C'mon you lurkers, join up!

If you're not one of us, you must be one of them - a lurker!

. . . and we'd love more lurkers to join us!

Sprockit

Ah, Indeboat! Welcome.

I saw the pics over on CTC of your ride over through Repton, Newton to Burton. I will indeed join up with you, but just laid up for a while with torn calf. Got scan at hospital on Monday.

Jem

Hi everyone, I’m new here.

Wow.

I’ve just spent 3 days reading 174 pages on the CTC forum (then been pointed in this direction after about page 150).

I didn’t think I had an obsessive personality...until now.

I have just become the proud (but now rather nervous) owner, free, gratis and for nothing, of a Viscount bicycle.

A colleague, shortly to retire, has had this machine sitting in the corner of his office for about the last 20 years, unridden and gradually acquiring (quite a lot of) dust. In the process of clearing stuff out, he asked me if I’d like it. I told him I’d think about it. I’d never heard (until 3 days ago) of Viscount bicycles.

I asked my friend, Mr. Google, what he knew, and that’s very nearly where I stopped, because the very first hit warned me all about the dreaded Death Fork. Fortunately, the second hit told me how to identify it, and a few seconds fiddling with a magnet confirmed that this bike didn’t have one (it has an undead fork?). The third hit, in retrospect, may have been a mistake. It may change my life. It was 174 pages long.

So, my first question is which model of Viscount do I have? It lacks any stickers telling me this.

It appears to be a late model – it has the “1981 Triple British Champions” sticker. It has the chrome molybdenum tubing sticker. From the pictures I’ve seen, it looks like it might be a “Sprint”. It has some original features, and some replacement parts.

Here is the techy stuff, for bike geeks (i.e. all of you).

The gears are Shimano: a Shimano 600 front shift and an Altus 6-speed rear derailleur. The brakes are centre-pull Shimano Tourney.
The pedals and pedal crank arms are different. One side has been replaced at some time. The right (drive-side) crank arm is a Shimano Adamas AX, the left crank arm is a Shimano Selecta. The pedals are different, also, and the LH pedal feels like it’s really sticky.
The crankset is Shimano with a 52-tooth outer and 42-tooth inner ring – the teeth look a bit worn.
The wheels are not original. They are of different makes, are alloy 700C and currently carry (perished) 25-622 tyres. There is also quite a bit of play in both front and rear wheel-bearings.
It has Sturmey-Archer drop-handlebars and a Brooks Vitesse saddle.

My first goal is to get this bike back on the road. - I suspect that one reason that my colleague didn’t use this bike in the last 20-odd years was that the frame was too large (it’s a 24-inch, and he’s quite short – which is probably why the saddle is squashed down as far as it will go). Unfortunately, I’ m also a bit deficient in the inside leg department so we’ll have to see......

Secondly, having experienced 174 pages of Viscount-obsession, I’d like to get this bike back into some semblance of its former glory. This might be more challenging, since my mechanical engineering abilities are pretty rudimentary so I’m hoping to call on the expert advice of the member of this forum for some assistance.

I'll post some links to pictures, as soon as I've worked out how!

Hello and warm welcome to you Dracco!

I love a good background story to a Viscount acquisition. And that is a very good story indeed.

First of all though, apologies to you and your family for what is now a full blown obsession and is sure to have already eaten up many hours on the web pages here and CTC.
My guess is that if you can fit the bike to your measurements and ride comfortably, then it will certainly repay your time input here! They are a joy to ride and the history and exclusive Viscount club/family is a source of pleasure for many.

I can't wait to see the pictures. They are not showing up at the moment though, maybe I can help?
I will private message you my email and will see if I can help - but to be honest, any member here might be able to help if I don't get back to you asap (which might be the case, as I am only briefly at the computer , then on my mobile for a week or so, and that might not be up to the job of sorting pics out)

Ah! Just worked out the photo thing.

Here they are....(for info, you need to copy and paste the section that is labelled IMG in photobucket)

Well, thanks for the welcome.

If I recall correctly, my colleague was not the original owner - he bought it from one of his graduate students in nineteen ninety-something (we both work at a large University in the North of England).

I have a horrible feeling that I'm going to have problems with the frame size, since I'm only 5'7" with legs to match.....we'll see.

Hi Dracco,

You're treading on dangerous ground! Like me, you fell for the 'free introductory offer', and wham: once you're hooked, you'll become a hopeless case like the rest of us - and one Viscount bike just won't be enough!!!

Yes, someone gave me my first Viscount bike, and I've never been the same since!

I'm not one of the knowledgeable ones, but judging by the transfers on the seat and down tubes, your bike is contemporary with mine - about 1981/2. As for the model, it could be any one of many, but I think you're reckoning is along the right lines with the Sprint. There are many who know far more than me, and I'll happily bow to their superior knowledge.

Welcome aboard!

Sprockit

I don't know if this adds anything. I wrote these notes about the bike last week:

With regard to the cranks, Selecta and Adamas were both systems introduced in the late 70s/early 80s that had a special splined bottom bracket and matching cranks. Evidently the two systems were compatible. Selecta was considered a low end product, but Adamas was one of the 'aero' ax group sets, sitting below 600ax and Dura Ace ax. For some unfathomable reason Shimano also thought of it as a touring gruppo, although it was generally fitted to mid-range 'racing' bikes of the early 80s. Viscount used Adamas crank sets and BBs on some mid-range bikes (but not, as far as I know, the aero brakes, brake levers, RD or FD from the group).

Altus and Tourney were mid-range Shimano components, sitting below the 600 group in the hierarchy and much used by Viscount. I agree that the lack of a 600 headset probably means it isn't a 600ex or 600ax.

The frame is one produced late in Viscount's history and the cro-moly sticker shows that it was one from near the top of their range. It is probably the same steel as used in the earlier frames marked 'Aerospace'. It appears to be identical - same treatment of the top of the seat stays, lugs, top tube brake cable housings, forks, even the same colour! - to a frame I have that was marked 'Corsair Wayfarer' - presumably a tourer. But there is not trace of transfers/decals on your top tube?

Anyway, you have the basis of a very nice Viscount without too much work, although I think the chain set is a candidate for a change. There are a couple of Adamas cranks on eBay UK at present.

Welcome Dracco,I'm sure you'll enjoy riding your Viscount.As you may have gathered they are a rare and wonderful machine.
I've never seen two the same!No one is completely sure of all the different models or variants,so whatever is on your bike
will fit in .
By the by,there's also a newly discovered Viscountess model!
Cheers,
Pete.

Welcome johnnyb,you realise you are now hooked! sooper8 will help you with your pics.
If anyone can help,they will!
Enjoy your new bike,and the panniers.
Cheers,
Pete.

JohnnyB - great story and great perseverance on bringing it home! Welcome to the club.

I am always on the look out for panniers and often see old bikes plus panniers go for less less than the cost of panniers of comparable quality sold separately on eBay.- The bike owes you nothing if the panniers would have cost £15-£20 anyway?

I will message you my email and you can send me the pics and I will post them up if needs be , although Sprockits mini tutorial above should set you up for future postings too.

Jonnyb - I neglected to mention that yours looks like the Alamo model that the member Scottw on here has too. Start looking for denim handlebar tape if you want to create the original look.

Another one