Very desirable 'Viking' Lambert - CL US

Seattle Craig's List: Viking (if link works), this doesn't look like it is the bike in question but that fork to me, looks like a Lambert/Viscount fork. Maybe that makes sense, if Lambert/Viscount grew out of Viking.

seattle.craigslist.org/est/bik/5511071154.html
" Vintage Viking 15 Speed - $150 (Redmond)"

It looks like a short headtube but 32" standover is proper for me.

And here is this off of the St. Louis Craig's List:

"Lambert - Viscount Bicycle History
The Lambert was born in 1972, but seems to have had roots in Viking Cycle after that company was sold to American investors in 1967. The product of an aerospace company, Lamberts were midrange cycles made out of "aerospace" tubing. This isn't saying much as the industry that gave us airplanes used a wide variety and quality of steel. But the bikes were made with some integrity and the "seamless" frame was lightweight. The cast aluminum fork on the other hand is now referred to as the Death Fork. It was equipped had a cast aluminium alloy front fork (the part that holds the front wheel). As with most traditionally constructed bikes, this was attached to a steel 'steerer' - the part that turns in the headset bearings and into which the stem holding the handlebars fits. In the early 1970s aluminium forks were extremely innovative if not unique. The idea was (of course) to reduce the weight of the bike. Incidentally the feel of the bike was changed, because aluminium behaves differently to steel under stress. (The modulus of elasticity is different.) Some people don't like the 'feel' of ally forks.

Unfortunately, there were accidents resulting from sudden catastrophic failure of Lambert forks. If you are travelling at any speed, the failure of anything at the front of the bike - fork, wheel, stem or bars - is frightening and potentially very serious. I know of a friend of a friend who experienced Lambert fork failure and was scarred as a result. So I don't doubt the reality of an 'injury fork'; even if no-one was killed. The number of forks that broke has been reported as less than 1% of the 30,000 or so bikes made with the 'death forks'. "

stlouis.craigslist.org/bik/5495969657.html

If this Viking Lambert is desirable, it may have already been sold.

The above essay must be Sheldon Brown unattributed (or one of SB's friends that aided him in some of his writings)

At the same time as the Viking, Lambert also produced a Reg Harris branded version. Scottw on this forum has one of those - I think there are pictures somewhere - and one is also featured on the Classic Rendezvous Lambert page.

I'm a bit sceptical about the suggestion that Lambert grew out of Viking - I thought that Lambert was a creation of one Clive Marriot - but I may be wrong. If Busaste visits the forum perhaps he could confirm, as he has the most knowledge of the history of the Lambert/Viking marque of anyone that I know. Unusually, Sheldon Brown isn't 100% reliable on the subject.

I wrote some notes on the history of Lambert & Viscount a few years' back on a blog - viscount-lambert-bikes.blogspot.co.uk/ - which unfortunately I have not kept up-to-date, partly because it is much easier to post on this forum. The notes were mainly based on Busaste's knowledge, as I recall.

The Phoenix and Seattle bikes are both triples, that Phoenix bicycle does appear to be in good condition with the goldish handlebars if I am correct. Maybe someone from out in those cities will buy it and look this forum up!