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Post by brianbutler on Jun 12, 2021 18:39:40 GMT
I'm sorry to say I wasted the morning driving to Bristol, Rhode Island and looking at a Viscount Gran Touring on sale for $65, shown below. It proved to have a frozen stem. The photo is from a Craigslist posting that has since been modified to remove the Viscount from the lot of bikes for sale. The frame looked really good and is my preferred size but the wheels are steel replacements and I'm not crazy about the stem shifters or kickstand. I worked on the stem for a while but was limited in what I could do without buying it. In the end I passed it up. It has Suntour V-GT and Suntour Comp V derailleurs, and an SR alloy crankset, which alone were probably worth the price but I was reluctant to bring another parts bike into the shop and be frustrated with a stuck stem.
If anyone is interested in this bike and tough enough to work on it, you can contact the seller through this ad:
Nope, deleted. I can give you the phone number if you send me a PM.
Brian
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Post by franco on Jun 12, 2021 23:22:01 GMT
At a glance it looks a tidy bike Brian for the price. Frozen handlebar stem? What a pain and I don’t get this, why is it so common same as seat posts, it’s frustrating. Makes you wonder if back then they didn’t realise this galvanisation process could happen with steel and alloy. All for the sake of greasing everything.
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Jun 13, 2021 4:07:19 GMT
In my past, have had to sacrifice a stem in order to save a fork; a nasty business.
Ride Safe
Jim
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Post by triitout on Jun 28, 2021 16:21:55 GMT
Too bad it didn't work out. I have a special attachment to the blue Gran Touring model. It was my first store bought Viscount in 1976. Still have it with cruiser bars and one size too big. Picked up a matching one for $50 in Maryland while visiting Washington DC a few years back. In reality, the trip to Washington was so that I could pick up the bike. Please, no one tell my family!  DSCN1047 |
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ks1u
Viscount
Posts: 76 
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Post by ks1u on Jun 28, 2021 21:56:01 GMT
Do most of you guys stick with the original stem configuration? I changed mine to a 1 inch threadless. I never really felt comfortable on the threaded versions with a
quill.
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Post by brianbutler on Jun 29, 2021 0:10:12 GMT
I almost always use the original fork, which is invariably threaded on 60's and 70's vintage bikes, so I reuse the quill stem. The only exception to using the original fork is the Viscount death fork, but even there the factory replacement and all aftermarket replacements I have seen have been threaded, so I reused the quill in that case also.
Brian
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Post by triitout on Jun 29, 2021 0:46:02 GMT
I stay with the quill as it's period correct and easy to raise and lower without worrying about how the treadless was cut or dealing with spacers. I also think they just look nicer!
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Post by wheelson on Jun 29, 2021 1:15:52 GMT
I stay with the quill as it's period correct and easy to raise and lower without worrying about how the treadless was cut or dealing with spacers. I also think they just look nicer! I’m pretty much a quill stem myself. However, I’ve given some serious thought to outfitting a Viscount with a threadless cartridge bearing headset giving me the opportunity to go from death fork to steel with ease. But that was before I owned multiple Viscounts! Best, J “wheelson” |
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ks1u
Viscount
Posts: 76
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Post by ks1u on Jul 2, 2021 13:03:30 GMT
Now that I have a heavily modified Viscount to ride, when I build up the second one (it's only a matter of time) I'll keep it period correct with quill and threaded fork.
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