The Viscountess

I hatched this idea a year ago, when I couldn't make it to the DFR1 and told the guys that I'll build a bike for that day. I'd asked Steve, who's the daddy of all things Viscount and Jem, who'd given me the frame, for their consent, so I wouldn't offend anyone. Knowing my enthusiasm and also that I'd handle this all sensibly, they found my idea wicked.
The frame is an Aerospace Pro which I had powder-coated by Armourtex (RAL 3015), and finished with a clear lacquer.

The Viscountess








Forks: NOS Tange chrome in 27"
BB: Viscount/Lambert with new bearings
Brakes: NOS Lamberts
Brake levers: Lamberts (kindly donated by John)
Handlebar: alloy, GB
Seatpost :original Lambert/Viscount
Crankset: original Lambert/Viscount
Pedals: alloy pink anodised track pedals
Shifters: Shimano
Skiptooth freewheel: Shimano
Derailleurs: front Titlist (kindly given to me by John), rear NOS Titlist GS
Wheels: polished alloy, build by myself
Saddle: nicked from my Pro, but will be a Brooks B17 at some point.
Handlebar tape: cotton cloth in baby pink
Cable clips: NOS Shimano
The transfers are custom made by Signon in London, great company with reasonable prices.

5 comments:

  1. Anonymous30 June 2014 at 16:01

    Wow! Well done not only on the build but for keeping it 'secret' until DFR2!

    Very lovely and clever at the same time. It's really got everything hasn't it? Skip tooth freewheel, Titlist GS, porthole chainring, Lambert brakes, those lovely wheels. And you even have the all chrome headbadge.

    I think it should be called the "Supa Viscountess"!

    Chapeau! b :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stella1 July 2014 at 13:25

      Ah, Bendo! Thank you, thank you, thank you. Well, yes, it has everything and then some. She needs a B17 and a clean, and then will be ready to roll again.
      Quite amazed I was able to keep it a secret. Only Triitout, Sooper and Steve knew what I was up to as they were all sort of involved. :-) Thank you, guys, by the way.

      Delete
  2. Sean27 February 2015 at 13:06

    Hey Stella, just wanted to ask about the freewheel on this. Acquired myself a(nother bloody) bike and it's got a shimano 5-speed skiptooth on the back. Went to take it off, and my shimano freewheel remover is ever so slightly too big in diameter. This has worked in the past on another Shim 5speed, but not on a skiptooth. Any ideas on:
    -whether I'm going insane
    - if not then where I can get the right tool from
    -and why the flip would they make two spline setup things with marginally different sizes, of not for the purposes of making me go insane.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous8 October 2016 at 22:42

    Hello! (This is a long post.)

    I have read most of your blog, and I enjoy it very much. I enjoy your attitude and admire your skills. You are a good writer too.

    I will date myself by saying that I bought a Viscount Aerospace G.P. brand new. It was white with blue trim. I believe the aluminum fork on that bike was the V3 version. I bought my girlfriend, (Now wife of 40 years,) a Viscount Sebring, also new.

    I rode my Aerospace G.P. everywhere for a number of years when I was in college, but once I got out in the "working world," I was usually too tired to ride, and most American cities are not "Bike friendly," unless you want to toodle around in a park on a path shared with parents pushing strollers, and weekend walkers who are even older than we are.

    I finally sold my G.P. to a neighbor who promptly let it get stolen. We hung on to the Sebring until 2005, when we faced a third move in four years. We simply didn't have room in the truck, and the Sebring went to a bicycle mechanic friend of ours.

    I never forgot our Viscounts, but people looked at me like I was crazy when I said I would like to have my G.P. back. If the people I talked to knew anything about older bikes, they would say things like, "You must want to die." or "Aren't those the 'Death Fork' bikes?" I would tell those people that nothing on my bike ever broke, and that I surprised more than one "fast rider" by keeping up with them when they tried to show off.

    I finally decided to begin riding again about a year ago after recovering from knee surgery. I found a reasonably nice Aerospace Pro on the usual auction site and bought it. I also had a vintage "Ladies" bike of a different brand refurbished for my wife. We were lucky enough to find a young couple who own a bike store near us. Naturally, they lean towards the newer gear, but they enjoy working on old bikes, and they have taken great care of us. (I haven't let them near my bottom bracket though.)

    This weekend, I bought an original white with black trim Lambert Grand Prix that had languished on the usual auction site for months. No one would buy the bike, even though the decals are still good, and the paint is fixable. (I lean towards touching up/repairing paint flaws rather than stripping original finishes.) The Lambert pedals, QR seat lever, brakes, brake levers, hubs, skewers, shifters, handlebars and handlebar stem are all there. Even the gold Lambert decal under the handlebars is reasonably intact. The bike still has that funny looking Simplex rear derailleur that Lambert used in the early days. I am itching to get the bike and start bringing it back to its original glory.

    Lamberts and Viscounts are not really held in high regard in the U.S. They are seen as rather obscure, quirky bikes that lost a series of owners lots of money and got people hurt, which is, if one goes by the evidence and history, very unfair, but I will let them continue thinking that way until I am out of storage space.

    Again, I love reading about your adventures.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Unknown2 December 2017 at 14:42

    were did yoou find the silver head badges?

    ReplyDelete

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