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Post by flyingg on Dec 11, 2019 5:48:46 GMT
Hi,
Brand new to this forum and stumbled upon a fully complete but grimy PGP this summer and in the process of restoring it as carefully as I can so as not to damage the gold plating. Am optimistic that it will look good when done. Some tarnishing but no major scratches or dings. It even came with a spare wheelset! However, it had no leather toe straps so I hope to find a pair somewhere.
Does anyone know how many of these unusual road bikes were made? Have read as few as 14 and as many as 100 but have no idea what the real number is. Is there a thread that owners of these gold plated bikes frequent?
Looking forward to learning more from the experts on this forum!
Thanks,
Brian
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Jem
Viscount
?
Posts: 3,388 
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Post by Jem on Dec 11, 2019 20:14:52 GMT
Hi Brian - well , that is a much discussed question...There's quite a few threads on here about the Gold Plated mythical bike.
I can't remember if there ever was a definitive answer on how many made. I know that here on the forum there are definitely 2 members with them (one of them with two if I recall correctly?)
The search function on this forum isn't that efficient and you'll either get loads of returns or none at all by changing one word.
If you are in no great hurry, then I am sure that a couple of the gold plated owners will be along in the next day or two.
Jem
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syke
Viscount
Posts: 1
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Post by syke on Dec 31, 2019 19:52:31 GMT
You've done well. In my cycling life (50 years now on and off) I've seen exactly one, at TOSRV 1976. And I worked for a bike shop that had the Lambert franchise!
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vfrman
Viscount
hi-13 lamberts[2 gold, 1 reg harris] 3 10 speeds
Posts: 33
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Post by vfrman on Jan 23, 2020 11:02:18 GMT
to whom it may concern; from "vfrman"...in regards to the phantom gold lambert that has been appearing on ebay over the last 2 years; i bought this gold bike 2 years ago [not associated with used gold bike i purchased within a month or 2 of same..]-someone or some people have been posting this original advert of my bike falsely on ebay at least 6 times or so over the last 2 years...i have my suspicions to the source but nothing i can prove..i queried the guy i bought it from on west coast but he seemed unconcerned and/or oblivious over it; you will notice the location of bike is always "west coast" but the location of seller varies from england, ireland, germany, etc...then when you click on "buy" the ad always disappears..be assured the bike is safely ensconsed in my house where it has not left since i received it with not a scratch since delivery [double-boxed]...my apologies for lack of pics so far [not one of my strong points]..i am turning used gold bike into a runner with gold parts and "gold=plated" parts and hope to post those as well [we only live once]...we are all just caretakers in the end..maybe some day an "international" death fork rally"?...i hope this clears up any misconceptions; cheers and happy new year from connecticut, regards, jeff
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Post by eaglerock on Jan 4, 2021 21:12:00 GMT
To the best of my knowledge, there are (or were, prior to the OP joining) three V/L members with the not-at-all mythical 24K gold plated Professional Grand Prix. Cusqueno has an early lugged model, I have a 1973-ish fillet brazed model, and vfrman has one of each, if my memory is correct. As for total number, it’s hard to know. There’s a member here from Suffolk who was involved with the marketing (management?) of Viscount for a bit, but I don’t recall whether he was there in the earlier Lambert era. My understanding from him was that all the gold-plated bikes were Lamberts, and Lamberts were only sold here in the US (North America?). So any gold Lamberts in the UK likely came from eBay sellers in the US. www.classicrendezvous.com/British_isles/Lambert/lambert_bikes.htmThe US marketing brochures from 1973 list a $260 price for the 24K Professional Grand Prix, about double that of the painted Professional Grand Prix at $135. Prior to the reform delinking the dollar from gold, the price of gold had been locked to $35 per Troy ounce for decades. The price difference between the gold and not-gold models seems consistent with gold at that price, plus manufacturing costs, plus a profit. From the mid-70s on once gold got expensive, gold-plated bikes seem to mostly have been display items, mostly for trade shows and factory stores. It’s hard to see any practical advantage to gold-plating a bicycle; although gold resists oxidization (it stays shiny!), it’s also soft, so it’s not wear-resistant. Thin plating (done for both cost and weight reasons; gold’s really heavy) rubs off easily, as those of us who’ve tried to polish our frames have discovered. My hunch is that Lambert made and sold as many gold bikes as they could convince people to buy. As the records have mostly vanished (or might never have existed in the first place), the actual number is anyone’s guess. |
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