Hello Members:
I am a first time poster, I am currently restoring a 1978 Viscount Sebring. This was a bike that I had bought prior to beginning college in 1978. When I arrived at college, it seems that the majority of persons walked everywhere so the bike did not get ridden much except in the summer between semesters. After graduation, it was ridden even less until about 1987 or so and at that point I bought a better set of wheels that were 700's not 27" and the bike looked funny with the smaller wheels and brake arches set all the way down so they would work. In 1990 I bought a new bike and the Viscount was relegated to trainer duty until last summer when I gave it away as I had bought a new Lemond. I did some research to this site and also to Sheldon Browns site and discovered that the bike might be one of the "Death Fork" models. I was able to contact the organization that had the donated Viscount and to my amazement, the Viscount was still sitting in the same building where it had been donated. I explained my concern to the Donation Organization and they agreed that it would be okay if I recovered the bike from them, which I did.
The bike had a large majority of the original parts in good to excellent condition. I have cleaned and polished all and am getting a set of boxed rim wheels built up. Granted they are double wall construction and have eyelets but they are 27" and are close to a period correct design.
My questions are, does anyone know what type of steel frame tubing was used to make this bike. Research has told me that the bike, made by Trusty, is a post Yamaha (former owner of Viscount) creation and was handcrafted in England. Trusty went out of business shortly after 1978. The frame weighs 5lb4oz and has a steel fork, not a cast Alu death fork. Is it Reynolds 531? Hope not to offend any purists but the bike is lacking in imagination. 2 sticker badges on the head and seat tubes and a sticker on the down tube. My intentions are to have some decals created, a head badge created, have some chroming done to the lugs, crown, partial rear triangle, new paint in the same current color red, put it back together and ride it. It does have some rust in the BB and seat cluster area, just surface rust and is otherwise got it's share of dings in the paint.
I guess my other question is does it sound as though my restoration plans are out of bounds with a classic cycle board?
Thanks for response,
Bill