No idea how I managed that, but

Joe's got the bug. He's the one who approached me after buying a Viscount frame and, according to him, is reasonably glad he's found me. The reason being is that he went to a bike shop to find out what to do with the bottom bracket and they simply did what bike shops with no idea about this 'weird' assembly do: they knocked it out and damaged the spindle irreparably in the process! Makes me a tad sad to hear that. Not that Joe brought it to a bike shop, but that those people he trusted to fix his frame, actually did quite the contrary. Those spindles are very, very difficult to find and suitable replacements are expensive. 

Yes, you can knock the BB out, but in order to do that, you need to screw the bolt into the spindle (completely) and the washer underneath it. It can still do a lot of damage, particularly when there's corrosion thrown into the mix. It's also not the most elegant solution either. And the bolt will possibly be yesterday's news as well.

However, we met up for a coffee so I could hand over the--still bottom bracketless--frame in order for him to recreate the white/red colour scheme of the Lambert G.P, while my tool's in surgery. It had taken a knock when it got bent and didn't survive the 'dry run' I'd done before turning to Joe's frame. Good thing, methinks; I'd rather it breaks with bits sticking in the spindle of my frame than breaking when working on a customer's frame. 

A bit of a bummer, nonetheless, as I'd planned to fit three BBs, and they're all spindles with a 5/16 thread. Well done, Stella! *sigh*

Lambert anyone? Joe's so strong, he can hold up two!

Anyway, I brought my Lambert frame along to the cafe to show Joe how it should look like and he got all excited--finally he is able to do something himself, get his hands dirty. He's already mirror polishing the death fork (mark III, the safe one) and can't wait to ride the bike when it's ready. 

To give him an idea, I literally made him ride all my Viscounts (the three that are complete), and he's rather much in love with the red flash. The blue one's gears need to be set up correctly, although I did a 2-hour ride on it today with hardly any problems or rub.

Colourmatching or what?

To be honest, since I've swapped the stem and put on new handlebar tape, I feel really good and comfortable on that blue Sport. The brakes are super sharp, even though I had to adjust the rear before I left for the ride. I find the skip-tooth freewheel makes for much easier pedalling than the normal 14 to 28 ratio. Pure joy if you just air for a light exercise.

No, I will not be defeated! Unlike a certain hex key ...

When you're new to bicycles, everyone will tell you that old bikes always come with problems. I never objected to such commentary, but it also never put me off. Most of mine are almost 40 years old and given that age, they've actually all been quite all right to work on, bar one, which is now a case for an expensive repair job, but that can wait.
Shawn had been my biggest challenge, but mostly because I didn't know what I was doing. Now, several Viscounts and one Lambert later, plus much better equipped with tools, most of the little hurdles are easily overcome.
As reported in my previous post, the bottom bracket was so shot, it disintegrated when I knocked it out. I assume even if I'd used the puller tool, it would have come apart, leaving one of the outer bearing races stuck in the drive side--a rather annoying thing to happen if you don't have a fully working hammer. The one I have can safely be called vintage with its wooden handle, but that's not really the issue; the head flying off as soon as I use that tool, however, is.

8 Oz hammer, look how shiny it is! And a centre punch

Time for a new, modern, hammer; I needed to get some Emery paper anyway to prepare the spindles, and while I was there I also got a centre punch and circlip pliers, something every Viscount & Lambert mechanic needs. Unfortunately I can't recommend using the centre punch during an operation 'free the bottom bracket shell from unwanted metal ring'--at least not if you're keen on not hurting yourself. Tried to do that for about two minutes by not wacking it hard enough, which resulted in my fingers being safe, but also in the bearing race staying where it was. Dammit! I needed a bigger tool. A screw driver was perfect, and the combination of that (with my fingers out of the way) and the new hammer doing a fine job, the bearing race was out soon. I then checked the frame and can report that it's not damaged! Hallelujah!

Gotcha!

Lambert bottom bracket shell still intact!

Now all I needed to do is part that stem from the fork.
After sweating over the stem bolt which refused to turn, leaving me with some unwanted Tool Art, I bought another set of imperial-sized hex keys and got cracking. Literally. My biggest worry was that it wouldn't come loose and that I'd have to saw through the stem; something you don't want to think about since it's the original Lambert stem which takes the L- or V-branded bolts. With that new hex key in place and an old steel seat post with seat still attached (don't ask!), I gave it some welly and with a mighty crack it came loose. Phew! I guess the repeated spraying with rust dissolver played a big part in that, too.

