Help me restore this 1960s Roberts Track bike correctly

[Berkley Driskill]

Re: Re:

hello
did you speak with geoff roberts ? There are a lot of peple claiming to be "roberts cycles" and they only worked there, they didn't, and don't, own the company.
There is even a fake roberts website online - because the person who registered it, is infringing a trade mark.

The Real Deal and owner.

Geoff Roberts - Roberts Cycles.

Unit 4 Green Man Yard
Boreham Street
Hailsham
East Sussex
BN27 4SF

Tel: 07840 786 100
IG: @Geoff3431

Wow! Thanks for the info. No, I have not discussed anything with Geoff Roberts. I had considered it but felt confident with the contacts I had already made. Just to be safe, I will make an additional attempt to get confirmation on the frame from Geoff, or a representative from Geoff Roberts frames. Attached are 2 of the emails received from those answering emails at http://www.robertscycles.com.
The 3 people who reviewed my frame were:
1. Tom Bogdanowicz, who has written the only published piece about the history of Roberts Cycles (in the Boneshaker August 2015 - journal of the Veteran Cycle Club)
2. Brian Phillips - former Roberts mechanic
3. Neil Carlson (website author) http://www.robertscycles.com.

Thanks again for the feedback!
-Berkley

 

[4th in the devil]

Re:

Track bikes in that era where rarely bought "off the peg". People tended to get them built. The colour was therefore up to the individual. Also, nobody bought a full track bike, you bought the frame and then fitted your own parts.

Nearly everybody used large flange Campagnolo Record hubs built onto Mavic or other silver (i.e. not anodized) sprint rims. If the builder was good the wheels would have radial spoking on the front and tied and soldered spokes on the rear. The tyres would be glued on with red/brown Shellac - a process which took about a week to build up the thin layers of the beetle based varnish.

The seat post would be the awkward two bolt Campag Record and the chainset in that era would be the 151 Campag. I would avoid buying those as the chainrings are hard to find - better sticking to the newer 144. Always an 1/8th chain.

Bars may well have been steel if it was a sprinter. Can't go wrong with Cinelli. Remember to stop the bar tape half way up or for Madison put the tape all the way to the stem.

Pedals would be the Campag Pista style (with no quill at the end) and loads of people used double Binda straps.