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Post by wheelson on Aug 13, 2019 21:00:36 GMT
Ok, Lambert/Viscount projects ARE addictive. It's been a couple of years since my first and last Viscount refurb, the unknown blue one ( www.flickr.com/photos/wheelson2011/albums/72157693177987474 ) with apparently added top tube cable guides and a downtube water bottle fitting. Fun bike, I had planned to take it on a trip to Nova Scotia 9/2018 but ended up taking the Austro Daimler Vent Noir ll instead. Apparently the Curse of Oak Island caught up with me and early 2019 I developed horrible shoulder and arm pain, finally diagnosed as two severely herniated cervical disks. Surgery 3/2019, so now I'm starting to ride again, mostly flat bar.
Then along comes a rather great deal on a Viscount frame with bottom bracket but no fork, and I get excited thinking about the possibilities. It's one of the silver/black ones, quite weathered but little rust (thank you, California!). Serial number is very tiny stamping (compared to my other V), and appears to be 006340 3K. I had to scrape away some paint under the bb shell, so I may well have been the first to see it!
Forgive me, but I have no intentions of refinishing other than touch up. I will try to keep it original looking but . . . First order of business is a fork. That will be a non-lugged steel from an '80s Specialized Allez. Sleek and black and tight clearance for my planned Birmalux Sprint wheels. At a bit past 70, this is my first experience with sprint / sew up / tubulars. I'm also tapping out the bb to Italian threading and using a set of ti bb cups with sealed bearings - hey, it IS a Viscount! Other than that, mostly OEM Lambert/Viscount.
I want this to be a fun build of a light, fast bike, concentrating more on the mechanics than the appearance. Perhaps my wife will overlook it that way! Pics to follow, of course.
Best, John "Wheelson" Wilson |
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Post by 54roadie on Aug 25, 2019 22:37:42 GMT
Hey John, sounds like a great project. I'm all on board with the Italian bb job; unless you work in a shop replacing those bb bearings is just too much hassle. You'll LOVE riding tubulars. I recommend Tufo - they are built like "tubeless" tires, no inner tube, with the casing coated to make it airtight. I use Finish Line sealant, which works very well with the Tufos. I was recently rolling up to a stoplight when I heard a loud PSSFFT from the rear tire and thought "crap, a flat". But the noise stopped almost instantly and I perhaps lost 3 or 4 psi. The wheel is still intact, holds air as if new, and rides like a dream. That tire has just over 800 miles on it, I expect to get 2,200 to 2,500 the way it's wearing.
A 25mm wide tubular, at about 120psi, will ride like a 28mm clincher at 105. I keep mine at 120psi, as I believe that reduces flats, extends life, feels better in corners, and, despite current arguments to the contrary, is faster on the road until the surface is too rough to be riding 25mm tires anyway. As I wear out my clincher tires (and I have a bunch of them) I'll be shifting more and more riding to tubulars.
But enough of my rambling commentary, I hope you enjoy the building and the riding.
Best regards,
Frank
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Post by wheelson on Aug 26, 2019 3:32:20 GMT
Hi Frank, this project is slowly coming together. The Italian bb is something I thought about for my first Viscount project but I ended up with a modified hack using the original type sealed bearing. Since I found the titanium cups made for sealed bearings in Italian thread, I plan to go back and re-do the first Viscount as well. Just the engineer in me, I guess. I do work in a bike shop for the last 5 or 6 years since my retirement, that added to about 8 years back in the '60s and '70s (and I also own enough tools to start my own shop) so I could go either way with the bearings. I still want to keep everything sealed bearing in the spirit of the Lambert/Viscount.
I'm looking forward to trying the tubulars now that gluing tape and sealant are taking some of the aggravation out of that system. The plan is for this Viscount to be a light and fast machine and the first one more of a day tourer with clinchers. I have too many bikes and eventually some have to go, but for now it's n+1.
Best,
John
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