Beryl Burton's 1962 Bike Badge

[onegoodbike]

Yes, Ned and you could be on it, a Carlton. And who wouldn't love to ride one of those. I can imagine most of the resolution interpolation except for the bottom, her badge is so rectangular at the base. Maybe Carlton made a slightly different badge shape? Ellis Briggs: I don't see their badge fitting quite as well. Down tube: I hope someone can crack the code.

--Joe

Hi Joe,

This may just be confirmation bias on my part, but if you visit Alamy and view the enlarged version of the image included in your post above, 'Eddie Soens' definitely seems like a possible fit?.

Matt

 

[non-fixie]

Excellent detective work, Matt. Fits with the downtube script as well.

 

[onegoodbike]

Thanks to info on chickendrumsticks Eddie Soens restoration thread here.....

A guarded view of Eddie Soens

Re: 1960s Eddie Soens restoration Now, I was going to list all the kit that was on the bike when I got it (watch out - I probably still will!) but I thought I'd start with the bottombracket, and the shell. After all they amount to the same thing, and as you'll see, they literally are... At...

www.retrobike.co.uk

I give you a third possible headtube badge.....

SOENS, EDDIE SOENS. Head/seat crest.

63 x 46mm Boaler Road address and little Liver Bird at centre. Available in blue or dark red

hlloydcycles.com

 

[Rotorhead]

Thanks to info on chickendrumsticks Eddie Soens restoration thread here.....

A guarded view of Eddie Soens

Re: 1960s Eddie Soens restoration Now, I was going to list all the kit that was on the bike when I got it (watch out - I probably still will!) but I thought I'd start with the bottombracket, and the shell. After all they amount to the same thing, and as you'll see, they literally are... At...

www.retrobike.co.uk

I give you a third possible headtube badge.....

SOENS, EDDIE SOENS. Head/seat crest.

63 x 46mm Boaler Road address and little Liver Bird at centre. Available in blue or dark red

hlloydcycles.com

I reckon you’ve cracked it. Great work!

 

[vcballbat]

Thanks to info on chickendrumsticks Eddie Soens restoration thread here.....

A guarded view of Eddie Soens

Re: 1960s Eddie Soens restoration Now, I was going to list all the kit that was on the bike when I got it (watch out - I probably still will!) but I thought I'd start with the bottombracket, and the shell. After all they amount to the same thing, and as you'll see, they literally are... At...

www.retrobike.co.uk

I give you a third possible headtube badge.....

SOENS, EDDIE SOENS. Head/seat crest.

63 x 46mm Boaler Road address and little Liver Bird at centre. Available in blue or dark red

hlloydcycles.com

Brilliant stuff... mystery solved .... your next task is to find the bike..

 

[Breezin]

....A little bit more detail maybe?. this ebay link has a better image of the map....

Set of 3 British French Italian Frame Builder / Companies Bicycles Map Eroica | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Set of 3 British French Italian Frame Builder / Companies Bicycles Map Eroica at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

Sorry, Matt, missed seeing your link to that awesome set of maps. A must get.
So I now see that other Soens headbadge, with the conspicuous hour-glass outline.
I recall mention that Eddie Soens coached Beryl Burton. Eddie also coached the Viking team.
This is very likely the brand of Beryl Burton's 1962 ride!

 

[vcballbat]

Yes, the eBay bike is the one we have at Marin Museum of Bicycling. The wheels are different, 24-spoke Airlights with Scheeren rims.

I would like to find a hi-res of that Herne Hill shot to absolutely verify the frame, but yes, the frame and most parts are quite similar.

What do you suppose that black tape(?) on the front tire is? A way to accurately measure distance in a record run? Or just an impromptu repair?

--Joe

Hi Joe, looking at the pictures of Beryl on the Viking and Eddie Soens the bars appear to be the same with the bottom of the drops at a steep angle. Your Viking appears to have a different style of bar and drop stem, it's hard to see if Beryl used a drop stem in the pictures Just wondering the Viking is part of your beautiful museum collection why you have put it up for sale?

 

[onegoodbike]

Brilliant stuff... mystery solved .... your next task is to find the bike..

Challenge accepted!........(not really obviously )......

But.....

In the picture of Beryl riding at the Vigorelli velodrome in 1962, shown above in the post by non-fixie, it does look like the bike is fully chromed?.

They were a small volume builder, so I would guess there cannot be that many Eddie Soens built, full chrome, track frames in existence?.

If that is the case, could it have made its way to the west coast of America?.........

Matt, good history there. My buddy Otis used to ride a Soens track bike, chromed plated, way over here on the west coast of the USA.
The two Soens badges I found look much different, even the Union Jack badge. Maybe there's a third?
--Joe

........Probably not, but it'd be nice to think it had.

(did the one Otis rode have a fork drilled for a front brake?).

Matt

 

[Old Ned]

Well, that's definitely it. I never knew she rode an Eddies Soens. I should have known because I used to have one! It will have been built by Billy Soens, Eddie's son, who actually ran the shop as well as frame building. At the time, very popular on Merseyside.

 

[Breezin]

Challenge accepted!........(not really obviously )......

But.....

In the picture of Beryl riding at the Vigorelli velodrome in 1962, shown above in the post by non-fixie, it does look like the bike is fully chromed?.

They were a small volume builder, so I would guess there cannot be that many Eddie Soens built, full chrome, track frames in existence?.

If that is the case, could it have made its way to the west coast of America?.........




........Probably not, but it'd be nice to think it had.

(did the one Otis rode have a fork drilled for a front brake?).

Matt

Beryl's 1962 Soens sure looks chromium plated to me. I saw somewhere that Billy Soens said he built 800 frames in 8 years, or something like that. At least one Soens did make it to the San Francisco Bay Area, Marin County to be more precise. Otis Guy bought it from Bruce Shattmaier in 1973 or so. Yes, it was drilled for a front brake, but this was a much larger frame than Beryl's. So no need to hop on a plane.

Thanks again for your brilliant sleuthing!