Bob Jackson Cycles

Ha- I certainly wouldn’t have bought one

See also

A good few years ago, I was called in by a friend to help rebrand a British frame builder.

The biggest problem we came against was the average consumer no longer had any need for custom steel frames. A lot of these smaller frame building business were created in a time before globalization took hold.

What you can currently purchase from Specialized, Focus, Trek, etc, is honestly a lot better and more readily available than what a lot of British manufacturers have to offer, in the scope of racing bicycles.

I made a suggestion of going into mountain bikes, gravel bikes, modern road bikes (disc brakes, frame designed around wireless groupsets) but with a beautiful and handcrafted touch, this really didn't go down well!

Sadly, a lot of these businesses ignore changing consumer habits, with the intention of "do what you've always done, and you'll always have what you've always got". Without sounding nasty, a lot of them just bury their head in the sand and keep doing the same thing, year in, year out. I appreciate a lot of smaller business owners are not always equipped with commercial knowledge, but blaming the consumer for this isn't fair.

I feel a lot of younger people recognise the ship is sinking and wish to learn the trade and get out before it goes under.

Custom made steel frames are like jewelry. There are other bikes on the market which are cheaper, but you just 'want' one, because it looks pretty, you admire the history and the brand. As such, jewelry should shine.

Are Hetchins bikes jewelry? Yes

Are Bob Jackson bikes jewelry? No

Are Hetchins bikes jewelry? Yes

Are Bob Jackson bikes jewelry? No

The irony of this.

I can see the announcement on the front page of their website.

I looked for a long time and still couldn't find the ad for the job/apprenticeship they say nobody wants.

If Bob Jackson offered something with modern standards... thru axels, a-head stems, big tyre clearance, disc mounts, etc. etc. and doubled their current prices, I probably would have bought one. Instead I just got something made in Taiwan.

You'd think a builder like Bob Jackson could easily charge a premium over a bike with "Fairlight" or "Crust" written on it.

Are Hetchins bikes jewelry? Yes

Are Bob Jackson bikes jewelry? No

Erm...

Are Hetchins bikes jewelry? Yes

Are Bob Jackson bikes jewelry? No

http://www.bobjacksoncycles.co.uk/product/vulcan/
I'm not sure of the story but in some sense aren't Bob Jackson literally the same as Hetchins?

Bob Jackson used to make Hetchins under license.

When the Southend shop closed, production was moved to Leeds. Eventually, David Miller (who I think was production manager at Jacksons) bought the marque and moved production elsewhere - in this case Preston.

As you have linked, Bob Jackson still offer a frame - the Vulcan - which is basically in the style of a Hetchins.

I looked for a long time and still couldn't find the ad for the job/apprenticeship they say nobody wants.

Yeah i was wondering the same

They need to modernise something.

If it isn’t the bikes then it needs to be the marketing.

The whole rough stuff fellowship thing send to be a hot topic as an anti thesis to modern carbon through axle disc brake gravel biking so they could surely tap into that.

I agree.

A similar (far smaller) range to Genesis. UK built with some custom options and a good range of paint finishes.

The whole rough stuff fellowship thing send to be a hot topic as an anti thesis to modern carbon through axle disc brake gravel biking so they could surely tap into that.

I’m not convinced that’s actually much of a market. I mean it’s a hashtag ... but ... the more adventurous CTC riders out in the countryside (who have some continuity with the Roughstuff fellowship, riding the same routes, passed on) are very appreciative of modern allroad bike technology. They do appreciate steel, and builders too I guess. There are a lot of Roberts, a few Thorns & Fairlights amongst the Treks etc.

As a look/style I suppose it might sell some retro bikes in Japan, as Pashley does.

Being shown a single example of a Bob Jackson bike with polished and fancy lugs still doesn't make it jewelry (in a strange way).

If I were to coin where the problem is, I'd say it was branding, marketing, and the lack of ultra-modern steel bikes.

To be honest, the main reason why you'd buy a custom steel bike is that you 'want one', current BJ bikes don't have that 'want' factor (to me, anyway)

The reason you'd want a Bob Jackson is that they're well-made Reynolds-tubed British-made frames, from a company with a decent history, available more or less OTP with a decent order time, and are pretty competitively priced - if one of their standard frames suits you, they're a couple of hundred quid cheaper than UK-built alternatives. OTOH, that still means they're a couple of hundred quid more than a Taiwanese frame that is realistically as good, if marginally less pretty.

I'm not sure whether shiny bike jewelry is necessarily the best way to go, but I think they will want to tweak some of their frames for bigger clearances, offer disc brake options, etc, and offer semi or full custom frames. If they can get their production sorted, they should be able to offer this at competitive prices. It seems to be working for someone like Stanforth.

A Bob Jackson xc hardtail and gravel/audax bike could both be pretty desirable offerings I reckon.

Old style logos, simple paint. Reynolds 631. Not outrageously expensive.

They’d sell a few to the US.

Perhaps finally the could put up some geometry charts for their models too so people could understand what they're buying, that would be pretty good too! Also yes to larger tyre clearances on their current models, better colour swatches on their site too would certainly help people in making decisions.

Was gutted about them closing as I attempted to place an order only to have it cancelled due to workload etc - received the news of staying open in a reply to my order email - perhaps in a way of “do you still want this?”

I’m chuffed at the news and will likely order one after Christmas.

Obviously it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but the Audax and World Tour models have options for disc brakes, ahead steerer and tubing upgrades and given that the price is roughly half of what Mercian would charge, for an what is arguable an identical frame set in the same steel, seems silly that they’ve haven’t been raking it in.

The lack of geometry and any kind of accessible information on their website is an annoyance and would probably drive business up if it was modernised. The paint options / swatches are vague at best, although from looking through Argos’ renovation page most of the paints are on there in a much more visible and accurate way.

Curious as to what the “exciting news to come” entails and whether or not they’ll seek to offer more variety of framesets

I looked for a long time and still couldn't find the ad for the job/apprenticeship they say nobody wants.

I heard that similar stuff was talked by Witcomb’s just before ... you know ... accesibility consultant guy.

A friend of mine WSRN did a photographic thing of Barry W around then. Said he really didn’t love the job and wanted to just get away from it.

I gather Dave Yates has just stopped, I imagine he’d had enough of us smart alecs telling him what’s what.

I certainly hope something change with Bob Jackson.. but essentially they are business that builds the same production it did decades ago on standards that have stood the test of time. And that why they are loved.
A modern touch may dilute the brand, but perhaps secure its future.
Bit like the cambium is to the older leather saddles for brooks.

Great news your new Bob Jackson World Tour frameset is ready. I know you wanted to come and collect. Donald

Hurray!!

Hurrah! What colour did you go for? any custom options or tubing upgrades?

Good news. Who are new investors ?

There are ways of executing something new and exciting / new without diluting the brand...

Good luck to them.

I went for Amber with white headtube and seat tube panel.

I am excite. Will start a CP when I've been to the frozen North to pick it up.