1970's Liverpool frame maker

[johnnybegood]

I used to cycle to work past harry quinn's in walton road (continuation of scotland road) every day and drooled over the bikes.

My mother ran a youth club in dingle/aigburth where a number of good cyclists did their indoor training - including pete mathews.

I worked for eddie soens but in his day job as a hospital storeman - although he served his time as a french polisher. He built a few bikes for the best riders. He was one of four brothers and bikes were made by "soens brothers" Jim soens - who had a shop near edge lane (If my memory serves me), tommy soens made a few. I forget the name of the fourth. I think eddie's son was billy who also made a few. All of the brothers were boxers and I think at least two of them were amateur internationals.

George McIver built good bikes in Mill Street (toxteth/dingle).

[thejasper]

there was also JW Twiddle

Harry Quinn, I think became Cougar Cycles then i think Dolan cycles

as i'm sure Terry Dolans Mum used to work at my collage and always talked to me about him when he made Cougar frames, that used to make the pro frames for Falcon in the early 80's...
but that was along time ago and i could be wrong!!!!

[chambo3413]

James Fothergill was going in 1955 at least if not earlier, absolute top class frames of perfection, easily equal to Hetchins!

[SP]

I also remember Harry Quinn's bikes from teenage days in Liverpool.

Unable to afford one in those days, I still know very little about bikes but have just bought a gents roadster (?) type bike, 20" seat tube, labelled Harry Quinn, with ornate lugs, a bracket for a lamp on the right fork and a black paint job and chrome fork lower halves. It also has a label saying Guaranteed built with Reynolds SMS tubes, forks and stays.

Bought more for sentimental reasons than good sense (I need a 23" frame!) it lacks some of the original fittings and I am about to modify it for my wife to ride.

I have since read that SMS tubing is rare - so should I carry on and put it to good use, or might it deserve a little more respect?

Any advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks,

Steve

[Gazzer]

I'm currently researching a biog of Eddie Soens. If you are able to share any knowledge/stories I'd love to hear from you.

e-mail: gbrown13@blue.esinet.org.uk

Thanks

[Gazzer]

I'm writing a biog of Eddie Soens. I'd love to chat to you re: Eddie.

My E-mail. gbrown13@blue.esinet.org.uk

[sosunliv]

It's quite fascinating reading all of the above regarding Liverpool frame builders and who did what etc. So allow me, please, to fill you in with all the errors omitted !

James Fothergill , Harry Quinn, Bim Dickinson, Billy Twiddle, Walvale, R.J.Wilson, Jim Soens, Eddie Soens, Aussie Hurlen, were all bike shops who built their own frames. (sorry if I've missed someone. My 82 year old brain not that clever now) Others would buy in and badge - this was common throughout the country and nothing really wrong with it unless they lied about it.

I'm Bill Soens, son of Eddie Soens and I was the builder of the Eddie Soens frames. My father was actually a French Polisher ! From 1958, after finishing my National Service, I had the tiny shop on Boaler St, which was formerly Aussie Hurlen who had become insolvent - extremely common in the fifties and sixties. I had that business for about ten years and went the same way as my predecessor. Many one-man businesses who specialised for the racing man only did the same thing.

I built almost all my own frames - less about half a dozen when I couldn't cope with the demand - and everything was hand-built. I used two names, Eddie Soens Cycles and SoenSport. Jim Soens was my uncle - Eddie's brother. There was a third shop a few years later, called Soens Bros, run by Tommy and Dougie, who made up the quartet of brothers. They didn't build their own but had them built both locally and distantly.

In order to succeed with that type of business it was essential that the premises were adequate to address and cater for a very much wider clientelle. Relying on the racing man alone was a recipe for failure in those days.

Yes,I have seen a couple of my bikes I built up for sale on eBay - quite a compliment considering that they would be at least fifty years old.

[sosunliv]

I see that Iron Legs claims that my father, Eddie Soens, coached Tony Doyle and built his wheels with Airlite hubs ! It's amazing how rumours become facts !. Certainly Eddie Soens may well have helped Tony a little but he didn't come into the full blown fold. Certainly he never built his wheels because I was the wheel-builder !. My father was actually a French Polisher but I never built wheels for Tony Doyle. I did build wheels for Beryl Burton and I believe that Tommy Simpson borrowed them for something or other. What I actually did was to acquire blank Airlites and drill them 24 spoke to match the Scheeren rims. Beryl won her first Worlds I believe on these track wheels also on a frame that I built. However, I was a one-man business and she was immediately snapped up by a much bigger organisation - she did return the two frames I built- lovely lady as was/is Charlie, her husband.

It really is fascinating to read some of the myths that abound.

[Jamesh]

Hi

I'm interested in walvale frames as my first proper road bike was a walvale in brown with a yellow headtube.

Does anyone have and pictures or possess one?

Sadly I sold my to go to uni several decades ago!

Cheers James

[blue_shorter]

Hope this is not too far off topic: I am wondering if anyone has any information on Startin's Cycles of Smithdown Lane? I don't know whether they made frames, but I had a pair of wheels built there in the 1960s.
Thanks,
Pete.