Roberts Cycles was a custom bicycle frame builder in Selhurst near Croydon, South London, England. Production was limited by capacity to 100 steel frames per year, and they were made in a bespoke manner to the dimensions, mass and equipment specification requirements of the customer. A mixture of Reynolds and Columbus tubing was used in the construction of this frame, which was all completed in 1979, and built up in 1980. Making it one of the last frames built under the direction of Charles Roberts, the originator of the brand.
When Charles Roberts died in 1979, Chas inherited the business which continued to be a stalwart of the world's custom bike scene. For years Roberts was one of a handful of hand-builders literally carrying the torch for bespoke bikes when the mountain bike boom and the shift to aluminium frames cut into the traditional steel road frame market. In recent years, new and affluent cyclists looking for something craftsman-made and unique have driven a renaissance in custom framebuilding, and Roberts has been in the vanguard. In 2012 the Roberts Rough Stuff won Best Touring Bicycle at the first Bespoked Handmade Bike Show.
This lovely early 80s Cyclocross bike was custom designed and built with a 58cm S/T and a 57cm ETT.
The owner loved it so much he had us completely rebuild the wheels in the early 00s. We completely overhauled the hubs and then had our master wheelbuilder relace them with DTSwiss doublebutted spokes onto 36H Mavic Open Sport double walled, eyeleted rims. And then we overhauled every single little thing. Every shifter, brake lever, derailleur, hub, bottom bracken, headset, and chainring component was removed, dismantled, cleaned, examined, rebuilt and reinstalled – to recreate this luscious beastie. It rides like a dream.
Frame: bespoke Roberts Cyclocross (frame wide enough to take 32mm tires)
Fork: bespoke Roberts fork, custom bent
Headset: campagnolo record Brakes: campagnolo record
Crankset: campagnolo record
Wheels: campagnolo record hubs, DTswiss spokes, MAVIC Open Sport 36H rims
Chain: campy Shifters: downtube, campagnolo record
Handlebars/stem: Cinelli Campion del Mondo bartape: cork
seatpost: campagnolo pedals: campagnolo
With STI upgrades this bike could compare with any high-end modern gravel or all-road bike on the market. And as one of the last bikes of a great master....
