Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Great Bicycle Advertising: Lambert Cycles

This 1973 advertisement for Lambert Bicycles holds a special place in the hearts of many vintage cycling fans -- even for those of us who, in 1973, were too young to fully appreciate it.

A lot of young men probably bought Lamberts as much because of the gorgeous girl in the short shorts and knee-high boots as for the bicycles' high-tech (for their time) features.
Lambert of England, which apparently had much financial backing from U.S.-based investors, was an attempt to bring high-tech bicycles to an affordable price point in Bike Boom America. Featuring "aerospace" tubing (which was just straight-gauge seamless chrome-moly), and a number of advanced components, such as sealed bearing hubs, press-fit sealed cartridge bottom brackets and cotterless cranks, the bikes were ahead of their time -- at least at their given price point. Notice the prices in the ad: ranging from $114.98 - $139.98 (a special gold-plated version, shown under the gorgeous model, sold for $259). And the weights were good for the time and price point as well -- around 20 - 22 pounds.

Of course, in some ways the bikes were too good to be true. The cotterless cranks didn't fit well on the non-tapered bottom bracket spindles and would work loose. The handlebars would loosen in the stem. The early derailleurs didn't work so well. And worst of all, the cast aluminum forks gained a reputation for breaking unexpectedly, with predictable consequences. They were apparently made by pinning a cast aluminum fork to a steel steerer, and the joint would just give up at the wrong time. The expression "Lambert Death Fork" thus entered the bicycling vernacular.

A useful article about Lambert/Viscount can be found on Sheldon Brown's site, where one will find the following warning:

"UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD A LAMBERT OR VISCOUNT BE RIDDEN WITH THE ORIGINAL CAST ALUMINUM FORK!!!!!!!"

The company went through different names and owners. They were re-named Viscount after being purchased by a group called Trusty in the mid-'70s. Later they were purchased by Yamaha, which changed a lot of the unusual components to standard Japanese issue, such as SunTour and Shimano. Yamaha also recalled every one of the questionable forks (what took so long?). Eventually the company just faded away.

Now, after all these years, it seems like the legacy of the Lambert/Viscount brand is the legendary "death fork" and a really hot-looking girl in knee-high boots.

Be wary of the forks. Enjoy the ad.
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10 comments:

  1. Justine ValinottiSeptember 16, 2015 at 10:58 AM

    Hmm...I wonder how many Lambert riders were picuturing her when their forks broke.

    When I first started working in bike shops, I used to hear Lambert jokes. Most of them had to do with the ways the makers of those bikes made them lighter: Drilled-out tires and water bottles (remember, it was in the days of drillium), rubber-railed saddles and such.

    What is most fascinating of all, to me, is that Lambert offered a gold-plated bicycle for $259. If I'm not mistaken, at that time gold was still selling for $35 an ounce, as it had been since the Bretton Woods convention of 1944. The price of gold began to skyrocket around the same time oil and gas prices jumped in the 1970's.

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  2. youcancallmeAlSeptember 16, 2015 at 2:26 PM

    Interesting that you should pick today to approve of an ad using sexy women to sell bikes. The same day two other popular bike blogs are rightfully pummeling Interbike and the "sockgate" scandal.

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    Replies
    1. BrooksSeptember 16, 2015 at 5:41 PM

      I'm going to have to say this was a coincidence, as until now, I wasn't aware of the sock "scandal." In my defense, I am talking about an ad that's over 40 years old.

      Delete
    2. youcancallmeAlSeptember 16, 2015 at 8:17 PM

      and as they pointed out, we haven't progressed much in 40 years! lol

      Delete
  3. tumbleweed_092September 16, 2015 at 3:06 PM

    Sorry, don't know how to contact with you.

    Take a look: http://www.designboom.com/technology/specialized-fuci-bike-concept-robert-egger-08-31-2015/

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    Replies
    1. BrooksSeptember 16, 2015 at 5:42 PM

      Wow - that might have to go in a future post.

      Delete
  4. DannySeptember 18, 2015 at 8:32 AM

    What the Sheldon Brown article omits to say is that Viscount mended their ways, switched to using standard good-quality components, and not all the bicycles came with "death forks". I still ride a Viscount bought in 1978. It has the lugless chromoly "aerospace" frame and fork and sealed bottom bracket bearings, but came fitted with Shimano brakes and gears and an SR chainset.
    It was good value at the time, and is still a damn good bike. (Of course, I replaced the original saddle with a Brooks.)

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    1. BrooksSeptember 18, 2015 at 9:35 AM

      I'm certain you're correct about that. There's definitely a lot of good to go with the bad. There's another article about Lambert/Viscount that might be a little more "measured" on the Classic Rendezvous site: http://classicrendezvous.com/British_isles/Lambert/lambert_bikes.htm

      Delete
  5. DaveMarch 27, 2016 at 2:09 PM

    In looking through archives, I have not found anything specifically regarding a recall on the Lambert bikes, only the viscounts from September of 74 to October of 77. Are the Lambert forks identical?

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    Replies
    1. BrooksMarch 27, 2016 at 2:52 PM

      That's a little hard for me to answer definitively, since the company went through some name changes and ownership changes. The company was Lambert originally, then Viscount. The actual recall didn't happen until it was renamed Viscount, but I believe the defective forks could be found under either name. That's the way I understand it, but that doesn't mean I'm absolutely right.

      Delete

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