bendo
Viscount
Posts: 538 
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Post by bendo on Dec 17, 2014 3:47:01 GMT
During the week my newest Viscount, the VA Pro, with its original wheels, threw a spoke. I heard it ping and stopped straight away. Unfortunately that's it really for the entire back wheel. It's only a single-wall rim and there's no point replacing either the single spoke or relacing the whole wheel. SO anyway I was stuck needing to get home. I stopped in at an excellent little bike shop nearby and Will the proprietor lent me a bike to get home on. This is the bike and it was a weird experience riding what is considered desirable these days. Now admittedly the seat was a tad high and that didn't help, but I swear everything about the bike's design and set-up was for the sole purpose of transferring every bit of road shock directly to my arse. After 10km I had bruises. Not kidding. The frame is aluminium. The TIG welding has obviously been polished back around the head tube to look smoother, like fillet-brazing. But you can see at the BB shell that the welds haven't received this same attention. Tyres are skinny and hard. As is the saddle. The bike is light and tight, which I think is what a particular kind of consumer thinks he wants. But I can tell you, you have to be a young man to ride this bike any distance without injury. My arse was first. I have no doubt my wrists, elbows, spine and hips would be next, probably in that order. I say "he" because I know few women who would submit to this kind of 'scrainal' punishment. ALso interesting was the surfeit of gears, which in turn required super bendy chain stays, which were by no means ugly in themselves, but did in turn require the rear mech cable to span empty space without the protection of the stay. Flat bar hand position was uncomfortable and unvariable. I can see why so many fellow commuters ride along with their elbows pointing upwards like comic-book villains. Another reason for future elbow and wrist fatigue. b |
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bendo
Viscount
Posts: 538
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Post by bendo on Dec 17, 2014 4:01:53 GMT
Pics to come. Work's firewall making things tricky right now. b
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bendo
Viscount
Posts: 538
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Post by bendo on Dec 17, 2014 6:09:21 GMT
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bendo
Viscount
Posts: 538
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Post by bendo on Dec 17, 2014 6:10:12 GMT
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Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,391
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Post by Jem on Dec 17, 2014 6:22:40 GMT
Bendo,
Cycle World Magazine just contacted me and declined your offer to write bike reviews for them. All this honesty just doesn't fit in to the sycophantic, Emperors new clothes ethos of that kind of publication.
Personally, I'd love to read a real assessment of a bike- but it doesn't shift units.
So anyway, it isn't going to tempt you to reassesses your custom steel order? Haha
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Post by whippet on Dec 17, 2014 8:43:29 GMT
I bought an alloy hybrid for use with the motorhome. So far I just can't get on with it, as you say, loads of vibes and poor position.
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Post by cusqueno on Dec 17, 2014 13:03:16 GMT
During the week my newest Viscount, the VA Pro, with its original wheels, threw a spoke. I heard it ping and stopped straight away. Unfortunately that's it really for the entire back wheel. It's only a single-wall rim and there's no point replacing either the single spoke or relacing the whole wheel. B, I think you are unduly pessimistic, or perhaps a perfectionist. In my experience, provided you are dealing with an alloy rim, wheels can usually be straightened after spoke breakages and replacement with no bother, provided the rim isn't actually worn out. Not sure why it should be worse for a single-wall rim, or are you just considering its value? Of course, being a rear wheel I expect it's a drive side spoke that's gone, so replacement involves removing the block. Is it a Viscount hub? If you aren't happy with the rim, you might consider swapping the rim, which (again, in my experience) is a lot less angst-provoking than building a wheel from scratch. Instructions can be found on the Interweb. Final truing can be carried out by the LBS if you lack the requisite tools or patience. Wheels are strong, even with one (or two!) spoke(s) broken, and I have often ridden for a day or two in this state until I could replace the spoke. Best to cut it off close to the nipple though, to stop it waving in the wind and causing a puncture. What do other people think? |
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Post by triitout on Dec 17, 2014 18:22:04 GMT
I think of the tales I've read of people popping spokes left and right on full touring rigs until they found a "talented" a.k.a competent mechanic to set it straight. I wouldn't throw in the towel just yet.
As far as discomfort on your loaner rig, that's a big drop from seat height which is already too high to the handlebars. Much more aggresive than your body is used to That alone can make any bike including a Viscount feel miserable. That was my experience with the undersized GP. In my humble opinion, fit is everything and trumps materials and the loaner just doesn't fit. To quote Johnny Cochrane, OJ's lawyer, " If it doesn't fit, you must acquit".
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bendo
Viscount
Posts: 538
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Post by bendo on Dec 18, 2014 1:59:57 GMT
B, I think you are unduly pessimistic, or perhaps a perfectionist. In my experience, provided you are dealing with an alloy rim, wheels can usually be straightened after spoke breakages and replacement with no bother, provided the rim isn't actually worn out. Not sure why it should be worse for a single-wall rim, or are you just considering its value? Of course, being a rear wheel I expect it's a drive side spoke that's gone, so replacement involves removing the block. Is it a Viscount hub? If you aren't happy with the rim, you might consider swapping the rim, which (again, in my experience) is a lot less angst-provoking than building a wheel from scratch. Instructions can be found on the Interweb. Final truing can be carried out by the LBS if you lack the requisite tools or patience. Wheels are strong, even with one (or two!) spoke(s) broken, and I have often ridden for a day or two in this state until I could replace the spoke. Best to cut it off close to the nipple though, to stop it waving in the wind and causing a puncture. What do other people think? You might be right about being a perfectionist... Definitely the Viscount hubs are for keeps. But the original, very thin, steel spokes would all need to be replaced, as a modern replacement spoke would be stronger and make it difficult to balance the tension with the other spokes. Others would inevitably start to go as well. Eventually I would have to replace them all. This would be a hassle to do one at a time because (you were right) it was a drive side spoke. As it was, the rim was noticeably warped straight away. I reckon if I had ridden much further I would have done another spoke and another. Each one that goes puts more strain on the ones that are left. I could relace the wheel with all new spokes, but IME single-wall rims (yes it's alloy and no it's not worn out) are a bit flimsy and harder to make into a strong wheel. I'm not that confident at wheel building but this could be an opportunity to rectify that I suppose. b |
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bendo
Viscount
Posts: 538
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Post by bendo on Dec 18, 2014 2:04:36 GMT
...As far as discomfort on your loaner rig, that's a big drop from seat height which is already too high to the handlebars. Much more aggresive than your body is used to That alone can make any bike including a Viscount feel miserable. That was my experience with the undersized GP. In my humble opinion, fit is everything and trumps materials and the loaner just doesn't fit. To quote Johnny Cochrane, OJ's lawyer, " If it doesn't fit, you must acquit". It's a pretty extreme set up now that I look at the pics, isn't it? Interestingly, if you look at the website of the shop it's from, all their bikes are set up with this OTT aggressive position. Their main thing is track bikes and I think it's a trope of track bike culture. Also the nose of the saddle is a bit high (ouch!). But the problem wasn't so much the position (my spine is still reasonably flexible, touch wood) as the rigidity of the ride. I guess it was just a massive contrast from riding a steel frame with slightly wider tyres and a leather saddle. b |
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