Bob Jackson's is shutting up - IT IS NOW (sob) !!

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
gregoryoftours
Posts: 2234
Joined: 22 May 2011, 7:14pm

Re: Bob Jackson's is shutting up - IT IS NOW (sob) !!

Post by gregoryoftours »

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/product-news/bob-jackson-to-continue-making-steel-frames-in-leeds-488920/amp?__twitter_impression=true


From the article: Woodrup had to move fast to keep Bob Jackson steel and in Leeds: “There were a few people wanting it – there was a European company just basically wanting the brand to stick it on some cheap carbon and send it into America".

God if it wasn't for them saying a 'European company' I would swear that it was bloody Planet X trying to get their dirty mitts on it! A lot of their stuff is really good value but I really wish they wouldn't buy up classic old brands (Holdsworth etc) and tread their names into the mud.
alexnharvey
Posts: 1923
Joined: 10 Jan 2014, 8:39am

Re: Bob Jackson's is shutting up - IT IS NOW (sob) !!

Post by alexnharvey »

Brant Richards (ex on-one/planetx) said he had emailed BJ expressing interest in buying/investing over on singletrack forum after closure announcement 1. Don't know what his plan was though.
PaulS
Posts: 105
Joined: 26 Jan 2012, 6:45am
Location: East Yorkshire

Re: Bob Jackson's is shutting up - IT IS NOW (sob) !!

Post by PaulS »

Shame.
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Bonefishblues
Posts: 11010
Joined: 7 Jul 2014, 9:45pm
Location: Near Bicester Oxon

Re: Bob Jackson's is shutting up - IT IS NOW (sob) !!

Post by Bonefishblues »

PaulS wrote:Shame.

Hold on is it shutting again?
thirdcrank
Posts: 36776
Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 2:44pm

Re: Bob Jackson's is shutting up - IT IS NOW (sob) !!

Post by thirdcrank »

Further up I shared some reminiscences about bike shops in Leeds and I can't think of anywhere else to post this, from the Leodis archive.

It's Gerry Laycock's shop just after it had closed (1981) A tenuous link to Bob Jackson is that when I bought my BJ frame in 1980, I fitted it with a TA 3arm Cyclotourist chainset at clearance price from Laycock's. It was one of my regular haunts but I've no memory of it closing.

https://www.leodis.net/viewimage/134704
backnotes
Posts: 619
Joined: 16 Jan 2011, 8:36am

Re: Bob Jackson's is shutting up - IT IS NOW (sob) !!

Post by backnotes »

I received this update today about Bob Jackson / Woodrup. Apologies if this is already posted somewhere on here.

===================================================================

Greetings from Kirkstall Road Leeds, the home of Woodrup Cycles and Bob Jackson cycles.

Thank you for your interest in the future of Bob Jackson.

Following the decision being taken by Donald to close Bob Jackson back in 2020, we attempted to rescue the business in the existing location and setup. Due to circumstances out of our control this was not possible. There were reasons Donald had decided to close the business. In the end we bought the name, some old stock and a couple of bits of machinery, we then began thinking about how we could bring Bob Jackson back to life.

The Woodrup and Jackson names go back a long way. On their return from service in WW2 Woodrup founder Maurice and Bob joined forces, with Maurice investing in Bob’s existing shop on Harehills Lane. They then opened a shop together on Burley Lodge Road (5 minutes from our current location) under the JRJ Cycles banner. They proceeded to set up a factory on Hyde Park Road in a big old Victorian house, where the frames were built and enamelled.

Maurice built the frames while Bob dealt with front of house and sales. Over the years, the partnership faltered and they went their separate ways, with Bob keeping his Harehills store and Maurice keeping the Burley Lodge Road shop, setting up there as Woodrup Cycles. Maurice opened our Kirkstall Road shop around 1969 and we've been here, building steel frames ever since.

Since we bought the Bob Jackson name the bike industry has been on a rollercoaster ride, we’ve been doing our best to hold on tight which meant putting the Bob Jackson plans on hold as we focused on the day to day running of Woodrup Cycles.

As the bike industry has returned to normality we’ve been able to begin planning for the relaunch. We have decided to offer 3 classic Jackson frames, adjusted slightly for the modern world. We’ve tried to simplify the pricing structure by speccing each frame with appropriate braze ons and including single colour paint with down tube, seat tube, head tube and tubing decals. All prices are for frame & fork and the frames will be built with 1 1/8th ahead steerers. We are able to offer custom geometry and custom paint options and full builds if desired - price on request.

We’ll be offering a Vigorelli, an End to End / Audax, and an Olympus in set sizes from 50cm to 62cm. We’ll be building in 725 as a default, this offers significant improvements over 631 at a relatively small price difference. 853 will be an optional upgrade.

We are putting together a frame shop team and production will be headed up by Steve Woodrup, these frames will be hand built in Leeds where Bob Jackson belongs.

Audax/End-End in Reynolds 725 with standard lugs and all appropriate eyelets - £1585.
Vigorelli (singlespeed/fixed) in 725 with standard lugs will - £1550
Olympus (road racing) in 725 with standard lugs - £1585
Each of these frames can be upgraded to Reynolds 853 for £150

We have a limited number of Fleur de Lys lugsets (8 sets), possibly the last of these that will make UK shores. We will be doing a special run of Fleur de Lys lugged framesets with a special barberspole and panels paintjob which will add £500 – this can be done on any of the frame models.

All prices include UK VAT but do not include shipping, handling or customs charges.