Apparently I'm Superwoman

Freed for the first time in 40 years!

Corroded stem bolt!

As you can tell from the pictures, the stem bolt's corrosion is too heavy. Luckily I still have the bolt from the stem that broke a few weeks ago. It looks, though, as if I won't be using the stem anyway as it's 100mm, which may be a tad too long for me on the 22.5 inch frame. Need to test it. Anyway, all parts are now cleaned and ready to be mirror polished. Next picture of that Lambert will be taken when we're

out on a ride. :-)

If it hadn't been for that damn Viscount!

I'm taking a moment to reflect on my Viscount journey as it was roughly about this time last year, when I started to research more about Viscounts, reading quite a bit on the CTC Viscount bicycles thread. I knew the bottom bracket needed urgent attention, even more so after my friend was complaining about the wobble when she rode the bike for a bit. When thinking back I can still see me sitting in the garden, hammering the spindle and bearings out, then, upstairs in my living room, without any bike tools, hammering the new bearings and spindle back to a fully functioning bottom bracket. Doesn't matter that I broke a mallet and a hammer in the process. At that point I had been in touch with Steve, who'd guided me, and distrusted any bike shop with regards to Viscounts' unique bottom brackets. If someone had to break it, then at least it would have been me and not someone else. Good thing then, that I didn't do any damage.
I'm keeping that to now, being I'm a certified bike mechanic--makes so much more sense, doesn't it? Do you hear the sarcasm dripping from those words? Yes? Good, because that's exactly how I'd meant it. In all fairness, though, I've learned that every bike mechanic does mistakes--no matter how experienced; I'm in good company.
Today, I've put the Lambert frame into the stand, full of anticipation. The plan was to strip it, clean it, check it over, put it back together. A plan the bike didn't agree with and stubbornly refused to cooperate.
The first thing to go pear-shaped was the left-hand crank. While the drive side came off with no problems whatsoever, the left thread stripped and the crank extractor didn't grip. Taken the relatively fresh and large amount of grease on the bolts (what for I have no idea, to be honest), my bet is on someone wanting to fix the shot bottom bracket and quickly giving up due to not knowing what to do with it. That person must have already stripped some of the thread leaving me only little to work with.

Bent puller tool

Because I'm such a genius, I had the grandiose idea to just pull the spindle through and push the crank off on the other side. What else do I have this great tool--specially made for me--for? tThe idea was going in the right direction, the execution, however, not so. The cracking sounds was frightening, and I stopped immediately. The crank arm on the none-drive side had pushed the bearing a tiny bit inside. Okay, that wasn't working like I'd envisioned it. A brief moment of thinking and I decided to pull the spindle from the other side. Again, inventive, yet not recommended. As I've now got a crank arm with a damaged thread and some dents from the tool, which was now also bent. A sudden rush of panic spread through me; this tool is a precision tool and took ages to be made, if I'd broken it, it would've been a disaster. Needless to say that the spindle didn't move one bit and was still in the frame, plus both bearings. Hmmm.
I really needed a cuppa and a new solution.
To make matters worse, the stem bolt is royally seized up. Nothing that normally concerns me, because I've never been defeated by a seized stem, but that bugger just didn't move. Not one bit; instead the imperial-sized Allen key, made out of cheese, twisted, rendering it useless. I'd sprayed rust dissolver (similar to Plus Gas) onto and into it from all possible angles--still nothing. Guess I'll have to buy a 'proper' one and then give it another go. If anything else fails, it'll get the tool-in-vice treatment. On the other hand, it's only the bearings that need replacing, so may just do that, tighten the headset and may not need to get the stem out for now.
Anyway, back to the bottom bracket: with the tool still bent, and the left hand crank attached, I did the one thing I knew would work: screwed in the bolt into the drive side and hammered it out.
After that I had an idea of how to bend the tool back and succeeded, being finally able to push the bearing and crank off the spindle, which is a tad corroded, but nothing serious. It can easily be cleaned, polished and re-fitted. Not too bad after being 40 years in use, isn't it?

Slightly corroded spindle

Luckily, the bearings are easy to get (6003 2RS) and since yesterday night, I also know how to fit the bottom bracket using the tool. Easy, really.

Rather shot bearing.

