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Post by wanderingsheep on Oct 3, 2020 22:28:49 GMT
Hi all out walking came across a delta trusty folding bike in red with a label free help yourself. So to save it from the scrap man I bought it home and started a clean up.got a couple of tyres white walls for it everything seems ok just a bit rusty mud guards etc and came across this forum looking for info on them. Any tips would be welcome the rear mud guard and wheel seem the worst parts hopefully I can make it usable again !๐
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Post by franco on Oct 4, 2020 8:51:32 GMT
Hi wanderingsheep Thatโs a great find! There was one labelled a โSpacemasterโ on eBay not so long ago listed at around ยฃ240 BIN. Not sure which came first, the Delta or the Spacemaster but they look to be the same bike. I have the same model as you but in blue and itโs a fun bike to ride and well worth restoring due to itโs rarity. Make sure the folding mechanism is working properly and grease the spring etc. The hub will most probably need a few drops of oil and a good workout moving through the gears. Wire wool may clean up the mudguard and wheel rim to a presentable standard, if they are shot you can still find vintage 20โ wheels and mudguards on eBay. They can be overpriced though and itโs sometimes cheaper to buy a donor bike for parts like an old folder made by companies like Elswick, Triumph, Hercules etc. Good luck with the project and post some pictures if you can
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Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,389
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Post by Jem on Oct 4, 2020 9:07:31 GMT
Hi there...that is a nice find for free. I have one in green and love riding it. I keep it in the van and do errands on it when on camp sites. Get a basket for the back and give it a clean up and you can't go wrong. If you need help posting pics, just let me know Jem
ps, it's a mid 70's bike. If you search on here, you'll see a bit more info. Apologies but I can't recall much about where and exactly when they were made
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Post by franco on Oct 4, 2020 13:25:43 GMT
Jem, you started something with the Delta I got from you. Iโve got a few other 20โ wheel bikes now as well, like I need to collect more brands/designs
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Post by cusqueno on Oct 5, 2020 8:11:38 GMT
Hi there...that is a nice find for free. I have one in green and love riding it. I keep it in the van and do errands on it when on camp sites. Get a basket for the back and give it a clean up and you can't go wrong. If you need help posting pics, just let me know Jem ps, it's a mid 70's bike. If you search on here, you'll see a bit more info. Apologies but I can't recall much about where and exactly when they were made I think I'm right to say that it was a Trusty Spacemaster but a Viscount Delta? Trusty was the firm that made Viscount frames. so I think the Spacemaster came first. But the bikes are virtually identical. Trusty was always based in Potters Bar - I'm not sure if the factory at Bilston was just for the assembly of Viscount bikes or if it was a Trusty site as well.
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Post by wanderingsheep on Oct 5, 2020 18:10:28 GMT
Thanks for all the info everybody I will try and sort some pictures to post how it's coming along. The folding mechanism works perfectly and the rest is coming up nicely. I'm not really used to forums so forgive me if things take time with pics etc I feel encouraged about it now I knew when I saw it that it was something special im a 64 child and remember the viscounts but didn't realise the history great stories to read on here take care all hope to post soon ๐
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Post by theformeremployee on Oct 7, 2020 20:29:21 GMT
Thanks for all the info everybody I will try and sort some pictures to post how it's coming along. The folding mechanism works perfectly and the rest is coming up nicely. I'm not really used to forums so forgive me if things take time with pics etc I feel encouraged about it now I knew when I saw it that it was something special im a 64 child and remember the viscounts but didn't realise the history great stories to read on here take care all hope to post soon ๐ Cusqheno is spot on - Trusty Spacemaster was being made in Potters Bar as a competitor to the Raleigh Shopper, Dawes and many other competitors. As a Viscount product, it was called the Delta However, wanderingsheep, the folder is a real find (for me) as they were made in far smaller quantities. The mechanism of folders in that era was usually 2 plates which swivelled together and were locked by a threaded stud with a hand lever. Quite crude. The Delta SHOULD incorporate a 'barrel hinge' with a grey plastic hand wheel which opened up (or closed) two cup-shaped giant washers which clamped the top and bottom of the hinge together. Ingeniously, one is LH hread, the other RH thread. This was the invention of Richard Bailey, who was employed by Bell Fruit at Nottingham to design lurid one arm bandits and was seconded to help with the graphics of the bikes from Bilston. He designed the Viscount logo - he was ever embarrassed by the "nine-lying-down' which can be seen in it. Richard was very sadly killed in a car crash around the time Bilston folded. I spent quite a bit of time with him, especially on a trip to Cologne for the Cycle Show. A thoroughly nice man, with a lot of talent. Loved everything Italian. He was killed in his Alfa Romeo. RIP Sadly, no one else took up that folder mechanism. I mentioned it was out of patent and available to Brompton but they said they bought a cheap one, it was good enough......
