[CR]Viscount Bottom Bracket

(Example: Racing:Wayne Stetina)

From: <CBKNYC@aol.com>
Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2002 16:50:37 EST
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: [CR]Viscount Bottom Bracket

In a foolish attempt to replace my Viscount GP's perfectly fine crank bolts with prettier blue aluminum ones, one of the bolts broke at the head. Oops!

The LBS involved plans to drills holes into the bolt in an attempt to get it out -- but the attempt could fail, or succeed only at the cost of injuring the threads of the Viscount's bottom bracket. (as maybe already is obvious, I am newly a bike junkie, and possibly I am using bicycle lingo incorrectly). The Viscount already has a carbon fork, and I like it.

So what to do?

#1 - contribute the Viscount to recycling (NEVER! I like it, and I'm on a hopeless quest to upgrade it until it is so good it no longer is a Viscount; tho' I understand no upgrade will ever change the frame which will never be anything other than middling cro-moly).

#2 - try to find a replacement Viscount sealed bottom bracket (difficult, and then it would have the defects of the original -- even among Viscount fans, the BB was a weak area).

#3 - have the Viscount machined to add threads into which a "normal" bottom bracket could be fit.

Choice #3 best suits my psycho-Viscount-UPGRADE! UPGRADE UNTIL DEATH! personality, but it leads to these questions....

- CAN a Viscount be machined to be threaded for a normal BB?

- Would the result be a better bike?

- there's tremendous variations in price between BBs... how much difference is there between a $75 Shimano and a $300 titanium? I really ride the Viscount, and while I'm not rich, I am tempted to pay for any improvement I will notice & experience.

- Charles cbknyc@aol.com