update the second.
The straddle wire is the wrong sort. Miles too long. Ha. No wonder the brakes are parp. Only supplier of the right ones NOS is in America. No ship to UK.
So now it has a Shimano CX 70 canti up front, which I got half price and a Tektro dual pivot on back, drum shoes deglazed, and all rims cleaned and wire wooled. New tektro drop bar levers, and cross tops as TLH is too valuable to risk. The canti needed fettling/adapting, basically dump the supplied spacers and use some off of a normal pair of adjustable shoes, bish sorted. Supplied shimano pre-set straddle wire won't cut the mustard, posts are too narrow, so new straddle made out of a spare brake cable and orginal straddle saddle re used. old skool CX stylee. koolstops in the holders. five minutes of fiddling, front brake is now maahoosive, from the drops, from the hoods, and from the cross tops. Rear brake is still veh spongy but at least it works; the cable is a mile long and I reckon there's some slack to come out, and I've got some spare kool stops to shove in, drum now locks back wheel without a stoker on board.
Now feels safe to take on the road in traffic two up. putting the bar tape on tomorrow and TLH has asked for an even wider saddle. I've got a comedy bolt upright sprung Specialised one that is like sitting on a Chesterfield, it used to be one my Strida until that went under a bus on a mini roundabout.