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Post by wanderingsheep on Oct 7, 2020 22:33:05 GMT
Tried to post photos with flikr ๐ข๐ข
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Post by franco on Oct 8, 2020 8:04:53 GMT
Thanks for all the info everybody I will try and sort some pictures to post how it's coming along. The folding mechanism works perfectly and the rest is coming up nicely. I'm not really used to forums so forgive me if things take time with pics etc I feel encouraged about it now I knew when I saw it that it was something special im a 64 child and remember the viscounts but didn't realise the history great stories to read on here take care all hope to post soon ๐ Cusqheno is spot on - Trusty Spacemaster was being made in Potters Bar as a competitor to the Raleigh Shopper, Dawes and many other competitors. As a Viscount product, it was called the Delta However, wanderingsheep, the folder is a real find (for me) as they were made in far smaller quantities. The mechanism of folders in that era was usually 2 plates which swivelled together and were locked by a threaded stud with a hand lever. Quite crude. The Delta SHOULD incorporate a 'barrel hinge' with a grey plastic hand wheel which opened up (or closed) two cup-shaped giant washers which clamped the top and bottom of the hinge together. Ingeniously, one is LH hread, the other RH thread. This was the invention of Richard Bailey, who was employed by Bell Fruit at Nottingham to design lurid one arm bandits and was seconded to help with the graphics of the bikes from Bilston. He designed the Viscount logo - he was ever embarrassed by the "nine-lying-down' which can be seen in it. Richard was very sadly killed in a car crash around the time Bilston folded. I spent quite a bit of time with him, especially on a trip to Cologne for the Cycle Show. A thoroughly nice man, with a lot of talent. Loved everything Italian. He was killed in his Alfa Romeo. RIP Sadly, no one else took up that folder mechanism. I mentioned it was out of patent and available to Brompton but they said they bought a cheap one, it was good enough...... Interesting, thanks for sharing. Id never noticed the nine lying down before but the font used in the logo is one of my favourite aesthetics about Viscount. It has a real 1970โs vibe about it but also looks timeless in my opinion.
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Post by theformeremployee on Oct 8, 2020 11:07:54 GMT
"I'd never noticed the nine lying down before but the font used in the logo is one of my favourite aesthetics about Viscount."
You'll soon notice it as nothing else ! Richard Bailey did. As a graphic artist, he was very talented and his font has stood the test of time, hasn't it ?
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Post by wanderingsheep on Oct 8, 2020 22:03:02 GMT
no luck
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Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,389
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Post by Jem on Oct 9, 2020 15:36:56 GMT
no luck PM me and I will post them up for you?
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Post by cusqueno on Oct 9, 2020 19:19:31 GMT
There's a nice Trusty Pavemaster flyer / poster on eBay UK "Children's safety cycles and Tourmaster range for discriminating teenagers and adults" no date, but drawings evocative of a bygone age.
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Post by franco on Oct 9, 2020 21:19:53 GMT
A Trusty Delta like Jems green model on eBay too, in Hampshire link
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Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,389
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Post by Jem on Oct 9, 2020 21:55:35 GMT
There's a nice Trusty Pavemaster flyer / poster on eBay UK "Children's safety cycles and Tourmaster range for discriminating teenagers and adults" no date, but drawings evocative of a bygone age. Trusty Pavemaster was literally my first bike (not first 'proper bike', or 'grown up bike' or teenage bike, but I mean literally my FIRST bike) I had 2 iterations of it - A fat tyre version then a slimmer one. I took a can of purple and can of red spray paint to at the on the cusp of glam rock going and punk coming in.I thought it looked so cool. I didn't realise until about 10 years ago that Trusty was the make. I just thought it was a Pavemaster and everyone called it my trusty pave master like they say your trusty stead or trusty weapon. Just as a noun. Ah , memories EDIT - so I'd date that at '69 or thereabouts
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Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,389
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Post by Jem on Oct 9, 2020 22:01:44 GMT
There's a nice Trusty Pavemaster flyer / poster on eBay UK "Children's safety cycles and Tourmaster range for discriminating teenagers and adults" no date, but drawings evocative of a bygone age. Why did you go and post that John? Ive had to go and buy one now...A Rosebud moment, for those familiar with Citizen Kane. I couldn't not buy it. I had the weirdest moment as I looked at that catalogue as mine had the saddle bags and the stop light, but I couldn't recall it till I just this minute saw it.