Unfortunately, the remaining bearing didn't come out in one piece as I'd expected. In the absence of a collet, I normally use a long bolt with a slightly rounded head and tap the bearing out--gently! This time, though, the bearing fell apart--did I mention it was completely shot?--with bist and pieces flying everywhere; everything but the outer race, which is still sitting in the frame. This will need some careful approach as any damage to the frame could potentially mean that the new bearings might not fit snugly anymore.
A tad frustrated, I decided to give it a rest for the day and finish the job at a later point. You know me, I'm not one to give up, so this frame will be rolling on London's streets very soon. Watch this space.
And just a side note for you: I usually wear gloves and my hands don't always look as leathery. For some reason, I started on the bike without gloves getting dirty pretty quickly.

My first Lambert: An Aerospace G.P.

I'm happy to announce that I've got a new addition to my fleet: my very first, rather original Lambert. The previous owner had it sitting for ages without wheels and then decided to sell it on. He'd got it from his friend and loved it, but just didn't get round to fixing it up. He said he's really glad it's gone to a good home.
So here it is; a story in pictures. Needs a bit of work: the bearings and headset are shot but, hopefully, the spindle is fine. I'll pull out the BB tomorrow to see what going on.
I think I won't do a restoration job as it would destroy the character of this bike, but I'll clean the whole thing up to get an idea what's going on, then build new wheels and will then happily ride it.
Oh, and it's a 22.5 frame, so it's pretty spot on. I couldn't be happier even if I tried.

Viscounts all around and a little help here and there

I was finally able to take my friend's yellow flash for a test ride and went to Hackney to enquire about something for a customer. On my way I had to stop at Mamachari to show off the little beauty and Jacobo, who's been working there for a while, was more than happy to see me to look after the shop for a minute. Not a problem, and possibly fate, as the door opened and someone pushed in ... guess what? Yep, a Viscount. My eyes grew wide and I immediately told him I loved him (no kidding!). The guy laughed and I started to take a closer look, when it dawned on me that it's Carlos, who I'd stopped a few months ago, when I was on my way to work. As you're aware I am like that: I see someone on a Viscount and demand a chat. Crazy, I know. Could be worse, I guess.
He greeted me with a wide grin and said that he'd been in the shop last week to get a new seat post; the one he'd had was too short for him, and he said he'd left it with Noah with the words: Please, give it to the Viscount girl. I immediately went on a hunt for the seat post and dug it out. Upon laying my eyes on it my heart accelerated and I asked if I could give him a hug as it was exactly what I was looking for for the rally bike: an in perfect nick alloy seat post which, if I'm not mistaken, it's original, too, as it's 26.8mm, a rather unusual size--typical for Viscounts' Aerospace frames.

Imagine this one mirror polished!

26.8 "vintage" alloy seat post

The bolts need replacing, but other than that ...

You can probably imagine that I was a happy bunny, and to prove that he's happy about handing this sexy seat post over to me, here's a picture of both of us with our Viscounts and me holding the desired piece in my hands. Thank you, Carlos! I hope you're reading this.

And it doesn't end here. I wasn't sure if I should post this, but why not? In the end this all is happening because of this blog. Rewind to Monday:
I got a call from my mate and colleague at Micycle, and he informed me that, on Sunday, someone walked in, Viscount frame and crank set tugged under his arm, asking for me. I was a bit baffled, and thought about someone else who Noah had sent my way, but nope it was someone who'd read my blog (hi, Joseph :-) and was very much inspired by my enthusiasm. By the sounds of it, I was his only hope to get his Viscount project off the ground. The frame is a gorgeous fillet-brazed one with braze-on cable guides, but it's a tad tricky to find out what exactly it is. Joseph explained it came with the original alloy fork (by the sounds of it either a mark 2 or 3--therefore safe to ride) and original long-reach centre pull brakes, which would point (for me) to an Aerospace Pro as some came with 700c wheels. The curious thing is that it has a cut out at the bottom bracket (where the number normally is) and I've not seen that before, but am in contact with Steve, the expert and will send pictures to get this frame identified. Joseph and I have decided to stick with the press-fit bottom bracket (wise decision), and I'm getting the wheels (pardon the pun) in motion to source a spindle. For your information: normally the bearings would be 6003 2RS, which stands for two rubber seals. Very exciting times for me as I can make use of my wonderful Viscount bottom bracket puller and installation tool. Phil Wood, here I come! And the frame will also get a lovely powder coating and lacquer, plus transfers.
I'm deeply honoured to help with this project, not only because it's another Viscount saved from rotting, but mainly because Joseph is putting his trust in my expertise, not only as a Viscount crazy girl, but also as a mechanic. It means a lot to me. Pictures of the project will, of course, be taken and put on this very blog. If the owner agrees, that is. 

