CLEAN OR GLAMORIZE

Hi all , having just inherited around a 50 year old super elliots bike complete with mudguards white wall tyres and around 3 kilo of surface rust im left thinking ! What shall i do with this? my first thoughts are to try and remove as much of the rust as possible , cut and polish the frame rather than respray it. i would rather have a bike that looks like it has been used for 50 years and still looks reasonable rather than something that looks like it has just come off the lbs floor ,what are your thoughts! P.S if i was computer savvy enough i would upload pictures, my idea of cut and paste is still scissors and clag!!!

Tags: old, repair, restore

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Permalink Reply by Big Block on October 13, 2011 at 17:26

for rust I use oxalic acid or others use vinegar to eat away the rust, I tend to leave mine in a mild solution for a week, every few days brushing off the converted material. Please keep any abrasives well away.

it looks like a Williams chainset; if it is, there should be factory engravings on the inside of the chainring and on the inside of the cranks.

Ignore the EBW and the sword symbol

then look up the date code with two letters on the chainring and on the crank arm.

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Permalink Reply by Simon Lownsborough on October 13, 2011 at 21:31

I reckon a well-cleaned bike in good running order has WAY more character than showroom finish. Brooks saddle the way to go, others have siad how to remove rust, definitely fish oil to preserve inside tubing.

Great 'colleen' bike!

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Permalink Reply by Frank Spartalis on October 14, 2011 at 17:49

I agree, it's a Colleen Bike if the ever was one!

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Permalink Reply by Stig of The Dump on October 13, 2011 at 22:22

i use autosol on rust, lanox to prevent any new corrosion

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Permalink Reply by David Southern on October 13, 2011 at 22:25

The saddle is consistent with the era of the bike. I have a couple of such saddles that were supplied new with British bikes that I have owned over the last 45+ years, including a vinyl Brooks saddle. They are not too bad for comfort if you are in an upright position on the bike.

Many older men (i.e. now 80+) used that handlebar position, often resting their kitbags in the "valley", sometimes on a plywood platform made for the purpose. Such bikes were a common sight when I first started working in the city (1970).