Bob Jackson Columbus Nemo with carbon rear triangle

[velocipede]

I’ve built this up mainly with parts that came on the Cyfac I recently bought and rebuilt (see other thread) so it’s very much a mix! All of the groupset is Shimano, but from across a wide range of eras!!

The frame is interesting - lovely fillet brazed Columbus Nemo with a Columbus Muscle carbon rear and bonded in. When I got hold of the frame it had a set of carbon forks with it but they were a bit shot, as was the headset, so I spent a bit of time looking around for alternatives.

I settled on a Stronglight needle bearing aheadset form SJS and sourced a set of brand new Columbus chrome threadless forks from Condor - these blew the budget a bit (costing more than I spent on the rest of the build!) and some might frown at the chrome rather than carbon to match the rear - but I’m a big fan of nice springy steel forks and I fancied giving these a go - in the end, I think it looks ok.

In terms of parts, the full build is:

Bob Jackson ‘Nemo frame
Condor Columbus chrome threadless forks
Stronglight needle bearing headset
Shimano Dura Ace 7400 (1st generation) 8 speed STI shifters
dura Ace 7400 front mech
Ultegra 6500 rear mech
105 5800 cranks
Ultegra BB
Level (Ribble) seatpost
Unbranded silver bars and stem
Brooks c17 saddle
Ultegra 6700 hubs on DT Swiss rims with Shimano 8 speed cassette
Conti Ultrasport tyres

In some ways the mixed groupset shouldn’t work - 8 speed shifters and front mech, 10 speed hub, 8 speed cassette, 9 speed rear mech and 11 speed chainset!! But actually, it works perfectly.

One thing that’s struck me in building this is the quality of those 7400 shifters - all metal parts and feel much more “solid” that todays models - incredibly easy to set up too.

The frame geometry is interesting - it’s a very “tall” bike with a super high BB and therefore v high stand over for a frame of this size - almost like a track frame - it would have been a custom order when new so the person buying it must have had their reasons….

Anyhow, here’s some pics:

 

[velocipede]

I did my first proper ride on this today - absolutely lovely!

I’ve also got hold of a Campag Chorus 11 speed groupset and I may rebuild it into this - it’ll save a bit of weight and looks gorgeous - but I’m a bit torn as, given it rides spot on as it is, it seems a bit of a shame to mess with it!!

 

[vtwinvince]

Very cool. I'd stick with the 7400, my personal favourite.

 

[velocipede]

I ended up selling the 7400 shifters in favour of fitting some bar end shifters and my old (Div Champs winning!) Campag levers - looked nice but the levers, whilst a nod to a time past, were nowhere near as comfortable as newer ergonomics (scroll down for the solution!)

 

[velocipede]

So after experimenting with the Campag levers, and at the same time enjoying the Ultegra 8 speed bar end levers, I decided on fitting some TRP RRL levers with the old school gum hoods (courtesy of John at Hubjub) - wow these are super comfy and look good too - very happy with these

 

[vtwinvince]

D'oh, I've been looking for a set of DA brifters for a project. Anyway, cool mix and match on this one.

 

[velocipede]

I've put even more £'s into this now! Just added a nice set of Stronglight Impact compact cranks, so now it's get the proper retro look but modern gear ratios (11-30 cassette too).....pics to follow!

 

[velocipede]

This is it in full rideable state - it’s absolutely spot on - silent running, super comfy and smooth but quick with it - and everything on it chosen to give a long life and easily serviceable - photos not great as it’s currently p1$$ing it down outside!!