Bob Jackson

[Dr. Doofus]

Opinions from Dbrk, jerk, the cogniscenti? Knew a guy who had a custom geo one in the late 90s...753...sweet looking bike, he seemed to like it, but I've heard they were dogs.

Like I need a third bike...but you got to keep the options open, and the more eccentric the choice, the better....


Got to give the shout out to hang cleans and power cleans...really, an underrated exercise for cyclists, especially crossers, sprinters, and mountain bikers...its a *core* thing, not a leg thing...gives you that extra papa papa papa doo when you jump out of the saddle....

[dnovo]

They are neat, but not really the same as they were 'back in the day.' More a production line affair, still done one frame at a time in England, but no longer the small shop working strictly to order. Go to their website in England and they show you the range of options you can order. You can pretty much spec the level of 'extras' you want on the frame (chromed lugs or plain, fancy or plain paint, etc.)

All in all, a nice but not spectacular frameset, fairly 'old school' but a good 'nostaglia' ride. Nice ride, but a bit on the heavy side. Good paint, but not what you will get from an American custom build done by Joe Bell, Cycle Fantasy (the shop that does Dave Kirk's frames) or from Serotta or Waterford, etc. The lug work is good, but again not what you are going to get in a higher priced frameset. Of course , the price is much less too, so that balances the better lug work and paint of the other framebuilders I mentioned.

My new build 853-frame is in the custom image gallery. My frameset is about 3/4 up on the 'fancy' scale. The 'standard' frame will not have the more elaborate paint or chrome lugs shown on my bike. The base frame is 531, and the top is, I believe, the 853 used on my frame. (I bought my frame from Stone Cyclery in Alameda California. Call and talk to the owner about Jackson. A very nice guy to deal with, and very, very sharp on all things 'Jackson.') The resolution on the photos in the image gallery isn't that great because of the size limitations, but if you want, drop me a note off line and I will send you some larger format shots.

Dave N.

[753]

hello, i have a anniversary 753 Bob Jackson that i purchased in 95 from world class cycles in new york. I'm very happy with it. It's my first and only steel frame that i've experienced, so i can't really compare it to others. It is a heavy frame/fork but, i could care less when it comes to steel. it's the comfort im after. It soaks harsh roads nicely. A great bike for a long days ride indeed. not for racing. too much flex in the bb. The paint is o.k. as far as lugs go at least the lugs i have on mine are a thing of beauty. I would definitely buy another if something happened to mine. you cannot beat the prices either. fully custom sizing. many colors to choose from and way cheaper than the best american builders whom i would also consider purchasing from. among the exotic bikes out today i still consider the looks of lugged steel and ride to be a thing of beauty and great pleasure.

[Needs Help]

Power cleans and hang cleans(click on Technique to see pictures):

http://www.athleticadvisor.com/Weight_Room/power_cleans.htm

[Balf]

I am considering one of these as a third bike/fixed option:
http://www.on-one.co.uk/products/ilpompino.shtml

Perhaps because I am pretending I am still young I like their attitude and their range tickles me. Their bikes definitely have a following. Which is not the same as a reputation of course.

[Sam in VA]

Bob Jackson developed a bad reputation for a time in the 80's. I don't remember the exact story, but apparently he sold the business and retired. The new owners were businessmen, not cyclists, and they used his reputation to make a big profit at the expense of quality. I beleive Colorado cyclist sold them inthis transitionary era and the were supposed to be pretty crappy. Sometime later Bob bought the business back and and restored the quality. I don't think the Bob Jackson reputation has every recovered from this.

[dnovo]

The Jackson is a very nice bike, and for the price, decently built and decently painted. But as I said, it is not built nor finished like a Serotta, a Rivendell, a Sachs or a Kirk.

Case in point, go to the Custom Image Gallery. There is a closeup of the ST on the Jackson. The paint is nice and the striping decent. But now look at one of the closeups of the incredible lug lining and striping on the "Fancy" Kirk, done by Cycle Fantasy. (Check the one noted as 'multiple images' for the best closeups of the Kirk.) Then look at the lugwork that Dave Kirk labored so hard to create. The differences between the level of build and finish or these two frames is apparent from these photos.

Does that make the Jackson a bad bike? Hardly, and as I said above, for the price and for 'old English' in a new frame, worth owning. Just understand that you are not getting a bike built or finished to Serotta/Sachs/Rivendell/Kirk et al standards, nor painted by Cycle Fantasy or Joe Bell. Dave N.

[Dr. Doofus]

nice site on the cleans...I'm always amused by the crappy tech of the cats who think its a combo of a squat and a pull...you see the leg drive, then a dead spot, then a compensatory pull -- and crapola from the core.

If you get a good strength coach who can train you on good form, you'll find the "order of fatigue" on those puppies is abs-lumbars, glute, quads/traps...the hip thrust is powered by the abs and back shooting those hips forward....