The before and after; a truly stunning transformation of a Viscount

I'm pretty sure you remember the Thame bike, the blue one with the badly bent drop out on the drive side. It was the bike I'd planned to built for my friend Piddi, a surprise and thank you for being the friend she's been in the past. Okay, I'll admit that I've been looking forward to give this wonderful bike a new lease of life, too. You know me, little Miss Viscount, who can't pass on an opportunity to make something old look new again. Now that she was here last week, I finally can reveal some pictures. You see, she's secretly reading this blog and it wouldn't have been a surprise had she seen anything beforehand. Although, it still didn't click when I asked her to help me with the yellow bike (she always said she wanted a yellow bike) which I carried into my living room and clamped it into the stand. She was in awe about the colour and how nice it looked in general, so I told her that it was good she liked it as it was for her. The look on her face was priceless. I enjoyed it immensely.

The bands on the seat tube need to be re-done. Same goes for the gear cable. Sack that mechanic! :-)

And because I'm a little bit mean, I thrust the front mech, shifters, and cable guide, along with a few spanners and a screw driver into her hands and told her to fit them to the bike. By the way she looked while dutifully following my orders, she seemed to love working on the bike more than the bike itself. That was the plan anyway: to get her involved. Not because I'm lazy, but so she 'bonds' with the bike, and learns a few things along the way. She's not a mechanic, but my hat's off to her; without any fear whatsoever, she just did it. I'm a firm believer in giving someone tasks they've never done before, a little bit of trust goes a long way and I've experienced the same when I started out as a mechanic. It's what I plan when I start with basic maintenance courses (particularly for women), nobody learns from someone who takes tasks out of their hands to do it quicker. What I found difficult, though, was to 'teach' her in German, as I learned mechanics in the UK, therefore I have no clue what all the stuff on a bike is called. My friend thought it was funny to be bi-lingual when it comes to bikes.
Not so funny, though, is that she didn't get to ride the bike. I'd hoped--expected even--that we'd merrily ride along the canal or River Lea, but those hopes were a tad crushed when the 118mm bottom bracket was too short to take the SR Apex chain ring, and I don't have a bottom bracket tool for Shimano screw-in units either, which posed a problem. I'm very much familiar with Viscount's original bottom brackets, but this one came with a sleeve in the shell and since I--in a fit of braindeadness--tossed the one that came with the bike, a cottered crank set, I had no clue what kind of thread this one is. Furtheron, the brake levers were the wrong ones for the old handlebar and the one we wanted to put on for the time being needed other levers. Then the saddle seat clamp didn't fit on the other saddle I planned to give her, and the list goes on. It's a valuable experience for me as I'd never built a bike where components were swapped; I even had to cut the new (rather beautiful) chrome fork as it was far too long. That went perfect, though.  Phew!

New and shiny Tange chrome fork

Really pretty, those Zenith hubs

And the wheels looks rather stunning with their Zenith hubs. I didn't have a spare pair of Viscount or Lambert branded hubs and decided to use those I'm selling with my wheels. Must say I like it a lot; so does Piddi. Of course they're 27 1 1/4 and the hubs come with sealed bearings. What else could one want?
However, after much faffing we decided to enjoy the lovely weather instead of fiddling with the bike until the last minute; that'll be down to me, plus getting a few more things for it as I'm not happy with the head set (new Tange one, methinks), and I couldn't find a good enough (perfect shape) handlebar either. And I need to mirror polish all the components before I send it over to Germany. If you get the impression the bike was just slapped together, that's because it was. The aim was to at least get Piddi riding, then do the finer things.
Didn't happen, but here's a picture of her, pretending as if:

Piddi on the yellow flash

At least the majority is done and the powder coating is amazing, apart from two spots which I'll have to raise with the company that did it. I'll post the next pictures when the bike is ready to be sent to Germany.

Edit to add pictures of today's test ride. Note: the cables haven't got ends on them as I'll have to take it apart to mirror polish the components.

I'm now Viscount-equipped!

And Lambert-equipped, of course. As of now I'll be able to press or remove those wonderfully designed--yet complicated--bottom brackets. I mean they're rather simple, but anyone who has ever tried to remove one of those without damaging the spindle or frame will agree that it's not an easy task; and don't get me started about pressing them in. I had the honour doing both once and it wasn't really a pleasure. You end up dirty and sweaty, with results that leave a lot of room for improvement (getting the spindle in the right position).
I need not to fear anymore, for now I'm the proud owner of a Viscount and Lambert bottom bracket puller and pressing tool.