Thank you for taking the time to read through this update and please respond if you have any queries or would like to place an order. We are currently looking at around 4 months lead time on frame orders however we expect this to increase quickly. We hope to have some new show frames built and painted with the next few weeks and we've already had our first Olympus 853 order come through.

We are really excited to begin this new chapter in Bob Jackson history,

Thanks

Tom

Bob Jackson Cycles / Woodrup Cycles
345-349 Kirkstall Road Leeds
0113 2636212
Last edited by backnotes on 26 Feb 2023, 9:48am, edited 1 time in total.
BerlinMatt
Posts: 57
Joined: 2 Jan 2021, 9:16pm

Re: Bob Jackson's is shutting up - IT IS NOW (sob) !!

Post by BerlinMatt »

backnotes wrote: 25 Feb 2023, 8:07pm

We are putting together a frame shop team and production will be headed up by Steve Woodrup, these frames will be hand built in Leeds where Bob Jackson belongs.

Audax/End-End in Reynolds 725 with standard lugs and all appropriate eyelets - £1585.
Vigorelli (singlespeed/fixed) in 725 with standard lugs will - £1550
Olympus (road racing) in 725 with standard lugs - £1585
Each of these frames can be upgraded to Reynolds 853 for £150

That's quite a price increase.
fixer
Posts: 152
Joined: 14 Jun 2007, 8:00pm

Re: Bob Jackson's is shutting up - IT IS NOW (sob) !!

Post by fixer »

Four times price increase!

I would guess the new "Bob Jackson" frames are actually Woodrup frames with a different sticker.
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geomannie
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Joined: 13 May 2009, 6:07pm

Re: Bob Jackson's is shutting up - IT IS NOW (sob) !!

Post by geomannie »

I have looked up the old pricing using the Wayback machine and to be honest the old prices from ca. £500-£800 for the off-the-peg frames seems remarkably cheap. That may be one of the reasons that Bob Jackson's were struggling. A top class frame of any sort today is well north of £1000 so the new pricing, while high, is not extraordinary. You pays yer money..............
geomannie
alexnharvey
Posts: 1923
Joined: 10 Jan 2014, 8:39am

Re: Bob Jackson's is shutting up - IT IS NOW (sob) !!

Post by alexnharvey »

geomannie wrote: 27 Feb 2023, 10:27am I have looked up the old pricing using the Wayback machine and to be honest the old prices from ca. £500-£800 for the off-the-peg frames seems remarkably cheap. That may be one of the reasons that Bob Jackson's were struggling. A top class frame of any sort today is well north of £1000 so the new pricing, while high, is not extraordinary. You pays yer money..............
100% agree. They were selling their frames for less than some experienced amateur framebuilders.
scottg
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Joined: 10 Jan 2008, 8:44pm
Location: Highland Heights Kentucky,, USA

Re: Bob Jackson's is shutting up - IT IS NOW (sob) !!

Post by scottg »

alexnharvey wrote: 27 Feb 2023, 12:40pm
100% agree. They were selling their frames for less than some experienced amateur framebuilders.
For comparison, Waterford in the US pricing.
Waterford is owned by Richard Schwinn.


https://waterfordbikes.com/fv/pricing/
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BerlinMatt
Posts: 57
Joined: 2 Jan 2021, 9:16pm

Re: Bob Jackson's is shutting up - IT IS NOW (sob) !!

Post by BerlinMatt »

I thought that they closed down because they were getting old and couldn't find anyone to train up? I don't think it was due to them struggling to make money selling frames at that price. A good team could churn out lugged frames in standard sizes reasonably quickly (and to be fair looking at some friends BJ frames they might have been going a bit too quickly on occasion).
I'm not sure why anyone would buy an off the peg lugged frame for much more than £800.
Also comparing a lugged off the peg frame with something that's custom fitted and fillet brazed has its limitations.
alexnharvey
Posts: 1923
Joined: 10 Jan 2014, 8:39am

Re: Bob Jackson's is shutting up - IT IS NOW (sob) !!

Post by alexnharvey »

Where can I buy a british built lugged frame for £800?
BerlinMatt
Posts: 57
Joined: 2 Jan 2021, 9:16pm

Re: Bob Jackson's is shutting up - IT IS NOW (sob) !!

Post by BerlinMatt »

alexnharvey wrote: 27 Feb 2023, 4:08pm Where can I buy a british built lugged frame for £800?
That wasn't really the point I was making. And I doubt that you can find one anywhere- that was bob Jackson's niche. Mercian now seem to be the 'cheap option' for a UK frame
PH
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Re: Bob Jackson's is shutting up - IT IS NOW (sob) !!

Post by PH »

BerlinMatt wrote: 27 Feb 2023, 4:03pm I thought that they closed down because they were getting old and couldn't find anyone to train up?
I wrote this two years and ten pages ago:
"That this is given as the reason for BJ ceasing to build frames, indicates to me that maybe it isn't a viable business to continue. That isn't a criticism of anyone, it's no ones business but their own. But they didn't suddenly become an aging workforce and if it had been viable, they'd have been planning for it's continuation if they'd chosen too."
Not everyone agreed of course, but that Woodrup's wanted to take it on as a going concern and their statement above says "Following the decision being taken by Donald to close Bob Jackson back in 2020, we attempted to rescue the business in the existing location and setup. Due to circumstances out of our control this was not possible. There were reasons Donald had decided to close the business." I'm still of the same opinion.
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