chewybrian 

So my new Bob Jackson frame is officially on order, and I have a few months to gather parts to build it up. It's the "Vulcan" model, rather 'Hetchins-like':



I've dialed up a dark green flamboyant paint with silver metallic panels and head tube, chrome: rear, fork end, fork crown, and head lugs, and gold lining and decals.

It's not really vintage, but I figured you guys are the best source of ideas. It will be set up to run modern parts, and I've decided to go that way, though vintage looking parts would look best. I will be using it for a rando rig, so rugged, simple parts would be appropriate (like, friction bar end shifters). I think it would look best to stick with polished aluminum for the most part, so the parts don't pull attention from the frame.

So far, all I've got is a Tange needle bearing headset and a SKF needle bearing bottom bracket.

So, what would make sense, and where would you get it? I know of Velo Orange, Compass, and Rivendell. What other places offer stuff like this?

I like the look of the Velo Orange wheelsets. Anyone ever use them? Are they tough? I also like their drillium cranks, but I don't know if that works for a rando bike (?). The Dia Compe bar end shifters from Rivendell look like a winner. I haven't seen any modern derailleurs that look vintage; I'd settle for anything durable that's all aluminum (not black).

Sorry for the ramble, and thanks for any ideas.

p.s. Saved a good chunk thanks to the Brexit, so screw the budget on the build!

steelbikeguy

I like the idea of polished (or anodized?) aluminum parts, although I don't know anything about the modern parts. A quick guess would be that Campy would have the best chance of providing this style of parts. Not sure how well that matches the requirements for rando style gearing, though. Were you thinking of a compact double, or a triple, or...???

Nice frame, though!
I've got a Hetchins Magnum Opus built by Bob Jackson in '87, so it would be a cousin or sibling to your bike. It's built with 531C, which I think rides nicer than my 531 Raleigh International.. but it's hard to definitively compare them.

Steve in Peoria

sced

At first I was gonna suggest silver Athena + custom wheels with HF (for looks) hubs, but the bulletproof rando angle calls for a mix of best-ever at what they did parts.

Maybe mostly silver Veloce 10 with 10spd barcons. I think 10 will be a bit more durable than 11.

oddjob2

I'd look to the Bianchi L'Eroica for inspiration.

Eroica | Bianchi USA

himespau 

That's going to be great whatever you decide.

plonz 

I think the new Campy Veloce 11 spd group in silver is one of the more elegant looking groups. Still decidedly modern aesthetic but less so than the rest.

Salamandrine 

That is very cool. I'm going through this same thing myself, albeit with a Mercian instead. I've had some time to think about this.

You have already mentioned the main vintage looking suppliers in the US: VO, Compass, Rivbikes. SOMA and Ben's cycles are also good sources. Some other stuff is around if you look overseas.

SunXCD, the reincarnation of Suntour, has a complete retro groupset that looks very cool. You might have to buy it from the UK or Japan. The derailleurs are made by Microshift. The cranks is particularly cool looking and TA style.

VO hubs are a VO branded version of the Dia Compe ENE hubs. I've only seen the Dia Compe ENE branded hubs in freewheel version, so maybe they got exclusivity. At any rate I got a pair for my Mercian. They will go on the 'touring' wheels.

More importantly, ENE makes a complete retro groupset also, except for derailleurs. This is what is on the Bianchi L'Eroica.

BTW, Microshift Centos derailleurs are quite nice and they are silver. The logo will rub off easily since it is silkscreen over the clear anodizing. I am using them on my restomodded PX10.

Campy derailleurs are really the only other option in silver.

