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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Sept 6, 2015 4:11:32 GMT
I finally finished painting my Viscount frame (a couple of pictures are attached). The build will follow; I have another build ahead of it but it will come along as time allows.
I modified the paint scheme and decal colors to my taste. I think the black rear triangle draws attention away from the somewhat crude rear drop outs. I never liked the washed out look of the white with black outline decals so I added some color. I think it retains the Lambert/Viscount look. Purists may not like it; I tend to use a non-purist philosophy in my builds. I guess I must explain my philosophy.
First, a bike must please me. I enjoy riding and tinkering with my bikes; a rare and perfect bike would most likely be a wall decoration.
Second, I must enjoy riding it. All of my bikes are ridden; Which bike I select for a ride depends upon occasion and mood. I am getting old, live in the mountains of California and (since I have had a triple bypass and still have part of my heart that does not contribute to the program) have a heart rate limit of 150 BPM. Basically, I need low gears; but love the feel of a racing frame. For me to enjoy the bike, it must be equipped for my needs. My Viscount will have a triple and a long cage Crane derailleur; the combo will handle the lower gearing.
Third, modifications must be period correct and reversible. I have been riding road bikes for 51 years and remember what was done to them back in the day. It was rare for a road bike to remain as delivered. I try to make what would have been logical upgrades of the time. For example, I often convert Nuovo Record derailleurs to long cage and add a triplizer to the crank. I also have a Motobecane C5 that I upgraded from Simplex to Mavic SSC and a Mavic Starfish triple crank.
Fourth, I keep the original paint if it is in reasonably good condition. If I repaint, I might use the original scheme; but only if I like it. If not, I may tweak the scheme to fit my taste while trying to maintain the "flavor" of the original. At this point some purists may scream, but remember rule one.
Fifth, normal wear items wear items are basically up for grabs. I often upgrade to a more modern sealed bottom bracket and/or headset. They are just so much nicer. Back in the day, many riders had at least two wheel sets. A tubular set (we called them sew ups) and a clincher set for training. I usually convert to clinchers using period correct pieces. Who is to say what wheels would have survived for 40 years.
So hang in there and see what I do with this thing.
Jim
 
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bendo
Viscount
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Post by bendo on Sept 6, 2015 4:45:16 GMT
Lovely work and lovely rationale. I like your red 'lug flashes'. Those black stays will be interesting when the build is complete. I wonder what they will do to the overall look? Will they stand out or disappear? We're all conditioned to expect chrome stays aren't we? But it's not like you can DIY chrome-plating.
Will certainly hang in there. Looking good so far!
b
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Sept 6, 2015 13:38:54 GMT
Thanks Bendo!
Jim
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Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,389
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Post by Jem on Sept 6, 2015 15:07:42 GMT
I am admiring your rational too Jim. I think most of us have a vague sort of 'philosophy' for vintage bike restores, but your is fully formed and 100% clear.
I think your number 1 reason is mine too!
And great work so far! Also interested to see how it looks when done
Regards
Jem
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Post by triitout on Sept 7, 2015 2:30:19 GMT
Jim, very inspiration post. I think most of us hope to be riding as long as you have. Keep going! True that about your first point "enjoying your bike" and customizing it to fit your own style. Thanks to shows like "American Pickers", I do have and enjoy preserving my "wall hanger" Viscounts since I feel they're a part of cycling folklore. Fact is they just don't fit my riding style as much as the ones I've modified and ride regularly so I'm with you on that point. I guess that's why, space allowing, we're all looking for that next special Viscount whether it be to ride or admire  |
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Post by 54roadie on Sept 7, 2015 18:56:11 GMT
Wonderfully well done, and very well articulated, Jim. First question I have is - what bottom bracket is in there? Next questions are obvious - how did you install it and how will you finish the crank installation?
I hope to see more pictures soon!
Frank
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Sept 8, 2015 17:42:42 GMT
OK, lets do the crank: The job is easy using a bench press and a good set of snap ring pliers (pictured). The pictures are self explanatory. I used a Viscount 123mm tapered spindle.
I have two crank options (pictured):
TA crank arms with Viscount outer and middle chain rings combined with a TA inner chain ring.
A Tracer crank which uses conventional middle and inner chain rings.
I might eventually put the Tracer chain rings on the TA crank arms.
Jim
 
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bendo
Viscount
Posts: 538
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Post by bendo on Sept 9, 2015 12:45:08 GMT
+1 for the porthole triple. b
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Post by velocipete on Sept 9, 2015 17:54:31 GMT
I know the port hole chain ring should really be the outer ring of choice,but,as I've got older,a 52 outer seems a bit extreme!