Heavy duty Viscount bottom bracket tool

My lovely friend Steve, the one who's the father of all things Viscount and Lambert has had one made for me so we can both go into battle with local bike shops who prefer the rough method of 'just hammering' the spindle out. In even worse cases probably recommending to toss the old BB, tap the shell and replace it with something modern! Urgh! That's just wrong. Those bottom brackets are sexy; something that just cannot be said about anything modern. Sorry, my lovely carbon fibre loving friends, but in this case the simplicity is absolutely stunning.
Agreeable, servicing them is--for the average knowledgeable cyclist--a plain pain in the arse. Aren't I the lucky girl to have such a wonderful tool at my disposal? Damn right! And I will not stop trying to 'educate' people that this beautiful bottom bracket needs to be conserved. Mind, I'm feeling a bit like the woman from the council denying planning permission for PVC windows in an area with single-glazed sash windows. And you know what? I'm feeling good doing that. I love 2014--mod cons an' all, but some things should be left alone as their beauty lies in their 'unmodern' appearance. Of course a bike--even a Viscount--is just a transport, but it'll transport you just as well with the bottom bracket it came with. The only problem with the old bottom bracket is that the spindles are extremely difficult to find.
We, as Viscount enthusiasts are trying to find solutions for this problem. Phil Wood bottom brackets work a treat, but they're more on the expensive side of things.
In any case, if you're having difficulties with your bottom bracket, please get in touch and I'm sure we can find a way of getting it out (or in) preserving the frame for many years to come.

And my Viscounts shall be shiny from now on!

I'm building my rally bike from NOS and original, and second hand (as original) components, which will pose a challenge regarding the finish of the various alloy parts. The hubs I plan on using are original Viscount, but looking a bit dull at the moment. ( I'm on the hunt for a rear hub, by the way.)
Since the bike will get a new powder coat with clear lacquer finish, and new wheels (polished alloy rims), I'd like to have all other parts to be shiny, too. My first encounter with a polishing kit in combination with a bench grinder was awesome, albeit a bit dirty. I was looking into hand-polishing, but since I've got quite a few things to mirror polish and a rather painful RSI in my right arm, I've decided to go for a polishing kit instead--those that can be screwed onto an electric drill.
I need to polish:
An SR stem
Drop handlebars
Crank set
Pedals
Hubs
in short everything I can take to a polishing wheel.
This bike has to be bling and you'll understand once you'll see the pictures, which I'll not reveal until the rally day on June 28th.
Being the woman I am, I'm also looking further ahead and, knowing how much fun (and useful for future polishing jobs) a bench grinder can be, found one offer I couldn't resist. Meet Hugo, my new friend:

Nice ears!

I was after a 370W grinder as the 150W ones are not able to keep up with the impact of grinding or polishing. Even the 370W slow down significantly if you have a heavily corroded piece of steel. Now this one required me to go to Hatfield (just outside north London), but it was worth it. The now previous owner had bought it for his work and its purpose was--believe it or not--to clean and polish armour. The very lovely guy works in the film industry, travelling the world, looking after costumes. Somehow, they didn't need the grinder a lot and therefore it became a dust collector. Hugo will be well loved once Ben and I are able to move into a workshop--any workshop. It seems as if the deal in Dalston isn't going to happen any time soon, so we're looking for another place, preferable around Finsbury Park, Hackney or central London. Workshop space for a good price is really hard to come by, but we're not giving up hope. It'll definitely the birth place for many Viscounts, all with shiny parts on it, of course.

A bit of dropout bending action

As you remember, I've recently picked up a light blue Viscount, the one with the lovely mudguards and straight handlebars. I was wondering why the shifting was a bit stiff when I rode it home from Marylebone, putting it down to age or neglect. On taking it apart, however, I discovered that the dropout, where the derailleur is attached, was rather bent. That it was shifting at all is almost a miracle.

Looks a bit like a laughing face to me

How did that axle stay in place?

But here I was, trouble shooting the how to get that hanger bend back without damaging it. After all, there was a good chance for it to snap. The bike may have been only 15 quid, or 35 including the cost of the train fare, but I really didn't want to buy a frame to strip it, I want to rebuild it, so my panic was probably understandable.

My first approach was to clamp it in the vice and bend the frame down. That didn't work out so well as the frame slipped even though my mate Tom tightened it for me.

