Freecycle late 70's Viscount

[Jonny69]

This is another of my Freecycle fleet. It's a post- death fork recall Viscount, not an Aerospace frame and I think it's late 70's or very early 80's. It looked like that was left from original was the frame and fork, and maybe the cranks but I'm not sure. I can't find much info on the later non-Aerospace Viscounts. It's quite light and wears a lot of patina.

(Note: this is a rolling project, newer pictures further down in the thread)

I got it as a backup for my commute and it started as a zero budget tyres-only build with flipped bars, jacked out seatpost, no back brake and no front dérailleur:

Didn't need any of this :

It didn't ride brilliantly like that and the single brake on chrome rim was useless at best. I still needed a backup bike but this was too uncomfortable to ride over the distance. I decided to put it back to how it might have rolled when it was a bit younger with alloy parts instead of chrome steel or black plastic, and some drop bars with suicide brake levers.

This is pretty much what it's looking like so far and it rides much much better. Alloy seatpost hiding in there, unknown make alloy bars, Weinmann non-aero brake levers, Wilkinson brake cables:

At the back I was thinking of going single speed, but it's got a 5 speed freewheel which is well seized on and I just can't get it to let go. Instead I picked up a chrome Huret dérailleur for peanuts to replace the mangy black plastic one:

Then I started getting extravagant and splashed out on some MKS quill pedals, which I put some chrome toeclips with red straps on:

I need to get some fresh pics and do something about a saddle and wrapping the bars. Other than that I'm riding it as it is.

 

[jamabikes]

may i ask how much those huret rear mechs go for? they look very nice do i need to re-mortgage to buy one or just skip on the take away this week?

 

[Jonny69]

may i ask how much those huret rear mechs go for? they look very nice do i need to re-mortgage to buy one or just skip on the take away this week?

Nah, just skip a can of Coke one lunchtime. That one was 99p plus postage on eBay!

 

[Goldie]

Ooooo, I do love Viscounts - that's looking very nice indeed. More pictures when the pedals go on?

 

[Jonny69]

It's getting there

Pedals are on with some chrome toeclips and I do have to say I quite like them! They are a little narrow but my commute isn't long enough for it to bother me. I also borrowed the black handlebar wrap off my Raleigh (which has now gone red). Just need that ideal saddle. Pics:

Ignore this one, it's me trying to be arty and failing:

Double annoyance, I went down this morning to find it's got a puncture. No doubt from the road laying works that remain unfinished after 6 weeks now. Sadly, I'm surprised I haven't had a puncture from it already.

 

[GarethPJ]

Is it an optical illusion or is the fork bent back slightly?

 

[Jonny69]

I haven't noticed anything wrong with it!

 

[GarethPJ]

There probably isn't anything wrong, but if you look at the third picture it looks like the forks bends back a little. Probably just the angle of the picture.

 

[Goldie]

Lovely - those pedals look a treat. Just scored some MKS toeclips for my Viking, that had been gathering dust at my LBS for about thirty years. I knnow I'm showing my guillable nature here, but they make it look... faster...

Brooks Vitesse for the saddle? http://velobase.blogspot.com/2010/02/br ... tesse.html

 

[Goldie]

I should probably be holding off posting pictures of this until it's back together properly, but I'm so stupidly excited about it, I can't help sticking at least one photo up:

Courtesy of the ebay fairy a mid seventies Viscount Aerospace in bits, complete with death fork. I was trying to get our lass to get on board with cycling being a thrilling sport for supermen and demi gods by telling her about the death fork, but it didn't work

I genuinely cannot wait to get it out on the road. In its current state, I can left it with one finger looped under the frame.