some advice please.

videojetman

Retrobike Rider
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a friend of mine recently acquired this bike, it is a soens racer.
i dont have a clue about it's history, but it looks like at some stage it would have had centre pull brakes.
it looks like a nice frame & fork. but the components seem a bit low end.
my friend wants me to get it running for him.
all he has specified up to now is he wants the brakes updating & some new tyres and some thicker handlebar tape.
so can anyone tell me more about the bike.
and suggest some brakes & tyres.
i think it would be nice to go with some retro centre pull brakes.
and the guy who owns the bike is a little podgy so i suppose he wants a more comfy tyre rather than for pure speed.
many thanks in advance. jeff.
sorry for the photo quality, i had to retake them at a lower resolution off the computer screen.
 

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Is there a rear centre pull guide? Centre pulls are quite cheap to source really and the most obvious choices are Weinmann or Mafac although Dia Compe made some nice ones. Thinking the wheels maybe 27" rather than 700c, in which case Michelin World Tours would be the obvious choice.

If it was my project I'd keep the side pulls but upgrade the blocks with something new, remove the centre pull hangers, fit new tyres, chain and freewheel, regrease headset, bb and hubs, replace cables or at the least grease them. That should have it performing as good as it's ever going to for not a great deal of outlay.
 
From here it looks like a raleigh headset, and certainly not in the top class.
Was it possibly a raleigh/carlton or any other name they made. Have you a pic of the seat lug and wrapover?
 
Google Eddie Soens. As I thought he was a name from way back. Didn't he train some one famous. I would suggest that this was either something he had made by another frame maker and sold with his name on or he was a maker himself. I am sure he had a shop at one point. Liverpool way??
 
I was well aware of Soens, as a leading Liverpool builder, but I don't think he wasted his time on this. Wait for a picture of the seat cluster, possibly a few more details. I am expecting to see the cheap raleigh hollow wrapover, but hope to be proved wrong.
 
I withdraw my comment of keeping the side pulls. With that brazed on centre pull guide you just have to fit them.
 

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