Death of a Viscount? - 1998/08/15 17:27I know, I know: Viscounts (English, mine circa 1975 in the "Trusty" era) get no respect, and for good reason -- the "death fork" recall, the proprietary Viscount-branded components that were good in theory (hubs & BB with sealed bearings) but not durable, the BB not easily replaced by modern ones, the soft dropouts (in some models), and "aerospace" tubing of an alloy no one ever heard of that was light only because it was very thin-walled.
But I love mine and even having theoretically much better bikes (anyone want to buy a Masi Prestige?) it's the Viscount I often ride. So I had it absurdly fixed up -- modern wheels (the rear with a Phil Wood hub & Velocity rim), modern brakes & headset, carbon fork... Today one crank snapped off -- not at the bolt (which is intact) but on the thing the bolt screws into. Any idea on whether this is repairable? More particularly:
- does this mean the BB should be replaced?
- if "yes", any suggestions? I understand most likely the BB shell will need to be machined to accept any substitute BB, which raises the risk of further thinning an already weak area on the bike (tho' others have done it successfully).
- any suggestions about where in NYC to go to have the shell machined (my favorite NYC shop is Bikeworks, but I think they don't have the necessary machines).
re:Death of a Viscount? - 1998/08/15 21:25Nope -- the crank is fine. Looking at the crank from the side that faces the frame, I can see the crank bolt is still whole.
Probably the axle. We'll see what Bikeworks says in about 15 minutes if I can "scooter" down there in the remaining time.
Thanks, Tim. I think you posted some interesting info when I bought the beast about 2.5 years ago.
Thanks to everyone else too -- I go to Bikeworks loaded with helpful email printouts!!
re:Death of a Viscount? - 1998/08/16 15:20Thanks for the tip.
They lied to me about 12 different ways a year ago (about where they do their work, about when my bike would be ready -- the latter requiring at least 3 fruitless trips to their shop). When I pointed out those little errors, they committed the ultimate sin of disparaging the flawed majesty Viscount itself (suggesting essentially it is junk).
They may do great work (I don't know) but I would convert my Viscount into a sofabed or timeship or fruitbowl before I would walk in there again.
- Charles
PS the lie about where they do their work -- in the shop or elsewhere -- mattered because it meant I could not retrieve my bike UNrepaired when that out of frustration that is what I wanted to do.
re:Death of a Viscount? - 1998/08/16 18:25If you are good at surfing the websites in england, you can find good replacement parts for many types of bikes made in the 1970's.
I think youmight be able to send it to england and have royce UK make you another one, or they could refer you to a company that supplies a workable replacement. Royce UK is the cadillac maker of bottom brackets in England, and they seem have CNC'd new spindles for just about any purpose ...
re:Death of a Viscount? - 1998/08/17 03:02According to Barnett's bicycle manual, chapter 20, Viscount / Lambert crank removers are no longer available. So you may have to find a shop with the vintage tools in order to remove the axle from your bottom bracket, or try a rubbert mallet / rubber chisel (?), i suppose, to get the crank arms off the spindle.
re:Death of a Viscount? - 1998/08/17 04:15Wow, that takes me back. I got rid of my Viscount in the mid/late 80's. Never knew about the death fork until some years later. Until then I thought it was a good deal for the price. Put a lot of miles on it, too.
It would be worth taking the BB cartridge bearings out to see what the spindle looks like. That also gives you a better look at the shell so you know what to do next.
And could you keep us up to date? There are probably other nostalgic Viscount owners around here.
