How it began

Beautiful Mafac front brake

Well, actually not too long ago, but let me explain why:
For as along as I can remember I've been cycling. I recall my uncle teaching me how to, and the moment when he let go and I reminded him over my shoulder to not do exactly that. I heard nothing and that's when I learned that I was already riding myself. As I grew older I had a folding bike, a hand-me-down bike my grand-grand mother had ridden, before I got my very first new bike: a 3-gear ladie's in burgundy, which I had for many years. When it broke down I bought my very first own second hand bike and loved it. My yellow Lottie was well-known and was a single speed Dutch-style bicycle. Wonderfully easy to pedal and sturdy. When that fell apart I upgraded to a men's mountain bike. And for the past five years I've ridden my second one. However, I always wanted to have a racer, but never really thought of buying one.
Until April this year, that is. My trusty mountain rider was becoming a tad heavy to ride and I was ready for something new, and while I was at it, fulfilling myself the dream I had since I was a teenager. So I set out to find myself a suitable, affordable bike. I found one in the cellar of an antique/weird and wonderful parts shop in Hackney and it was love at first sight. Yes, it does exist! While it was mainly the colour red that drew me in, once I felt the alloy drop handlebars and sat on it, I was sold. This was the bike I wanted. I left the shop as I didn't have any money on me, and with the thought of having to look around a bit more, but I already knew I'd fallen for it.

Shawn as he's now, but soon to be changed

The next day I went back to buy it. It was time to take a look at the bike in daylight and, what can I say? I
liked what I saw and felt. While the guy who owns the shop set to fix a few things (thinking back he didn't really know what he was doing), I used up a fair amount of his miracle wipes to clean the bike. It had been sitting in the cellar for a while; my belief is that fate was waiting until I was ready for it. With the tyres pumped up, the gears and brakes adjusted, I rode home with a huge smile on my face.
At home, I took an even closer look at my purchase, feeling a bit like a lion who got the antelope and pulled it to the hiding before devouring it. This bike was mine and nobody would take it off me again. Ever!
But what the heck was a Viscount? Never heard of it. I knew it was an old bike and I loved the centre pull brakes and suicide levers, but the brand didn't ring a bell.
Thanks to my friend Google, I soon found out what a gem I'd bought: a Viscount Aerospace Sport, made from lightweight alloy in the 70s--very advanced for that time. I dug a big more and found a forum, or better a thread, where Viscount enthusiasts are mingling to discuss those wonderful bikes.
That's when it all began: the love/hate relationship with those bicycles. Love, for they're wonderful to ride on; hate, because they're very particular in the way they were constructed with press-fit bottom brackets and press fit bearing in the hubs, which makes maintenance a lot more challenging.
I'll post about my steep learning curve and hope to encourage other enthusiasts to give those magnificent bicycles a second lease of life. They truly deserve it.