B
Burton Figg
Guest
From July 1994 - Nov 2002 I cycled many thousands of miles on a lovely red Raleigh Criterium bike.
The bottom bracket then seized up, when I took it to the bike shop, they said the chainset was stuck
solid and could not be removed without resorting to extreme measures. At the same time I also needed
a new headset, chainset and rear wheel. Since the bike was getting on a bit, bikeshopman said it
wasn't cost effective to fix all that lot, since the bike wasn't worth much.
Alas I listened to him! With hindsight I would've sawn through the bottom-bracket axel with a
nail-file if it meant I could've kept the bike, but instead I stripped it and scrapped the frame.
I then bought another bike, which turned out to be too small. I then was given my Grandad's
lovely old Viscount bike, many years old, good condition etc. So I stripped that and put all the
stuff on it from my Raleigh. Bargain! Then the bottom bracket went, and bikeshopman tells me that
he can't put a conventional b-bracket on it since the frame had no threads on it to screw in a
b-bracket. He then put a b-bracket in that screwed into itself. I went with that. It then came
loose. He then glued it in with Loc-tite or something. Later I was pegging it down the street,
and the b-bracket cracked. He then replaced it. A few hundred miles later and it cracked again!
So out goes the Viscount!
So is there any point to my essay?
I have a couple of questions:
1. Would anyone like to buy an old Viscount frame, cream coloured, approx 58
cms. photo can be supplied?
2. I'm now after a cheap training/commuting bike wanted - approx 23inch frame - prefer something
with mudguards fitted, rack/decent lights an advantage. Cosmetics unimportant and some light work
not objected to. I live in Cheshire.
The bottom bracket then seized up, when I took it to the bike shop, they said the chainset was stuck
solid and could not be removed without resorting to extreme measures. At the same time I also needed
a new headset, chainset and rear wheel. Since the bike was getting on a bit, bikeshopman said it
wasn't cost effective to fix all that lot, since the bike wasn't worth much.
Alas I listened to him! With hindsight I would've sawn through the bottom-bracket axel with a
nail-file if it meant I could've kept the bike, but instead I stripped it and scrapped the frame.
I then bought another bike, which turned out to be too small. I then was given my Grandad's
lovely old Viscount bike, many years old, good condition etc. So I stripped that and put all the
stuff on it from my Raleigh. Bargain! Then the bottom bracket went, and bikeshopman tells me that
he can't put a conventional b-bracket on it since the frame had no threads on it to screw in a
b-bracket. He then put a b-bracket in that screwed into itself. I went with that. It then came
loose. He then glued it in with Loc-tite or something. Later I was pegging it down the street,
and the b-bracket cracked. He then replaced it. A few hundred miles later and it cracked again!
So out goes the Viscount!
So is there any point to my essay?
I have a couple of questions:
1. Would anyone like to buy an old Viscount frame, cream coloured, approx 58
cms. photo can be supplied?
2. I'm now after a cheap training/commuting bike wanted - approx 23inch frame - prefer something
with mudguards fitted, rack/decent lights an advantage. Cosmetics unimportant and some light work
not objected to. I live in Cheshire.
