# Want To Make My Royal Scot Look Nice



## Romario (Jun 13, 2016)

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?


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## Eatontkd (Jun 13, 2016)

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...


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## Andrew Gorman (Jun 13, 2016)

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.


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## SirMike1983 (Jun 13, 2016)

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.


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## Romario (Jun 13, 2016)

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.


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## Gasbag (Jun 14, 2016)

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.


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## bulldog1935 (Jun 14, 2016)

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


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## Dale Alan (Jun 14, 2016)

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.


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## bulldog1935 (Jun 14, 2016)

standard tire post:


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## Gasbag (Jun 14, 2016)

Dale Alan said:


> 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.


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## Romario (Jun 14, 2016)

Some parts of the bike, like the mudguards are really rusty, more than 50% of the paint is gone, especially on the top. I am thinking of what to do with them.


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## Dale Alan (Jun 14, 2016)

Gasbag said:


> 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.



Great info,thanks. I will surely be giving this a try,I have many chalky bikes .I have tried a few things that helped for a short time before becoming chalky again.


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## Gasbag (Jun 14, 2016)

Romario said:


> Some parts of the bike, like the mudguards are really rusty, more than 50% of the paint is gone, especially on the top. I am thinking of what to do with them.




I would suggest first trying to clean up what is there, it is sometimes surprising how well they will clean up. If the paint on the fenders and chain guard are beyond saving, clean up the paint on the frame and forks and try matching the gloss of the paint you purchase to repaint them.


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## Gasbag (Jun 14, 2016)

Dale Alan said:


> Great info,thanks. I will surely be giving this a try,I have many chalky bikes .I have tried a few things that helped for a short time before becoming chalky again.




The key is after getting the paint to where you want it, to use a top quality sealer to protect it from degrading. I use Wolfgang sealant which is pricey, but it is what I use on my cars so I already have it on hand.


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## Romario (Jun 21, 2016)

Ok, so I am taking apart the 3-speed sturmey-archer gear on the back wheel and there is a round part with two notches, not sure what's it's name. I tried to unscrew it by hitting at the notches with no success.

Is there a tool I can use? I see this on sturmey-archer website - http://www.sturmey-archer.com/en/products/detail/htr145 , is this the right tool?

Here is the diagram:
https://sheldonbrown.com/sturmey-archer/images/sprint7.gif

Maybe there is a compatible tool or something else I could use.


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## Romario (Jun 21, 2016)

Also, the bearings that I see seem like one is missing, there is a noticeable gap roughly the size of one bearing. Is it ok or I need to replace the bearings so the whole ring is full?


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## bulldog1935 (Jun 21, 2016)

if you can fit another ball, there may be one missing, but it's also possible they just need enough grease to fill the gaps
Best bet, identify the size and replace all the balls


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## Andrew Gorman (Jun 21, 2016)

I'd just spring for the right tool:
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_...k+ring++spanner&rh=i:aps,k:lock+ring++spanner
For the loose balls, the rule of thumb is to fill the race with balls, then take one out so you are fine.   Ball bearings are cheap, so just replace them all.  I've never seen an AW hub with bad races.


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## SirMike1983 (Jun 21, 2016)

I think you're talking about the 'ball ring'- the threaded, dish-type part that screws into the hub shell itself on the drive side.

Inside the ball ring should be 24 bearing balls of 3/16 inch each. There should be a space- this is by design. The space prevents the ball ring from binding on the race of the driver. These get coated with grease, as do all the ball bearing areas in the hub. The innards of the hub (gears, cages, pins, pawls, etc) get oil and NOT grease. This way, the oil keeps the innards free, while the grease keeps the bearings running smoothly.

Older ball rings have square notches, while newer ones (1970s and onward? I don't recall when they switched) have rounded notches. For the rounded notch ones, you want the classic type spanner tool. For the squard notch, they made a C-spanner, but you could also use a hammer and punch to turn the ball ring out. Remember to tighten it all the way back down when you put it back in.






http://www.sturmey-archerheritage.com/files/view-837.pdf


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## Romario (Jun 22, 2016)

Thanks, SirMike, I have square notches, I tried hammering it out with no success. I didn't have a good punch though, might try it with some penetrating oil or other things I have to get rusty/stuck bolts out.

Do you by any chance know the size of C-spanner? The originals are hard to find.


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## Barry Carlisle (Sep 14, 2016)

Romario said:


> 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?
> ...



Y


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## Barry Carlisle (Sep 14, 2016)

Your chrome parts will clean up nicely with a brass brush and CLR calsium rust lime remover that you can get from your local grocery store. Follow up with some chrome polish.


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