I found it an interesting coincidence that on the same day that I finally g ot around to scanning a 1948 Viking catalog with the intention of offering it for use on the Classic Rendezvous website, a couple of threads appeared on the Email List regarding the brand. I subscribed to the list right away .
As an introduction, I\u2019m pretty new to the world of vintage lightwei ghts and can offer much more in the way of enthusiasm than knowledge. I ha ve three bikes that might, at least loosely, be considered \u201con-topi c\u201d; an early 1960\u2019s Viking \u201cGrand Tour\u201d pur chased second hand by my brother in 1968, a Paris Sport that I bought new i n 1972 and (this one\u2019s a stretch) a late 1940\u2019s Schwinn Con tinental set up \u201cClubman\u201d style with drop bars, a Brooks B- 15, Bluemels and a Sturmey Archer AW (soon to be FW) hub.
I\u2019d like to narrow down the vintage of the Viking and am curious if any of the other members have heard of the \u201cGrand Tour\u201d mo del. I have both a 1948 and 1958 catalog, neither of which show this model and I find no reference to it on either the CR or Wolverhampton sites. It has the \u201cTour of Britain\u201d decal on the seat post listing f our 1st place finishes up to 1959.
If components help, it has a Cyclo Benelux rear derailleur, GB Synchron Bra kes, a Cyclo 5 speed freewheel, Rigida clincher rims with Exceltoo high fla nge hubs and a Pivo stem. The frame has a Reynolds 531 decal and the lugs look to me like Nervex but I\u2019m far from being an expert on lugs. A ny added knowledge would be greatly appreciated.
Finally, I would like to offer scans of the Viking Catalogs for use on the CR site. How do I go about doing that?
Regards,
Alan Weeks
Lake Placid, NY