I kind of think you have to start with the crank. That's the most important component and sort of makes the look of the bike. I'd kind of think drillium is too much for a Hetchins-ey bike, but maybe not. I think the VO stronglight copy is cooler looking, though the gearing wouldn't work for me. The ENE, Herse, and SunXCD cranks are all quite attractive.

romperrr 

Nitto: bars, stem, post, racks
Brooks: seat, maybe tape
Campy: brakes, rd, fd
Crank set: builder choice: TA, VO, Campy
Shifters: either indexed bar ends that can go into friction or Dia-Comp Silver. I've never used friction with anything more than 7 speeds, so I don't know how well it would shift with a 10 speed.
Bags: there's a variety of options, but I highly recommend a saddle bag from
Wheels: don't know much about wheels, but I hear velocity dyad rims are tough. Hubs, I'd probably go with Campy hubs. Spokes: double butted. Nipples: maybe copper nips for a little flash? Tires: beats me. Something comfy. Haha.

Looking forward to the build.

jet sanchEz

Ten speed alloy Chorus but get some Record hubs and lace them up to some H + Son TB14 rims, either the silver polished or grey anodized version.

sced

I have 3 wheelsets with silver 30mm rims and silver hubs and they look amazing to my eyes - lots of glinting in the sunlight

TenGrainBread 

You have a lot of options for "retro-new" if you're willing to drop a good amount of cash. A list I compiled of companies making/designing these parts (some of which have been mentioned):

-Velo Orange
-Rivendell
-Soma
-IRD
-Dia Compe
-Sugino
-Sun XCD
-Andel
-Compass
-White Industries
-Paul
-Nitto

There are a lot of good options above for cockpit, cranksets, brakes, and even wheels. The hard part is finding good-looking derailleurs in a silver finish. You can always go vintage, hehe.

chewybrian 

I love that rear derailleur, but could not find a way to buy one (without the rest of the bike)

Much good stuff there, especially Soma. Crank, well... I've always used mountain triples. I wouldn't mind a compact double, but I'd still prefer a triple. thanks

Good looking rims; did not see a US supplier listed on their site.

Paul is on my list, along with some others there. Will research them all when I get more time. thanks

Thanks to all who replied so far. I am going through everything as time allows to get ideas.

gomango

Wouldn't disagree with this option.

It would look and perform as well as any choice. Never breaks either.

FWIW I would also suggest you spend some time looking through the MAP Cycles website.

Some of the neatest build ideas out there. imho

MAP Bicycles | Handmade, Custom Bicycles | Chico, California.

edit: This Coho on iBob has a very nice build. I'd consider that as well.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/104624.../shares/8w2E9T

kroozer 

Can you get them to use some different down-tube logos? The ones in the photo look too sleek on such a baroque frame. The old Hetchins logos were perfect for their frame style.

jet sanchEz

They are 23mm wide rims which I suppose is becoming the new standard for modern rims.

I found the black ones here for $75 shipped

wiggle.com | H Plus Son TB14 Road Rim | Rims

TenGrainBread 

At this point, that clunky Star Wars script is pretty iconic for Bob Jackson
I actually really like it. It's quirky but unique.

TenGrainBread 

Actually there are a lot of modern retro mountain/touring triples. Many with 46 or 48 big rings.

Sugino XD600
Sugino XD500
IRD Defiant Triple
Velo Orange Grand Cru
Compass Rene Herse Triple
Dia Compe ENE Ciclo Triple

chewybrian 

If it ain't baroque, don't fix it.



I agree, but I'm no expert. It's pretty likely my Bob Jackson will be the first one I've seen in person. I do see the point, though. If it was up to me, I would have let out a special edition RJR retro decal option just for this frame.

Salamandrine 

Don't forget Sugino's top of the line Mighty Tour. Now that Campagnolo and Shimano have moved away from square taper for good, it's arguably the last truly top of the line square taper crank available. Oh yeah, there is also the TA Carmina, and it isn't cheap! I thought about it but really couldn't justify $600 or whatever for a crankset.

One thing that may be obvious to us long timers but possibly not to the current generation: TA and TA compatible cranksets such as 50.4 Stronglights and Nervars, VO, and the SunXCD can be built up as triples, or doubles, or singles.

