While on the subject of Vikings, does Norris or anyone else know anything a bout the bikes ridden by the Viking team in the UK in the mid-sixties? I n photos, the bikes look to be similar to the Severn Valleys of the period with Nervex Professional lugs, and they appear to be Campagnolo Record equi pped and I see one photo with GB Syncron brakes of all things. Does anyo ne know what color those bikes were and what was the rest of the equipment they used?
A few years back, I saw a Viking that I thought was a Severn Valley (it had been repainted) but the owner told me that it was a Viking Professional, w hich was custom made to order -- were these in essence the same as the team bikes and were they available to the general public (the owner of this one was in the cycle trade)?
Any info much appreciated. Thanks
Hugh Thornton
Cheshire, England
From: Norris Lockley <norris.lockley@yahoo.com> Subject: [CR] Viking Vision To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Date: Tuesday, 3 March, 2009, 10:28 PM
Robert, Kevin isn't far off the mark about your Viking Vision..
The brand was revived in 1976/77, with the first bikes becoming available f rom the Llondonderry (N.Ireland) factory, in 1978, just about the time of t he revival in the public's interest in cycling. I had just opened a new ret ail cycle shop at the time and VIKING became my leading brand.
The set-up at Viking was interesting and based around a family of cyclists, including Harry Quinn and certain relatives among whom were some well-k nown Liverpool roadmen. Harry designed all the frames including the racers
for the young lads,,they looked very good and used Prugnat lugs, upright an d correct angles. The factory was based in N.Ireland because there was at t hat time a Government initiative that provided loans to companies willing t o create work in that country. Remember there were the TROUBLES between the Catholics, the Protestants and the various atrocities..
The Vision model was listed in the first catalogue in May 1978..but it was
painted in viola metallic. Later that year it became available in ice blue. ...the colour used for all the best frames including the Severn Valley. Oth e r colours included copper beech and ice lemon metallics. Your colour, a yea r later, is Burnt Orange. All the paints were from a top Italian paint manu facturer.
The Vision was the entry point for Reynolds tubed frames - the Vision havin g three main tubes in 531, and angles of 72 degrees parallel. It came equip ped as standard with the Shimano 600 /Mafac brakes set-up. The next model, the European, finished in Ice Blue, looked identical to the Vision but had Reynolds 531 throughout and Campagnolo ends.
Price for the bike was 164.95 pounds sterling...quite a high price at the t ime with the frame alone costing about 55 pounds.
To publicise the launch of the revived Viking brand, the company ran a Pro
team - one of the best at the time, including Keith Lambert, Sid Barras, Ph il Carbutt, Dave Cumming...with the renowned Eddie Soens - another Liverpud lian - as manager.
The venture was fairly short-lived, there being some fall-out within the fa mily..but the final problem arose in the early 80s when the Government fund ing was halted. It was a great pity because the Viking range provided excel lently designed and well balanced bikes that looked like the real thing..an d probably rode just as well as some of the 1950/60s French machines.
Norris Lockley
Settle UK