[CR]What to do with my 1950's Allin Stan Butler Special?

Hi, I'm Iain, and I'm new here.#

OK, a little history first of all. I haven't ridden a bike in earnest since I was a child, but I recently decided that it might be a fun and healthy wa y to travel about London. I then remembered that sitting in my mother's cella r was my father's old bike which I had saved from being thrown away 10 years ago on the basis that I might ride it one day. I had taken it around a loca l park a couple of times, fallen off and put it back in the cellar. I have recently pulled it out again with a view to getting it ridable.

The bike was, as I have said, my father's and was given to him when he was young and was "not new then" I assuming this to be early to mid 60's as my father was born in 1946 but would have had to have been at or near his full hight (6'2") to ride this bike as it is a little too high in the cross bar to be a comfortable ride for me (5'11").

Having dug it out from my mothers cellar, I added a bit more info, it is a Stan Buttler Popular, it is a Stan Butler Special which, according to http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/builders/allin.html, is actually the top of the line, or at least the most expensive listed in the 1961 advert. It has 5-speed Simplex dérailleur gears and despite being mucky and a bit knocked about is in remarkably complete and original condition. ridable wit h some new tyres/tubes; restorable with a coat of paint and a good wash. As near as I can make out it's serial number is "1070" which, according to the site linked above, would make it an early to mid 50's machine.this woud fit as frankly my father's family wer not well off when he got this bike, so fo r it to have been 10-15 years old would fit.

I have put together a very basic web page to display the pictures I took immediately after salvaging the bike, I apologise in advance for my poor we b authoring/photography skills. Nothing has changed since I took these except I have put back on the original toe clips and bell, which I had taken off when I tried to ride it 10 years ago.

Photos can be found here: http://www.mrtwig.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/SBSpecial/Index.html

Any comments or information most welcome, as I am really in a quandary as t o what to do with this bike. From what research I have done I think it is something special but I know that I don't have the time or the money to restore it properly.

Logic wold dictate finding a buyer who would have the recourses to to restore it properly and using the money to buy a sensible commuting bike, which is my current need. The problem its I've fallen in love with it, and I really want to ride this bike. I suspect I shall clean it up, put new tyres on it and ride it, but I am in a quandary as to what to do about the paint.

If I leave it as is, the rust will get worse an may damage the structural condition of the bike. The only other alternative I can see, that I can afford, is to take a spray can to it myself, thus making it a better 'practical' bike, but loosing all the decals and period detail. Can any one suggest a third alternative?

Could I perhaps spay it with some kind of clear paint so it looked the same but would not rust? I know it wouldn't be pretty, but I don't mind that, fa r less chance of it getting stolen.

Iain Grant, London, England