Classic & Vintage - campagnolo bob jackson wheel issues...

i have got a 1970s bob jackson touring frame that came with a few nice parts on it which i would like to retain. such as a set of high flange record hubs in nice condiditon. however the rims are pretty ropey and i want to ditch them and put something like mavic open pros on them therefore changing the wheel size from 27 t0 700c. this is goiing to cost approx £130 [things are expensive here in the uk]. this is going to cause certain issues like my brake calipers reach not being long enough. but i have a set of weinmann 730s which i belive have a long enough reach and will be ok. ideally i would like to put more modern brakes on the bike - maybe using drop bolts but these seem rare. basically i am throwing this out there to see what people say about the wheel building around the old record hubs - which are beautiful or just buying a new set of wheels, is it worth the cash. and if i could get some advice about the brakes i would be very grateful.

i guess that i am hoping to have my bike old but modernised i love the frame but i am not going for a accurate restore. i am thinking of going for a single speed set up ultimately.

thanks - hope this all makes sense i only got the bug for all this recently.

jon

Rivendell just started selling very long reach Tektro road calipers that may be exactly what you're looking for in terms of "modern." I would put up the link, but their site isn't loading right now.

I've been gathering Bob Jackson serial numbers, dates of manufacture and histories for an informal database (see my thread of last week with results to date ...) - would you mind sharing yours on this forum, preferably with pics? Thanks!

I am guessing you have record calipers? did you throw a 700c on there to see if it would reach? Is your rear spacing 120 or 126mm? I would say rebuild the wheel on new rims. The campy hubs are beautiful and have the highest quality bearings. If your bike is from the early 70s and spaced at 120 this would make sense, I don't think spreading the stays to 130 to put in modern wheels is worth it when you have nice record hubs that came with it. Also you can have the wheel built with a solid axle and with no dish so you can put a single speed freewheel on there and be good to go.

I am guessing you have record calipers? did you throw a 700c on there to see if it would reach? Is your rear spacing 120 or 126mm? I would say rebuild the wheel on new rims. The campy hubs are beautiful and have the highest quality bearings. If your bike is from the early 70s and spaced at 120 this would make sense, I don't think spreading the stays to 130 to put in modern wheels is worth it when you have nice record hubs that came with it. Also you can have the wheel built with a solid axle and with no dish so you can put a single speed freewheel on there and be good to go.

i have weinmann 730 calipers on and it does reach on the front but not the rear. i reckon that if i filed them down i could do it. i just fancied something new as i assumed that it would provide better braking. i think i'm going to bite the bullet and get my wheels built tommorrow.

as for the serial number i will post it when i get home.

thanks.

Nashbar has some long calipers as well, on sale right now. A drop bolt in the rear would solve that problem, if you can find one. Can't just true up the 27" wheels?

I should have mentioned this in my first post ... I'm sure that my BJ frame must have been built up with 27" wheels in the first instance (it dates to 1972) but when I got it, it had 700c Mavic MA-40 clincher rims, which considerably postdate the frame. The Campy NR long reach brakes fit fine; I've also temporarily mounted (but haven't ridden) circa-1983 Shimano 600 calipers on the frame to see if they'd fit, and they did, with the shoes positioned toward the ends of the 47mm-57mm adjustable mounts. I don't pretend to be on a par with all of the guys in here who have built up multiple bikes ... let alone the shop owners and pro mechanics, of whom I've gathered there are more than a few ... but since the difference between a 27" wheel and a 700c wheel is 8mm in diameter or 4mm in radius, if the reach of your brakes is adjustable, I'm guessing that you're good. Of course, the easiest way to find out is to throw a 700c wheel on the front, fiddle with it, and see if it works.

I'll hijack the thread a bit: I have fitted 700C wheels (with Campy hubs, it just happens) to an old Holdsworth Super Mistral that's my commuter. I used to have modern Campy dual-pivot brakes that I reworked with homemade drop bolts (machined from SS bar stock) but this is a destructive process as I did it, you can't return the brakes to original without a new center bolt, and I don't think I'll find a pair of those for small $$. Anyhow, I decided i didn't like the fact of these having no quick-release on the calipers, so have now fitted a Promax dual-pivot to the rear (it's actually a front brake but wanted that extra bolt length for the nutted attachment) and it has a 68mm max reach. Couldn't get another front caliper, so had to sub one of the new Tektros with super long reach (73mm) in the front, and counter-drilled the back hole of my forkcrown, but this is no big deal: it's fine). So now I get to try them both and I can report that they are both good stoppers, but the Tektros are a nicer finish and have especially nice QRs. I'm told that both these calipers come from the same factory in Taiwan! The Promax is fine, too and looks a little nicer in terms of fit on this bike, but since I have shorty fenders on F&R the big gap under the Tektro is somewhat filled up. I recommend both/either...got the Promax from Universal in Oregon (front is still B/O) and the Tektro from Toeclips.com in New Mex.

I've been gathering Bob Jackson serial numbers, dates of manufacture and histories for an informal database (see my thread of last week with results to date ...) - would you mind sharing yours on this forum, preferably with pics? Thanks!

serial is 7957 on the bottom bracket with another 3 digit number which i cant remember even though i only looked 1 minute ago. - i think this means its had some sort of refurbishment. pics to follow.

i booked my wheels in after sometime deliberating and after coming accross certain build issues such as the record hubs being 32 and 40 hole so no modern rims fit [no 40 hole rims] but luckily they found some new/old mavic ma-40s out the back in the bike shop and im getting them made up with them on. heres a question i have though regarding spacing...

they told me in the bike shop i could put a 126mm wheel in my bike even though its spaced 120 as the steel flexes. is this fact or fiction? i have put a pair of 700c wheels on temporarily to see about the reach of various brakes and the rear is 126mm and its in there but its on my mind that its not a nice fit.

they told me in the bike shop i could put a 126mm wheel in my bike even though its spaced 120 as the steel flexes. is this fact or fiction?
Fact. Yeah, it sort of creeps me out to do it, too, but 531 (which a 1970's Jackson is almost certainly made from) can flex that tiny amount about a gazillion times with no worries. (Note: Don't *ever* try this with aluminum or carbo fiber unless your insurance is paid up and you like visiting emergency rooms.)