help required re P & A Kenistons Lightwieghts with pics

anybody got any info on the above , they were Based in Romford not sure if still there or when they closed , limited info on internet .

just brought one of there bikes and will be collecting it over weekend , so pics to follow .

i know it might need a lot of cleaning and new cables unsure what else and what i am going to do with it yet , but will advise as time goes by .

still got a mid 50's Phillips 531 frame to decide on so no rush

just put some differant wheels and tyres on and gave it a maiden voyage around the cul de sac , very nice and comfy to ride at just over walking pace , no quicker yet as brake cable seized and need replacement .

must get some pics soon

Have you got pictures?

please see link below for pics of this P & A Kenistons and also on link is another golden oldie just been made roadworthy just needs a good clean and some testing miles its an elderley Phillips not sure what model

https://skydrive.live.com/redir.aspx?ci ... ae1caX8%24

the Kenistons should get a respray but going to try it out first then either sell it as a project or have a paint or powder coat done on it

I had a Kenistons track frame when I was at school. It was a bit big for me so I sold it on to a clubmate who raced it at Herne Hill and I think it may still be in his garden shed. The shop was in Victoria road Romford and ended up as a moped/scooter outlet in the early 80's before it closed completely.

that wouldnt surprise me at all , as there are loads of old put in sheds and forgotten about or such like , thats where this 1 came from . hit a problem last night as trying to release stuck bar stem for last 2 weeks to no joy so decided to cut the stem off so i can remove forks and then remove remainig stuck part from them , so now have aprox 3 inch of stem to saw out of stem once i find my vice then carry on trying to decide what to do .

Frankly, I'd leave the Keniston's 'as is'.

It is a very rare frame, in my opinion. Although I've heard of the name, I've never actually seen one.

I think that it would be a shame to obliterate all that history.

If you do paint/coat it, it just becomes another 531 frame which has nothing to 'prove' its name.

If you paint/coat it and then decide to sell it, it will be worth less, than if left alone.

Of course, this is an age old problem; it is your bike, to do with as you wish.

that is the same reasoning i go with , so once stem/fork issue sorted off to get some proper cutting paste to try and clean the paintwork up and then see what it looks like , then its a matter of recabling and running adjustments and on to my commuter fleet that is gtowing at moment .

just removed crankset to try and help date this bike and loking at markings , it seems to be a Williams crankset with date stamp za which i make 1960 .

that makes more sense than the rims that have 87 on them !

just drilled the stem out of the forks so no i can set to and start cleaning it up , and then will decide what to do with it ie sell or just make roadworthy and use as winter commuter .