Road Test/Bike Review (1975) VISCOUNT Aerospace Pro
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Road Test/Bike Review (1975) VISCOUNT Aerospace Pro
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WTB: Slingshot bicycle promotional documents (catalog, pamphlets, etc).
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Last edited by SpeedofLite; 11-05-19 at 01:03 PM.
#2
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Good read. Thanks for posting. I picked up s pretty clean viscount back in January. A pretty solid following of these on the interwebs. The is for sure a light bike and after a few rides the brakes are what stand out. A pic as found. I do have the middlemore seat.
#3
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My '76 Ohio State college roomie had a gray/black Aerospace Pro, which prompted me to rid myself of a previous all-steel 35-pound bike for my 26-pound Fuji S-10S... and thus started the journey...
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Cool looking bike. I imagine it stood out from the crowd even more when new.
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Cool review. I am a Lambert fan from way back.
Of course it's a different year/model from my own, but the "stiff steel frame and mushy aluminum fork" sounds completely ass-backwards to me. My Lambert frame (24") is pretty dang flexy, though I never actually used the aluminum 'death fork' that came with it on the side, since it was noticeably heavier than the replacement steel fork that was on the bike when I got it. I now wish I'd tried it at some point before it was lost to the four winds; every other aluminum fork I've ridden has been quite stiff and buzzy. And lighter.
I guess now I have to seek out an original 24" Viscount Aerospace to do a side-by-side test.
Of course it's a different year/model from my own, but the "stiff steel frame and mushy aluminum fork" sounds completely ass-backwards to me. My Lambert frame (24") is pretty dang flexy, though I never actually used the aluminum 'death fork' that came with it on the side, since it was noticeably heavier than the replacement steel fork that was on the bike when I got it. I now wish I'd tried it at some point before it was lost to the four winds; every other aluminum fork I've ridden has been quite stiff and buzzy. And lighter.
I guess now I have to seek out an original 24" Viscount Aerospace to do a side-by-side test.
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● 1971 Grandis SL ● 1972 Lambert Grand Prix frankenbike ● 1972 Raleigh Super Course fixie ● 1973 Nishiki Semi-Pro ● 1979 Motobecane Grand Jubile ●1980 Apollo "Legnano" ● 1984 Peugeot Vagabond ● 1985 Shogun Prairie Breaker ● 1986 Merckx Super Corsa ● 1987 Schwinn Tempo ● 1988 Schwinn Voyageur ● 1989 Bottechia Team ADR replica ● 1990 Cannondale ST600 ● 1993 Technium RT600 ● 1996 Kona Lava Dome ●
● 1971 Grandis SL ● 1972 Lambert Grand Prix frankenbike ● 1972 Raleigh Super Course fixie ● 1973 Nishiki Semi-Pro ● 1979 Motobecane Grand Jubile ●1980 Apollo "Legnano" ● 1984 Peugeot Vagabond ● 1985 Shogun Prairie Breaker ● 1986 Merckx Super Corsa ● 1987 Schwinn Tempo ● 1988 Schwinn Voyageur ● 1989 Bottechia Team ADR replica ● 1990 Cannondale ST600 ● 1993 Technium RT600 ● 1996 Kona Lava Dome ●
Last edited by Lascauxcaveman; 05-17-19 at 12:31 AM.
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Man, I wish I hadn't read that. I've had my eye on one for sale locally for awhile. Hmmm...
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Another old Lambert fan here, found the article pretty good reading. Have to admit, I've never had a Viscount, and never really knew anything about them, as my buddy's bike shop had already gone under (in equal parts due to the Lambert debacle and the sudden crashing end of the Bike Boom). I do have a Lambert, but was very fortunate in getting an early one: Nicely lugged frame, a real threaded bottom bracket, not that sealed bearing crap. Love the way the bike rides.
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If there hasn't been a thread strictly about bikes we've bought as a result of reading BF threads, there ought to be.
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WTB: American Cycling May - Aug, Oct, Dec 1966.
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#9
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Thanks for that! As a teenager, I lusted after those Viscount (pronounced vye-count) bikes in those days. They weren't as well made as they were made out to be, but they were OK.
I finally got my hands on one a few years ago. I converted it to fixed gear. I haven't put much money into it, so it's my cheapest bike. I like taking short rides on it in the city. I can lock it up without worries. With its lax head angle and big fork rake, you would expect it to have a sluggish, lanky ride, but I find it to be quite nimble. Maybe they matched the fork rake to the angle well. The space between the chain stays only allows for 28 mm tires, which is a bit sad.
I only weigh 170 lbs, so frames don't flex on me noticeably. This bike is lightweight, and I like that.
Not much on mine is original. I'm using the original headset, front brake, bottom bracket, and large chainring. The chainring is supercool. I swapped the cranks as an experiment. They are TA junior cranks, only 155mm long. Surprisingly, I like them a lot. And this is my last bike with toe clips. All others have SPDs.
Chainring is 52T, cog is 19T, so gear is 74"
I finally got my hands on one a few years ago. I converted it to fixed gear. I haven't put much money into it, so it's my cheapest bike. I like taking short rides on it in the city. I can lock it up without worries. With its lax head angle and big fork rake, you would expect it to have a sluggish, lanky ride, but I find it to be quite nimble. Maybe they matched the fork rake to the angle well. The space between the chain stays only allows for 28 mm tires, which is a bit sad.
I only weigh 170 lbs, so frames don't flex on me noticeably. This bike is lightweight, and I like that.
Not much on mine is original. I'm using the original headset, front brake, bottom bracket, and large chainring. The chainring is supercool. I swapped the cranks as an experiment. They are TA junior cranks, only 155mm long. Surprisingly, I like them a lot. And this is my last bike with toe clips. All others have SPDs.
Chainring is 52T, cog is 19T, so gear is 74"
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“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
Last edited by noglider; 05-17-19 at 02:45 PM.
#10
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I like what you did with your bike,noglider. ^^^ my vye-count just hangs out in the cave. I could use a fixed gear bike. Those chainrings are so cool.
#11
Death fork? Naaaah!!
I like the chainring so much I put one on my SS:
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