miamibeachcg

Found this beautiful bike yesterday - it's a Lambert of England. And even though the labels are worn I could tell what it was because it has Lambert everything! What I found stamped Lambert so far:
Brakes
Shift levers
The hubs
Handlebars
Pedlas
Sprocket
Front derailleur!! (rear is a Simplex)

The bike is light as a feather & fun to ride, but there's not a lot on it - I did find that I should change the front fork before it breaks!

Can anyone tell me what year it is?
What model?
Value?
Any info would help - thanks!

PS - In last photo you can see on the side of the frame it says Hand Crafted by - (then it's illegible) Co. of England - I'm guessing it also says Lambert? Is the bike hand made?
Thanks again for any help

[IMG]AA BICYCLE LAMBERT 1AA by miamibeachcg, on Flickr[/IMG]


AA BICYCLE LAMBERT 2BAA by miamibeachcg, on Flickr


AA BICYCLE LAMBERT 2CAA by miamibeachcg, on Flickr

AA BICYCLE LAMBERT 2CAAA by miamibeachcg, on Flickr

AA BICYCLE LAMBERT 2AA by miamibeachcg, on Flickr

AA BICYCLE LAMBERT 5AA by miamibeachcg, on Flickr

AA BICYCLE LAMBERT 5AAA by miamibeachcg, on Flickr

AA BICYCLE LAMBERT 6AAA by miamibeachcg, on Flickr

AA BICYCLE LAMBERT 4AA by miamibeachcg, on Flickr

miamibeachcg

Can anyone tell what model this is?

T-Mar

The fact hat it's Lambert, as opposed to a Viscount, should place it circa 1972-1974. It's either a Super Sports or Grand Prix.They were identical except for 27" wheels on the former and tubulars on the latter, These wheels look like 27" due to what appears to be Schraeder valves but they may be replacements as those aren't the large flange Lambert hubs which should have been OEM. Verify the current wheel size, then check the brake caliper ears for impressions indicating that the pad setting have been changed. If these are 27" and the pads appear to have been raised ~4mm, then it almost certainly was originally equipped with tubulars.

cb400bill

Here's a link to some info:

Lambert bikes

Shinny1414

Wow nice bike

miamibeachcg

Thank you both

miamibeachcg

Here is the rim & tire - it is a 27 x 1 1/4, so I have a Super Sports, correct?
Any ideas on value for this bike? (I traded for $50 & a old italian frame I had)
Thanks for the tie & help[IMG]AA BICYCLE LAMBERT 7AAA by miamibeachcg, on Flickr[/IMG]

AA BICYCLE LAMBERT 7AAAA by miamibeachcg, on Flickr

T-Mar

No, more likely it is a Grand Prix. Those are almost certainly replacement wheels as:

1. They don't appear to have Lambert hubs
2. The rims appear to have a 1975 date code, by which time the brand had been changed to Viscount
3. The rims are chromed steel, opposed to aluminum or stainless steel
4. The spokes are plain gauge, as opposed to double butted.

As I stated earlier, the OEM tubular wheels were probably replaced. This was common, as many owners became frustrated with the fragility, cost and high maintenance of tubular tyres. You can also check the brake caliper ears for impressions indicating that the pads have been raised ~4mm. This would be another indicator that it originally used the slightly smaller,tubular wheelset.

79pmooney

miamibeachcg, look under the fork crown. It is smooth or does the steerer come down to the bottom so you can see nad feel basically the end of a ~1" bolt? If you can see that "bolt" it is OK. If not. DON"T RIDE IT!!! until you replace that fork. Yes, that fork is a real part of both the light weight and the ride you like, but the early forks were known to fail, suddenly, with no warning whatsoever at the bottom of the steerer. The original design and the MK 2 had an incredibly stupid steerer/fork design.

Yes, my warning may sound ominous. I know the potential consequences a little too well. Mine (purchased in '73) broke on a descent, nearly killed me despite wearing a good helmet, put me in a coma and cost me my education and profession. If the bottom of the fork crown is smooth, ask yourself before you get on that bike again if that ride is worth the risk of those consequences. I wondered how they made the crown/steerer interface since it was too different materials and there were no hints as to how it was done, but as a sophomore engineering student, I completely dismissed the idea of machining the crown down to a plug that was inserted into the steerer. They did exactly that!

Ben

2cam16

Like T-Mar said, definitely replacement wheels. My '72 has the original wheels and hubs with Lambert stamped on the hubs. And like '79 said, check on your fork for the death fork.

miamibeachcg

The back hub has Lambert on it - see photo. So still a Gran Prix (fingers crossed)?
I also attached a pic of brakes - I honestly couldn't tell if they were moved because I don't know where they started, so hoping the pic helps

Thanks all
PS - My forks are smooth underneath; they are the death forks. I saw the Death Fork info when I googled Lambert so I was going to sell it as a collectible with a message about the forks reputation.
What fork would fit/be a good replacement? (I LOVE vintage bikes but am mechanically challenged; I'd buy forks (eBay?) & have local shop put them on.
Thanks again T-mar, Pmooney & 2cam16
[IMG]AA BICYCLE LAMBERT 7AA by miamibeachcg, on Flickr[/IMG]

AA BICYCLE LAMBERT 9AA by miamibeachcg, on Flickr