Late 70's Viking Severn Valley Cycle?

[Illaveago]

I recently bought this bike . I didn't know much about it apart from its make , frame size, and that it had some Campagnolo parts. I agreed a price and went and collected it on Sunday. To get round SWMBO we made a day out of collecting it by a trip to the seaside. We even fitted in a pub lunch!
As I said , I wasn't too sure what equipment the bike came with. It had a Reynolds 531 frame, Campagnolo brakes and Campagnolo Nuovo Gran Sport rear derailleur. It turned out that the bike was equipped with a Campagnolo Nuovo Gran Sport group set. the only things missing are Campagnolo brake levers which seem to be Weinmanns. The stem is SR and the handlebars are Mavic. The wheel rims are Wolber with stainless steel spokes. The frame and forks are Reynolds 531 butted. The frame has plenty of patina! It looks a bit better with a bit of a polish and looks really nice when it sparkles in the sunshine.
I set about giving the bike a good wash and clean . The chain ,chainrings and sprockets and rear derailleur were pretty well gunged up. I set about digging the gritty mixture out with white spirit and a thin screwdriver.
The front wheel bearings seemed okay but the rear wheel had some play in it. I discovered today that one of the cones had a groove worn into it . I haven't got a replacement so I set about reducing the step and pits in it with some 600 grit wet and dry paper. Once rebuilt it spun freely.
This evening I borrowed a chain off another of my bikes and got the Viking ready for it's first test ride. That's one advantage of having more than one similar bikes.
I am impressed! It feels light and so is the steering ! I had a few issues which need sorting like brake cables and perhaps shortening the chain. I discovered that you have to be careful not to catch your feet in the front wheel when turning. I think it has a short wheelbase. I did 5 miles on it tonight.
I have been trying to do some research into what model I have . I posted a thread earlier omitting the word Viking! I don't know how it happened!
Viking didn't make many cycles with Reynolds 531 frames especially butted ones. It was suggested that my bike could be a reintroduced Severn Valley which was released in1978.
Here are some pictures of my bike.

 

[Illaveago]

I have been out in the sunshine de rusting, treating , priming and touching in. I had to make up the colour from what I had lying around in my garage . A mixture of a very light silver blue and a drop of BMW electric blue metallic seemed to be a close match . When the paint was dry I went over the areas with clear acrylic lacquer. I missed a couple of places. The bike is looking a lot tidier.

 

[biggs682]

Looking good hope you enjoy it

 

[Apollonius]

You probably know all this, but just in case, here goes. Your Viking is from the second iteration of Viking which was based in Northern Ireland. The original Wolverhampton firm went bust in 1966 or thereabouts. It was a decent quality product, and some did use 531. I have a plain-gauge 531 model from 1980 which was called the Vision. I don't think the second Viking company used the Severn Valley name. The distinguishing feature of the Severn Valley was a slight fluting at the top of the seat stays.

 

[midlife]

Severn Valley popped up at the Harrogate Show 1978 iirc sporting the new Nuovo Gran Sport kit. It had a section in the Cycling magazine which was about twice as thick as usual...

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/515n-zr872L.jpg

 

[Illaveago]

You probably know all this, but just in case, here goes. Your Viking is from the second iteration of Viking which was based in Northern Ireland. The original Wolverhampton firm went bust in 1966 or thereabouts. It was a decent quality product, and some did use 531. I have a plain-gauge 531 model from 1980 which was called the Vision. I don't think the second Viking company used the Severn Valley name. The distinguishing feature of the Severn Valley was a slight fluting at the top of the seat stays.

It does have the fluted tops to the seat stays .
I'm not a fan of fluted stays , but I will have to put up with it .
It is a name which fits which type of model best describes it at the moment . I haven't found anything else which matches it's appearance or components yet . It is nice to ride apart from the saddle .
I think one of the Clements was involved with the company at one stage .

 

[Illaveago]

The Reynolds transfer would date the bike from 77 to 81. This would also fit with the Campagnolo rear derailleur which has the early type pivot bolts with the engraved patent on them .

 

[IanSmithCSE]

Good evening,

Viking didn't make many cycles with Reynolds 531 frames especially butted ones

Ouch, wow, etc,

They were once a premium brand!

I remember in the 1970s Sid Barras who used to ride for the UK based Viking pro team and who had a column in the weekly print magazine (as all mags were in the 1970s) Cycling explaining that beer was good.

They used to compete with the classic orange and blue Holdsworths and were very like Raleigh with a range that covered cheap and cheerful all the the way up to 531 tubes forks and stays and Campag Super Record.

They went the way of other brands such as Claud Butler and became a name on cheap imports but once they were something to lust over.

Of course if you are merely brazing tubes from Reynolds and bolting on Campag parts you are no different from everyone else doing the same, but that was the Golden Age, before everyone moved production overseas so was automatically inferior!


Bye

Ian

 

[Illaveago]

Good evening,

Ouch, wow, etc,

They were once a premium brand!

I remember in the 1970s Sid Barras who used to ride for the UK based Viking pro team and who had a column in the weekly print magazine (as all mags were in the 1970s) Cycling explaining that beer was good.

They used to compete with the classic orange and blue Holdsworths and were very like Raleigh with a range that covered cheap and cheerful all the the way up to 531 tubes forks and stays and Campag Super Record.

They went the way of other brands such as Claud Butler and became a name on cheap imports but once they were something to lust over.

Of course if you are merely brazing tubes from Reynolds and bolting on Campag parts you are no different from everyone else doing the same, but that was the Golden Age, before everyone moved production overseas so was automatically inferior!


Bye

Ian

What I meant to say was that not many cycles in their range were made from Reynolds 531 , or from what I can find out on the net .
They were indeed highly successful in the sport . The transfer on the seat tube lists some of their victories .
There isn't a great deal of information about the company or their bikes on the net apart from their closure and relocation to Northern Ireland.
From what I can see from my frame is that it was put together we'll the only downside being the paintwork being metallic and not lacquered.

 

[Illaveago]

I have discovered that the frame number which I thought had been miss stamped was actually a letter Q made up from a letter O with a 1 over stamped . This has been repeated at the end of the frame number so it was deliberate. I have read that the top of the range models were made by Harry Quinn .
I haven't done many miles on it yet but what I have done so far has been very nice , feeling light and agile .

 

[Coast]

I have a Viking brochure - undated but I believe late 70's. Shows the UK address as based in Warrington Cheshire. Regardless - I believe this is your bike and original spec. It also appears to be available as a frames only.

 

[Coast]

 

[midlife]

The Severn Valley above was late 70's and was one of the first dressed in the then new Nuovo Gran Sport, you could buy it kitted out or just the frame.

 

[Illaveago]

I have a Viking brochure - undated but I believe late 70's. Shows the UK address as based in Warrington Cheshire. Regardless - I believe this is your bike and original spec. It also appears to be available as a frames only.

Thanks .
It does seem to match what I have got . I was beginning to wonder if it wasn't a Severn Valley as the old catalogues refer to a different style of bike . A touring bike with a longer wheelbase with mudguards . Mine has a short wheelbase of 39 inches and without mudguard mounting eyelets .

 

[Illaveago]

Ooh!
Another thing !
The picture confirms that the Campagnolo brake levers that I have just bought from the bay are the right ones for my bike !