, which the seller did not disclose. The rear wheel had hit something really hard, like a curb, and then been bent back into something close its original shape. The spokes were "adjusted" to make the wheel look reasonably normal. Neither I or my mechanic realized that anything was amiss at first. However, once I tried to ride the bike, the wheel began to wobble and drag against the brakes. By the time I could get off of the bike, the rear wheel was rubbing both sides of the frame. I had to carry the bike home. Buying bikes from the "usual" auction site is always a risk, but this was not expected. The wheel was not able to support my 220 pound weight.
My mechanic and bike shop owner managed to find some very reasonably priced, original-style, aluminum alloy rims for me. They are 27-inch tubular-style rims with a brushed satin finish that will match the rest of the aluminum parts on the bike. I ordered the rims today.
It is interesting that some Lamberts used steel rims, but I really don't want to ride on them. On our streets, with 105 pounds of air in the tires, riding on steel rims can be a punishing experience.
Again, thanks to all of you for your advice, information, and input. I will continue to look for some vintage rims, but the ones I ordered will hopefully do for now.
Randy
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