At 3/20/2008 09:44 AM -0700, Mike Larsen wrote:
> I know the value of good tubing
Really?
I've never seen a Lambert that wasn't 1020 steel. The same soft crap Raleigh 3 speeds were made from, but just not enough of it to survive much of an impact. In appropriate diameter to thickness ratios 1020 fails "nice", but too thin it will fold like a house of cards. Which a few Lamberts did.
When I bought one I mentioned the 1020 sticker to the salesman. He assured me that British alloy designations were different than US and that their 1020 was equivalent to our 4130. I was a newbie and got suckered in.
"Light, cheap, strong - Pick any two."
BTW later Vicounts had a tapered BB spindle that fit the original bearings. My Lambert sat unusable for a couple of years, only to be resurrected (with steel fork) when the new spindle became available.
Mark Stonich;
BikeSmith Design & Fabrication
5349 Elliot Ave S. Minneapolis, Minnesota 55417 USA
Ph. (612) 824-2372 http://bikesmithdesign.com
http://mnhpva.org