Red Flying Scot

This Scot is from 1953. In 1958 it was bought by Mr Archie Dick, who rode it every day until 2000. In 2009 he offered it to the Glasgow Transport Museum, who turned it down as they already have five, and suggested we would want it. We did.
 

It's very rare to find a Scot in this condition. Usually they are either scabby incomplete wrecks, or immaculately restored display pieces. This is a working bike, it's had bits changed over the years, the paint is touched up, but it's been well looked after. Note the embossed top race on the headset. These were made for Rattrays by Gnutti. Just visible on top of the front light is a sticker from a banana. Bananas are great food for cyclists, and it's still the done thing to put a sticker from a banana on your bike.
 

This is the Lucas bell Mr. Dick took off his previous bike, a Raleigh Record Ace.
 

Extra reflector for night riding, fixed cog for winter and a home modified lighting system worked from the front dynohub.
 

Mr Dick used to ride fixed all the time, until his wife bought him a derailleur for Christmas.
 

This is the mark of a true club cyclist. A Carradice Longflap saddlebag, with the cape rolled up neatly on top. This is the best way to carry a cape, as it's easy to get at when the rain starts, and when the rain stops the wet cape won't make the things in the bag wet.
 

Mr Dick used this Brooks B17 saddle for 50 years. He has clearly taken great care of it as none of the tension adjustment has been used up. The method he has used to make a hanger for the centrepull brakes is not one we would fit in the workshop, but it clearly worked for him. 

In front of Mr. Dick's bike is a similar 1958 Scot we had in to be built up from a frame. This one had been resprayed and then spent 20 years in store in Austrailia. It's very hard to find all the correct period parts for bikes this old, so we didn't try, and used sympathetic parts, like a Stronglight chainset, 27" wheels with Campag Tipo hubs, Simplex transmission and Weinmann brakes. Period brakes from the '50s are rubbish and dangerous. The shortie mudguards were fitted at the customers' request. We normally don't bother with them as they are pointless, though very popular in period.
 

Both bikes have the same paint job. A simple colour with contrasting head tube and matching band on the seat tube is about the best way to paint a bike. Another example of this paint scheme is on this Dawes Dalesman.
 

The definitive website on Flying Scots is by Bob Reid of Stonehaven.  As of May 2011 this website is online again (after an absence of almost 5 years).