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Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,389
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Post by Jem on Oct 10, 2020 11:06:17 GMT
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Post by franco on Oct 10, 2020 12:55:25 GMT
Cool, that looks in good shape and nothing a bit of wire wool and elbow grease wonโt sort out.
So, to my knowledge, weโve got green, blue and red models on here now, did they make them in any other colours?
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Post by franco on Oct 10, 2020 13:11:41 GMT
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Post by franco on Oct 10, 2020 13:16:08 GMT
Oooh a gold model
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Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,389
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Post by Jem on Oct 10, 2020 14:53:05 GMT
"pair of buggers" Haha....
Gold...everyone loves a Gold version !
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Post by franco on Oct 10, 2020 17:12:04 GMT
The kid on the right looks like heโs just had a wash with wet soil haha
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Post by wanderingsheep on Oct 10, 2020 17:20:48 GMT
Thanks sooper8 great job I will crack it ๐ trustys in my garage getting a buff up now. coming up nice think I will give it a good clean up polish it then swap bits out as and when Good to see the pictures of trustys and the "pair of buggers"๐๐ class picture
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Post by theformeremployee on Oct 16, 2020 14:34:13 GMT
Colours - probably a purple one, if someone is searching for a full set ! Not sure if the full Trusty vs Viscount story is known on this site - I'm hoping to help the book on its way this winter. The Bilston factory was just drop handlebar bikes, with a fairly impressive production capacity (except by Raleigh standards. In theory, a container a day of 400 bikes would be (round figures) 80,000 a year. In fact, it was probably nearer 60,000 at maximum, but I'm going on (fading) memory her. Potters Bar were the Pavemaster (and Spacemaster) ranges, maybe 12,000 units ? (Brompton produce just under 50,000)
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Post by Admin on Oct 17, 2020 12:53:27 GMT
Not sure if the full Trusty vs Viscount story is known on this site - I'm hoping to help the book on its way this winter. I dropped you an email as per request...did it make it through?
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Post by theformeremployee on Oct 18, 2020 21:17:27 GMT
Regret not - and I do check junk mail !
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Post by franco on Oct 18, 2020 22:20:32 GMT
Thanks sooper8 great job I will crack it ๐ trustys in my garage getting a buff up now. coming up nice think I will give it a good clean up polish it then swap bits out as and when Good to see the pictures of trustys and the "pair of buggers"๐๐ class picture How is it coming on chap? We could do DFR9 next year on Trusty folders.
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Post by Admin on Oct 19, 2020 7:13:42 GMT
Regret not - and I do check junk mail ! Apologies there, not sure what has happened - I have it in my sent folder, but have posted again and dropped the same message into a PM on this site. Hopefully you'll be able to get it one way or another Regards
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Post by wanderingsheep on Oct 19, 2020 19:03:43 GMT
Just finished re assembling Franco ended up spraying 1/2 of trusty as it had sun bleach got a good match from vrs paint and body supplies really tidied it up I think for not a lot of coin girl there was great help.just waiting on a brake lever I managed to break off ebay also new head decal from Lloyds hopefully will post some pics soon.๐
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Post by franco on Oct 19, 2020 20:24:29 GMT
Just finished re assembling Franco ended up spraying 1/2 of trusty as it had sun bleach got a good match from vrs paint and body supplies really tidied it up I think for not a lot of coin girl there was great help.just waiting on a brake lever I managed to break off ebay also new head decal from Lloyds hopefully will post some pics soon.๐ Top job! Always difficult to match old paint in
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