I realise that's been over a month since I last posted; it doesn't mean that I've lost interest or haven't got anything to write about--quite the contrary, to be honest. In the past month, I've met up with two other Viscount enthusiasts, was able to touch the golden Lambert again, and rode a red 1978 Aerospace Sport; I acquired a new bike, a frame and fork, and I've been protected by my brave Viscount Sprint.
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| Lambert/Viscount love |
On the 3rd of August was the Prudential Ride in London, to which I was looking forward to. Cycling through the City without cars left, right, and centre is something you rarely experience here, not during the daytime anyway, and it gave me a good opportunity to meet up with John, who has the golden Lambert and Danny, who'd answered my call for Sakae crank dust caps. He didn't just bring those, but the whole TA Apex crank set, plus an extra dust cap. You can probably imagine how fast my heart went, right? Danny wanted for them to go to a good home, and he knew me from the forum. (Thank you, Danny, much appreciated.) And I
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| Plus Gas poured down from the BB shell |
know which bike I'll fit this crank set: it's a special winter project, to go with the frame and fork I've been given, another Aerospace Sport frame, fillet brazed and most possibly made in 1978, judging by the forks being half paint, half chrome. It'll be another project altogether, since the seat post is not only stuck, but also badly mangled. Nothing Noah and I can't manage; we love a challenge and I'm just glad to be able to give this frame a new lease of life.
In the meantime, John had made me aware of a wonderfully original--and by that I mean 100% original, as confirmed by our forum thread's resident expert Steve, Viscount Aerospace Pro being sold on eBay. Oh, the joy when I 'won' it for 60 pounds (plus delivery)--both paid by Noah as a thank you for my hard work in the shop. When it arrived I couldn't get the wrapping off fast enough and was delighted when I took it for a very brief spin. It's in quite good condition, considering that it's 40 years old, and just needs some TLC. Looking a bit closer at the bottom bracket, it seems as if this isn't the original one, but probably a Phil Wood. Unless the spindle was polished up to the tapered ends. The bearings sit perfectly in the shell and both circlips are there. The hubs' bearings are smooth, too. You can see the pictures of the bike
here. Go on, I know you want to. It's beautiful; I promise. My guess is that someone bought it back then and hasn't ridding it often, but looked after it well. The chain doesn't show many signs of wear either. Not sure if it was changed. Lucky me, eh? (Thank you, John!)
Okay, now to the sad news: on Thursday, I was a tad too tired and my brain didn't seem to connect with my body. At just before 9am, I turned into Ashwin Street in Dalston and crashed straight into a bollard. I swear it took the piss and jumped in my way. My brain registered that I had to go right or left past it, but my body didn't follow that suggestion; I was stopped dead, bounced back a little, fell of my bike and landed on my chin, then scrambled back to my feet and cycled the few metres to the shop. In the afternoon I was overcome by nausea and felt sick, which was a clear sign to me that it's not just a sprain that had my hand hurting like hell. A bus trip (oh did I curse public transport) to the A&E confirmed my suspicion and I now have to run around with a splinted bandage, useless as a mechanic. But that's not the sad news; I'll be fine in two weeks' time, but my brave Sprint isn't. In fact the impact was enough to bend the frame and I'll have to bid farewell to my beloved bike.
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| Properly bent crossbar, just behind the fork and lugs |
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| a clearly visible bulge |
I remember the day I bought it: on a Sunday on Shoreditch market, for Shawn had been without a bottom bracket, leaving me without a ride. Of course, when I saw a Viscount, I went for it. The plan was to keep it until Shawn was ready to go again, but I really loved the smooth Sprint, so I kept it. It's a Viscount, after all. And what a hero it is: had I ridden a modern carbon fibre frame into that bollard, I would've most probably injured myself seriously; thankfully, I was on a steel Viscount, that protected me. I know exactly why I love those bikes so much: 40 years old, and they still have got what it takes. It'll be a very, very sad day when I'm stripping down the frame. The only bit that consoles me is that its legacy will live on on another Viscount bike. I'll be on the lookout for a suitable frame. A Sprint, of course, would be ideal.
