Another Viscount Aerospace Pro

[The Collector]

Hi All,
First time on here but thought I would share this with you. I have a couple of bikes , an MTB and a general all rounder. I have had this Viscount frame in the loft for years, the wheels were in the garage.
Always planned on getting it back together but there was always something else to do. Anyway, after putting boarding out the loft, I decided to get the bike out, clean it up and see how it looked. Everything is original apart from the rear hub, that was damaged in storage. The rims are Italian, Nisi and imported by Evian, they take tires 27 X 11/8.
I consider it good that the forks are the 3rd version of the aluminium "death fork" and have not been swapped for steel under the recall. Must have missed that one 😚. They have the steel insert and it maintains one of the bikes unique features. The Cat Eyes on front, rear and wheels are original and stamped made in Japan. They fit the brake calipers perfectly, I think they were put on at manufacturer stage otherwise the shop fitted them.
I had originally thought I would sell it but having seen it like this and after riding it, I think I will be hanging onto it for now. It rides so freely and although only 10 speed, the selection has been very accommodating. At least there's another one in the road. 😁

 

[biggs682]

Hi All,
First time on here but thought I would share this with you. I have a couple of bikes , an MTB and a general all rounder. I have had this Viscount frame in the loft for years, the wheels were in the garage.
Always planned on getting it back together but there was always something else to do. Anyway, after putting boarding out the loft, I decided to get the bike out, clean it up and see how it looked. Everything is original apart from the rear hub, that was damaged in storage. The rims are Italian, Nisi and imported by Evian, they take tires 27 X 11/8.
I consider it good that the forks are the 3rd version of the aluminium "death fork" and have not been swapped for steel under the recall. Must have missed that one 😚. They have the steel insert and it maintains one of the bikes unique features. The Cat Eyes on front, rear and wheels are original and stamped made in Japan. They fit the brake calipers perfectly, I think they were put on at manufacturer stage otherwise the shop fitted them.
I had originally thought I would sell it but having seen it like this and after riding it, I think I will be hanging onto it for now. It rides so freely and although only 10 speed, the selection has been very accommodating. At least there's another one in the road. 😁

View attachment 602070

Fantastic bikes and they deserve to be ridden and enjoyed

 

[midlife]

Very smart . Has the OEM chainset too. Are the forks steel? I guess a mgnet sticks to them.

 

[The Collector]

Only to the steel insert, they are 3rd generation aluminium.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

But are the aluminium forks actually any lighter than a quality steel one would be - say one made of 531 or some sort of cro-moly?

 

[midlife]

Interesting point. I have two sets of vintage alloy frames somewhere in the garage. An ALAN and an SR Litage, if I could find the forks I'll weigh them

 

[biggs682]

My thoughts are a set of quality made 531 forks might be lighter , but for some unknown reason the correct alloy forks on the Viscounts just add to the appeal

 

[cyberknight]

I was gifted a frame on here ,unfortunatly it was too big so i had to pass it on so i was a bit gutted

 

[The Collector]

but for some unknown reason the correct alloy forks on the Viscounts just add to the appeal

I think just the same, like I said in the op, I consider it good we missed the recall. I don't know if 531 would be lighter or not but it would be negligible either way and there are so many other things affecting a bikes weight, often the rider more than anything. When I was speaking with cycle shop proprietor recently, he mentioned some chap had come in bragging how light his bike was. It took a lot to hold back from saying the cyclist was far too heavy for the bikes maximum weight 😂. Luckily, I have remained the correct weight for years but I would not swap these forks to knock a few grams off, I doubt in isolation I would even notice it. I suppose the manufacturer put them on for some reason at the time, one would expect lightness. I doubt they would have wanted to increase the weight but perhaps flexing aspect played a part and it was a compromise.

There are a lot of reviews about the bikes, a couple discuss the forks, their testing and how they smooth out a ride. I would definitely agree with that, I know they do help on rough surfaces.