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Post by dietz65 on Apr 22, 2015 17:19:24 GMT
Hello, all. I'm happy to have found this forum! My Viscount is a '76-ish Aerospace GP, white with blue trim. I bought it new from a shop in Geneva, IL. I rode that thing all over the place. Even tricked it out as a touring bike, with racks and panniers. I put on an Avocet crankset/bottom bracket with sealed bearings; Avocet hubs on Champion/Gentleman rims; Shimano Dura-Ace front derailleur; Suntour Cyclone GT rear derailleur; Suntour bar-end brake levers/cables; Avocet pedals/toeclips; Avocet Touring III saddle and six gear cassette. Tires were Specialized foldable Kevlar touring. After years of languishing in the attic, in pieces, I decided to take it down and assess the damage. It wasn't pretty. "New tires!", said Captain Obvious, Continental Super Sport+; New saddle, Bontrager; Sunlite pedals and clips. And now, with the discovery of how badly bent my handlebars really are, (a minor crash in a parking lot on slick pavement, a long time ago) and no 27.9mm clamp sized bars on the market, I have ordered a Nitto Dynamic stem and 42cm Nitto Noodle 177 drop bars, with 26.0mm clamp sizing. I hope the stem fits the steering tube. I'm thinking about putting Dia Compe 202 brake levers on. New hoods, for sure. Probably will just polish the calipers, because they still work fine. At some point I may switch out the crankset to something more appropriate.
I've probably pissed off some Viscount purists, out there, who would never dream of modifying their bikes. I understand, and I hope you will forgive me. Sometimes I wish I had kept mine stock, but I can't go back. I can only go forward. Ride on!
Peace out! |
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Post by stoatie on Apr 22, 2015 18:25:31 GMT
Hi dietz and welcome to the forum.
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Post by velocipete on Apr 22, 2015 19:09:15 GMT
Don't worry about improvements,the factory did it all the time.
Ride it,and enjoy it!
Cheers,
Pete.
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Post by triitout on Apr 23, 2015 0:42:26 GMT
Welcome aboard! I too started in 1976 with a blue Aerospace Gran Touring, rode it for 13 years and watched it decay away in the shed until I found Busaste's post where it all started on www.ctc.org.uk back in 2009. It's a great feeling to rebuild an old friend and give it a second life in a new incarnation. Have fun with the rebuild! For those who have newly found our forum, I'd like to note, commend and thank Busaste and Sooper8 for really paving the way for all of us by creating and growing this forum and Viscount Bicycles! thread at ctc.org. Where would we be without them paving the way! |
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Post by dietz65 on Apr 23, 2015 0:54:41 GMT
Thanks guys! I appreciate your kind words.
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Post by 54roadie on Apr 23, 2015 4:57:55 GMT
Welcome dietz65, to our little neck of the internet woods. Pete's right, upgrade. If they we're still in business, we'd be riding newer models fitted with trick components (the Viscount equivalent of, say, a Colnago C60). Although if you're interested, and it's not too late, I have a set of Viscount bars and stem available. I can separate, as it sounds as if you just need the bars. (I have two handlebars from Viscounts - one is, like yours, bent a bit from a previous owner's accident.) On the other hand, Nitto parts just shine. They will really add to the look of your bike.
The Dia Compe 202s look to be a good choice, since you're staying with the original calipers, and aero levers don't do well with the front centerpull brake routing, in my limited experience.
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Post by dietz65 on Apr 23, 2015 5:49:13 GMT
Welcome dietz65, to our little neck of the internet woods. Pete's right, upgrade. If they we're still in business, we'd be riding newer models fitted with trick components (the Viscount equivalent of, say, a Colnago C60). Although if you're interested, and it's not too late, I have a set of Viscount bars and stem available. I can separate, as it sounds as if you just need the bars. (I have two handlebars from Viscounts - one is, like yours, bent a bit from a previous owner's accident.) On the other hand, Nitto parts just shine. They will really add to the look of your bike. The Dia Compe 202s look to be a good choice, since you're staying with the original calipers, and aero levers don't do well with the front centerpull brake routing, in my limited experience. Thanks, roadie, for the offer, and had I joined the group a day earlier, I would have taken you up on your offer. I put the order in early Wednesday morning, for stem and bars. Of course if the stem doesn't fit, for some reason, and I have to return it and the bars, then I will keep you in mind.
The Nitto parts just seemed to be the most logical way to go, for my situation. Priced reasonably, free shipping? What more could one want? Plus, they look great!
I agree, about the 202s...they look good and should work well. And pretty reasonably priced through Velo Orange. (Good tip about the aero routing issue, thanks.) I will probably also get new brake cables and housings through them.
I spent some time cleaning up the calipers, today, and polished them up a bit. They look better.
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