Quite amusing, really.

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I'm keeping an eye on eBay to see what's happening in the Viscount & Lambert world and, every so often, I see listings with the addition 'quite the following', or 'huge fan base', which makes me snigger. Our 'club' of Viscount owners and enthusiasts currently has 38 members--okay a few have admitted to just lurk and not signing up (yes, Andy, I'm talking about you, mate; join up already to share your stories!) but even if you add, say ten more people, then we're still a small bunch of Viscount nerds with an appreciation of those great bicycles. I think it's because although cycling is becoming more popular now, it's mainly amongst cyclists from late teens to mid thirties; all of whom are too young to remember Lamberts or Viscounts which were only produced between 1971 and 1983. As a result people don't recognise the name and rather go for a Peugeot or Raleigh or anything else their mates ride, or they've seen on the roads. I'm a bit of an exception as I'm not English or American, and the company didn't particularly market to Germany, so when I stumbled over Shawn last year it was pure fate. Not that I'd remember any popular German bike names, I hasten to add, despite my life-long wish of owning a racer, I never paid attention.
I could imagine that those looking for a second hand bike, finding Viscounts or Lamberts, do some research, read about the death fork, which seems off-putting enough, but if that doesn't do the trick then it's probably that unique bottom bracket that will make potential buyers pass on the bikes.
Yes, those bikes will only speak to a certain kind of person:

• Up for a real challenge
• Determined
• Willing to learn and that fast
• Patient
• Perfectionist
• Proud to stand out

If you're the type of person who listens to a bike shop telling you to scrap the old bike you've just bought for 125 (or more) pounds, because they haven't got a clue how to deal with that bottom bracket, or think that the time and effort of freeing the seized seat post is a waste, then you're better off to buy something more standard. If you combine more or less all the six points made above, you're a good candidate to become the next Viscount lover.

People always ask me what's so special about them and the only thing I can offer is to hand them one of my bikes and let them ride it. But, to be honest, a short spin around the block won't give you an insight; you'd need to ride it for at least 30 minutes to an hour to really appreciate the smoothness of the bb, the lightness of the frame, the way the bike feels. To me, it's magic.

The most recent member to join our forum started out with a Sprint, and has recently picked up a G.P, which was one of the high-end bikes Viscount made, and he said the same: you can't really explain what's special about riding Viscounts or Lamberts; you need to ride them and will, inevitably, fall in love.