Thursday, October 15, 2020

Sad News - Bob Jackson Cycles Closing

It's sad to say it, but another great name in classic bicycles is about to disappear. Bob Jackson Cycles, also known as JRJ Cycles (for John Robert Jackson) is expected to close their doors later this year. Between an aging staff and a global pandemic, the company decided that the time has come to call it quits. 

I contacted the current owner of the company, Donald Thomas, who tells me "It’s as simple as this: we are very much an aging workforce and over the last 10-15 years we have not been able to find younger members of staff willing to take on this kind of light engineering work and get their hands dirty. So we are simply retiring. We have four key members of staff, including me, who have said 'enough is enough - let's stop and have some quality time while we can'." He also noted that sales have been trending downward for a while now, what with aluminum and carbon fiber frames dominating the market.

Thomas cites the current pandemic as another factor - if not due to its direct effects on the business, then because of the way it changes the mindset and rearranges priorities. All in all, I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise - but it still saddens me a bit.

In terms of quality and style, I've always felt that Bob Jackson Cycles were a lot like Mercian, which has long been a favorite of mine. The bikes and the companies just always seemed to have a lot in common: lugged steel frames, made to order with traditional methods and traditional materials. There were also some similar frame models, and paint schemes, etc. But JRJ is/was a bit older than the brand from Derby.

Bob Jackson began producing bicycles in 1935, with a hiatus during WWII while Jackson served in the RAF. Frame production resumed after the war, and over the years the company has produced other brands as well. In the 1950s, they acquired South London-based Merlin Cycles which they produced until some time in the 1980s. In the late 1970s and '80s, they built bikes for Hetchins, which was for a few years under the same ownership as JRJ. Even after Hetchins and JRJ were separated and Hetchins resumed building their own bikes, JRJ retained rights to produce the famous and distinctive "vibrant" or "curly-stay" designed frames. 

The Bob Jackson "Vulcan" (from their 
current website) is the only bike other than
Hetchins authorized to use that "vibrant" rear
triangle design. Brand new, starting at only £850.00 
(about $1100!). Sorry, too late now.

Bob Jackson had retired in 1986, and according to their own history page, the company had some troubled years following. In 1993, about the time that the Hetchins and JRJ companies separated, Donald Thomas took control of JRJ Cycles, with Bob Jackson as an advisor, and brought new energy for improvements and expansion. All building and painting operations were updated and brought in-house for better quality control. Mr. Jackson died in 1999, but the company continued.

I suppose signs that the company was "winding down" have been popping up for a couple of years now. They had a retail shop which I'm told was closed a few years ago, though frame production continued. Frames could be ordered through their website, either fully custom built or "off the peg." But custom orders were recently halted, and they had stopped taking new work for frame renovations and repairs, which was another thing they were known for. Their website still says folks can order an "off the peg" frame, but that needs to be updated because Thomas says they are not accepting any more new orders at this time. "We have had orders flood in since the word (about the closing) got out, so I would say now, no, sorry we will not have enough time left to build more orders."

Thomas told me the plan is to finish the last of the orders that have come in and close the doors by mid December. When it's all done, he added, "We are going to build ourselves new frames each, the last ones to leave the factory in the 85 years and 30,000 frames we have built."

There really aren't many of the old traditional builders left in Britain any more. Woodrup is still in business, with Kevin Sayles as the builder, and Mercian is still going. I believe one can still get a Hetchins as well. If someone wants a new "keeper of the flame" British-built lugged steel frame, the options are are really thinning out. Such a shame to see it happening. I'll be wishing all the best for the folks at Bob Jackson. You'll be missed, lads.

15 comments:

  1. Yes Bob Jackson frames are aesthetically pleasing in that traditional English way. What I could never get past though are those initials, "BJ", stamped prominently on the seat stay eyes...

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  2. Very sad , I own a number of bikes and my favorite is my red Bob Jackson, possibly the most beautiful bike I own. Definitely the best ride.

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  3. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Bob Jackson manufacture tandems during the tandem craze of the late 80s' and early 90s'?

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    1. They did make tandems -- I saw a very nice used one, probably from the early '80s, at a local bike shop a couple of years ago. They also made racing tricycles.

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    2. Thought so; I was a real tandem freak back then. Wrote articles for 'Tandem and Family Cycling' mag, owned three Tandems over a 10 year period, and did lots of club tours. Hard to get a good tandem now (who can afford a Santana?) Just discovered your page - great stuff!

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    3. Yes they made tandems , they also made a tandem trike , I worked in the paint shop mid 80s and painted it. Sad news , happy memories working at Harehills Lane shop.

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  4. My first "real" race frame - a gorgeous black and red Columbus Bob Jackson frame, details picked out in gold. Bought as a teen from a local shop for about US$200 (1977).

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  5. That's unfortunate. I managed to get a 1980s Bob Jackson funny bike second hand. It's a beautifully built bicycle.

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  6. They still make tandems - our was made at the end of last year - branded as Orbit but they will also brand them as Bob Jackson.

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  7. One more for your dwindling list of British frame makers still building bikes the traditional way: Vernon Barker of Dronfield, just south of Sheffield. More details at vernonbarkercycles.co.uk. Regards - Colin Petty

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  8. I purchased a Bob Jackson Vigorelli in March 2019. While it is not truly retro, it is retro in spirit: Reynolds steel, lugged, hand-brazed and finished by an old-time builder. It is well built and beautifully finished. I love it.

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  9. Howard Jackson, in the 70's and early 80's ran the flagship Bikecology store on Wilshire and 15th in Santa Monica, CA. This was the same Bikecology as the infamous "grease before insertion" girl insert in their parts catalogue. Bikecology was a prime mover of Bob Jackson frames at the time. Maybe, to make the Bob Jackson frame deal, Bob threw Howard in. Regardless, Howard was a nice man with a twinkle in his eye and had a kind word or two to say to a 17 year old kid twisting a wrench in the shop. I never did get a Jackson frame, though, as I wound up with a Ron Cooper frameset, complete with Record components. Just like the workmanship on the Ron Cooper better.

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  10. If I recall correctly, Bikecology also carried Mercian in addition to Bob Jackson and Mercian. As a teen and broke college student, I could only dream of one of those frames—with Campy equipment, of course.

    I wonder whether Ron Coopers are still made. At least Mercian still seems to be going strong.

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    1. I'm not certain of the fate of Ron Cooper frames. Back in '83, I rescued a Mercian frameset from an umntimely end (dented top and down tubes) as I couldn't stand to see that fancy lugwork be squandered. . The frame was repaired, refinished, and assembled with Suntour Superbe components, although it never felt right. Cut to some years later, when I had gotten NECA Fit Kit and frame alignment certification. A coworker of mine expressed interest in the Mercian. I sold the bike, with the plan of restoring it to its original glory. CyclArt did a lovely job of making the old girl pretty again. I prepared the frame for its new Shimano 600 equipment, including a proper frame and fork alignment. I instantly regretted selling the Mercian after the first road test. Nice frameset.

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    2. I meant “Mercian in addition to Bob Jackson and Ron Cooper.”

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