Vintage Bob Jackson racer, barn find
 

I have a Bob Jackson racing bike, which I was given by my gardener some years ago, he was clearing out a neighbours shed.

I'd like to find out a bit more about this bicycle, roughly when it was made, whether the components are good, if it's worth keeping it in original condition etc. I plan to use it, I love the look of it and it rides beautifully.

It's a Bob Jackson frame, with Shimano Dura Ace components. The gear levers are mounted on the downtube. It has two tone paintwork (fork ends and tips of the seat and chain stay are silver whereas the rest of the frame is in gold, with hand painted black lines dividing the two colours) in fairly good condition. At some point it seems the silver parts were chromed but have since been repainted. Overall the bike doesn't seem to have been abused but it's clearly been left standing for a long time.

I've tried several times to upload a photo but it repeatedly seems to fail, perhaps the file size is too large? I'll try again tomorrow, but in the meantime if anyone has any ideas what features I can look for which might help me find out more about it then I'd love to know.

Thanks!

http://i.imgur.com/qypQLci.jpg

Moderator edit: added the pic link from the otherwise identical duplicate thread.

Sounds like a great find! Bob Jackson made great frames, and Dura Ace are top of the line components.

However without photos we're not going to be of much help. I always find it easiest to upload them elsewhere (like imgur) and then link them here using the [img] tag. Just put [img] before the link to the photo (ending with .jpg or .jpeg usually) and a [/img] link after the link.

Contact Bob Jackson with the serial number. They are very good with their record-keeping and also very nice about providing you the information about when it was made. I have owned two (still have one), and they gave me details about both of them.

The paint job reads mid 70's but Bob Jackson has a long history.
Dura Ace components if original can be from about '73 onwards.
Most Bob Jacksons were imported as frame sets. Typical was with a basic headset and plain alloy seat pin as the British call them.
Built to owners tastes by the selling bike shop most often.

That's a nice bike! Based on the 1st generation Dura Ace parts group (top of the line from Shimano), I'd guess it's mid- to late-70s. Those black anodized hubs and brakes are really cool, and less common than the grey anodized versions. Bob Jackson's are very well regarded.

You say it rides well, but it doesn't appear to have been given an thorough overhaul. Is that correct? You likely have dried out grease in the bearings. It's really important that you overhaul the bearings (hubs, bottom bracket, pedals, headset) before putting more miles on it or you may end up with ruined bearing surfaces.

You've got a nice gardener!

P.s. The best way to post pictures is to copy the "[IMG]" links from your photo album and paste them directly into the reply.

Contact Bob Jackson with your serial number. They respond to e-mail, keep very good records, and are very obliging about telling you what they can about when your bicycle was made and what model it is. I have owned two of them, and both times, within a day or two of asking, a response was given.

The frame looks quite similar to the frame of a '91 I once owned.

Old brooks swallow and check out that fork angle, that looks crazy fast. The saddle looks well broken in, I would say somebody enjoyed it before it went to the shed.

'75-'77 my calendar dart toss.
Stock seat post, Black Dura-Ace came out in '75 essentially.
Note it has the factory headset.
Nice looking machine.

Very nice, great find. That should clean up really nice. I always have my eyes open for a Bob Jackson!

I've got to get a gardener.

Nice ! Do a good detail , adjustments, lube , tires and tubes and RIDE !

That's a beautiful bicycle. I bought a Bob Jackson frame from the "factory" in about 2003 and really like the bike a lot.

I don't think you should change anything about the bike. Top level components for the era and everything should last forever.

Taking care of the essential maintenance, as mentioned, isn't very tough and if you don't want to do it yourself, any competent shop should be able to do it for a reasonable price. It's well worth the money -- it's a great bike.

Hi gaucho, thanks for the advice. I only rode it up and down the road a few times and plan to give it a full service before using it further.

Good idea, I will have a look for the serial number and contact them.. It would be great to know the history of this bike.

Good advice

Adjustment wise, I would do a few things:
Rotate the bars so the bottom return in side view is at least level or angled a bit, say 5 degrees the other direction.
This will get the brake hoods to a place where you could actually rest your hands on them.
(I would move the levers up on the bars too, but that will require retapng them.)
If you are about 5' 8" or taller, flip the seat clamp around to behind the seatpost.
This will help set the saddle so your knee will not be forward of the pedal axle at the 3 o'clock position.
Consider toe clips and straps.

That will absolutely rail corners but you will get used to it. Hang on and enjoy the ride!

There's an interesting chapter on Bob Jackson bikes here. http://www.classicrendezvous.com/pub...tombicycle.pdf Chapter 5 is what you want but the whole book is worth a read.
Looks like a very nice bike that you have, Bob Jacksons were a little up and down in quality but the good ones are very good indeed.

Pic assist.

http://i.imgur.com/qypQLci.jpg

That's an incredible find. In case you didn't gather this. The black parts came that way and are highly desirable.

My wife is my gardener. I hope she doesn't give away my bikes!