IOW the VO 50.4 crank could be made into a triple, though you'd need to use some TA parts probably. Actually it's still pretty easy to get a vintage TA crank, which is not a bad option either.

himespau 

How does the Sugino Alpina 2 triple differ from the XD600? Is there any difference? I think someone once said it had 10 speed chainrings vs 8/9 for the XD600, but other places seem to use the two interchangeably.

Salamandrine 

According to SOMA and a couple others:
"The Alpina is a level up from the venerable XD. Nicer chainrings and 10-spd compatibility."

I'd guess that the crankarms are the same but with a better level of finish and polish on the Alpina, but that's just my supposition based on photographs of the Alpina. XD look slightly utilitarian up close compared to say campy NR/SR.

chewybrian 

So, after having a little time to surf through all the info and links, I'd say I am drawn to the Sun XCD line.



It looks like good stuff in the style I'm trying to find.



What I can't find is an internet 'appeal to authority' to say this stuff works as well as it looks.



I can gather up a wheel set, front and rear derailleurs, and a crankset that will all match and look great, though.



Does anyone have experience with any of these components?

Also, I am confused about how to set up the crank. Is it only a triple? I see photos of this crank with 3 rings, but not 3 xcd rings. And, how do I know how to pick a bottom bracket length to match? (Velo Orange and others will just say: get 113, etc.)

Salamandrine 

They really only recently became available, and I suspect they are really intended for the Japanese domestic market primarily.

I don't know if you can make it a triple with those 3 arm chainrings. There might be middle chainrings and long chainring bolt sets available, but I haven't seen them. I think it's possible, but it'd be a bit of a hack and probably not a great idea if you're not a mechanic.

It's a 50.4 crank, which means it's compatible with TA and Stronglight chainrings (or VO). You could use those to make a triple if you want the old 6 arm look. Alternatively, you can use one of their 5 arm spider adapters and use conventional 110 or 130 chainrings.

If it were mine, I'd probably just get the arms and then use real TA rings and hardware. TA cyclotourist chainrings & hardware

chewybrian 

Thanks for the link. Yes, I've seen other photos of triples with this crank and those rings, but nobody ever explains how to make it work. I like the TA arms just fine, and I could go that way. Strangely, it does not seem that Sun makes a triple front derailleur, even though it's supposed to be targeted for touring use. I've seen IRD fds that look like a style match, though.

If I commit to the Sun stuff, I'm like halfway done with acquiring stuff to build. I'm looking also at Nitto stems, with the 'noodle' bars or rando bars. I'll be set up for canti brakes, and still looking for an eye catching set. Maybe Paul's or VO's? Best looking fenders in the 38ish range? I'll probably stick with a Brooks B17, and matching bar tape. I have a well used Ostrich handlebar bag, and I could stick with it, or get something new.

Thanks again for the help.

Salamandrine 

RE: TA triples - I used to work for a touring oriented shop in high school, and I set up lots of those. They were the standard triple crankset. Unfortunately it's been decades and frankly it's a bit fuzzy now. I do remember that basically the outer chainring is mounted to the crank using the small 50.4 5 bolt circle. The other chainrings are mounted to the outer chainwheel. For a triple, you need the long chainring bolt and spacer set (which is why I linked to that source). One thing I forget is if there was a middle position ring, or if you just doubled up inner rings. Like I said, it's been a while.

EDIT: Yeah, there are middle position TA rings that you would need to make a triple. Might be easier to buy one complete off ebay etc.

I guess the FD are intended to handle a triple or a double like old time Cyclones? Microshift makes the Sun derailleurs, so you could always sub one of those. I think I already mentioned I'm using de-logo'd Centos on my PX10.

I have a set of the VO hammered fenders and they look great to me.

Yer welcome on the help but frankly I'm helping myself by thinking out loud about this stuff, as I'm still getting parts together for my Mercian KOM touring model. So we are both doing fancy British bikes with cool JDM componentry. I thought about going modern on the bars, but I think I'd prefer Nitto noodle as I don't like being locked into a couple hand positions.