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Post by pablo on Jun 11, 2015 17:33:50 GMT
Good evening all!! Hope you're all well. Recently got into cycling, and for me all my hobbies have been about aesthetics rather than technology (old automatic Seiko collection, a multitude of old lenses for my adapted camera, and now....bicycles....when will it end) I came across a Viscount Tony Doyle on Fleabay which had a Best Offer option so chanced my hand and it was automatically accepted. Thing is, before I twitched I couldn't find a massive amount on the bicycle. I impulsed it because of the small amount of information I had, and of course, a few photos of some lovingly restored ones I had seen. I have a Raleigh Record Sprint Mark 1 with Reynolds 501 frame. Just wondering how the Viscount will compare (especially frame weight)? I got it for £25 so there isn't much risk involved. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/321779910965?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT |
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Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,390 
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Post by Jem on Jun 11, 2015 18:40:36 GMT
Good evening all!! Hope you're all well. Recently got into cycling, and for me all my hobbies have been about aesthetics rather than technology (old automatic Seiko collection, a multitude of old lenses for my adapted camera, and now....bicycles....when will it end) Pablo, my long lost brother! Welcome to your spiritual home. I will let you settle in and look around and then I will be pestering you to share stories of watches, cameras and of course bikes. |
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Post by cusqueno on Jun 11, 2015 18:44:22 GMT
Hi. Welcome aboard Pablo. I hope you enjoy your new Viscount. For £25 I'm pretty sure you got a bargain. Dig the cool red, Viscount branded saddle (I think you'll find that's actually made by Brooks) and the nice use of red brake cable outers. These Tony Doyle bikes weren't top of the Viscount range when they were made, but they are perfectly fine ten-speeds of the period and (if I remember correctly) the frames are Made in England, whereas some of the earlier mid-range Viscounts had Taiwanese frames (nothing wrong with that, in fact the Taiwanese frames are very nicely finished, but it is indicative perhaps of cost-cutting).
Anyway these Tony Doyle frames (named after one of the Viscount racing team, happily still with us) have a variety of components, some good,some not so good. You will find I think that the cranks and bottom bracket come from the slightly weird Shimano Adamas group set and will only work together. Yours look to be in reasonable condition, which is good, otherwise you either have to source used or NOS replacements or change the whole lot. Wheels are either very well polished or are steel, which you might want to change, as the steel seat post and RD (but if it works, why change it?
My understanding is that the tubing is just standard bike tubing, better that gas pipe but probably not as good as Reynolds 501. Nevertheless, you will probably be pleasantly surprised at how light it feels. I owned one of these for a short while and it was a nice ride.
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Post by 54roadie on Jun 12, 2015 4:26:42 GMT
Hello, and welcome,
Nice catch on your Viscount, I'm sure that will clean up nicely. In the photos from eBay it looks as if there is a Reynolds tubing sticker near the top of the seat tube - I'd think that will help answer your question about how it compares to your Raleigh. In the end, though, I agree with with cusqueno ^, you'll like the nice light feel of the ride, regardless of the actual weight.
Please share some photos of the bike (and cameras and watches, too!) as you go along. You'll find, as I have, this is a great group of people sharing an interest in a landmark brand.
Happy riding,
Frank
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Post by Stella on Jun 12, 2015 18:06:28 GMT
Hi, Pablo and welcome.
As others said, with £25 you can't go wrong. Cleaned up and serviced, it can make a really lovely and easy-to-ride getaround. Agree with Frank: looks like a Reynolds sticker on there. Wheels could be alloy although they've got the pitted brake surface. I recently got a Viscount with exactly the same.
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Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,390
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Post by Jem on Jun 12, 2015 19:55:41 GMT
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Post by velocipete on Jun 13, 2015 6:10:21 GMT
Welcome to the Lambert/Viscoun horology group!
Jem, you shouldn't wear a watch with the winders and buttons facing your hand.
A slip or fall can result in painful broken bones in your hand.
Don't ask how I know this!
Cheers,
Pete.
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Post by sprockit on Jun 14, 2015 21:41:47 GMT
Hi Pablo, and welcome to our forum. Not a bad bike you've acquired - I had half an eye on it as it's not mega-distant from me. It's not the lightest Viscount frame, being one of the models from the budget end of the range. The sticker will be this one, seen here on my 1982/3 Sprint:  The lighter, top of the range frames had 'chrome-molybdenum' substituted for 'hi-tensile', and had the word 'VISCOUNT' stamped into the bevel at the top of the seat stay. I think (don't quote me!) both Reynolds and Raleigh were both owned by an organisation called Tube Industries (TI, hence TIRaleigh), and with the early Lambert/Viscount pledge to produce 50,000 bikes each year, which would have made them a serious competitor to Raleigh, I don't think Reynolds ever supplied tubing to Viscount. I eagerly await Busaste's book, which will be both a fascinating account of the rise and fall of Trusty, Lambert and Viscount, and a masterpiece of lawsuit avoidance!!! Speaking of the great man, we haven't heard from him for quite a while . . . Roll on DFR3. |
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