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Post by garyh on Mar 1, 2023 1:38:39 GMT
Hello, Picked this up last summer and finally got around to rebuilding it. Far from original but it did clean up nicely. Items to note: 1. bold move of a prior owner to cleanly drill 2 holes and route the back brake lie through the top tube. 2. death fork replaced with nice condition range chrome fork. 3. I have one pedal cap, one is missing. 4. I have found more appropriately sized straddle cables. Better but not a perfect fit. 5. original seat was not included. 6. original drop bars were not included. I liver in a college town and thought flat bars might help this bike sell. 7. sealed bearings in hubs and bottom brackets still spun smoothly and did not seem to warrant replacement. I live in Northern California, Bay Area where prices are way over inflated. Last year I could probably sell this bike for $400. Maybe prices have softened a bit since. Curious to see what you guys think. Happy to sell to someone really wanting a Viscount (which probably will not happen here). Open to any and all criticisms, suggestions etc. Best, Gary Can I really only upload one image?!  |
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Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,390 
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Post by Jem on Mar 1, 2023 8:11:30 GMT
Gary -For what it's worth, here's my thoughts on it. it's a nice looking bike and something I'd happily ride at this time of the year, it's practical- I love HF wheels. I never worry about original or not, but if a vintage bike comes to me in original condition, I generally aim to keep it that way. Nothing to do with re-sale value though.
That really is quite a 'bold move' to drill top tube I agree.
I wouldn't say I am an expert on the prices of Viscount, but here's what I have seen - the prices were at their highest about 10-12 years ago when all the Eroica events were starting up here in Europe. Then since then they have steadily dropped to pre-Eroica levels. So here in the UK, I don't see them even getting into 3 figures anymore on a regular basis. A bike like this might not even get £100 on ebay here. I see many times where a vintage bike sells for less than the components alone are worth. I think the shipping/delivery costs and the effort needed to move a bike are partly the issue there, but also, people want the parts for their projects more than the bike.
In terms of selling, someone might really desire the customisation done on this and love vintage steel frames, if so, they might be your buyer. See what happens when you put it up on eBay?
Jem
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Post by Admin on Mar 1, 2023 8:12:47 GMT
Unfortunately the forum doesnt have the space to host pictures, and they have to be embedded from somewhere else. The only reason it uploaded at all is because I did a tidy up the other day and made a little space, but this will only help for a short time and then it will become impossible to add any photos directly on the site. Those are the limits of a free forum I am afraid. |
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Post by garyh on Mar 1, 2023 17:35:34 GMT
Gary -For what it's worth, here's my thoughts on it. it's a nice looking bike and something I'd happily ride at this time of the year, it's practical- I love HF wheels. I never worry about original or not, but if a vintage bike comes to me in original condition, I generally aim to keep it that way. Nothing to do with re-sale value though. That really is quite a 'bold move' to drill top tube I agree. I wouldn't say I am an expert on the prices of Viscount, but here's what I have seen - the prices were at their highest about 10-12 years ago when all the Eroica events were starting up here in Europe. Then since then they have steadily dropped to pre-Eroica levels. So here in the UK, I don't see them even getting into 3 figures anymore on a regular basis. A bike like this might not even get £100 on ebay here. I see many times where a vintage bike sells for less than the components alone are worth. I think the shipping/delivery costs and the effort needed to move a bike are partly the issue there, but also, people want the parts for their projects more than the bike. In terms of selling, someone might really desire the customisation done on this and love vintage steel frames, if so, they might be your buyer. See what happens when you put it up on eBay? Jem Hello Jem, Thanks for your input. I will avoid bay and try to sell it locally. see how it goes. Best, Gary |
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Post by brianbutler on Mar 1, 2023 20:23:33 GMT
I live in Massachusetts and over past 5 years I have acquired 6 Viscount Aerospace Grand Prix's, all in rideable or refurbishable condition. Three of them were free, two were $50, and one was $80. I also have three other models of Viscount road bikes that were $40, $40, and $60, respectively. So they are not particularly valuable around here. They are nice bikes when refurbished but the Viscount idiosyncracies like pressed bearings, needle bearing pedals, and aluminum death forks make them poor candidates for "flipping." Well, OK, I guess the death fork promotes flipping in a disagreeable sense of the word. You should keep it and ride it.