On my Pro I've used the inner as the outer,42 teeth,and a 36 as the inner.These are on the original Maxy chainset.Works well.
On my Sport I'm using a Stronglight set up,86mm bcd, so lots of choice for chain rings.At the moment it seems to be my bike of
choice!Experiment, bearing in mind the area you ride,it's probably what the manufacturer would have done anyway!
Cheers,
Pete.
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Sept 9, 2015 20:02:58 GMT
Bendo is right about the porthole looking the best! Pete has it right as well; the whole thought to using the tracer is to have lower gearing. I am surrounded by mountains; Google Earth to 35 09' 09.08"N 118 39' 19.04W to see where I live.
All the Best
Jim
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Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,389
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Post by Jem on Sept 10, 2015 4:53:43 GMT
Jim - I just had a look and I got a feel of your location. They are real hills! Proper ripples in the earth , they look like archetypal mountains when you pull back a bit.
Had a strange moment when looking at the map though - I thought the area to the West of you was either pixelated or just not loading properly on my computer. Upon closer inspection I realised it was a highly geometric pattern of planted crops etc- with some habitation in there too. Arvin seems odd in that it has plenty of space around but is crammed highly on a portion of that geometric grid? Very unusual set up for someone from the UK to get to grips with as we are on the whole fairly 'organic' here, with exception of some 'New Towns'.
Very interesting anyway!
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Sept 10, 2015 5:22:49 GMT
I suppose I would have many things to get to grips with in the UK. As for Arvin, it is in the Central Valley of California and is a community mostly of farm workers The Central Valley is in a rain shadow created by the Coastal Range. I live in the mountains making up the southern tip of the Sierra Nevada range which are west (inland) of the Central Valley. East of me is the Mojave Desert which is a in a second (drier) rain shadow. The central valley was mostly settled into 160 acre parcels in the late 19th century. These farms have been mostly merged into large Agri-business farms. The largest city near me (60 mile drive) is Bakersfield which is mostly an oil town. This mixture of industries basically broke the Central Valley into large square plots and rough looking odd shaped land populated by oil wells. The mountains force the towns and farms into shapes fixed by nature. The Mojave Desert near me is a home to Aerospace manufacturing (the other large city near me, Lancaster), flight test (Edwards Air Force Base) and of course mining. I retired from the Borax mine in Boron California which is a long 134 mile round trip commute. This may sound crazy but you haven't seen Boron. It also may seem crazy that I drive 13 miles (one way with a 1500 foot and a 500 foot climb) to buy groceries. It is a bit much for cycling into town to shop.
I have never been to the UK but suspect it to be much like New England which has rural areas with a small town every three miles or so. The American west is very different, with towns much farther apart. This is partly due to geography but mostly due to mostly being settled when better transportation (rail and the automobile) were available.
You can always ride our local granfondo and see for yourself! www.tehachapigranfondo.com/
All the Best
Jim
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Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,389
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Post by Jem on Sept 10, 2015 20:49:57 GMT
Well, that does look fun! I don't think I'd be up for the granfondo course at 100 miles though ...phew.
Interesting background on the geography of your area , many thanks for that.
I seem to recall some famous (or possibly many famous) musicians coming out of Bakersfield? But my mind is a blank on that at the moment.
Jem
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Sept 10, 2015 22:22:30 GMT
Your right!
From the countrymusic.about.com website:
"A new style of country music emerged in Bakersfield, California, in the 1950s and rose to popularity in the ‘60s. Dubbed "the Bakersfield Sound," it challenged the popularity of the Nashville Sound with its gritty mixture of Western swing, honky-tonk, rockabilly, and rock ‘n’ roll.
It's best typified in the music of Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, and Wynn Stewart."
I am located in the "red neck" area of California. Many people in California's cities consider us a bit backward.
We have opinions about them as well.
All the Best
Jim
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Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,389
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Post by Jem on Sept 11, 2015 5:23:15 GMT
Merle Haggard was who I was trying to remember. I am partial to some 'real' country, not this new stuff. I don't think I'd last long in a 'red neck' bar though with my political views....  So I'll stick to playing the music at home |
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Sept 11, 2015 14:25:33 GMT
Actually, you no longer need to visit a "red neck" bar. Buck Owens built a nice Music Hall named Buck Owens Crystal Palace www.buckowens.com/ . It is a favorite stop for tour busses. If you were to attend a "red neck" bar; I would avoid discussing politics, no matter what your view. If all else fails you can toss a credit card to the bar tender and yell "Drinks for the house". This has has worked for my brother. Cheers Jim |
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So I'll stick to playing the music at home