Viscount Aerospace.. but which one?
- Thread starter zerogravitas
- Start date
zerogravitas
Senior Retro Guru
I'm back making progress on this after the summer holiday/TT bike hiatus - It's now in the stand and I'm busy hanging parts on it. First I bought a pleasingly shaped SR bar off ebay to replace the narrow, badly scored non-branded one the bike came with.
The shorties sit well I think.
600 shifters are a nice upgrade from the Almi originals.
I fitted the seatpost but really wasn't happy with the clamp. I think the early Laprades came with this pressed steel top which A: looks cheap, and B: pinches the rail rather than evenly clamping it. I rummaged in my spares and noticed the damaged post I took out of my Al Carter had a topper with the same microadjust curve as the Laprade. It was powdercoated black, so I took it to work and sandblasted it.
I think it matches the rest of the post rather well.
The saddle is a honey Selle Italia Mitica which are available for a good price and have a great classic look.
I have the wheels I need now and thought I might complete the bike this weekend, but last night found yet another issue! The chainline with this SR crank is way off compared to the original, and the fit on the spindle is not great, The tapers are in poor shape, maybe from being run loose in the past. I had thought I would get away with it once it was all snugged up but... I was wrong. It would be boring if it was all easy right?
So I think my solution is going to be taking a small step away from originality by getting a threadless type cartridge bb and losing the whole Viscount press fit/spindle arrangement. Even though it is an interesting and unique part of the Aeropace frames I feel it is quite a poorly designed system, difficult to maintain and to fit without damaging the bearings.
The shorties sit well I think.
600 shifters are a nice upgrade from the Almi originals.
I fitted the seatpost but really wasn't happy with the clamp. I think the early Laprades came with this pressed steel top which A: looks cheap, and B: pinches the rail rather than evenly clamping it. I rummaged in my spares and noticed the damaged post I took out of my Al Carter had a topper with the same microadjust curve as the Laprade. It was powdercoated black, so I took it to work and sandblasted it.
I think it matches the rest of the post rather well.
The saddle is a honey Selle Italia Mitica which are available for a good price and have a great classic look.
I have the wheels I need now and thought I might complete the bike this weekend, but last night found yet another issue! The chainline with this SR crank is way off compared to the original, and the fit on the spindle is not great, The tapers are in poor shape, maybe from being run loose in the past. I had thought I would get away with it once it was all snugged up but... I was wrong. It would be boring if it was all easy right?
So I think my solution is going to be taking a small step away from originality by getting a threadless type cartridge bb and losing the whole Viscount press fit/spindle arrangement. Even though it is an interesting and unique part of the Aeropace frames I feel it is quite a poorly designed system, difficult to maintain and to fit without damaging the bearings.
Last edited:
sjcprojects
Orange 🍊 Fan
zerogravitas
Senior Retro Guru
I _think_ I will need a longer spindle than that, just researching a swamp of conflicting info on SR Apex cranks to see if I'm right. I also have a worn out Mavic unit I can hopefully use as a test when i get home.
Will let you know, many thanks!
Will let you know, many thanks!
sjcprojects
Orange 🍊 Fan
Sure - I've actually recently taken some SR Apex cranks off a BB, so I'll just check what the BB length was on that bike...
sjcprojects
Orange 🍊 Fan
The Tange BB on the bike with the SR Apex cranks was 125mm long, so yes, it looks like you'll need something much longer than 113. Not that that's conclusive, and I may have just muddied the waters even more!
zerogravitas
Senior Retro Guru
There are loads of different types of Apex which is half the trouble. I found this;
So 119mm might be the one. I think I will order one and offer it up to see.
So 119mm might be the one. I think I will order one and offer it up to see.
zerogravitas
Senior Retro Guru
Got an 119mm M-Wave threadless BB for under £4 from Amazon! Crazy cheap and it looks perfect.
Because I'm a masochistic lunatic I decided it was a good idea to refurbish the existing freewheel rather than just buy a new one for a tenner
After removing 45 years of encrusted filth and grease I carefully dissembled it and thoroughly cleaned it all up.
The races and pawls are all in good shape, so just new grease and a careful reassembly was required.
Smooth and ready for another few decades of riding.
Actually one of the more straightforward and enjoyable repair jobs on this project.
Sheldon Brown's freewheel repair guide was invaluable if anyone is silly enough to want or need to do this;
https://sheldonbrown.com/rebuild-freewheel.html
Because I'm a masochistic lunatic I decided it was a good idea to refurbish the existing freewheel rather than just buy a new one for a tenner
After removing 45 years of encrusted filth and grease I carefully dissembled it and thoroughly cleaned it all up.
The races and pawls are all in good shape, so just new grease and a careful reassembly was required.
Smooth and ready for another few decades of riding.
Actually one of the more straightforward and enjoyable repair jobs on this project.
Sheldon Brown's freewheel repair guide was invaluable if anyone is silly enough to want or need to do this;
https://sheldonbrown.com/rebuild-freewheel.html
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zerogravitas
Senior Retro Guru
@hamster traded me some nice Gran Sport pedals for this as the Milremo pair that came on the bike were flaking and not really recoverable.
I stripped them down and gave them an ultrasonic clean to get the grime off and then a light sand of any road rash spots followed by a gentle polish.
I'll clean the clips tomorrow and grease and reassemble.
I stripped them down and gave them an ultrasonic clean to get the grime off and then a light sand of any road rash spots followed by a gentle polish.
I'll clean the clips tomorrow and grease and reassemble.
Guinessisgoodforyou
rBotM Winner
I'm looking forward to seeing this built
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