Roberts/Whitcomb/Mottram/Raleigh/Cougar

Eddie Soens had a shop in Boaler St. in Liverpool in the 50's and 60's.

Info here on the Soens family and various shops -

http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/bu ... ilder.html

Thanks for that, I was aware of the classic lightweights but unfortunately there is no reference to Bill Whitcomb working there, hence my confusion. The only references I can find suggest he worked at Cougar (as above). I assume it was a completely different shop to the Soens but have no knowledge of the Liverpool Cycle 'scene'.

Thanks again for taking an interest
Ken

love the roberts.

Thanks for the info guys, I will add more to this thread if I discover more.

Wow , the Sid Mottram is so good looking.

kenf":1aivrl1o said:

Thanks for that, I was aware of the classic lightweights but unfortunately there is no reference to Bill Whitcomb working there, hence my confusion. The only references I can find suggest he worked at Cougar (as above). I assume it was a completely different shop to the Soens but have no knowledge of the Liverpool Cycle 'scene'.

Thanks again for taking an interest
Ken

Click to expand...

Bill Whitcomb used to work in the SoensCycle Shop on Prescot Road in Liverpool, this is probably were all the confusion comes from.

re billy whitcomb

billy whitcomb used to be apprentice to Harry Quinn in the late 60's and seventys, even after Frank Clements took over the company, I think he taught Terry Dolan as well.
he then set up building frames from his house in liverpool and later near wrexham again with Harry quinn
All my Ron Kitching and Jaques Anquitil cyclo cross frames were built by Harry Quinn/Bill whitcomb and then painted by Geoff Clarke in bradford
would love to get in touch with him again if he still is in liverpool but think he left the uk ???

Re: re billy whitcomb

Billy left the UK for the US about 20 years ago, but returned about 12 months later. Last place I'm aware he was working was Walvale Cycles in Walton Vale Liverpool. I've been in touch with someone who used to work with Billy in Walvale and they are trying to find out his whereabouts through friends of theirs.

Regards

Ken

orbeas":1lpgb7v9 said:

billy whitcomb used to be apprentice to Harry Quinn in the late 60's and seventys, even after Frank Clements took over the company, I think he taught Terry Dolan as well.
he then set up building frames from his house in liverpool and later near wrexham again with Harry quinn
All my Ron Kitching and Jaques Anquitil cyclo cross frames were built by Harry Quinn/Bill whitcomb and then painted by Geoff Clarke in bradford
would love to get in touch with him again if he still is in liverpool but think he left the uk ???

Click to expand...

I have known of Bill Whitcomb for many years and may have met him when I visited the Walvale Cycles shop in Liverpool about 1986. However I know of him in relation to the building of two off-road 'prototype' bike frames for British mountain bike pioneer Geoff Apps in 1980/1981. Both of these frames still exist, one is designed for 650b wheels and the other for 700c and has been described as the first 29er mountain bike. I have some photos of these frames if anyone's interested. In the meantime you may like to follow this link which has pictures of the bikes which are known as Cleland' Range Riders.

http://www.james-walters.net/cleland/th ... -29er.html

My Whitcomb is now for sale here:
http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=96777