Viscount Aerospace Pro 1975

[Dan's Owd Man]

After bringing the Aerospace Pro out from storage (see my Ride Today Thread)
Thought i should post a better picture of her.
I purchased it 2 years ago off an auction site,the seller was the first owner.
He said that he should still have the receipt for it some where,at the time he could not find it.
About a month later i received a letter from him with the receipt.
The Pro is the Tubular version and still runs the original Mavic sprint rims ,the wheels were originally built with S/S double butted spokes,both wheels have had new sealed bearings fitted,bottom bracket also has new sealed bearings fitted,i have an original leather Viscount saddle but after riding it that was soon removed.
The paintwork is original and only required a clean up with "T"cut.
Got some new decals from Image Works in Ilkeston.
The bike is very light and with the Tubulars quite comfortable.

 

[Sillyoldman]

Gorgeous

 

[midlife]

Time travel without the TARDIS....... an absolute classic for those of us where around at the time.

Death fork in situ?

Shaun

 

[biggs682]

that is stunning , i still remember the Viscount i had as a kid

i keep an eye for them now but you dont see many really clean ones

 

[raleighnut]

Very Nice.

 

[Dan's Owd Man]

Time travel without the TARDIS....... an absolute classic for those of us where around at the time.

Death fork in situ?

Shaun

Hello Shaun
Yep! Original Mk3 fork still in place

Thanks for all the complements,but the bike was in such good condition because of the way the first owner looked after it.All i had to do was clean it ,replace bearings,tubs,brake blocks,strip headset and replace with fresh grease, and polish up the alloy bits.

 

[Cycleops]

Lovely, what an absolutely incredible piece of history. And with the original receipt as well. Didn't they have some problem with the frame?

I remember 'tubs', what a pain they were.

 

[Spokesmann]

Ticks all the boxes for me!

 

[stevevw]

That is fantastic. I have the 27" version, probably the best riding and most comfy bike I own.

 

[Dan's Owd Man]

That is fantastic. I have the 27" version, probably the best riding and most comfy bike I own.

Hi Steve
Nice. Yours has got some extra bling on it,Black Dura Ace calipers,is the rear mech a standard Crane with black infill? Mine has a Suntour cyclone which the first owner told me was original(lighter than the Crane)
Are the hubs Dura Ace or Viscount hubs painted?What ever they are they go well with the rest of
the black gear and the black of the 27"Clincher frame.
You to are still on the alloy fork,we wont use the other name used for them.

I purchased a pair of the Dura Ace calipers like yours but i tried to fit them to the frame but i could not get the brake blocks low enough to contact the rim and not the tyre.(700c /28" tubular rims smaller than 27").
so i will keep them for one of the other projects.

 

[Dan's Owd Man]

Lovely, what an absolutely incredible piece of history. And with the original receipt as well. Didn't they have some problem with the frame?

I remember 'tubs', what a pain they were.

Thanks for that Cycleops, i don't think there was a problem with the frame,the big problem for the company at the time was front fork failure,they ended up revising the design twice, mine is the Mk 3.
If you go on line and Google"Viscount Death Fork" you will find a large amount of info,strangely no one ever died !!!(Thankfully)
Unfortunately the adverse reports at the time contributed to the demise of the company.

Regards the Tubs, i am going to give them a go,i carry a spare with me just in case.
I have seen on Youtube people adding slime to the tube as a puncture protection.
Also seen one Video of a chap Super glueing a patch to the outside of the Tub to get home,it worked well.

 

[stevevw]

Interesting to know about the brake drop. I have wondered if the frame and fork was different on the Tub version, obviously not then.
Mine I built with a full 1st gen Dura-Ace black groupset including nos large flange hubs. I have changed the chainset, rear mech and block recently for Eroica to Crane GS and matching 14-32 block with the standard telephone dial Chainset 52-42. So although the 32t looks massive with the 42 driving it it can still be hard work on steep climbs. I put around 100 miles on mine over the last week.

 

[wonderdog]

I've owned one of these since 1977 ... always felt it was a bit of a mish-mash of components with the TA cranks and Shimano Crane rear mech, plus Viscount/Lambert's own bits and pieces. It's still one of the most comfortable bikes I've ridden and I don't think a custom built frame would fit me better. I've fiddled with mine to the point that it now runs pretty much all Suntour Superbe and Superbe Pro components. Thank God for the dia compe drop bolt which allowed me to get the rear brake caliper down to the rim. I have Araya clinchers laced up to the Pro hubs with high pressure 1" tyres and I don't think there'd be many bikes roll as well. About the only Viscount bit left is the stem. And yes, I still run the death fork which, in later iterations, I don't believe was nearly as deadly as it was made out to be. It's a really nice chunk of forged alloy that's every bit as pretty as any posh European stuff.

 

[biggs682]

i have had a couple of Viscounts and an earlier Lambert and yes they are great bikes , just waiting for another nice example to come along now

 

[Anna Scott]

It's very nice looking! Really!You, guys, seem to manage them as with a child