As my quirky brain decided that the simple way seems to be fruitless, it came up with a somewhat more complicated solution, albeit possibly workable: take a block of wood, carve out the bit where the hanger is situated, feed some sort of solid rod through the hole where the derailleur is screwed in and do the vice trick again, pressing the dropout back into place. Yes, I know, rather complex for a simple procedure (you're allowed to laugh), and it's certainly not ripe for testing. I had some other funky ideas which I won't share as you'd probably laugh right until the next century.

So what do you do if you need a good plan and fresh mind? Exactly, you go to someone who has the knowledge. And it was a good thing I did, because the dropouts are now back in place, nothing's snapped, and the frame can be shot blasted before coming back in a new coat. How cool is that? And I didn't need a vice, a second pair of strong hands or even a workshop. Noah had suggested to use a long seat post/pole, but in the absence of having that in my flat, I came up with something that would do the trick: a socket and an adjustable spanner for leverage. Oh, and my legs, feet, and some elbow grease. Simples. 

Here's what I did:

Secured frame upside down between my legs and feet so it won't move.

I then placed a socket over the dropout. The advantage of that over a smooth pole is that it has a splined inside which prevents the hanger from rotating under pressure. 

I then clamped the adjustable spanner onto the socket and carefully bent it down (towards me in this case). I stopped and checked a few times so I didn't over-bend it, then used the adjustable spanner to straighten the hanger.

And the whole shebang in pictures:

There you go, and that's how you fix bent dropouts after the derailleur (most likely) gets caught in the wheel. Me, I'm just really glad it's not broken as small Aerospace frames like this don't crop up often. But, kids, don't try that at home with alloy frames. It may be possible if there's not much damage, but alloy is more likely to snap. I've seen it on brakes, calipers don't take to well to the adjustable spanner approach with brute force. 

A rally bike dilemma

100% Lambert and Viscount

If you own Viscounts or Lambert bikes you always have to expect the unexpected. In a good way. Okay, I have been warned; people told me that if you're dealing with old bicycles, you've got to be prepared as they're a lot of work. Nonsense, I say. The amount of times I've heard mechanics curse over 'new' bikes that were in a state--even with all the Campagnolo stuff on them--would make your ears ring. Seriously. Working on any of of Viscounts is a doddle compared to that. But if you encounter a problem with a bike that's special in every way, it's generally something more costly. Like the crack in the blue frame. An estimate was 'up to about £100' as a new part would need to be brazed in. It's still not overly expensive, but it's something that's biting a big hole into my already deep pockets for which my arms are way too short. I'm pondering if I should do it or if I should just send Shawn instead. He's only got the cracked seat tube, which will be far less to fix. On the other hand, I've already set my heart on the blue bike to become the rally bike. Oh, decisions, decisions.
While I'm debating with myself I'm busy collecting parts for the build and I'm utterly delighted to say that I've acquired a NOS Shimano Titlist GS--or tit-list  as I'd like to pronounce it--derailleur and will a front mech with the same name from a fellow Viscount/Lambert owner to go with it.. It may not be the Crane/Dura Ace GS, but that's fine by me, although I've got my eye on one, too.  It's just too funny a name to not be put on a bike. Tit-list, that is. Not to confused with that golf-sport brand, which is called Titlelist, with an e.

Sexy or what?

The bike will also be equipped with the port hole chain ring and some curious find: a rare skip-tooth freewheel.
Not to forget the NOS Lambert centre pulls which will finally, after 40 years, begin their duty. Awesome! Courtesy of Pete, who said he wanted them to go to a good home. He's another Viscount enthusiast, by the way. I must say the guys, and gal, are wonderful in general. Everyone is helping each other and I've even got a friend from the US involved as he's helping me to avoid the silly delivery charges of the Titlist GS. I personally believe Viscount and Lambert owners are the best people in the world.
That said, they may also be a bit crazy--and I'm the leader of all things crazy, I believe. Busaste joked, saying I should make sure I've got something pink on my rally bike, to which I replied I'd see if I could find a pink bell. But I found something else, far better and useful:

Pink alloy quill pedals

Now, if only I could decide which bike to get repaired and prepaired for the rally. I'm still leaning towards the blue one.

Edit: I've now thrown the idea of fixing either Shawn or the blue one for this project and instead am getting an Aerospace Pro frame that another fellow Viscountier kept aside for me. It's been hanging in his shed for ages, doing nothing, and it's in perfect (no stuck seat posts, splits or tears) condition and ready to be build-up. I'll get the two other bikes repaired at some point, though.