Originally Posted by
bikemig
I'm rebuilding 3 British bikes. The first was a 1980 Raleigh Record Ace which I've finished and I've been riding it. The second is a 1979 Viking "European" model which is made of straight gauge Reynolds 531 with campy drop outs. By the late 70s, Viking bikes were built in Northern Ireland. I finished that yesterday and took it out for an 11 mile ride. It's a good riding bike. With suntour retrofriction shifters and a shimano light action rear derailleur, the shifting is very good. The bike originally came with 700c wheels but it fits wheels with 27 by 1 and 1/4 tires nicely. This bike was a parts bin build other than the cables and housing and the 531 sticker which I purchased for the bike. I have no idea why I picked up this frame but I'm glad I finally got it on the road.
The brand was bought by some Indian company, if I remember correctly. I had the displeasure of getting one of those new ones back on the road (curbside find, step over frame, given away to a friend). Absolutely abysmal build quality, they couldn't even get V-brake bosses welded on evenly. Managed to get it working properly again, but gosh, I wish they actually paid some more attention to design and build quality.
Apparently back in the 70's, before the brand was sold, Viking bicycles were actually pretty decent. Should be a nice road touring bicycle
