Yet another Roberts D.O.G.S... of a rebuild

[xxnick1975]

Lovely looking bike, what's the thought behind the 2 x 10 set up. Looks cool, but is there a reason beyond that?

 

[NeilM]

Lovely looking bike, what's the thought behind the 2 x 10 set up. Looks cool, but is there a reason beyond that?

I think the general idea is that it is a quicker, simpler system with no loss of useability.

My son has been trying it for a while now, and found that there is no offroad disadvantage and that climbing is easier / quicker. That said, my son is under half my age and as fit as a flea; his current offroad ride is a single speed CX bike :roll:

I thought it would be interesting to try and is also quite 'modern' in comparison to the age of the frame, which was another statement I wanted to make.

 

[matt24777]

I think the general idea is that it is a quicker, simpler system with no loss of useability

That 38t front big ring looks smaller than it's tooth count suggests, what's the top speed like?

Whole bike looks cool, worth the wait.

 

[NeilM]

, what's the top speed like?

As soon as I've ridden it, I'll let you know :roll:

The weather has been so bad here over Christmas that the local woods are just one big puddle, so I'm hoping to get out on it this weekend.

 

[Giom6]

Neil,

Happy New Year.

Love the way the DB is looking. The colour really works well and your choice of components shows how versatile the frame is. Have you had a chance to ride it yet?

Would be really interested to hear how the 10 speed Sram X9 perform.

You got there in the end

 

[NeilM]

Happy New Year Gio.

The weather here has been absolutely dire since Boxing Day. It was not too bad yesterday, but I had other (equine) commitments that kept me away from any biking activity.

It's great that you and others get what I'm up to with my rebuilds. I have not made any changes to the actual frame, which means that if at some point I wanted to return the DB to it's 92 spec. I could, but for now it becomes King of the Fleet, although I'm not sure what my Yates 853 will think of that.

I'm planning on taking the DB up to the trails in Bristol, which are a lot less muddy than the woods near me, so photo's and a report will follow. I am also planning a trip to the Forest of Dean or Haldon soon, which will give me a better idea of what the DB can do.

 

[Giom6]

Its good that you are trying something different mate. What you've done looks really good and its obvious that you have thought long and hard about it and been very careful to pick and choose bits that compliment each other.

I hope it rides as good as it looks

 

[NeilM]

I hope it rides as good as it looks

Me too.

I could have gone with the more expensive and lighter X0 groupset, but as this is a bit of an experiment, I would hate to end up with a chainset that cost a fortune and that I had no use for. I have used X9 previously on the Yates and so far so good.

I'm pleased with the way it's turned out. As you know only too well, translating the ideas and images in your head into the real thing can sometimes be a real pain. With the DB, it really has come out just the way I hoped it would.

As an aside, I also finished my 1980's Concorde Astore roadbike... but I can't ride that either.

So, time to start planning the next builds, and also the disposal of a couple of bikes, one of which is going to my daughter for her birthday.

 

[dnbmatt28]

Looking good, I think that groupset will allow you to put the power down and see what the frame is capable of, without worrying about knackering expensive NOS parts!
As an observation - you've got to get some photos taken away from that red garage door! - Its sapping the colour out of the frame! Also the curve of the rear brake against the horseshoe stay is pretty smart - lets have some pics please!

Nice one
Matt

 

[NeilM]

Looking good, I think that groupset will allow you to put the power down and see what the frame is capable of, without worrying about knackering expensive NOS parts!
As an observation - you've got to get some photos taken away from that red garage door! - Its sapping the colour out of the frame! Also the curve of the rear brake against the horseshoe stay is pretty smart - lets have some pics please!

Matt, that's music to my ears, or as I'm reading this, should that be eyes? Whatever, my bikes are built to be ridden, which is what I do with them. I have recently had a blow out of an M900 rear mech on my other Roberts, which has necessitated a replacement. This was not too difficult or expensive, but it will be increasingly so as time passes. Modern mechs allow me the luxury of using the bike to the maximum of my ability, without having to worry about breakages, other than the walk back to the car.

As for the garage door... erm yes sorry, but there is no way I am taking photo's of my bikes with the mess that is my workshop as a background. In addition, it was such a terrible day when I took the pics, that it was hard to get the shutter speed on the camera right.

I'm due to meet up with my daughter at one of the Bristol trails very soon, and promise some before and after pictures.