Do you have a brochure or catalogue you can send me? So sorry - at the present time, we don't have an up-to-date brochure. However, we have in-depth articles and reviews of many of our bikes that we can send out if you already know which model(s) interest you. There is a price list which you can see here. Please call or e-mail for further details. Is there a Roberts dealer near me? Unless you live in (South) London, the answer is no. We deal direct with our customers, wherever they are. If you can't get over to see us or place an order, we can provide you with a body chart, prompting you to get the required measurements (get a friend or your friendly local bike shop to help you). Other than that, we can take you through all the necessary questions and discuss all the options over the telephone. We're also happy to answer questions by e-mail. What colour(s) can my Roberts bike be? You can have any colour your heart desires. We will attempt to match it to your football team or your handbag, in as many colours as it takes. Special effects such as lattices, fades, banding, coach lines or highlighting are no problem (though before you ask for the Mona Lisa, we should tell you that extra work costs extra, though the charges are not unreasonable). You can have your name on the frame too, if you want. These decals and the Roberts graphics can be in almost any colour too, though most people tend to go with either white, black, gold or silver, as these usually complement any frame colour(s). And, if that's not enough, some parts can be painted or anodised to contrast with or match the frame - one customer has a red Roberts frame with matching rims, stem, rack, headset spacers, chainring bolts and tyres (and he's seeing a psychiatrist about it). Remember, though, that some colour schemes work better than others on bicycles, so we advise customers to look through magazines, check websites or come in to our showroom/ workshop before making a final decision. What were the two World Championships won on a Roberts frame? Tony Doyle, one of the world's greatest 6-day specialists, won two professional World Pursuit Championships in 1980 and 1986 on frames built at our workshop. He came pretty close on a couple of other occasions too. Tim Gould won a gold medal in the hill-climb time trial (but no rainbow jersey) as well as bronze in the cross-country at the inaugural UCI World Mountain Bike Championships in Durango, Colorado (USA) in 1990. Although his bike was branded a Peugeot (the team he rode for at the time), both his and team-mate Dave Baker's frames were built in our Croydon workshop. How are bicycle frames built? There are many ways of constructing frames, but three are commonly used for steel tubes. In every case, the tubes have to be mitred (cut and sanded) to fit up against each other perfectly to ensure a strong joint. Whether done by machine or by hand, skill and care are necessary to make the space between the tubes practically non-existent. Throughout the fitting and welding process, the frame builder will need to check and measure the length, angles and alignment of the tubes, and there are several methods of doing this, from almost freehand with set straight edges, to custom jigs, large and small. What are lugs? Lugs are metal sleeves that the frame tubes plug into at the joints. In the case of steel frames, they are made of steel and add strength, allowing the builder to use less heat in the process of building the frame. This means the tubes distort less and fit together more precisely, which also aids longevity. We use only precisely cast lugs for superior performance and low weight. What is TIG welding? This is the modern method of choice for mass production in steel, aluminium and titanium frames. Practically speaking, the tubes are joined (welded) by fusing together the melted ends in an atmosphere of inert gas (this stops oxygen contaminating and weakening the weld). What is brazing and how is it different from welding? Rather than heating the tube ends up so much that they melt, which allows a weld to be created, a lower temperature is used. At around 800°, a material known as braze is introduced at the joint and this melts into the gaps between the finely mitred tubes and the lug. When it cools, the braze is what holds everything together. A version of braze known as silver solder only requires heating to about 600-650°, which means the tubes are weakened less by exposure to heat. Silver solder is almost always used for small brazed-on fittings such as bottle cage bosses, cable stops and rack mounts, and may be used throughout. Most builders use a welding torch with an oxyacetylene flame to heat the lug, tube and brazing rod, though some still use an open hearth for a less localised heat. What is fillet brazing? This is a construction method where the tubes are held together by layers of melted brass that have been built up over the joint between the tubes (as well as being drawn into the joint). Once this is finished, the joints are carefully filed to create a smooth, curvaceous joint. Why doesn't Chas have a dual-suspension mountain bike in the model range? At Roberts Cycles we are yet to be satisfied by the performance and engineering of such bikes to date. And, as the current technology stands, steel isn't the ideal material for dual-suspension MTBs. So, for the time being we're sticking to what we know best - building the finest custom hardtails you can buy. Aren't steel frames heavy compared to the latest frame materials? Let's put this into context. The difference between one of our frames and the lightest you can name will almost certainly not exceed half a kilogramme. Add the same components to each to make a complete bicycle and sit yourself on top - that half a kilogramme is now less than one per cent of the total. And how long is that frame you've named designed to last?