Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,391 
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Post by Jem on Nov 25, 2013 21:14:05 GMT
I was in Decathlon yesterday (large sports/outdoor equipment store that sell their own brand of bike called Btwin) , and for a couple of minutes I thought to myself....wow, new bikes are such a good idea, they don't need any stripping down before riding, all the parts are interchangeable with other new parts, they look kind of interesting and shiny and new, you don't need to search the internet high and low for parts, they have standard size components, hub dynamos etc (and some of the hybrids and town bikes were a reasonable price and no doubt quite decent)
I got home, fiddled with my brake cables, readjusted my saddle, looked on eBay for stuff and looked at the bits I am amassing for my 'Pro project, did just 3 miles on my Deore and promptly changed my mind.
There is still nothing like a classic steel framed English bike with quality written through it like a stick of rock.
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Post by whippet on Nov 26, 2013 20:19:05 GMT
10 hail Marys and you have to buy the Viscount Pullman.
Go in peace my son.
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Post by velocipete on Nov 26, 2013 20:31:13 GMT
It's not difficult to be tempted by shiny "Carlos Fandango" newness.It happened to me about a decade ago.
Acquired a Monoc road bike frame and fork,triple butted,aqua-formed main frame,carbon fibre rear triangle and
forks.Add to this Campag Record 10 groupset and Campag Xonda wheels.It weighs best part of b all,but running
on 700/18 tyres at 110 psi,it wasn't comfy!
The bits are a work of art in polished alloy,but it stays hung up in the garage.I'd much rather ride my old Pro
(ffnar ffnar) as seen at the Death Fork Rally.
Keep the faith,after all "Steel Is Real"!!!!!
Cheers'
Pete.
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Post by triitout on Nov 28, 2013 17:03:15 GMT
I must take the counterpoint. I love bicycles…..all bicycles, and I've enjoyed all the different bicycles I've acquired for different reasons. Viscount of course is my first love having gotten engaged back in 1976. But along the way I've been attracted to other unique and at the time, innovative designs. I first "retired" my Gran Touring for a Vitus 979 in 1989. Anodized aluminum, clean, simple bonded lugs and lightweight for my first "competitive" racing bike for my first triathlon races. I still use that bike as my indoor trainer and the anodized finish is amazing. Next came my Kestrel 500sci, a very unique and early carbon monoque frame in fire engine red and aero bars. It featured a no seat tube design that is still beautiful to this day. I probably did about 2/3 of my triathlons on that bike which is now retired. Next came my Trek Madone 5.2 in 2009. When my confidence (and balance) are high, there is no faster bike for racing for me. Interestingly enough, it shares the press fit BB design with Viscount and was also a source of trouble since poor quality control sent out a bunch that were reamed too large for the bearing and eventually was fixed with a custom shim! When it was down, which was often the first two years, I picked up a Motobecane titanium road bike from an online seller, BikesDirect.com. for a great price and the ti frames are beautifully simple and elegant with the bare metal finish. This year, I put about 1/2 my mileage on my "new" bikes and the other half on my"classics". It's like going into the ice cream shop and trying all the flavors. I've been able to standardize my fit measurements and set up each bike to feel pretty similar. Call it a mid-life crisis, but I felt the need to try the designs that looked interesting. I'm not a car guy and drive an old beater car, so no car payments so bikes are my passion, and I guess obsession. Once you get close to 60 years old, you don't wait to acquire a bike you want that's within reason. Bikes are probably my only materialistic obsession and I'm not going to be able to ride forever, hence the need to do it now with all of my bicycles. I think that innovative designers at Viscount might too have gone down a similar path had they survived.  |
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