re:Death of a Viscount? - 2008/06/09 08:14Hi, I just joined the forum so I could post about my Viscount from the 70's. It was called the Indy 500 and was a great bike...I think I got it in about '79 from the local shop. It had Shimano gears and while I can't remember any details about the components I do remember that they were superior to many of my friends bikes parts. I have been looking round ebay to see if I can find one for old times sake. Anyway, nice forum and regards Jem
re:Death of a Viscount? - 2008/06/09 14:40Hi, and thanks! I had it from '78/'79 and rode it constantly till about '83 when the gears mangled up. I held on to it for another 10 years thinking I would sort it out but by that time I had discovered cars/girls and such like. It was a great bike and I would love to do a bit of research to find out about Viscount and the models it made. My friend had a Viscount (from the same local shop) but I can't remember the model but will ask him when I see him. I know ride a Dawes Kalahari and just last Sunday picked up a Dawes Shadow (I am presuming 70's/80's?) second hand racer for £6 from a car boot sale! Man, it absolutely flies and the gear ratio is just suberb! I am glad to be back into bikes..once loved never forgotten! Regards Jem
re:Death of a Viscount? - 2008/06/10 09:54Jem, you sound very enthusiastic. That's great. I love how you can get those bargains in garage/car boot sales. Wish we had something like that over here. Must add to the great feeling of having a fantastic product for an unbelievable price
Cars are handy (and good to impress girls -once) but I agree with you that biking tops it and is preferred whenever possible. The strange thing I see here though is that people tie their bikes on their cars, drive up to some place and then start riding them Me, not a car owner, find that very funny
re:Death of a Viscount? - 2008/06/23 22:45Just this past weekend I purchased an early 70's Viscount Aerospace 10 speed. The bike is in pretty good shape, surprisingly for its age. I was absolutely amazed at how light the thing is. Yes, with the famed (or defamed) "Death Fork". I read all the horror stories of possible dangers but have yet to find a real life..'I know somebody who wrecked on a Death Fork' story. Upon examining the fork, it is solid. No cracks. I'll probably search out where to get a replacement steel chrome plated fork, but don't know if I will actually replace it. The fork is part of the story of this bike! There's history there! Anywho, I researched the whole bit about the crank spindle and what is necessary to replace it. I was also able to score the neat looking chain rings with those circular cut-outs on Ebay. Just made the winning bid last night, in fact. Oh ya, the seller was very decent enough to throw in the spindle and crank arms in the deal. There is still decency among men! The BB looks to be in good shape to now. I am gathering the crank set spindle and bearings for possible future use. If I never do, then my son will inherit them for when he takes the bike over should he need them. And yes, he did inform me he would be inheriting this bike along with my others once I'm too old to crank the gears. Anyhows, I am looking forward to prettying this Viscount all up, get new tires, replace shift and brake cabling, rewrap the handle bars, etc etc and taking my first ride on it. The biggest kick was seeing my 13 year old kid's eyes light up when he lifted the bike up and yelled out, "Dad, it's as light as your Bianchi! (2006 Axis) Ahhhh yes. Bikes. Such simple technology giving such great pleasure! Well, that's my extent of the Viscount story thus far. I'll share as I progress along with the refurb of this beauty from England.
re:Death of a Viscount? - 2008/06/24 07:53Lebleub, welcome to the forum
That's great. Congratz on this purchase. I know enthusiasm is worth a great deal more than any 'fancy' fashion items or status symbols (brand names in schwung at present).
When do you think you can make your first ride with it?
re:Death of a Viscount? - 2008/06/24 15:21Hey Braveheart. Thanks for the welcome! Oh I'd say sometime towards end of summer. Between work and travel, I figure is should be late August, early Sept. BEFORE the snow hits anyways.
re:Death of a Viscount? - 2008/06/25 12:56This is true. Yet again, taking the bike apart, examining, cleaning and making note of any adjustments and part replacement needs is a great part of the fun for me. Once I've identified all the necessary actions and needs, I take the steps to accomplish the task at hand. THEN riding the bike is that much more enjoyable. Oh ya, it makes for great quality time with my son. He gets a big kick out of the stuff too!
re:Death of a Viscount? - 2008/06/27 14:24Sounds ideal. Like you found yourself the perfect 'hobbykit' here Having fun fixing it up and the feeling of accomplishment afterwards will for sure make it one of the best bikes you have ever owned
re:Death of a Viscount? - 2008/06/27 15:10Funny thing, my favorite is an old beater bike I picked up, cleaned up and tuned up. It's great for climbing the hills around here. Then there's another old "insignificant" from the 70's that I got for a song and a dance, threw some new tires and tubes on , tuned up...and on the flats, I absolutely looooove. Funny how that works eh?
re:Death of a Viscount? - 2008/06/28 15:22Yeah. It is because of individual preference over some parts of the bikes (and their qualities) that we like what we like
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Me, not a car owner, find that very funny 
Anyhows, I am looking forward to prettying this Viscount all up, get new tires, replace shift and brake cabling, rewrap the handle bars, etc etc and taking my first ride on it. The biggest kick was seeing my 13 year old kid's eyes light up when he lifted the bike up and yelled out, "Dad, it's as light as your Bianchi! (2006 Axis) Ahhhh yes. Bikes. Such simple technology giving such great pleasure!
