Want To Make My Royal Scot Look Nice

[Romario]

Just bought this bike, it's a bit rusted but otherwise is in decent shape. I want to make it look nice, change tires, etc.
I might want to sand/paint different color since it is pretty rusty in places. I don't intend on making money/reselling, just want to ride it but don't want to spend a fortune. I can do a lot myself, I have a bunch of tools and pretty handy.

The first thing I need is tires - what size do I need and where to buy them better?

 

[Eatontkd]

Great bike, have fun! I'm guessing 26 X 1 3/8. I found mine at my LBS. You may want to have yours check out those rims. Some shops can fix those...

 

[Andrew Gorman]

The tires you need are whatever the sidewall on the current tires say. Verbatim. A good cleaning and a vigorous rub down with automotive rubbing compound will do wonders for the paint, then wax it. A Brillo pad will clean up most of the chrome. These are fun bikes to ride.

 

[SirMike1983]

Royal Scot was a lower cost, Raleigh-made sub brand, supposedly produced for a bike shop in NY City. I do know it is a Raleigh product, but only heard the NY bike shop story second hand. The bike has negligible value, but probably can be made to ride correctly. Check the imprint on the rear hub shell for a date code: Month and Year. That type of shifter dates to the early-to-mid 1970s.

Fix the rim before buying anything for the bike. That seems to be the worst damage, and fixing that will dictate how deeply you want to go into this project. I like to fix these by putting them in a smooth jaw metal vice and gradually tightening until the wall is straight again.

For example:

Once you get that, the tires you want are very likely 26 x 1 3/8 English (590mm size, not 597 Schwinn). You'll probably want fresh brake pads and you may or may not need new brake and shifter cables, depending on condition.

You will need to clean and re-grease all bearings. Be careful: the bearings are the loose ball type, not the caged type, and will try to roll out all over the floor.

Try using WD-40 and 0000 grade steel wool on the paint. Use a light touch and see if it improves. Be careful of any decals. Try a bronze or brass brush, or copper wool and WD-40 on the chrome parts.

Neat bike.

 

[Romario]

One more thing - the gear seems to only switch to two positions, so I will try to disassemble it and see what's inside and if anything is broken. There are several videos online on how to do it, so I will see if I can fix by just taking it apart and greasing/removing gunk.

 

[Gasbag]

My preferred method of cleaning up paint on old English bikes is: 1) Thoroughly wash it with a mild cleaner, dish soap is a good choice 2) Feed the paint, old enamel dries out over time and a a few damp coats of baby oil will put oil back into it. Allow it to soak in for a couple days 3) Polishing. I like to use Mequiars Scratch X which is a very mild abrasive. Avoid too much hand pressure around decals and striping 4) seal the paint with a good automotive sealer / wax

It is a pretty common practice to leave small scratches and dents as found on old English bikes, well earned patina.

Tire size is as noted above, 26" X 1 3/8, ISO 590. Check for the ISO 590 before buying tires as there are several variations in the 26" tire size.

 

[bulldog1935]

not near the cool factor, but my buddy's daughter is working on a Frankenbike '85 Shogun Selectric for herself. Black.
Pretty much following Gasbag's paint recipe to a tee, and it works

 

[Dale Alan]

I have never tried baby oil. Now that I read it I guess it makes sense for the oil based enamels .I will have to give it a try.

Another vote for making sure exactly what you need for tires,you never know for sure until you see the writing on the wall,side wall that is.

 

[bulldog1935]

standard tire post:

 

[Gasbag]

I have never tried baby oil. Now that I read it I guess it makes sense for the oil based enamels .I will have to give it a try..

Feeding the paint is a good step when it has a cloudy or chalky appearance. After polishing, if the paint still looks cloudy, it is due to the oils have evaporated out of the paint. The automotive pros use some pricey products for dry enamels that is hard to justify for a bike frame and baby oil is a good alternative. As a bonus, it helps soften the paint somewhat making the polishing step a little easier.