Classic & Vintage - Date a Ross Europa-3??

I just bought a near mint Ross Europa-3 from a guy down the street for $10 mainly for my wife to tool around the neighborhood on. So far I haven't located a serial number or other distinguishing marks. Anyone know how to date this thing?

Get a picture or list components. I'll just say that it was likely made in the 70s or 80s though.

I just bought a near mint Ross Europa-3 from a guy down the street for $10 mainly for my wife to tool around the neighborhood on. Anyone know how to date this thing?

Have you tried flowers and a bottle of wine? Maybe dinner and a movie? :)

Piffle! Anyone who is seriously familiar with the heart of the Allentonian steed knows there is only one way... Ghirardelli Chocolate. :rolleyes:

+1 on what Mos said. S/N is most likely either on the left rear dropout or under the bottom bracket. Not that it will do you any good. There's no decoding that I'm familiar with.

It probably has a Shimano/333 rear hub so date coding isn't possible there either.

If the bike has a one piece crank, which I think it does... Pull the crank out, clean the grease off the center section and you'll most likely find a date cast there. This would be the absolute earliest the bike could have been made. Chances are the crank sat around anywhere from a month to six after it was made.

Enjoy your bike, Ross isn't the most esteemed marque in bicycleland but the following is growing. Pictures would be wonderful!

I'll try to get some pics uploaded. I'm generally familiar with Ross, so I kew I wasn't finding the legendary copy of the Constitution at a garage sale. It seems like a pretty sturdy bike that should be quite servicable for its intended use though. I don't know if I want to pull the crank out right now, but thanks for the info.
BTW, I don't drink so I don't think wine is the right choice. I'll try dinner and a movie.:p

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=207856&highlight=shimano+hub+dating

It isn't as accurate as Sturmey-Archer, but it gives you an idea of the era. If it is a S-A, there will be a date code stamped to the left of the logo, indicating the month and year.