Chas Roberts frame numbers

[fiveSixteenths]

Mike,
not necessarily.
Having contributed to an article on Roberts a year or so ago I may be qualified to comment. The Roberts numbering system in some respects follows no logic - my own three Roberts road frames have three digit frame numbers and are early frames. The post 1979 numbering system switched from a 4, 5 and 6 figure system to a more consistent 6 figure one - your 4 figure number falls outside this later system.
Example, frame number 010101 was the first frame built in 2001, Chas commented that the system sometimes varied (!) when frames were earmarked for trade or for painting by a third party - this is after Roberts ceased painting in house and subbed out to Dave at Colortech. The first numbering system ran from (approx) 100 to 2100.
An image of your frame would help in the dating.
I have another (#4) Roberts - frameset and this is a 1980s one, so comparing the two might help.
Hope this helps a little.
Jon.

Massive thread dredge, but have you a link to the article?

 

[biggs682]

Just picked this one up and would like to find out some information about build date please.

Frame number 961026

 

[MatBH5]

October 1996

 

[MatBH5]

26th frame built that month

 

[biggs682]

October 1996

Simple as that which is what I was thinking

 

[fiveSixteenths]

Just picked this one up and would like to find out some information about build date please.

Frame number 961026

View attachment 878591View attachment 878592

Lovely that

 

[fiveSixteenths]

October 1996

Have two frames with just three digit numbers stamped on the bb - are these earlier builds?

 

[PhillB]

Have two frames with just three digit numbers stamped on the bb - are these earlier builds?

I'm not an expert, but yes, that's what I have found out - the early frames went from 100 to about 2100 apparently, I have one in the low 100's and am trying to find a rough year of build So far the closest to mine on this list is 'Mid 1960's'

https://classicrendezvous.com/count...harles-roberts/robert-serial-number-registry/

 

[MatBH5]

I had 107 for a while, and 137 too. Both now sold on. And I think something in the 500’s (probably got the photos somewhere - edit 506 and 571).
What’s slightly different was that those were all numbered on the rear dropout, not the bottom bracket. View attachment 883094 View attachment 883094

 

[MatBH5]

There’s 137