Originally Posted by Oldpeddaller

Hi djm778,

Not particularly knowledgeable but I do love old British bikes and where memory serves, can remember a lot of those I've worked on, ridden alongside, drooled over in the bike shop window or just seen over the years!

Earlier this year I built up an almost identical frame in the same size for my niece, Emma to ride in the London to Brighton (which as a previous non-cyclist she finished without problems). It was/is a Marlborough Sports cycle, fitted with steel 27" wheels but alloy 700's went on OK. Originally it had a 5 speed Simplex derailleur with single cottered chain ring and full outer cable from the down tube shifter to the rear mech and Weinmann side pull brakes with "turkey levers'. I set it up with clamp on tunnels and 10 speed Falcon gears for Emma and it worked fine.

Now for the interesting bit - yours most likely is actually a Coventry Eagle. Back in the 1970's and 80's, UK bike factories like Coventry Eagle and Townsend received bulk orders from mail-order catalogues for bikes to sell on credit. These were built down to a price, generally used the same frame sets in about three sizes and had lower specification parts fitted to cater for the budget market. The catalogue brand used for Coventry Eagle bikes sold by the Marlborough catalogue was (boringly) "Marlborough Sports". So my frame was the bargain bucket version of your Coventry Eagle. It was the only frame I had to hand that was small enough for Emma, who in her usual fashion, forgot to ask me to build her a bike until a few days days before the event. She won't give it back now though.

Both are 'entry level' frames; pressed steel drop outs, very relaxed rear triangle, hi-tensile steel tubing but with quite nice lug cut outs (not 'real' lugs, more cut away tube sockets but they are strong and look attractive), brazed on lamp bracket boss on the fork, neatly pointed seat stay caps. Despite their humble origins they build up into a nice smooth ride, soaking up rough roads and quietly eating up the miles. With alloy wheels, Sakae alloy chain set, alloy bars, stem and seat post, Emma's weighed in at about 26 lbs. Not ultra lightweight by any means but a reasonably quick, competent machine that she absolutely loves, much better for longer rides than the mountain bike she originally thought she wanted.

In terms of monetary value, these are pretty much bottom of the bin but built up at low cost they make really ridable convenience bikes.

Hope this is helpful. I could be wrong. but I don't think so in this case. I now remember I rode a gold coloured 10-speed Coventry Eagle with an identical frame for six months back in 1974. For reasons too involved to go into I borrowed a friend's bike while he was away in the Forces and I had no wheels. That one was a lot heavier, it gad everything hung on it - steel wheels, chainset and Huret gears, steel bars & stem, chromed rack & kickstand, bags, bell, lights - after my full campagnolo 531 lightweight it felt like it weighed a ton! Thankfully you can build it a lot lighter, as Emma's bike shows. Have fun with your bike!