‘93 Roberts

[Gtpulse]

Well I’m pretty sure it is………was sold to me without any decals and in need of a repaint. From research it certainly looks like a late 80s/early 90s Roberts?*edited having researched a few more threads on here the frame number indicates a 1993 bike. I’m happy to be educated. It was cheap so I’m not bothered if it’s something else!

A first for me in stripping back to bare metal and rattle canning a bike. I’m going to enjoy the challenge and if it doesn’t work out will send it off for a refurb. It’s a skill I’ve always been wanting to have a go at, it’s more the effort than the expense. I started stripping it about 10 years ago and didn’t get it out again until a few weeks ago.

I’ve got a can of BMW Le Mans blue on it’s way. One of my favourite car colours though have only ever had the one in that colour!

Here’s some photos of it in the greenhouse…..sorry spraybooth…..sanded, wiped and ready for primer.

 

[Gtpulse]

*seatpost, bottom bracket, bolts etc sacrificial items from the scrap pile to avoid me plugging the threads with paint.

 

[Old Ned]

Interesting seat lug?seat stay interface. Can't say I've seen one quite like that. Looks like a complete unit, lug and sockets for stays in one casting.

 

[Gtpulse]

It is quite unusual and is one of the features I had pinned on it being a Roberts from a couple of other bikes/frames I had seen. I’m sure when I bought it I saw many examples, a quick look now turns up one currently on eBay



And one that was owned by Matbh5 here on the forum which was a Roberts built/Sigma branded.

https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/sigma-chas-roberts-1995.300713/

 

[Gtpulse]

Well that all came together quickly! Enforced afternoon at home after my first post yesterday meant I managed to get a couple of coats of primer on with a flat back between coats with some 600 grit wet and dry.

The base coat arrived first thing this morning, the primed frame having baked in the sunny greenhouse for a few hours it didn’t take long for a couple of coats of blue then another couple of lacquer to go on and dry in the sun. Couldn’t wait to get the transfers on which I did this evening back in the cave as soon as the lacquer was dry enough!

Pleased with what is my first effort at spraying a whole frame.

 

[Mike-p]

Looking really nice!

 

[Nob]

Are you replicating the decals that we’re on before?
As the seat tube decal looks a little small

 

[vcballbat]

That's a great looking frame, I really like the neat fastback seat stays and clamping arrangement. Raleigh did a similar thing on its SBDU 753 frames around 89-90 using neat little caps on the seat stays attached to a cast seat lug with a decent clamping arrangement. The earlier Raleigh 753 fastback clamping was weaker and prone to failure.

 

[Gtpulse]

Are you replicating the decals that we’re on before?
As the seat tube decal looks a little small

Hi, it didn’t have any decals on it so I’ve gone with what I liked the look of most! I think they came from HLloyd or EBay, it was a while ago when I bought them. I just went with the set I liked the look of the most and included my favourite Roberts head tube decal -

I’ve got several bikes mostly in MTB that are “factory” and right or wrong I enjoy the challenge of keeping/getting them to the “right” spec - so it’s a bit of a fun challenge for me to work with a semi-blank canvas. I’m not known for my artistic ability or vision at home! Fortunately I’ve not lacquered the decals as I realised I may want to change them, for me it’s trial and error in this department. The set I bought had two of what I consider to be the head tube decal - would it be normal to also have one on the seat tube?

 

[Gtpulse]

That's a great looking frame, I really like the neat fastback seat stays and clamping arrangement. Raleigh did a similar thing on its SBDU 753 frames around 89-90 using neat little caps on the seat stays attached to a cast seat lug with a decent clamping arrangement. The earlier Raleigh 753 fastback clamping was weaker and prone to failure.

View attachment 579278View attachment 579279

That does look very similar - are those Cinelli lugs? Mine while similar don’t have the logo on there.


The frame numbering on mine definitely follows the Roberts numbering convention, don’t think it’s SBDU maybe someone can identify it from the number?



It’s been a satisfying challenge and I wish I could pass on the lessons I’ve learned and patience I now have to my teenage self. I was forever trying to paint things and ending up with a bodge in my teens. Grandad once entrusted me with repainting the Bayliss & Thomas Ordinary I rode at the weekends. The result was horrific, even worse that in stripping off the previous repaint we uncovered a beautiful original paint job underneath albeit very faded and worn.

The intention with this bike has been to see if I could apply some paint with a half decent finish. If I ever sell it, it’s unknown-at -the-moment heritage will be noted. Though that situation is unlikely - it’s extremely rare that I sell any actual frames or bikes!