My 3 favorite Bob Jackson pics:

Steerer not brazed to crown


Broke at H2O boss, probably from overheating, though there's no way to know. It is from fatigue though, not crash damage.


Steerer had all the butt cut off, so it was unbutted. And this is a tandem! Witnesses who were there agree, this was JRA, though he probably hit a pot hole while he was using the front brake.


Regardless of whether it was crashed or not, an unbutted 1" steerer on a tandem is criminal negligence IMHO. At least this one was brazed to the crown!

Obviously JRJ/Jackson had a long storied history of excellence, but unfortunately they also had some careless idiots working there at various times, in the modern era. Oversimplifying a bit, old Jacksons = good, newer ones = caveat emptor.

Two long-time framebuilders I know expressed the same opinion. One guy you know (a member here) told me the thought of them making 753 frames scared him. He said no way he'd ride one.

Apologies to any BJ fans. I was one once, long ago.