Malvern Star Skidstar Bicycle Restoration Project

A couple of years ago I bought a late 1960s Malvern Star Skidstar bicycle with a view to restoring it. It was my first attempt at rebuilding a bicycle, and I decided to restore it to an appearance of my choosing, rather than strive to recreate the original appearance.

unrestored Skidstar

I stripped and sanded the frame down to the bare metal, laid down a coat of primer spray-paint, then spray-painted with a matte ivory (creamy off-white) finish. The paint has since chipped a little bit; next time I'll use a powder-coating. The mudguards are Velo Orange US imports. These have been a touch problematic too, as I can't achieve enough rigidity in the forward section of the front mudguard to avoid it rattling as I ride. Cottered crankset and bottom bracket have been replaced, pedals are original, new sprung leather saddle, new Schwinn stitched leather handlebar grips. The handelbars themselves were salvaged from another bike, and have a bit of chrome peeling/blistering. 

I fitted a nice leather chain guard, and I kept the original Sturmey Archer 3-speed hub gear, fortunately still in fine working corder, fitting new cables and shifter. Hub-geared 3-speed bikes are just the ticket for commuting - I loved riding my Raleigh around London. They'll allow you to climb a decent hill and steam down the other side, they have no unsightly and greasy derailleur, but none of the restrictions of a single-speed.

The original Altenburger Synchron dual-pivot calipers look great, but they don't work brilliantly. I had to remove some perished plastic pivot bushings from them and bodge replacements. 

The  wheels were heavily rusted - the front wheel is an alloy replacement, rear wheel is a problematic original - the steel rim is indented, I guess the idea being that it would bite into the brake pad and skid (hey, it's a Skidstar!), but the actual effect is that it eats brake pads very quickly, consequently the braking is weak.

 

The restoration was an intense and frustrating process, but I learned a lot from it. I love the bike so much that I named it - I call it Barlow, after Lou from Dinosaur Jr and Sebadoh. But the project also exposed the limitations of an amateur restoration without a dedicated workshop, extensive toolkit, or expansive budget. I've reached the limit of what I can do with it, and the rattling front mudguard and brake/rim issue prevent everyday enjoyment of the bike.

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I have a road bike with panniers that I use for work and chores most days, so old Barlow has been indoors for the past year, only out for occasional slow cruises. When I do take it out it attracts a lot of jealous glances. It is a beauty.

 

I've decided to sell the bike on Ebay and maybe scratch back some of the money I've thrown at it. I can't afford to have a barely-used bike taking up space, and it's time to say goodbye to Barlow, the gorgeous and frustrating old thing.