Brian
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Post by garyh on Mar 2, 2023 2:49:50 GMT
I live in Massachusetts and over past 5 years I have acquired 6 Viscount Aerospace Grand Prix's, all in rideable or refurbishable condition. Three of them were free, two were $50, and one was $80. I also have three other models of Viscount road bikes that were $40, $40, and $60, respectively. So they are not particularly valuable around here. They are nice bikes when refurbished but the Viscount idiosyncracies like pressed bearings, needle bearing pedals, and aluminum death forks make them poor candidates for "flipping." Well, OK, I guess the death fork promotes flipping in a disagreeable sense of the word. You should keep it and ride it. Brian Thanks Brian, To many bikes already! And not sure it is a size fit for me. I was curious to rebuild one of these but probably won't do it again! Yes, those needle bearings are not your average pedal rebuild. Happy with how it came out and pretty sure I at least won't take a bath on the bike. Best Gary |
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Mar 2, 2023 14:49:24 GMT
I found this $300 dollar Viscount ad in California, which is (for California) a very reasonable price. You have a great looking bike! As for the top tube cable ports; it is a gutsy modification and hurts the value. Nevertheless, I have owned several bikes that were originally built with cables hidden in the top tubes. Some had a guide tube within the top tube, some just had a simple hole with no reinforcement; all had standard tubing. The best had a "brazeon" wire guide like in this photo. It is debatable if the heat from brazing a wire guide creates a weaker, or stronger setup than a simple, deburred hole. My conclusion, the modification creates a weak point where top tubes most often bend; therefore, it probably will more easily bend in a crash. The modification most likely will not cause a sudden failure, but will need occasional inspections for cracks and bending. If it were my bike, I would add the wire guides using something like JB Weld. This would add some strength, not create heat damage, and look cool.
All the Best Jim
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Post by garyh on Mar 10, 2023 19:06:26 GMT
I found this $300 dollar Viscount ad in California, which is (for California) a very reasonable price. You have a great looking bike! As for the top tube cable ports; it is a gutsy modification and hurts the value. Nevertheless, I have owned several bikes that were originally built with cables hidden in the top tubes. Some had a guide tube within the top tube, some just had a simple hole with no reinforcement; all had standard tubing. The best had a "brazeon" wire guide like in this photo. It is debatable if the heat from brazing a wire guide creates a weaker, or stronger setup than a simple, deburred hole. My conclusion, the modification creates a weak point where top tubes most often bend; therefore, it probably will more easily bend in a crash. The modification most likely will not cause a sudden failure, but will need occasional inspections for cracks and bending. If it were my bike, I would add the wire guides using something like JB Weld. This would add some strength, not create heat damage, and look cool. Thanks for your input. Appreciated. Gary |
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ks1u
Viscount
Posts: 76
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Post by ks1u on Mar 23, 2023 13:53:39 GMT
You have a very nice-looking bike and it's obvious you spent a lot of time planning and working on it. The only time I drilled out a frame was a titanium frame I set up for electronic shifting and I plugged the ends with the Shimano gaskets and placed the holes on the underside of the tubes to avoid moisture dropping in easily. I didn't keep my Viscount rebuild original, but I decided to live with the original cable mounting. I took a quick look on Northern CA Craigslist ads for bicycles and eBay. Of course it depends on how long you want to wait for someone to buy it at your price, but I expect probably $250 is what you could get in a reasonable amount of time. I usually keep the bikes I do any work on since after accounting for parts my labor from any sales would end up at about 50 cents an hour for my trouble.
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